[Q] Which one to buy? - Nook Color General

Hi folks, apologies if this has been asked before - I have tried to search the forums already but '3G' and 'UK' are omitted from the search query for being too short/common which makes it kind of impossible to get a result...
Anyway; I live in the UK and want an eReader. for obvious reason the Nookcolor is getting my attention but I wonder if there is any point in getting the 3G version shipped over or should I save my cash and get the Wifi only model? I don't believe the 3G is enabled in the UK due to licencing restrictions with AT&T but if I root it, can I use 3G and a UK sim card for web browsing?
Secondly, I'm seeing a number of people complain about screen issues and dodgy USB connectors - given that a friend of mine living in the US will be buying it and shipping it over to me - what tests should he perform to check it's ok before sending it?
Cheers .M.

3g nook color doesn't exist. easy decision!

Nope, no 3g. Screen issues I've heard of (but not seen) include dead pixels or dust under the front surface glass. That's easy to look for.
The dodgy USB connector isn't all that much of a problem in my view. They should have caught it, however. They also should have recessed the jack and put it somewhere other than the front middle -- it's vulnerable as it is.
I've heard that a generic mini-USB cable that fits solves the problem -- suggesting that the issue is in the cable and not the jack. I've no idea if that's true, however.
I'd have your friend charge it, start it up and and run it through it's paces. Check the screen, make sure the speaker works, etc. Then repack it and ship it off to you. And don't throw the box away -- it's designed to be a nifty stand.

thanks guys - genuinely hadn't caught the fact that there isn't a 3G version of the color.

