XpressFix iPhone Repair Blog

Great Holiday apps for your iPhone

This year, we tested out two iPhone apps we believe will reduce the stress and hassle of running around from store to store, finding parking in crowded lots, waiting in lines, and comparing prices. Your iPhone can reduce the stress portion of Christmas shopping, and save you a lot of money.

We think you should give these a go:

1. Shop Savvy – This app has been out for quite some time, but it has been updated in time for Christmas, and we think you will love it.  Shop Savvy, of course, has a barcode scanner which a person uses to scan the UPC symbol of a product (its scanner is very accurate). You may also type in a search for the product.  Once the object has been entered, Shop Savvy will search online for the product, but the results also include local retailers who carry the product, along with prices, and even a map on how to get to that retailer.  Pretty awesome! On top of that, a blue dot appears next to those retailers who actually have your item in stock.  Also included is information about special deals, rebates and promotions that might be available.  If you want to read or write reviews about a retailer or a product, you can do that as well.  We have found that some forward-thinking retailers are adding coupon codes for Shop Savvy customers.  One cool addition is that a user can easily share all of the above with others via Facebook or Twitter.
2. Price Check – We included this application from Amazon because it works almost identically to Shop Savvy, except it lets you comparison shop online retailers only. The advantage is that you can use this app with your iPod as well.  Amazon produces very accurate and relevant results to a product search, with detailed product information and prices.  Amazon is not always the cheapest.  With Price Check, they readily admit when they are not the least expensive, and send you off to a cheaper competitor if you so choose.  The advantage this app has is that it has a barcode scanner, and a voice recognition feature.  The coolest feature is the optical recognition feature, where the user can do a search merely by taking a photo of the product.  This generally works on DVDs, Books and items with text the application can recognize.

If you are on the lookout for iPhone accessories or iPod accessories for gift-giving, you will find that the Apple Store and the AT&T store are quite expensive compared to local iPhone repair locations and websites.  If your gifts are not iPhone related, you will find that the online price is usually cheaper than the price you find at a retail location.  Remember, however, that online returns can be a hassle, and cost you more with shipping should you need an exchange or refund.

Artwork: Shepherd Fairey of Obey.

When looking for causes to donate our time or money to, our goal is to find an organization that may not get the attention it deserves, despite the worthiness of the cause.  We discovered an excellent example this year of such a cause.  So, XpressFix.com is proud to announce its sponsorship of the 14^th annual non-profit Diva Invasion event, hosted by the Equal organization at the University of Central Florida! Known previously on campus as the “Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Student Union, the Equal organization has a new mission of fostering a safe and positive campus experience for any student regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.  However, Equal’s purpose is not only limited to the campus of the University of Central Florida.

Part of the proceeds of this year’s Diva Invasion will go to the Zebra Coalition to help down-and-out GLBTQ citizens who often see discrimination from some of the mainstream or faith-based charities.   The Zebra Coalition is a non-profit partnership of local organizations that provides food, shelter, medical services, substance abuse treatment, employment, counseling and other services to gay, lesbian, and transsexual people, and even to people unsure of their sexual identity.

We admit that what we liked mostly about Equal is that they know how to make their cause fun!  Hosted first by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Student Union in 1996, the Diva Invasion event has a new theme each year, with Diva Invasion 2010 being a circus-themed “Over the Top” show.  Diva Invasion has grown more popular each year, and this year it will be one of UCF’s largest GBLTQ events, with an expected 1,000 attendees.  As with past shows, Diva Invasion 2010 features provocative set designs, female impersonation, fantastic performances, and an extraordinarily fun time for everyone.  Added to this year’s revue are male impersonators! And, performing their own unique form of aerialist art, the Anti-Gravity group will be dazzling the stage.

Please come have a good time supporting a good cause on November 4^th at the UCF Arena!  Admission is free for all UCF students (you also get 1,000 LINK Loot points) and $7 for students from other colleges and universities.  For everyone else, admission is only $15.  But we at XpressFix opted for the VIP tickets, which include reception, food, wine and beer for just $50. We hope to see you there!

Oh yeah, and starting today through November 04^th of 2011, if you purchase any iPod Touch or iPhone Repair from XpressFix.com and use the coupon code EQUALUCF, we will donate 10% of the cost of each sale (excluding our shipping cost) to the EQUAL organization at the University of Central Florida.

How to downgrade your iPhone 3G from iOS4

If you’re an iPhone 3G owner that has recently upgraded to the new iOS 4, and have realized that your device now functions extremely slow, even too slow for the new features to be worth having, then this tutorial on how to downgrade back to iOS 3.1.3 is for you.

