Screen

Invisible Shield for iPhone 4 Now Available

Sébastien Page ∙ June 9, 2010

The new iPhone 4 isn't even out yet that screen protection is already available for it. Zagg was quick to update its product line with a new Invisible Shield for iPhone 4.

Yesterday I wrote an article in which I was mentioning the iPhone 4 will probably cost more in screen protection since it is covered with glass on the front and the back. I'm not big on screen protection but for testing the Invisible Shield in the past on my 3GS, I can tell it's great quality products.

Invisible Shield is so tough that Zagg backs it with a lifetime guarantee. So, if it ever does wear or scratch, they will replace it for free, for the life of your device.

If you feel like you're going to need protection for your iPhone 4, click here to learn more about Invisible Shield for iPhone 4.

iPhone 4 Likely to Cost Twice the Price in Screen Protection

Sébastien Page ∙ June 8, 2010

Part of the iPhone 4 presentation yesterday was the fact that both the front and the back of the iPhone will be made of glass. When I heard the news, I thought to myself "wow, it's gonna look so nice". Then a few seconds later my mind went a different way and I started to realize that with the iPhone 4, I'll have twice the trouble of protecting the screen.

I'm not big into screen protection. Products such as the Invisible Shield do a great job at protecting the iPhone but I like my iPhone naked. No case, no screen protector.

Things might change with the iPhone 4.

Apple's description of their new engineered glass is however quite reassuring:

All the breakthrough technology in iPhone 4 is situated between two glossy panels of aluminosilicate glass — the same type of glass used in the windshields of helicopters and high-speed trains. Chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic, the glass is ultradurable and more scratch resistant than ever. It’s also recyclable.

But will this be enough to protect the back of the phone against time? I really doubt it.

On top of worrying about protecting the front, you now will have to worry about shattering the front AND the back of your iPhone should you accidentally drop it.

I won't change my mind. I won't apply a screen protector but I know I'll be twice as careful with the 4 as I was with my 3G.

What about you? Will you stick your iPhone 4 in a case or under a screen protector?

10 Year Old Kid Fixes Cracked iPhone Screen in 40 Minutes for $22

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 18, 2019

If you ever cracked the screen of your iPhone, you faced 2 options. You could either pay $200 to have it fixed, or you could fix it yourself. Not sure you can do it yourself? Then check out this 10 year old kid who fixed his dad's cracked iPhone screen in under 40 minutes, all this at the ridiculous amount of $21.95.

To make you feel better, the kid comes from a geeky family. Still, it's a nice performance!

More pictures on Cnet.

So Long iPhone Screen Protectors and Thanks for Nothing

Guest Author ∙ Updated November 25, 2016

We've learned from iLounge that Apple is pulling the plug and banning the sale of film based screen protectors and removing them from their retail and online store fronts. This includes all stand-alone screen protectors as well as film-based screen protectors that come as part of a package. The ban will affect all iDevices ranging from the iPod Touch to the new iPad due out early April 2010.

iPhone screens are made of durable glass that nearly impossible to scratch. This move comes as no surprise but it should make one wonder why Apple decided to sell these screen protectors in the first place.

Most screen protectors are nearly impossible to install and, with time, collects dirt around the edges. Not to mention the cost. Most of these screen protectors are $20 or more, depending on where you go; online markets are usually cheaper.

Just because Apple has banned film based screen protectors from the retail outlets, we are not completely without screen protectors. Film based screen protectors will still be available at 3rd party stores such as Best Buy, Fry's or other electronic superstores. Odds are you'll find them cheaper at an electronic superstore too.

Since the purchase of my iPhone [3GS] last July, I have invested roughly $100 on different screen protectors in hopes of finding the perfect one. Today, I swear by not using screen protectors since the iPhone screen has proven itself to be very durable and nearly scratch resistant. I do have a small scratch towards the bottom right corner but it's nearly unnoticable except when screen is black. I can even recount how it happened and, to this day, I am still amazed the scratch is as small as it is.

