I fixed my busted smartphone!

[Blinky]

It's no secret that I drop iPhones, sometimes pretty far. It's a bad habit I know but I can't seem to shake it. At least now there's hope, I found a place to buy parts on the net and it turns out to be fairly simple to replace a screen, definitely easier than a chainsaw carb rebuild.

The most important part is removing the display from the logic board, you can easily screw up a connector that's impossible to fix or replace and then you're screwed. It's easy if you stay ahead of the directions and realize the frame is deep inside the chrome ring. You have to dig way in to hook it. If you don't you'll hook just the glass and rip it off the frame and possibly break the connector, I know, I did it. Didn't break the connector though.

So if you ever break the front of ANY touch screen phone, check out www.directfix.com. They have parts for lots of different smartphones and how to videos on most repairs.


The first phone I broke cost $200 to repair at the Apple store, this last one cost me $30. Breaking the glass/digitizer is no biggie, $25-$30; breaking the LCD is more like $40. A battery costs $15. They have all the little bits too like volume buttons and antennae and stuff.

 

[Paul B]

Cool.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

My 3GS is still going strong, I'll wait till june for an Iphone 5. Cool info though, thanks Dude!

 

[Che]

there are some good 'how to' videos on you tube showing how to fix phones

 

[NeTree]

Friends don't let friends iPhone.

 

[sotc]

How about dumb phones, can you repair them?

 

[SkwerI]

I have a local place that fixes my dumb phones whenever I crack a screen or something. Usually about $35-$40.

 

[C. Kirk]

Here is one more site with complete how to. http://www.ifixit.com/Guide

 

[Blinky]

Friends don't let friends iPhone.

Some friend you are then, eh?

I have 8 months left on this contract, unless Apple produces something a lot better by then I'll probably get a Droid. The 3Gs is a great phone, better than the 4 IMO but AT&T sucks.

I'm gonna see if I can replace the LCD on my daughter's camera.

 

[SkwerI]

Really? It must be a regional thing, or possibly the lousy reception on your Iphone. AT&T has the absolute best coverage in Florida, and I had excellent reception everywhere except the middle of the desert last year on my 7000 mile cross country vacation. I used to have one small dead zone about a mile from my house but that was fixed about 3 years ago. And it's been at least 5-6 years since the last time they tried to rip me off on my bill.

 

[Blinky]

They used to be better but I'm guessing they dropped some tower leases or something. I'm surrounded by dead spots and I'm in the friggin' Research Triangle Region. Not just my phone, everybody here with AT&T hates'em. Here in Hillsborough service is OK but at my apartment in the heart of Chapel Hill I get NO service, at all. I have to walk 5 or 6 blocks to make calls.

Verizon is the carrier of choice around here as far as I can tell.

 

[sotc]

At&t