I recently had a heartbreaking event. I was exiting my place with a little pep in my step, on my way to dinner with a friend. As I stepped out of the door, I put my phone into my left hand to lock the door behind me. I turned and began my slow walk to their car. Right, left, right, left… Gunnery Sergeant Hartman would have approved of my march. With my keys now safely within my pocket, neurons fired deciding to move my phone into my right hand where it would be more secure. As I swung my left arm forward and slightly inwards towards my torso, it happened…
The edge of the phone, which I could not fully predict being where it was (one of the fallacies of this device is it has become an extension of my arm), clipped the edge of my pant and began its slow drop to the ground. Realizing it happened, my brain reacted in an instant, causing me to reach down to try to grab this $500 device. An attempt that only served to make matters worse, as my finger touched it just enough to change the trajectory from a flat spin to a 360-degree free-fall.
An unmistakable thunk was the next thing I remember; a combination of glass and plastic meeting concrete at just the right angle to cause major damage. I grimaced at the sound, reached to pick up the phone, and much to my displeasure found it to be cracked all throughout the screen and much of the body had been damaged as well. This was not good. Yet, all over people are dealing with this exact same situation over and over and over again. The first manufacturer to bring a truly unbreakable screen to the market will make a killing!
If you have been lucky enough to avoid the event above, keep that streak going! If you are not so lucky, and you are wondering about what you can do to restore your phone to its fully intact status, here’s some options in Toronto to get your screen fixed…
iRepair.ca
iRepair has two locations in Toronto, and their main line of business is fixing iOS based devices. Android users will need to search elsewhere. But if you’ve broken your screen on an iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S or any iPod/iPad, these guys will fix your screen up quickly and at a fair rate.
TechKnow Space
TechKnow Space is where I went to get my iPad fixed when I cracked the screen. They offer services to fix any tablet and phone – no matter the carrier, make, or brand of the phone. TechKnow Space is a little bit pricier than some of the other places I have seen, however they come highly rated and offer quality assurances.
Craigslist/Kijiji
If you want your smartphone repaired, but on the cheaper side of things, you can try Craigslist/Kijiji for people offering repair services. Generally, these people are doing this as a side way to make money. A friend of mine swears by this, saying that they can charge lower prices because they do not have a storefront/overheads to worry about. Remember though: caveat emptor.
ETradeSupply.com
This option is for the Do-It-Yourselfers out there, and was recommended to me by Tim Deegan (yeah, the former MuchMusic guy). Replacing your own screen requires a little bit of patience and a small set of tools to be able to do the work. Granted, if you mess it up, it’s on you. However, if you have any inclination to learn how to repair your own phone, this is definitely the way to go – and the prices are fantastic!
Where do you go to get those cracked screens fixed? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.