Collins, Michael G.

After my unsuccessful attempt at open-iPhone surgery I was in a great deal of shock.  Obviously the thought of having to live without the comforts the iPhone provides can be unsettling.  Even more unsettling, though, is the thought of having to buy another iPhone without the benefit of the carrier’s subsidy.  There was some hope however, as the iPhone was still showing a few signs of life.  So I decided to purchase the combined LCD screen and digitizer ( that’s the touch screen ) that comes pre-assembled from the same site I ordered the original touch screen from.  This turned out to be a much better option, and with the benefit of hindsight I can see clearly that this is what I should have done from the start.

With the pre-assembled LCD and digitizer, replacing the screen is as simple as popping the old one out and sticking the new one in.  It did take a couple of reboots after I swapped the screens, but this may have been due to the fact that I had left the iphone sitting unplugged for about a week after I had so brutally disemboweled it, while I waited for the new screen to arrive.  I think it may have needed a reboot to initialize the new hardware, but ended up in a funky state after it attempted to reboot and then went into dead battery hibernation mode.  Luckily with a full charge and a few more reboots, my iPhone was back up and running just like before.  Well, to be honest, it’s mostly working like it was, but with a few minor quirks that I think were caused by collateral damage, such as the vibrator not working.  I think it was still working after I dropped the phone, which would mean that I probably knocked a wire loose that I forgot to reconnect.  Or it could have been broken the whole time - it’s possible I just overlooked it as I was more concerned with just getting the screen working again.  Either way, it’s something I can easily live without.

And lucky for me, my sister got me a case for my iPhone for Christmas.  It’s one of those clear plastic touch-thru types (if I could remember the brand, I’d mention it, but I forget which one it was), that completely surronds the phone, with cutouts for the buttons and ports.  I really like it, it looks good and doesn’t feel like it effects the accuracy or responsiveness of the touch screen at all.  I had held off on getting a case for my iPhone because I was concerned about the added bulk, but after your unprotected iPhone lands face down on the pavement that ceases to be an important concern.  After using it for several weeks with the case on, I’ve become so accustomed to it, that when I had taken the iPhone out of the case the other day, it felt awkward in my hand, like it was too small now.  It also seems like it might add a good degree of protection from impacts, but I’m not about to chuck it onto the sidewalk again just to test my hunch.