The first thing you will need is the iOS 3.1.3 firmware, which you can find here (this will ONLY work for the iPhone 3G). The file is slightly over 200MB, so it will take a decent amount of time to download. The next tool you will need in order to perform this downgrade will be a useful little tool called RecBoot, which you can download here.

Once both the firmware and RecBoot are downloaded,  launch iTunes.  Once opened,  you will put your iPhone into DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to put your device into DFU mode.

1. Plug your USB cable into the charging port of the iPhone.
2. Press and Hold the power button AND home button at the same time.
3. After exactly 10 seconds, release the power button. Continue holding the home button until your iTunes displays a message telling you that it has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.

That’s it. Now your iPhone is ready to to downgrade to iOS 3.1.3. Select your device in iTunes under the “Devices” sidebar on the left pane. Now, hold shift on your keyboard while clicking “Restore”. A window will pop up prompting you to select the firmware you wish to use. Navigate to the 3.1.3 firmware we had just downloaded, select that and hit open. iTunes will begin to install the firmware.

Once iTunes is near finished with installing iOS 3.1.3, you will receive a iTunes error 1015, DO NOT PANIC. This is part of the downgrading process.

Now, the final step. The iPhone will boot back up with the “connect to iTunes” screen. Leave your device plugged into your computer and locate the RecBoot file that you had just downloaded.  Open RecBoot.exe and a screen should pop up. Click “Exit Recovery Mode”, RecBoot will now push your iPhone out of recovery mode, and it will boot up with iOS 3.1.3. You are done. This process should work just about the same on OS X.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact iPhone repair company XpressFix. We will be glad to assist you with any questions you have regarding this process.

Note: This will be a fresh install, so if you had a backup BEFORE you upgraded to iOS 4, then you will be able to backup by using that restore point. If not, you are unfortunately out of luck.

iPhone 4 Glass Back for a DIY Repair

When repairing the cracked or damaged glass back to an iPhone 4, buying the correct part is the most confusing step of the process.  The actual repair, once the correct part is purchased, is not as difficult as other iPhone 4 repairs. With an iPhone 4, a person runs a very high chance of buying a useless replacement glass battery cover unless they happen to read this article.

Unlike with iPhone 3G and 3GS owners, the do-it-yourself owners looking to fix an iPhone 4 end up with useless junk that they often cannot return.  The iPhone 4 simply has not been on the market long enough for good information to arise in any significant amount.

Please check for the following things when purchasing a replacement glass battery cover for your iPhone 4:

1. Price – When searching EBay or another online store front, check to see that the price is not absurdly lower than other parts of the same description.  There is a reason some parts are a few dollars and others cost over $40.  ALL of these parts originate from suppliers in China and are often re-sold by American sellers.  So, they do not differ terribly in wholesale cost.  The price of a genuine OEM glass battery cover should hover around $40 to $60 depending on availability. Anything significantly cheaper than this is not OEM and may not even fit.  Also, the part may be made of cheap plastic instead of glass or constructed of very thin glass.
2. Brackets – Make absolute sure that the part you are purchasing has the correct brackets and that the part is not just the glass alone.  The brackets from your iPhone are not easily re-used because they are very delicate and laminated to the glass (to see the brackets, please view the right region of the graphic directly below the title of this article).  In the photo or the description of the part you are considering, you should see brackets mentioned.  If they are not mentioned or you are unsure, ask.  When a glass back is very cheap, it usually lacks these brackets. And you will just end up ordering another one.  Sellers often make a buyer pay for return shipping if they are willing to issue a refund, and for a $9 part, it’s hardly worth bothering to return
3. Chrome Camera Bezel - If a part lacks brackets and is not OEM, it probably lacks the chrome bezel that surrounds the camera hole in the back of the iPhone.  Again, this is laminated to the iPhone and cannot be removed for all intents and purposes. It is delicate and will probably break if re-used.  Moreover, it will need to be re-glued and ugly glue mistakes will like occur on your otherwise pristine iPhone 4.

If the part satisfies these three criteria, then it is probably worth buying. As an iPhone repair company, we never recommend DIY repairs because they often end up costing the person more money than trusting a pro. However, we know that this particular repair is easier than other repairs, and we thought we would offer up some of our experience to make it easier for the more technically-inclined DIY people. You can buy the part from our Ebay Store or feel free to call us on our toll free number 1-800-236-4530 and order the part over the phone.