The Loop has confirmed that if your iPhone has a broken screen and you take it to an Apple retail relocation, they have the capability to fix it on the spot. The machine (think big suction cup), which is located out of customer view in the back of the store, reportedly separates the iPhone from the screen, allowing a new one to be installed.
The repair will cost you $200, as accidental damage is not covered under warranty. If you don’t want to pony up that much cash, your other choices are to upgrade to the iPhone 3GS (will probably cost you even more), ship it off to a third-party like iPodJuice.com ($100), or do it yourself ($80).
Consumer Reports has released their updated smartphone ratings (available to subscribers only), and the iPhone 3GS came out on top:
The iPhone 3G S tops our new smart-phone Ratings…with strong performance in everything but voice quality, an area in which few phones score well. It’s not a runaway winner, though. A number of other phones ranked close to the iPhone, including the Palm Pre, which turned in a fine performance, as we expected from our head-to-head review of these two highly publicized rivals.
The iPhone edged out its competitors mainly due to superior web browsing, multimedia capabilities, and battery life. The Palm Pre bested the iPhone in multitasking, and the Storm and other Blackberry models bested the iPhone in messaging.
Tower Bloxx Deluxe 3D is on sale for only $0.99 (from $2.99) for a limited time only. We reviewed the game in March, rating it 8.0 out of 10, highly recommended (link to review). It’s a stacking game similar to Topple that features beautiful graphics and whimsical gameplay.
“Skateboard” focuses on the iPhone 3GS’s video recording and editing abilities. The video features a close-up of the screen of an iPhone as it records a skateboarder on a ramp (with curious legal copy below that reads “Auto-exposure altered”). The ad ends with the just-made video being attached to an email and the narrator saying “And this is the new iPhone sharing video. Video on the iPhone 3GS, the most powerful iPhone yet.”
For owners looking to add a little color to the iPhone, the CaseCrown Polycarbonate Slim-Fit case ($10) might be a good way to go. The CaseCrown is a thin, hard-shell case for the iPhone 3G and 3GS that comes in 5 colors. And the colors themselves are quite impressive–created from a premium paint that resembles that used on cars. The case is more for changing the looks of your iPhone than it is for protection, particularly in the shock absorption area. The CaseCrown is generally well-designed but not spectacular. We find it a decent value for its price point and assign it an overall rating 8.1 out of 10, recommended.
For those looking to protect your iPhone from falls, the CaseCrown is not an ideal choice. Its thin case does not deliver much shock absorption. It does offer some scratch protection to the back of the iPhone. The upside to having this smaller form factor is that there is almost no added weight or width to the iPhone, keeping it light and easy to slide in and out of your pocket.
The case is available in five colors: black, blue, green, red, and silver. We found the red case, in particular, to be an impressive shade, with a subtle dark tone. To produce the color, the polycarbonate material is covered with a premium paint job that has an appealing shiny metallic sheen, which goes well with the iPhone’s chrome detailing.
To apply the case, you snap the iPhone inside. The iPhone is held in place via long rails on the side and 4 gripping teeth in the corners. It’s a snug, secure fit–we had little worry of the iPhone ever accidentally slipping out. However, the tight fit also makes it hard to remove the iPhone from the case.
The CaseCrown leaves plenty of room around all ports for easy accessibility (docking port, headphone jack, etc). Our one complaint in this area is that the volume and ringer switch become slightly inset when the case is on and are therefore not as comfortable to operate.
Another quibble we have with the case is that its corners are rectangular teeth, separated by thin slots, that help grip the iPhone. While the teeth make sure the iPhone fits snug, they’re also a bit awkward in terms of the overall contour, and we envision snagging them on something in the future.
The iPhone itself is pretty drop friendly thanks to its slick casing. The CaseCrown’s polycarbonate material only offers a slight improvement in terms of slippage. It’s not quite as slippery as the iPhone’s glossy surface, but it’s smooth to the touch with little added grip.
Conclusion
The CaseCrown is an affordable way to give your iPhone some premium color without adding weight or bulk. It offers little protection in case you drop your iPhone, as there is virtually no shock absorption. We see the CaseCrown as perfect for value-driven customers looking to add color to the iPhone and keep it from everyday scratches. Rating: 8.1 out of 10, recommended.
Puzzle platformer Toki Tori (iTunes link) has had its price dropped to $0.99 (from $4.99) as a “limited time offer.” It’s a well-reviewed game, with TouchArcadesaying it’s “highly recommended,” SlideToPlaycalling it a “must have,” and iTunes App Store reviewers giving it an average of 4 out of 5 stars.
iPhone users may have another reason to dislike AT&T. Noting a lack of independent testing for wireless 3G networks, computer magazine PC World decided to test the 3G networks of major carriers Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T Wireless. Their tests included three areas: download speed, upload speed, and reliability.
The results? Verizon’s 3G network provided the best download speeds with an average 951 kbps. AT&T and Sprint came in at a virtual tie for second by averaging 812 and 808 kbps, respectively. But here’s the kicker for iPhone users: AT&T came in a distant last place for reliability of connection. PC World’s testers were able to maintain an uninterrupted signal only 68% of the time. This is in stark contrast to 90.5% for Sprint and 89.9% for Verizon. Ouch.
Another interesting note from the article:
In our tests of AT&T’s networks in four cities (New York, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose), the number of bars was not predictive of the service quality we saw; in the other nine cities in our study, the number of bars proved marginally useful in predicting how well our test experience would turn out.
