Tool Hacks: Sometimes, You Gotta Improvise
Lately, we’ve been combing through data from our community survey and collecting stories for the Amazing Break series. All those stories have taught us a thing or two about the way people go about fixing things.
We firmly believe that it’s always best to use the right tool for the job. But, sometimes, time is really of the essence. When you’ve just dropped your iPhone in a glass of Sprite or your motherboard is on fire, you probably don’t have time to wait for a box of shiny new tools to arrive in the mail.
In these cases, you may need to resort to some improvisation. Here are a few tricks we’ve collected from our own experiences and those of our users:
The Unauthorized Guide to iPhone, iPad, and iPod Repair
We’re all about getting the knowledge and tools for repair into the hands of as many people as possible. So when Timothy Warner asked us to collaborate on his upcoming book about fixing and maintaining iDevices, we jumped on board and helped out.
The book—The Unauthorized Guide to iPhone, iPad, and iPod Repair: A DIY Guide to Extending the Life of Your iDevices!—was just published and is now available for purchase in all the usual places.
A combination of Warner’s experience as an Apple Certified Repair Technician and loads of full-color photos, The Unauthorized Guide is an awesome resource for amateur and professional fixers alike. It’s filled with step-by-step repair instructions for nearly every iDevice, info on recovering from water damage, and tips for sourcing, repairing, and reselling broken iDevices.
We’ve thoroughly reviewed the book for technical accuracy, and are proud to give it our full approval and backing.
Beyond Unlocking: Don’t Let Them Kill the First Reasonable Copyright Reform Bill
Photo: Imochard / Flickr
A funny thing happened on the way to Congress yesterday. For once, lawmakers introduced a common-sense bill — the Unlocking Technology Act of 2013.
If passed, the bill would give Americans freedom to do what they need — unlock, repair, maintain, modify — with the devices they own, whether cellphone or car. “Own” being the operative word, because, as I’ve argued here before, it’s no longer obvious who owns our stuff when we live in an age where physical objects are also digital and require access to information (such as service manuals).
With such a common-sense bill, you might assume that Congress will make a rational decision to guarantee our rights — especially when introduced by a bipartisan coalition of representatives: Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Jared Polis (D-CO).
But don’t kid yourself: this is an uphill battle.
Technology advocates don’t have a great record of legislative wins compared to the deep-pocketed carriers and content lobbyists who are masters of playing the long game. The most likely course of action is a stopgap solution — like a Leahy bill that scores political points but fails to solve anything — so it’s important that we voice our support, now. Read the rest of this article »
The Amazing Break: Flaming Johns and Wayward Wheels
As part of our first Community Survey, we asked iFixit members to tell us their most epic break stories. You guys delivered in a big way.
Almost 5,000 people gave us the details of their most harrowing repair moments. Of course, this is the iFixit community; we fix things. So, for every break story someone sent us, another person told us about an incredible repair he or she performed.
We enjoyed your repair trials, tribulations, and victories so much, we decided to preserve them for posterity in a series of blog posts. Here’s another installment of The Amazing Break: Read the rest of this article »
Ouya Teardown
This Android-powered Ouya console is the first of its kind. It’s specifically designed to be open to professional and amateur game designers alike, with free software development tools included with every console. Sounds like it’s right up our alley.
Full disclosure: The folks at Ouya tout this to be “the first totally open video game console.” They have so much confidence in the Ouya, in fact, that they sent us a retail unit to take apart. Game on, folks.
The small cube (and its controller) came apart with little difficulty. Those with long-haired pets will appreciate that it takes about five minutes to pop open and clean out the heatsink and fan. As a result of its disassembility, the Ouya scored a stellar 9 out of 10 on the repairability scale. Read the rest of this article »
Snapshot of Worldwide Electronics Recycling 2013
Just thought I’d take a look at the state of electronics recycling around the world to see how we’re doing.
According to the International Environmental Technology Center of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the volume of e-waste is increasing by 40 percent per year worldwide. They estimate that 80 percent of it is still going in to landfills and incinerators. According to UNEP, e-waste is the fastest-growing type of waste, particularly in some developing countries where the volume is expected to grow by up to 500 percent over the next decade.
Unfortunately, electronics recycling is a comparatively low priority in many countries. Most countries of the world (including the U.S.) don’t have a coherent national collection infrastructure. This is true for most of Asia where the problem is becoming critical. According to Park Young-Woo of the United Nations Environment Program, the Asia-Pacific region now produces more than half of global e-waste. He estimates that only 10 percent of it is recycled worldwide. Read the rest of this article »