Discussion on:

Five things you should know before trying to fix a smartphone or tablet

You said "Some devices, such as the newer iPhones and the MacBook Air require special screwdrivers to open. Many device use standard Trox and Phillips screws, but there just really small. I recommend"
Perhaps you meant " ...but they are just really small"
they are is abbreviated to they're.
See http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_abbreviation_for_they_are
Yes I do know that I have "issues" with poor grammar.

I'm sure it's a typo, but it's "Torx" not "Trox". Spell check and proof read, something people seldom seem to do anymore.

This has to be one of *the* worst-written articles I've seen on here in regards to proofreading. Just abysmal.

Have 20+ books on English, text books, dictionaries, APA etc. Quess what? They are contradictory. And I before E except after C, what a bunch of BS.

Make English as is Old English 2 and go phonetic. Get rid of verb conjugations per tense and all other obsolete legacy quirks. What is the point of I am, you are he is but I run you run they run. Useless drivel devised when a flint box was considered state of the art.

There are no such thing as having " 'issues' with poor grammar." Don't never apologize for this!

Sometimes they're just common typos or spelling errors, but I see a lot of people make the same mistakes habitually, like using 'to' for 'too'. I've noticed that Bill is pretty good with his grammar.

We need a comma after "MacBook Air." The phrase "such as the newer iPhones and the MacBook Air" is in apposition to the word "devices" and needs to be set off by commas at each end.

If an author can't take the time to proof read and double check spelling and grammar, how can I trust the content of the article?

Many of the respondents to online articles are not American and English is their second or third language. I'll cut them some slack. Some respondents are just morons.

And if the service tech has bad hair, how can I trust the quality of his work?
I mean, really, this is the twenty-first century, bad hair is curable now!


/snarcasm

Many of our posters are NOT native speakers of English. Their spelling and grammar are usually BETTER THAN the native speakers!

Why can't the Americans spell and use correct grammar? A few of us do. Far
too many use incorrect spelling and grammar! If someone is clearly using English as a second (or third) language, I'll cut him some slack. The native speakers who mangle the language are saying "I'm an idiot!" every time they speak (or touch their keyboards).

I am not a native English speaker, but even when spelling errors annoy me, I give the other person the benefit of the doubt. Some people really do have to struggle harder to produce text. Anyway, being intolerant of errors that are easily overcome is a conscious choice. And not a choice I find particularly agreeable. Far better to choose to be tolerant, as it opens up more possibilities for both parties.

Make sure that you backup the device before starting is surely missing from your list, whether you are sending off the device for repair or attempting it yourself.

Regards
Roger

You forgot to mention a hammer.

It's what happens when you use Dragon NS. Give him a break!
By the way, the Nazis did more than criticize grammar.

Blog postings and texts, even email (to a smaller extent IMHO) can be excused for failing to "follow the rules." In contrast, this is a professionally produced article for a technically astute audience. However the first draft is created, if the article is to appear in a printed format then the author (in conjunction with a skilled editor) must be held accountable for the quality of the final product. If you want to continue to have interested readers, the least you can do is to respect them enough to turn out a grammatically correct piece.

Some of these guys (and gals) show disrespect for their audience by not using good grammar and by not knowing how to properly spell. Some have used the poor excuse that they crank out a huge volume of verbiage and of course some spelling and grammar errors will sneak through. BS!

Bill,
Where do you get 64 or aftermarket made 128GB SSD replacements for our 16GB IPADS from sites on the internet? Is this possible? The new Retna Display updates to all the apps have killed space on my IPAD and Apple refuses to cooperate and give us high speed flash card support. My Android phone has a $30 32GB 10HC Flash card in it and it works great!

Richard

I'm a big fan of surgical instruments and magnetized jewellers screwdrivers, but what in the world are spudgers?

Spudgers are pry tools to open cases. They come in various styles and materials. For most things metal ones will damage your case. There are few made out of tough plastic.

is what you meant "torx" instead of "trox screw? - just checking

never mind...if I read further on I would've noticed....lol

A spudger is an old telecom tool used to manipulate wires on the old punchdown blocks or demarks. They have a hook on one end and a slotted bar on the other end to "guide" the wire where you want it to go................TLC

This advice is just as important for when you are popping open an old-fashioned desktop case to replace the video card or add RAM or whatever, especially the part about anti-static and preparing the workspace.

Sorry, Grammar Nazi, but you missed the most obvious one. "Take you're time ..."

Bill, nice advice.

1. before you touch anything have the right mental attitude you cant be pissed at your dog , mom, GF,BFF or anything else this will give you the patience - know you can do it, not believe you can
2. magnifying lamp = flash light + magnifying lens
3. double sided tape to stick all screws label them on tape if no double sided under lap regular tape
4. color markers to label screws on tape \ to make drwings different colors make a difference
label parts as you go
5. know when to walk away {see1} frustration / fatigue can set in and this comes with experience
know thy self

6. get payed up front this not only gives you incentive but gets rid of freeloaders

Once you use the hair dryer to lift the tablet's front panel how do you get it to re-adhere?

You listed the options as 1. Fix it yourself or 2. Buy a new one. There is a third option:
Several online places, (maybe some local ones, too, if you live in a big city) can repair common problems with smartphones and tablets, usually for a flat fee. This way they assume responsibility for further damage. I recently attempted to replace the LCD in an older iPod Touch. The place I ordered the parts from included the tools and had a video on their website that made it look easy. I've been working on delicate electronic stuff for 35 years and I think your 5 tips are spot on (especially #4). The operation was a success, but the patient died. Well, not really, but I did crack the digitizer (outer touch screen) when reassembling. Which is surprising because it took lot more prying to get it apart than to put it back together. Anyway I ordered another digitizer and installed that without breaking it and all is well, but it ended up costing a liitle more than it would have to just send it in to them for their professional repair. If they had broken the digitizer, they would have had to replace it. So the third option is have a professional repair it. That's what I'll do in the future.