Do you use a screen protector? If so, will this move affect the future of your iDevices? Please share you opinion.

Apple and Starbucks – Honeymoon Over?

Guest Author ∙ Updated September 20, 2016

Something is going on between Apple and Starbucks. For a while, it seemed that they seemed to be getting closer, but now I think there might be trouble in paradise.

The Starbucks Icon in the iTunes WIFI store seems to be broken. For those of you who haven't tried this feature, you get an extra Starbucks icon in iTunes whenever you are in a participating Starbucks. When I first got my iPhone, I went to a Starbucks and tried it out. The Starbucks page showed me the name of the Currently Playing song, a history of the last songs played, and links to find out more about the Song and Artists, and links to buy these songs in the iTunes WIFI store.

Users are reporting in many support forums and discussions that instead of seeing the Now Playing Starbucks screen when they touch the Starbucks Icon in iTunes WIFI Store, they see a never ending "Loading..." Screen.

Apple not only seems to be ignoring these threads, they seem to even be trying to remove Starbucks References on their Web pages. Even the links to the Starbucks agreement on Apple.com are no longer there (www.apple.com/itunes/starbucks) and reroute you here instead. A search on "Starbucks" on the Apple site shows you the preferred link to iTunes WIFI store, but takes you back to the same place as before. In fact if say "View All Search Results" after searching on the Apple page, all four top links take your right back to the same place. It's as if they had removed references to Starbucks from everywhere but their support forum.

And there are lot of links there. All where people are saying that instead of getting a Starbucks page in the iTunes Store, their iPhone is just showing a screen with the word "Loading..." that goes on and on.

There are many other forums out there with people talking about this problem. So far, I haven't seen a published work-around or response from Apple.

After my first upgrade to 2.0.1, it stopped working. Each time I go into Starbucks now the endless "Loading..." screen. Every 30 seconds or so I see a flash of the screen that is supposed to be showing, but it quickly goes right back to "Loading..." again.

I have been trying to pin point the issue. I have read that the older iTouch's don't seem to have this problem, but I have tested on both the iPhone 3G and the iTouch 2G and they both have the same issue.

Talking to support on both sides of this is getting me nowhere. Support on both sides of this issue don't seem to be aware of the feature, never mind the problem. I talked to the Manager at the local Starbucks and they had no idea that the feature was even available. They had a "guy" that they used to fix their network problems, but he only came in when they called him. They seemed to think it was a non-issue and I could tell fixing this wasn't there first priority. So I called the Starbucks customer support and they said that it was an iPhone issue, not a Starbucks issue. They said they would talk to the local manager of my Starbucks and have them see what they could do. The follow up phone call I was promised never happened.

So then I tried calling Apple support. At first, they too were confused about the feature even existing. After explaining it to the Customer Support rep, they switched me to the iTunes Support group. This person said that it was a known problem and had to do with the way the network was configured at the Starbucks. They sent me some links and encouraged me to go back to the Starbucks and get the Network Administrator to call Apple. I printed out the links (which really said nothing much) and tried again with the Starbucks. No Joy! This was about two weeks ago and it still is saying "Loading" each time I go.

Anyone else have any experiences to report on this? Please let us hear about it.

Take your iPhone apart with a suction cup!

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

Interesting finding over at hackint0sh... One smart user found a way to take his iPhone 3G apart, using a suction cup.

Here is how it works:

Remove the two screws on either side of the charging port Apply a suction cup, to the glass screen. Try to mount it right below the home button. Pull the suction cup toward you and the screen should come out (bottom first) You will see 3 cables running from the top right corner of the screen to the main board of the phone. 3 cables are numbered 1, 2, and 3. Remove the cables in that order. Once the three cables are detached, the entire LCD unit is now separate from the main board.

This can be a handy trick, should you want to fix light leak for example, as this user did. No need to say that your iPhone warranty will be voided in a heartbeat...