Choosing a phone by repair cost

The first day of July this year, I can get a new phone at discount.  I may not jump on that opportunity right away.  I have an iPhone 4S and Applecare + doesn't expire until the 24 months are up, which should be finished around October.

In the last few months, I've been associated with a computer and phone repair shop.  I help them with some odd iPhone/iPod touch and Mac problems.

The phone technician is impressive.  Apple will sometime say that an iPad or iPhone can't be repaired but he repairs them.  I believe what they really mean is that it's not worth their time.  What I've read is that they replace the product right away and then send it to a designated repair facility.  Often, those repairs end up with the product being returned in worse shape than the shape in which it was received.  This also applies to Apple computer repair.

I was having a problem with the backlight of a late 2004 Apple PowerBook.  I discussed the problem with the owner of the shop, who does the computer repair.  We agreed that it was the backlight.  When I checked it 2008, an Apple retailer gave me a guesstimate of US$400, because they would replace the whole rear panel, as Apple does, which includes the backlight.

The owner of this local shop quoted me a price of something like US$90 for labour + US$20 for the part, and he would order an extra part or two, just to have it.  Being that it was late 2012, Apple didn't even have parts available, so getting the whole panel would have required a deal on eBay for a used part, even a whole computer.  I believe that soldering the new backlight in place took minimal time.  It was the disassembly and re-assembly that took the most time.

So it is with phones.  They have a large display, one or more slabs of batteries, and a tiny circuit board.  Often, they're held together with a lot of glue, which makes disassembly almost impossible.  Certain generations of the iPod touch are a pain and the Samsung Galaxy S III is nearly impossible.  (This just in--the Galaxy S 4 is apparently just the opposite.)  If you damage the display on the Samsung GS3, and you don't have at least US$300 for the display, you're in trouble.  Replacing the display could be a mess because of all the glue and the tight fit.

On the other hand, I see iPhone 4, 4S and 5 repaired regularly although the iPhone 5 isn't nearly as fragile.  It's fairly simple to take those three phones apart, as long as you remember where you put the extra pieces.  One of the biggest problems they see is that someone decided to help their friend avoid a major repair cost and forget to finish the job, which in turn, costs more time and energy--and diagnostic and repair costs.

I'm fairly shocked that Apple made it easy to service the phones.  I needed to replace the battery in my 4th generation iPod (the original white model with the monochrome display) and I couldn't open it.  That's rather different with the 4200rpm hard drive, but the case was not meant to be opened by just anyone.  I've been replacing computer parts since the time of the original IBM PC in 1981, so I have a clue, but I don't mess with miniature parts.

This brings me back to the thought of a new phone.  These high resolution and large displays cost a lot of money to replace.  I was considering the LG Optimus G with the 1280x800 (or is it 1280x768?) display.  Now, they've announced the Optimus G Pro with the 1920x1080 display that's even larger.  Even if the phone is US$299 with a contract, the display replacement might be US$400 or more.  Obviously, if you're paying US$10 per month insurance, it's not a bad thing at all.  I suspect Asurion will charge more than US$10 per month for such a phone.  It's good to know that Apple only charge US$99 for two years.  My buddy replaced the display on an Optimus G a few days ago, and he said that there was so much adhesive that it took a lot of time to remove the shards of glass before he could install anything.

I think I'll hold onto my phone another year and see what happens.  After all, I know someone who can repair it quickly.

Google Nexus 7...in my house [and gone, twice]

A few things changed and I drove to Sam's Club and picked up a Google Nexus 7 tablet.  Unfortunately, they didn't have a case or sleeve for them, but they're still relatively new and they also didn't have cases or sleeves for the Samsung Galaxy tablets.


I sat down with a slice of pizza, a drink, and proceeded to start the tablet.  It was easy to set up, and I was in business quickly.  It remembered part of what was me, from the Android-based phone, but because they don't store apps information for deleted but still wanted apps, it couldn't tell me which apps to download or otherwise, help me decide.  (Surprise! They saved my history in the web/desktop version of Google Play and I was able to initiate downloads to the Nexus 7 from there! Well done!)

I went over to Target, thinking that they try to cover all bases (what an idiom!) but they had nothing relevant, either.

The tablet was charging on the way home.  My microUSB-based charger from my Android-based phone (and the previous phone) worked just fine, although it heated up more than usual.  I noticed that the battery has a similar mAh rating as the battery in my MacBook.  That's a lot for such a small device.