Thank you so much, Bill.

It should be pointed out that this particular tutorial can be extended to all sorts of things, not restricted to the niche technology for which it is intended here.

In fact, I suppose you could extend this advice to chef contestants on Chopped!

Great reminder: Thanks!

[And I think it is time to modernize to drop "Nazis" to be "Foxconns" -- just remember that for the Foxconn Grammer Enforcers next time. Or is that a too Politically Incorrect violation for Apple enthusiasts whose product may the one being fixed?]

My continued admiration for the ZDnet gang of three: Bill, Toni and Jason.

You know you've covered a subject well when all they can find wrong are grammatical errors. That said, I agree that writers and editors should proof read their articles. Or better yet, have someone else proof it for them. Nothing is worse than having to read it through a number of times to try to decipher what the writer really meant.

The tools you use in the Cracking Open series are very well suited for electronic device repair and difficult to find. Can you share with us the manufacturer and models of the screw driver set and case cracking tools that you use?

For a disassembly guide. Some reference manuals have excellent disassembly instructions with images and procedures. Also on YouTube many DIY clips are available.

Make sure the repair instructions include disassembly *and* reassembly instructions

When my girlfriend's phone had a cracked screen, I offered to take a shot at replacing it. After all, there was a repair kit available that included all required parts and tools. They even had an instructional video posted on YouTube, which I glanced through.

Even with instructions, it wsa difficult to disassemble. After struggling to get the phone apart (the seals had to be heated with a hairdryer to remove, there were two boards that had to be pried apart... initially pried off the wrong one, etc), I was able to remove the cracked screen.

The instructions left off with "now just do everything in reverse".

There was a replacement screen in the kit, but no replacement seals. Taking something apart is different than putting it back together.

After a couple of hours, I bit the bullet and bought her a new phone. A small price to pay for retaining my sanity.

Whenever I change out RAM or a hard drive in a laptop, I draw a rough diagram of the laptop on some regular copy paper. I draw little circles to mark the spots where the screws go. Every time I take a screw out, I place it on the corresponding spot on my diagram so that I remember where it goes when I put everything back together.

You should consider dressing more professionally. I had to watch you on my lunch break so it didn't seem to my co-workers that I was watching some non-work related vlog durring work hours.

Disposable people?

Oh, wait, those are the users of the devices... (Wait until BYOD becomes mandatory and workers have to pay for this stuff out of their (ever-decreasing) paychecks... and don't people recall 20~30 years ago when people were encouraged to do 401ks instead of pensions and now pensions are long gone?? Still, invest in a 401k and retire at 50. Just like the dude who put $4000 into Facebook, forgetting the other phrase "Don't invest what you can't afford to lose" so while I'm on a roll, explain how people put faith into what amounts to a casino in terms of accruing retirement money when some bubble will pop and everyone else cashes in first...)

Thanks, Bill, for the article. I always enjoy the Cracking Open series and appreciate the walk-through.

While I do appreciate a well-produced (and edited) article, I also appreciate the content above any minor typographical errors and choice in clothing.

Please get the article proofread before publishing.

In relation to Just remember that neither CNET, nor TechRepublic, nor yours truly can be held responsible for injury, damage, or loss of data.

Doesn't work, while it may sound as if you are protected from some people unfortunately there is no way to prevent some people from damaging themselves and passing the blame onto you or who they think that will give them some money.

Many years ago I was supposed to teach a guy how to repair company products and when he got to the class he had no idea how to use a Screwdriver. He honestly didn't know how to use a Screwdriver. Some people just can not be taught no matter how much you hold them by the hand and do the work for them. Then again some people just are not suited to repairing anything and should avoid it all of the time.

Now as I made the mistake of listening to you many years ago I'm working with computers still, even though I know nothing at all about them so you'll be hearing from my Lawyers. I really Hate Computers and other Electronic Devices.

Col

not after an English major...
Many of us are not the best at taking the time to double check thing, in a hurry, too reliant on spell checking, not realizing that many words the spell checker sees is a correctly spelled word, just not the word intended, or picks the wrong word, we just click on replace too quick without realizing we picked were instead of where, and never proof read, Guilty! Yes we need to be more observant, just that a blog, forum, etc is not seen by many as a professional writing skilled event, like many business or other professional documents, not that it should be but maybe not with as much harsh criticism

As for Phone repair, back in the 80's use to repair and reporgram a lot of the older modles, had a lot of equipment to test with, tools, devices were easier.
These days the smaller devices are hardly designed to repair and can ruin if not familiar, have a lot of patience and the right tools.

IF you do feel up to it, one of the best sources for repair parts I have used and cheap is out of China, thecellphoneshop.net
Can just about get anything needed
And so far I have had no issues ordering from them

I had a Nokia phone, not that much but in just a few weeks the screen cracked. The service was t-mobile, the t-mobile shop want3ed more than the phone was worth to fix and Nokia wanted to charge a ridiculous price, the cheapest I could get was 70.00 US to get fixed
I was able to get a replacement screen for 14.95 from this site and was able to fix my phone and lasted for a couple of years until I changed carriers then
So far no repairs since but have gotten many accessories there at a good price.

Or realise a Smartphone or Tab is always 'at risk' and cover it with a SqaureTrade warranty which coverers pretty much everything but theft, or claim for damage on your Home Insurance/away from home cover.