Fast forward three decades. I was a mom of two working full-time with an over-the-top busy family life. But, I was also re-discovering technology, or so it felt. Up to about that point, gifts from my husband usually consisted of pretty jewelry. And, don't get me wrong, that was great. But I started wanting tech products more than jewelry, and I haven't looked back since. I carry my smartphone everywhere, after all, but the only jewelry I wear everywhere is my engagement ring and wrap set. I can store an unlimited number of books on my Kindle and in the "cloud", but I can only fit so much jewelry in my jewelry box. You get the picture.
I can make just about anything I want to do on my phone, computer, and other tech devices work. I have a lot left to learn, but I think most people who know me would describe me as fairly tech-savvy. My son regrets that I'm not very interested in learning to set up a Mindcraft server for him, so he thinks the teenager down the street knows a lot more about technology than I do, but other than that, I'm the one my family comes to when their smartphone, iPod Touch, tablet, etc. isn't doing what they want it to do.
But one thing I had never done until last week was take apart a tech product to fix it or even just to see what it looked like inside. I always wondered why my husband would do that. And then I found out - it's fun! We're considering starting a little side business fixing some broken tech products. Who do you know who hasn't at one point broken a screen, needed a non-replaceable battery replaced, wished they had more memory in their device, etc.? So, I bought this used iPhone 3G on eBay:
Note the cracked screen. I purchased a new screen, watched a few YouTube videos, and wa la... Ok, I wish I could say that, but actually, it took some work and I still managed to damage the LCD in the meantime. Who knew how difficult it was to pry the LCD from the glass screen without damaging it, right? And now I also know why my husband finds my old hair dryers so useful. So, after about an hour, here's what I ended up with:
Oops! But, never fear, about $20 will get you a brand new LCD and even some decent tools to help, and it was actually a lot easier replacing the LCD than the glass screen (no hair dryer/heat gun required to detach glue). So, finally, several days later, wa la!
Good as new! I did have a moment of panic when I put it back together and the touchscreen didn't work, but then took it apart, noticed I didn't have one of the three connectors firmly hooked back up, and all was well. I can fix an iPhone 3G screen AND LCD now! So, if you need one fixed and aren't as brave as I, I'm your woman! I plan to tackle an iPhone 4 this weekend.
And if you don't love technology the way I do, what new thing are you planning to learn this week?
