Is Repairing Your Smartphone an alternative to buying a new one?

As you may already know from reading previous blog posts or watching my you tube videos, I do repair smart phones for a living. it has been a growing trend the last 2 years. There is smartphone repair shops popping up everywhere.

The reason the trend is growing is because in reality it is a great idea. It will save you a lot of money, especially if you are on contract and are stuck with that phone. Also if you are pay as you go it will save you money also because instead of buying a new iPhone 4 for example for $500 +, the repair may only be $100-200. Or even less in some cases. So you can see the savings could be huge. I will go into more details in what can be repaired generally and what to look for when looking for a shop.


Below I will list a number of things that most shops will be able to repair on a phone.


Repairable Problems with your smart phone and services commonly available:

• LCD Screens/digitizers and Lenses, This I would say is the number one repair I do. Every breaks their screens these days. Especially on touch screen phones.
• Trackballs, Track Pads (Blackberry's) 
• iPhone Batteries
• Charger Ports. 
• Housings
• Keypads
• Camera/Antenna/Headphone Jack
• Sim Card slot/Memory card slot
• Software Issues
• Unlocking/Jailbreaking
• Water damage

These are the main things you will see being repaired at most shops. 

None of the repairs above go over $200 For any of the phones I have ever fixed. The only one that may go higher are iPads. Also if it needs a new motherboard.In most cases if it needs a new motherboard you may as well get a new phone.


What to look for in a repair Shop and what to do when you are there:

1. Read all their policies! They may be written on the wall on a paper. Or on the counter, or in the invoices. 
2. Avoid shops that offer no warranty. Warranty should always be given on a repair no matter what .As a shop owner I know that I have to back my products and services. Some repairs you can't get more than 7 days warranty but on labor I offer 90 Days. Make sure the shop offers some kind of protection. 
3. Be skeptical if they tell you the parts may take 3 weeks or more to arrive. It may be okay but ask why it will take so long. Also ask around other shops to see if this is normal expectations. In most cases parts never take over a week to arrive if they need to be ordered. 
4. Look for a receipt after your phone is ready. Always. This will ensure you have proof of what was done to your phone. 
5. Try not to offer to pay cash for a discount. This will guarantee you poorer service and you will negate your right to get a receipt. Also you are putting the shop at risk with the government as it is illegal to not charge taxes. 
6. Make SURE you pick up your phone before 30 days! Most shops as a policy will reserve the right to recycle your phone after 30 days! It will be considered abandoned.
7. Ask if the parts are good quality. But don't expect 90 percent of parts to be OEM . Reason being is RIM, APPLE, ETC do not sell parts! it's common sense that real parts are not around unless they are pulled from dead phones or refurbished. But don't be afraid there is high quality after market parts out there.

SHOPS OR WORK FROM HOME TO AVOID

Me personally wouldn't recommend leaving your phone at someones house for any reason. But there are some respectable people working from home out there. I will point out this warning signs. 

1. They don't let you step inside their house
2. They don't offer recieits
3. They do not have a legal business name or license!
4. They ask to meet at a Tim Hortons ETC!!!(common sense)
5. They ask you to pay before it is repaired
6. They ask for an advance on the money for repairs.

These are the main things to look for and avoid, it will save you tons of headaches and lost phones. 

So now that you are more informed on deciding whether you will have your product fixed I'd like to tell you that YES Having it repaired is the responsible thing to do for your wallet and for the environment! Thousands upon thousands of these things go to waste when they don't have to!. Keep some money in your pocket and instead of buying a new one, help out your local businesses and have your phone repaired.


For an example. An iphone 4. Costs starting at $599. Plus tax for a new one. Oops you dropped it. Screen is cracked. Guess what. The repair at most shops is not more than $179!. I have seen them being repaired for as low as $129. Thats a quarter of the price you'd pay to buy a new one. 


The new Blackberry bold 9900. $649 Plus tax. For a new one. You broke your screen? guess what, The repair is between $120-180! Again...it is a no brainer Start repairing your broken smart phones. In doing so you will do 3 things. 

• SAVE MONEY
• HELP OUT LOCAL BUSINESS(CREAT JOBS POTENTIALLY)
• HELP THE ENVIRONMENT. 

Thanks for reading!

iPhone 4S Tech Specs in Comparison With iPhone 4

The iphone 4S Has been released. You may be wondering if it is worth it to upgrade if you have the iphone 4. Well that will be a matter of opinion mostly, but here is a few things I will point out. Also I will give my opinion. 

First i'd like to say...First iphone I ever bought at retail price...the iphone 4S. Yes I did buy it. And to add to it...I have been the most loyal blackberry fan ever. I still am a fan. But I decided I will give the new iPhone a shot. 

I have used a few iphone 4's before the iphone 4S. But I never owned one. The first thing about the iphone 4 was that there was plenty of other phones with better cameras .Also the operating system to me was a let down since it didn't offer much more as in features. However the iphone 4S at the moment in my opinion has the best camera I have seen on a smartphone. the 8 Megapixel camera made by Sony is exceptional for picture taking. As well as the 1080P video recording is great for many applications like youtube and facebook. It almost eliminates the need to have a traditional point and shoot camera that costs $200 or less. Of course the high end point and shoot cams are better but most people have regular joe camera's. 

Now before I continue I'd like to add that just because the camera I wouldn't upgrade from iphone 4 to the 4s. I'd wait for the 5. But if you are someone that relies on picture taking and video on your phone then yes the switch just on that is worth it.

The A5 Processor is considerably faster and I have had the chance to test the 2 phones side by side and in the 4S does everything faster. Almost everything anyways. 

SIRI!

I actually love siri. I will do a whole post on siri alone shortly .As well as video demonstration. 

It is awesome and I use it daily. I think so far my favorite feature is the reminders app coupled with siri. I can remember things now!. People tell me something that I need to remember. I just use siri and tell it to remind me periodically or at a specific time. It's awesome. but anyways I will review siri later on its own because its alot to talk about.

This is just a short post but in conclusion I think...if you are happy with the iPhone 4 it is NOT worth the upgrade. Just wait for the 5.  If you are disapointed in the camera and speeds and really want siri then yes be my guest and get the 4S. IF you a 3GS or lower. Definatly a good time to upgrade. You won't be disapointed. 

Below are the specs comparisons. 

Rundown of the specs:

iPhone 4	iPhone 4S
Starting Price $99	Starting Price $199
Network AT&T/Verizon/Sprint	Network AT&T/Verizon/Sprint
Screen 3.5" 640x960	Screen 3.5" 640x960
Storage 8GB	Storage 16/32/64GB
Cameras (rear/front/video) 5MP/VGA/720p	Cameras (rear/front/video) 8MP/VGA/1080p
Dimensions 4.5"x2.31"x0.37"	Dimensions 4.5"x2.31"x0.37"
Weight 4.8 ounces	Weight 4.9 ounces
Battery Life 7 hours talk time 300 hours standby 6 hours 3G web 10 hours Wi-Fi web 10 hours video 40 hours audio	Battery Life 8 hours talk time 200 hours standby 6 hours 3G web 9 hours Wi-Fi web 10 hours video 40 hours audio
Processor Single-core A4	Processor Dual-core A5
Colors White/Black	Colors White/Black