After I arrived home, I started downloading some apps, including Galaxy on Fire 2 THD (Total Harmonic Distortion came to mind immediately), which is apparently the nVidia Tegra version.  It must be just me, but it seems strange that you download a tiny (4 MB?) app, and after you start it, it wants to download another 507 MB, I believe.  This was priced as "Free" in the Google Play store but once you get to a certain point in the story, they want payment.

I thought back for a minute to the point where I added my card to Google Checkout about the time I got the Android-based phone.  A week or so later, I received charges on my Visa Check Card, directly affecting my checking account.  I really didn't want to repeat that with Google Wallet or whatever mechanism they're now using.  I'm not sure whether it's safe or not.  I'll likely succumb to the demand, but I won't be comfortable for a while.

The tablet performs admirably and the display is wonderful.  Japanese and Chinese are clearly rendered, which is generally difficult.  The Tegra 3 4+1 core CPU seems to keep things flowing smoothly and I'm sure that Jelly Bean (4.1.2) adds to the favourable experience.  However, I find that Android still seems put together by a committee.  It looks as though they've massaged it here and there and refined it otherwise, but it still seems such a beta test release of software.

Apps work smoothly and are launched quickly, which is a huge difference from my previous Android experience.  As I've thought in the past, version 4 is a good starting point for Android--what should have been the 1.0 release.  Where is the !@#$ screenshot combination?  I use the Power button and the Home button on iOS and I have a screenshot, but nothing on Android but getting a separate app.  Another thing that's bugging me: if they want to get rid of the menu button, why is the menu button still used so frequently, though it's just hidden to the side?

I'm sure it will be interesting in the future, but it's still going to take time to learn to work it correctly and well.  Google and ASUS, you did a good job.

Update: Wouldn't you know it, there are rumors that Google and ASUS will release a 32 GB model for a similar price in the next few days.  That kind of thing has happened more than once.  When I bought a Nintendo Wii, for instance, it was reduced in price 8 days from then.  I returned the Nexus 7 to Sam's Club and the associate asked me if there was something wrong with all of them because they were getting a lot of returns.  I doubt it would be because of the price/new configurations since they have a time window for returns.  They have great hardware but they're just not great with Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.x) so far.  Let's see what happens on the 29th.

Update 2: I returned the 16 GB version, with much trouble, to Sam's Club and they had it a few days later (around the 29th) for $199.99. I later bought the 32 GB version at Staples with their accidental protection plan.  Given that cases are almost non-existent at the moment, anything could happen.  Staples had both the 16 GB and 32 GB versions at $249.99, and the protection plan was not yet priced, so it had a placeholder of $9999.99, a bit much.  The second tablet is a bit creaky, as if it was put together more hastily than the previous tablet I had.  Still, it seems to fit my hand better than the new iPad mini.  I'm sure the iPad mini is a better experience overall, but I'm not expecting revelations with any tablet.  For most of what I'm expecting, the Nexus 7 tablet fits me.

The sad thing is that I returned the second tablet.  It thought I was in Cisco, Texas for some reason, several hundred miles from my actual location.  There were other minor issues with it, but it never worked all that well.  For what it's worth, I still believe it showed a lot of promise and I still have $9.99 in it for a game that was tied to the nVidia Tegra architecture, but oh well.

Instagram and something other than mobile phones

I saw a comment on a @getolympus post today.  The person was making a point about Olympus using Instagram to post photos relating to their users.

There are a huge number of iOS and Android users who have nothing else but mobile phones and some are quite good at capturing the moment.  Some even capture good photos that could be categorised as art.  I can envision the sneers at this time.  Great photographers can work with any equipment and produce good photos.  There are those who are too timid of stepping out on their own who must stay with a dSLR or rangefinder camera to produce their photos.  I count the majority of Canikon users among them.  After all, that's how they came to follow the followers.  However, I can imagine Ansel Adams picking up an iPhone and taking the time to make good photos.

It's not difficult to believe.  Digital technology has come a very long way since I first picked up a digital camera in 1997.  When I first decided to join the movement away from film in 2004, it still wasn't very good and the Canon 20D and Nikon D200 were not very good.  Now, they're really not good.  You say that I wouldn't want to make a poster with a photo from an iPhone 4S or Galaxy SIII?  You're right, but additionally, I wouldn't want to make a poster from 20D or D200 shots either.