Related

Broke Tilt in half

So one of my friends at work had an att tilt. However his son dropped it out of his pants pocket and the screen popped off. Screen is still in one piece however completly seperated from the tilt mechanism and the ribbon cable is missing. So I told him instead of throwing it away (cause att does not offer insurance) to give it to me and I'd see what I can do (Gonna unlock it and use it as an upgrade for my wing ).
I've read some of the hardware manuals and can already see I'll need parts to fix it. But I have no ideas what ones. Or if it's even worth it to fix. I mean its basically a free tilt minus any repair costs. Any help?
wshader said:
So one of my friends at work had an att tilt. However his son dropped it out of his pants pocket and the screen popped off. Screen is still in one piece however completly seperated from the tilt mechanism and the ribbon cable is missing. So I told him instead of throwing it away (cause att does not offer insurance) to give it to me and I'd see what I can do (Gonna unlock it and use it as an upgrade for my wing ).
I've read some of the hardware manuals and can already see I'll need parts to fix it. But I have no ideas what ones. Or if it's even worth it to fix. I mean its basically a free tilt minus any repair costs. Any help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check thi site, there is a manual how to dismantle kaiser. Could be helpful:
http://michael-channon.spaces.live....smantling+%2f+Disassembling+Guides+HTC%2fETEN
Thank you, however thats actually the repair manual I looked at. However while looking for parts I have yet to find the ribbon cable that connects to the display.
This is basically what I have except the ribbon cable is missing. And alot of steps missing to get it this way.
wshader said:
Thank you, however thats actually the repair manual I looked at. However while looking for parts I have yet to find the ribbon cable that connects to the display.
This is basically what I have except the ribbon cable is missing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG, that had to hurt.
Yeah, kid was playing basketball and fell out of his pocket. I guess the kid has broke 4 phones this month... curve, tilt, 2 pantec duos. Told my friend to get him a $20 go-phone now lol. And use the savings to get me a tilt
I dont know what kind of damage besides the physical the drop may have caused. Phone was not on at the time so that may have helped it (I hope)
wshader said:
Yeah, and I dont know what kind of damage besides the physical the drop may have caused. Phone was not on at the time so that may have helped it (I hope)
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Click to collapse
I hope u repair it. Wish u luck.
Without actually looking at it, its hard to say what exactly you need. But you for sure need a new flex cable. Unfortunately that is the hardest part to find. At least here in the US. I usually buy broken phones from people who don't want to pay for a repair. Then I use the parts from them. You can get a new housing easily enough if you need it but the flex cable will be your biggest hurdle.
I suggest trying to find one broken on ebay and using the 2 you have to make one working phone. Even a broken Tilt can run for $200 on ebay though.
Anyone notice that case has already been replaced at some stage as it has a camera hole (not standard for Tilts) a keyboard without the white part and no logo. Perhaps the replacement was weaker than the original one. If the O/P searches the forum here for LCD Screen replacements there's loads of links to different companies supplying parts for Kaiser variants. I have no experience using any of them though so cant suggest which ones are best.
@Planet Neo
Yeah I was thinking that but was hoping it wouldn't come to that. Would suck to spend $200 for parts just to find the motherboard is broke or something to that effect. Was hoping someone knew of a place to buy a new cable or had one to sell. Also was hoping someone with some experience could let me know if they think I'd need a new tilt assembly.
@Flying Kiwi
Lol, I used a picture from kaiser disassembly guide to show what i was referring to. It has the standard tilt case. I'll be taking pictures of what I have as soon as I have the phone in my possession.
Okay I assume that its going to be very hard to get the ribbon and you're going to need housing. I believe that it will be the same as making a new tilt, because the screen is as good as dead without the ribbon so all you could do is get new housing and a new screen and it should rack up about $150-200. Which in my opinion is much easier and faster and better than frustrating on getting a ribbon.
Just my 2 cents.
Kraize
Planetneo said:
Without actually looking at it, its hard to say what exactly you need. But you for sure need a new flex cable. Unfortunately that is the hardest part to find. At least here in the US. I usually buy broken phones from people who don't want to pay for a repair. Then I use the parts from them. You can get a new housing easily enough if you need it but the flex cable will be your biggest hurdle.
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Click to collapse
I'm sure you'll think I'm busting your balls / stalking you but hard to find? Hell no! Expensive, maybe ( $100) but hard to find? I think not. Good job you're not charging people for you expert advice else they'd be wanting refunds....how long did you say you'd been doing this for?
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=tytn+flex&category0=
You need a TYTN II flex. There are many other suppliers and if you go direct they may be a bit cheaper. google is your friend....
To check the board - connect to a windoze computer with a mini USB cable and power up or press the soft reset button to boot it - it should ident and install then try to sync. It should boot fine even with no LCD if it's OK assuming the battery still holds some charge.
A full housing will run you about $60. Some sellers have just front panels for about $40 though I'm unsure if these have the pivot.
M.S
Mysterious Stranger said:
I'm sure you'll think I'm busting your balls / stalking you but hard to find? Hell no! Expensive, maybe ( $100) but hard to find? I think not. Good job you're not charging people for you expert advice else they'd be wanting refunds....how long did you say you'd been doing this for?
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=tytn+flex&category0=
You need a TYTN II flex. There are many other suppliers and if you go direct they may be a bit cheaper. google is your friend....
To check the board - connect to a windoze computer with a mini USB cable and power up or press the soft reset button to boot it - it should ident and install then try to sync. It should boot fine even with no LCD if it's OK assuming the battery still holds some charge.
A full housing will run you about $60. Some sellers have just front panels for about $40 though I'm unsure if these have the pivot.
M.S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man, MS you really need to get off my nuts. It's getting creepy. I said in my post hard to find at least in the US. And the link you gave was for a seller in China. One more word of advice for the OP, Make sure this part actually works for the AT&T Tilt variant. I had a customer buy a Flex cable for the HTC Herald thinking it would work for the T-Mobile Wing but due to the modified button layout of the Wing it did not fit correctly. Much like this person HERE experienced.
Planetneo said:
Man, MS you really need to get off my nuts. It's getting creepy. I said in my post hard to find at least in the US. And the link you gave was for a seller in China. One more word of advice for the OP, Make sure this part actually works for the AT&T Tilt variant. I had a customer buy a Flex cable for the HTC Herald thinking it would work for the T-Mobile Wing but due to the modified button layout of the Wing it did not fit correctly. Much like this person HERE experienced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These things are made in Shenzhen so where you think the parts come from?
Stop talking &*%(* and I'll stop correcting your posts Instead of saying something is a fact say it's your opinion. It's not a 'rare' part - and they ship WORLDWIDE. It's not as if he'll get one from a local mom and pop store - it's gonna be mail order wherever you get it from and looking at the seller's feedback is a good judge - all my parts come from China - so why pay a middleman such as yourself extra $ just so it has a US stamp on the package?
Someone needs to act as quality control on your posts and it looks like it's gonna have to be me if you keep posting [email protected]
M.S

Anyone looking to buy a Tilt?

