My Busted Cell Phone - Repair

Before 1

Before 2

A few posts back I had mentioned that I had purchased a busted cell phone for around $50 on eBay. Here it is, the Motorola Droid RAZR - XT912 (as received) in the above photos. It retails new currently for around $200 - $250 on the high end. Made with Corning Gorilla Glass and a Kevlar backing (the stuff they made bullet proof vests out of), I would think it is rugged enough for this not to happen often. The phone works just fine but it certainly is hard on the eyes with the shattered glass. My plan is to replace the front, back, and camera lens cover to make the phone look new once again. I will also need a basic cell phone repair kit (sometimes included with parts) to complete the job. Additionally, I will purchase and attach a mirror screen protector. This job is not recommended to those with little or no experience in these types of repairs because of the level of difficulty. For the record, I am not a tinkerer. I usually download service manuals for projects like this and follow the instructions by the book, step by step while referencing the manual. The reason for this is there is a certain order that components have to be removed and replaced. Also, since some of the components are very tightly situated, precautions in dis-assembly/assembly should be known and adhered to. Sometimes however, manuals cannot be found. In those cases there are YouTube instructional videos that are just as helpful. I purchased all of the required parts on eBay and have included photos of them along with the instructional video that I used. I could have made a video but I did not see the point since the one that I used was very professional and much better than anything I could have created. I've also included the expenses for the parts. I will include photos of the phone when the job is complete ... STAY TUNED!!!

Glass Front

Glass Front With Tool Kit

 

Back/Battery Cover

Camera Lens Cover

Total cost for the parts is as follows:

Front Glass And Tool Kit        $9.99

Back/Battery Cover              $16.00

Camera Cover                     $  5.49

Mirror Screen Protector X6  $  7.98

Total Expenses                    $39.46

UPDATE 12/12/13 - All parts have been ordered and awaiting arrival. E.T.A. 2 Weeks.

UPDATE 01/03/14 - The last of the parts arrived yesterday. I'll be looking the video over a few times and putting it on repeat as I begin working on the phone. Should be late evening or early tomorrow at the latest. Soon after repairing the phone I'll be looking into purchasing 2 docks (multimedia & lap dock) and a data cable. I will post those when they arrive also. See you all tonight (smiles).

UPDATE 01/08/14 - Things are held up due to attention to my marketing campaign for ASN. See All Solutions Network post.

UPDATE 01/14/14 - Well my friends this one turned out to be a disaster. I'm really not one to make excuses but ... word to the wise. Do not attempt to do something when you are tired and a little irritated, especially if it's something that is not 2nd nature. All it took was a slip of the wrist. I used a little too much pressure in closing one of the latches that hold the fine ribbons on the camera module. When I put the phone back together ... no sound ... sighs. All is not lost. I'm sure I can sell/salvage all for parts, get another one, and only come out losing $20 - $30 bucks if that. I can also get another busted one, sell them both and get a brand new one with the proceeds. Furthermore I had the wrong replacement part. Turns out the glass does not separate from the entire top of the phone. In other words the entire top of the phone has to be purchased to replace the cracked LCD screen at a cost of $60 - $70. It would be cheaper to just buy a new phone ... sighs @ cell phone issues.


UPDATE 01/31/14 - Front Glass And Toolkit sold for $31.99 (Paid $9.99)

CONCLUSION 06/24/14 - We've finally come to an end. After a few months and 3 sales (whom all reneged on payment), the busted phone finally sold for $34.99. Remember I paid $50 for it. I made $20.00 profit on the LCD kit. Now that the dust has settled sort of speak ... It cost me between $20.00 - $30.00 to upgrade from my busted phone which I made worse attempting to repair it myself. A few parts ordered were not needed and not accounted for but ... ALL'S WELL ENDS WELL :)

Motorola Droid RAZR XT912

Fantastic Phone !!!

 

 

With the advent of Apple dropping 3G I know that it won't be long before other manufacturers follow suit. I knew it was time to retire the old (original) Motorola Droid A855 slider for a new 4G phone. I chose to stick with Motorola because of a few things. One, Motorola has been in the communications business for about 85 years. Two, tons of rave reviews regarding this phone and it's performance. Three, It fits right in with my home server network. If I had only known what I was missing ... I would have upgraded long ago. Though this is not one of Motorola's newer models, it does just about everything the newer ones do.

First of all, the image is stunning. Big 1080P HD screen and it looks fabulous! The speakers are solid and clear. It is one of the thinnest mobile phones that I've ever used and lightweight yet solid (doesn't feel cheap). Battery life is fair and it supports a sufficient sized memory card. The digitizer is very smooth and accurate. Dual front and rear camera views can be swapped with the touch of an icon. Photo and video quality are awesome. I got a great deal on one with a busted screen that I plan to replace myself. I used to repair and upgrade phones as a value added reseller on eBay. Maybe I should have a section where I show the repairs I've done on items. What do you think? The first phone to impress me was the Blackberry 1080i. In its premier days it was one of only a few phones that had both Blue Tooth & Wi-Fi and sound that could fill a room. This is the second phone to impress me via it's convertible versatility, stunning resolution and smooth operation. Setup was a breeze as with all Motorola phones. Finally, as this phone has been around for a while there are quite a bit of accessories available. I chose a little "kick-stand" holster ... To watch movies on those boringggggg dates (yawn).


The interesting thing about this phone is that it has a docking accessory that literally turns it into an Android based laptop. Additionally, there is a HD dock available with a HDMI port to stream phone content to your big screen TV. Outside of fitting my server environment perfectly ... You may ask, What's in it for me? For around $250 retail new or as low as $100 used/street it's one of the best models to take full advantage of the Android OS and all of it's features ... newer phones with the exact same features can cost as much as $500 - $600 dollars. Perhaps I'm a bit too practical for most but ... Why have/pay for dozens of features I'll never use just because it is the newest model out? That being said, I'm more impressed with what it can do than if it is new.

A Fantastic Phone For Mom

The Motorola EM326g is a great little phone for the money. So good in fact that I bought one for my mom. She still doesn't know how to use the phone but she does listen to the MP3 player. The sound is clear and loud enough to hear across a well sized room. The phone was very inexpensive. I got it brand new in the box for less than $10 ($7.99 shipping included) on eBay. Not a smart phone but, definitely a smart buy. New in the box, the phone features free activation, 10 free minutes, and a free sim card. With the Net10 service provider there is no contract, no long distance or roaming charges. Unused minutes roll over to the following month. Since my mom doesn't use the phone ... The initial minimum minutes plan ($20) rolled over for 3 months. Below find photos of the actual box (click to enlarge)  for more details of features.


Additionally the phone includes: Text, photo messaging, web email, and calls to 411. Not The 411 Club ... LOL. You can keep your current phone number or get a new one, the choice is yours. The phone includes a FM radio and the ear buds (not included) cord act as an antenna. My mom loves it. I love the fact that if she should get stranded she won't have to borrow or hunt a phone down to get help or assistance. Inexpensive enough to get one for "ALL" the kids ... yours and someone else's ... HA!