The world doesn't care about huge shots and high resolution.  The world is more interested in sharing and that's where Instagram has made its mark.  Since it's been acquired by Facebook, who knows how its nature will change.

I've taken a number of my old shots and uploaded them to my phone and then, to Instagram.  They still look good but in such a smaller size.  At that size, you still notice a clarity from the lenses that my iPhone 4S just can't give.  I thought about adding the Schneider 2 lens and case kit, but at almost $200, that's a bit too dear, and could go toward dSLR equipment or a mirror-less system camera purchase.

The social implications of Instagram are as massive as they are with Twitter.  On the Popular page, you can see like-driven photos within a grid.  Perhaps unfortunately, One Direction and Justin Bieber seem to be getting most of the attention, just like on Twitter.  Providing something silly that people like can vault that image to the top and get you fans, even if it's not your image.

Yes, even if it's not your image--people tend to use images of others to catapult themselves upward.  Of course, you can report violations, but are they heard?  Does any social media service pay attention to violations?  I haven't seem much reaction.

While Instagram is important to a few, it could be gone in a few years, but it certainly signals a maturing of sharing media.

!@#$ Patents and Copying

How many times are consumers hurt by copying?

There was an episode of All in the Family where Archie Bunker was gloating about his new watch.  He was going on and on about this Omega brand watch he bought for almost nothing.  Then, it's revealed "Oh, no, that's not an Omega.  It's an Onega."

Are consumers always fooled so easily?

A co-worker more than 10 years ago was shocked to learn that her new Lexus E300 was a Toyota Windom.  "Toyota?"  As though the Lexus dealer randomly appeared by the Toyota dealership out of convenience and nothing else.  Then again, people were shocked that the Cadillac Seville started as a Chevrolet Nova.  Would those driving an Escalade be driving the Chevrolet version?

I was reading that the HTC One series phones due to be sold this week are held up in U.S. customs, due to the patent issues between HTC and Apple.  While I understands Apple's frustration, the consumer is losing some great phones, especially those who have pre-paid for those phones.  HTC really haven't done anything to Apple but because they were the vanguard of Android, starting with the T-Mobile G1, they were selected, which is a horrible strategy.  They have made some admirable designs without copying Apple.

The patent war between Samsung and Apple is more realistic.  Samsung copies practically everything Apple have done in the mobile space.  Supposedly, they're planning queues/lines to make it appear their phones are more lust-worthy than they might be otherwise.  However, they made advertising about such lines, and made fun of people standing in line for products.  It looks as though Samsung is Samsung-ing itself.

I read elsewhere that the company is all but stopping production of their point-and-shoot cameras, in order to boost production of their mirror-less system cameras.  I doubt that the few thousand who buy the mirror-less models are going to suddenly want new versions, or that throwing more money at them will make them popular.

Their struggle to overtake Sony may be working but it's going to take a long time.  It's more likely that Panasonic will be there first.  It's amazing to me that Panasonic have gone from household items like rice cookers to high end televisions, phones, and computers in the last 30+ years, and that Sony have diminished.

One last thing about patents and copying: why is it that IBM's laptop computer line never had to look like anyone else's (save my sad L40SX), and they've been such a hit, even now that they're coming from Lenovo?  When most of the Ultrabooks look a lot like Apple's MacBook Air, Lenovo's products don't.  They're stylish in an industrial way and get respect from just about anyone.

Update: In the U.K., a judge has decided that Samsung didn't copy iPad to create their own tablet and has ordered Apple to tell everyone this.  When I was in primary school (as it feels this punishment resembles), the copier was punished, not the person being copied.

If I look at practically every mobile device that Samsung has done in the last 2 years, they look remarkably like Apple devices, so much that I noticed one and wondered what Apple had done to their hardware.  Add to this the rather obvious software tweaks to Android to make it look more like iOS, I can't imagine what the judge is thinking.  The only reasonable explanation I can find is that he was annoyed and decided to fix it since they were acting like school children.

Besides, if Nokia and HTC and Motorola can design devices that don't look much like Apple's, why can't Samsung?

Update 2014.01.10: Apple and Samsung have agreed to another round of arbitration, in order to agree on something, anything.  I don't really understand why the FRAND patents weren't settled already since every other FRAND patent gets very little, unlike what Samsung wants.