So recently (as detailed in another post) my Tilt's USB port died, so I did a warranty swap and just got a new one.
However, I'm soon moving to an area without 3G and so the device has become significantly less appealing. So I figured before listing it on eBay, I'd offer it up here.
The details, it's an AT&T Tilt 8925 (the model WITH camera). It has the new style USB port (the one that doesn't break ) and is a refurbished unit from AT&T, but is in like-new condition. (There are no blemishes/scratches/anything to be seen).
The battery cover is mine (AT&T doesn't replace that with warranty swaps) and does have a crack in the plastic camera protector, but it is not in the camera's vision, so it's purely a cosmetic thing. I'm sure you can easily find new backplates if it bothers you.
I also have all the original accessories/manual which have never been touched (the charger/USB cable are still in their plastic pouches in the original box) as well as a 3rd-party car charger. There is also an unused screen protector that AT&T includes with every unit.
As far as payment goes, it's going to have to be through PayPal since it is (sadly) the only (moderately) reputable method of managing payments. I'll ship it anywhere, but you'll have to pay for the shipping (coming from Dallas, TX, USA).
If anyone wants pictures (it looks like like any other Tilt though...) or any info ask.
Mods: I checked the rules displayed when signing up and it says nothing against listing items FS, nor does the rules thread in the general forum, and I did a search and found several other people selling items with no complaints, so I'm assuming it's okay. Also, I'm posting it here since there isn't a marketplace forum. I figured someone has to have broken their Kaiser and is in need of a new one
Oh, and I haven't so much as powered the device on, so it's still running the AT&T firmware with AT&T SPL.
And my battery is in good condition, I regularly get 2 days of light usage out of it (and it could go further, but I generally charge it so that it doesn't...ya know...randomly die on me)
And how much are you asking for this Tilt..?
yeah im curious about your asking price too
milas said:
it's an AT&T Tilt 8925 (the model WITH camera).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait? What!?!?!?! There is a tilt with 2 cameras?!?!?! Or are you just referring to the normal AT&T Tilt. The no camera is only available to businesses.
Kraize92 said:
Wait? What!?!?!?! There is a tilt with 2 cameras?!?!?! Or are you just referring to the normal AT&T Tilt. The no camera is only available to businesses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure he's referring to the fact that it's an 8925, not the 8900. That's the AT&T model without any camera at all. No front camera on either model.
Sorry, been neglecting my own thread
I was referring to the fact that it has the standard 3MP camera on the back. I was just trying to clarify that because I've seen a lot of scams involving the swapping of the two models.
Oh, I have a 2GB microSD card that you can have because I don't have any other devices that use microSD. (It has one of those little microSD-->SD adapters and a plastic case that holds both)
Also, yeah, I'm an idiot and forgot to give a price. For the phone, original wall charger, original sync cable, OEM car charger, and 2GB microSD I think $300 is fair.
PM me if you're interested.

No service and severed coax cable

Good news is I am now a proud G1 owner! Bad news is its busted . Everything on the phone appears to be in working order and I've loaded cyanogen's latest rom (which I believe includes the most up to date radio) but I still get no service and when I try to search for networks it responds back with an error. When I cracked it open I found that the UMTS Coax cable was severed. Being the reckless and stupid type I decided that this should be a quick fix and grabbed my soldering iron. A quick solder later and I still have no service and then realized I have no clue if this type of cable can be repaired with such a quick hack. Anyone care to chime in with suggestions or personal experience?
Thanks!
Nobody has an opinion? Not even a friendly hello?
well i can give you a friendly hello
what prompted you to open up the phone? was it a used phone or did you expect some damage inside? Can you give more details on the phones use prior to this?
I have the long and short coax cables, as well as the UTMS and GPS modules that attach to them if you are looking to replace. PM for details. The long cable is a pretty popular piece to be pinched or cut and they are not so easy to find.
Sorry for digging this back up. Just wanted to say thanks to the individuals who offered help but I opted to return the device since it was originally listed as in working condition and didn't want to deal with the chance that it was more than a cable issue.
Have a good day everyone.
almost a year later, but was wondering if anyone knows where i can get the 80mm UMTS coax cable.
i found this site carries them, but it's in Chinese and google translate isn't helping any.
http : // item . taobao .com/item.htm?id=2973124131
thanks

Calling All Kaiser Diagnosticians

I've had my tilt for a little over two years now and it seems the hardware has finally gave in. About two weeks back, the phone repeatedly got got stuck in a white screen when returning from sleep mode (as identified here: search "white screen issue"). I chose to dismantle the phone and replace the flex cable with one I had salvaged from my friend's dead tilt. Fortunately the white screen went away. In turn, I lost the use of the memory card slot, the touchscreen functionality only worked in landscape mode, and worst of all my sim card is no longer identified. Trying to revert back to my old tilt's flex cable gave me a empty screen all together. My question is, whether I should purchase both a new flex cable and screen or whether a flex cable alone will do? Moreover should I take a chance and dismantle an old tilt sold on eBay? Or just buy a new cable shipped all the way from China as there seems to be no US sellers? Any and all advice is welcome.
Sounds like you may have a loose/bad connection plug, need to recheck assembly.
The old ribbon probably failed completely due to extra stress during dissembly.
Parts from china are mostly copy parts & the quality is normally awful, buying a salvalge phone is a good option if price is right.
For sure a few forum members will have Kaiser spares.
Mister B said:
Sounds like you may have a loose/bad connection plug, need to recheck assembly.
The old ribbon probably failed completely due to extra stress during dissembly.
Parts from china are mostly copy parts & the quality is normally awful, buying a salvalge phone is a good option if price is right.
For sure a few forum members will have Kaiser spares.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response, but I disassembled time and again to check the connectors with the utmost care mind you . After some thought, I decided the salvage phone was not a a good option as those may have severe wear on the cable as well and I'm not willing to wait around for a week for the item to arrive to find its dysfunctional (or nearing its fate). Fortunately, I found a legitimate eBay seller in NY who has the new flex cable. Hopefully if the phone recovers, I will update for those who might come upon this thread and have found themselves in a similar situation.

