The Stuck Pixel Dilemma

Screen real estate in mobile devices is very important, and a stuck pixel, a small dot on your screen that doesn’t change, can be very annoying.  I’ve owned a few devices that suffered from a stuck pixel.  My Eee PC arrived with a nice, never-changing red dot on the screen.  My Canon SD400 camera arrived with a stuck pixel.  We returned it to the store for a new one, but another stuck pixel appeared over a year later.  I have tried several methods including those below to fix the stuck pixel dilemma:

Here are a few ways to deal with stuck pixels.

• Pixel Massage:  A pixel massage is what you’d expect.  Very gently, you rub with your thumb or finger in a circular motion over the pixel for about a minute, and repeat until the pixel problem is gone.  This method might also include carefully tapping the pixel in an attempt to bring it back to life.  Different people will tell you different methods.  Some people prefer using a cloth wrapped over a dull pencil or stylus. Some people say the cloth needs to be damp, while some say it needs to be dry.  Just make sure not to press too hard, as it is possible to make the problem worse.  Using this method has fixed a few stuck pixels on previous machines that I’ve owned.

• JScreenFix:  According to their site, this is a software solution that helps fix stuck pixels, reduce screen burn-in and improve the quality of images displayed on a screen.  A java applet rapidly flashes colored patterns on your screen.  This is a free solution that works for Mac, Windows, or Linux users.  The longer you allow the applet to flash your screen, the greater your chances of fixing your stuck pixel.  I’ve let this run over night, but my problem remained in the morning.  Others report that JScreenFix has solved their stuck pixel problems.

• See if your manufacturer’s warranty covers stuck pixels.  Sometimes the manufacturer states a certain amount of stuck or dead pixels must exist before they will replace your screen or unit.  You might also Google your product to see if other users are complaining about similar problems.  If you find a lot of people are suffering from the same issue, the manufacturer might have made steps to fix the problem.

Stuck pixels may be annoying, but they are generally livable.  Have any of these methods worked for you? 

Photo credit: Striatic