Repair or replace N1? Need help concerning hardware details.

Hey guys,
I've been struggling with my N1 power button for a while now until in August it finally failed and my device wouldn't turn on anymore.
Since I bought my phone in Germany I hesitated to send it in. Not HTC is responsible for the warranty, but the seller himself. Anyway, I mailed them, sent it in, but they denied to repair it. They said some bull***t about me braking the camera. So I talked to legal protection insurance and they asked me whether I'd prefere to sue the trader or if I want to get 220 Euro back from them instead (because obviously suing would be much more cost intensiv for the insurance then paying 220 Euro). So I decided to take the money and either buy a new phone or try to fix the power button myself. And that's what I did.
I dissembled the phone and tried to solder the broken connections following this (http://youtu.be/k74D4dGGf4U) awesome guide myself. I do not have a lot of experience with stuff like this but I thought since I had already gotten the money "back" and the phone was not working I could at least try.
I did try and I did break the rest of the power button. So know I am not sure what to do. I see two options and very much would like other users comments on what I should do.
Try to sell the other components (screen, battery, logic board) and buy a new phone.
Replace the entire board with the camera, the led and the power button.
Ad 1.) Where would you sell the components? Ebay? Any other specific website?
And also, can you suggest phones to consider. I haven't followed the "android market" for a couple of months since it was not clear what would happen to my N1. I could buy a new N1 for about 210 Euro. Or a Nexus S for about 200. Are there any new phones that can compete with the nexus one in terms of openness, processing power, battery life & built quality? Or is the N1 still the best deal (especially for that price, I don't want to spend much more then the 220 Euro, I just got back).
Ad 2.) I've looked online, there are plenty of sources to replace the board with the flex cable ribbon. They range from 17 to about 70 Dollar. The difference seems to be that the ones are without camera, while the others come with a new camera.
Since my camera was working just fine I was wondering if it's possible to use my camera on another motherboard (I think that's the adequate name of the board I am talking about, right?). I couldn't find any reports online, but there is a spare part, which indicates, that it is very possible. Has anyone tried to replace a camera? Did it work? Is there a tutorial online?
Over all, I would very much prefere the second option. I have used my N1 only for roughly a year. I got the N1 dock. And over all, it would only cost about 30 bucks and a couple of hours. Also I would not have to buy a new phone and produce unnecessary technical waste.
So I'm very much looking forward to all your comments and help. For me that's a huge project. I haven't done hardware "hacking" before, so I will need all the help I can get.
Cheers, Armin
repair it.
Replacing the flex cable is not extremely difficult (medium diff.), and the chinese sellers in ebay will often bundle the tools required to open the N1's case.
By the way, the flex cable is not the mainboard, it's the cable that connects different modules (camera, led) and buttons (volume, power) to the mainboard, replace it, plug your camera and led modules to the new flex cable, make sure all connections are tight and your N1 will be as good as new!
I just repaired my N1, and I cannot tell you how awesome it felt when this little beast came back to life after months!
hey trschober,
thanx a lot for your reply. could you elaborate on how to switch the camera? it seems like it's only held in place by the bent metal. but i don't want to "force it out" since i dont want to break the camera (expensive).
does it come off easily?
also i didn't even know i could take off the led module. but now that i had a look at it it seems like i can just "pop off" the white rectangle.
awesome, i'm really excited right now!
well, i'll just order the part. we'll see how it goes.
I've never had to replace the camera, but from ifixit's pictures it is held in place by some sort of metal clip. There must be a place that you can push to get the camera module out without forcing it.
I can open my N1 on monday to check the proper way to unmount the camera module, but I doubt that you have to force it out, these electronic things don't work that way.
Yes, the led module just pops off, just be careful no to scratch the led itself, or the light will get blueish.
The hardest part of replacing the flex cable is popping off the bottom part of your N1, just use the proper _plastic_ tools to open it, or you will scratch the case. once you disconnect the connectors, the flex cable just slides upwards and out.

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