Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve already deconstructed Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 on a metaphorical level, and now it’s iFixit’s turn to go the literal route. The DIY repair outlet found the pen-friendly tablet to be one of its easier tablet teardowns in recent memory: just about everything inside that frame can be swapped out individually. It’s even possible to replace the relatively cheap glass that sits on top of the considerably pricier LCD, just in case the slate plummets face-first but leaves some chance at salvaging its screen. While largely coming back with good news, the investigation also explains Samsung’s decision to go with a modest 7,000mAh battery — stuffing all those components into a 0.35-inch thick frame doesn’t leave much room for the lithium-ion pack that gives them life. Still, if you’re itching to understand what defines a truly repairable tablet, or just want to get a peek at those Galaxy S III-derived roots, the full surgical procedure is available at the source.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 teardown shows easy fixes, skimpy battery originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We often assume that Ultrabooks scarcely have any room to budge on the inside, and that’s usually true. An iFixit teardown of ASUS’ Zenbook Prime has proven that there’s always an exception to the rule. Looking at a UX32VD with the same base layout as the UX31 we reviewed, the repair outlet finds that the upgraded Zenbook has both embedded and removable RAM: provided owners are still willing to perform some surgery, they can upgrade past the 4GB of included memory on their own terms. The repair team is a bit dismayed that there’s a 5,400RPM hard drive spinning near the mini SSD — how very 2011 — but notes that it’s equally swappable by those who want something faster. Whatever you think of the fully pieced-together ASUS PC, it’s apparent there’s a reward for those willing to take it apart.

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS Zenbook Prime faces teardown, affords a little expansion in an even smaller space originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s MacBook Pro with Retina Display was strongly criticized from some quarters for its resilience to DIY-repair, but new unofficial guides suggest it’s more a case of how determined you are to complete your own tweaks. iFixit has pushed out a fifteen-part tutorial for removing and replacing different elements of the flagship Apple notebook, with the pinnacle of difficult probably being switching out the battery.

“Removing the battery is very difficult” iFixit warns. “There is always a chance of inhaling noxious fumes and lighting the battery on fire. Work in a well ventilated area.” The preliminary steps involve wiggling out fans and other components from within the tightly-packed computer – tricky but not necessarily dangerous – but gets significantly more worrisome when you’re actually trying to peel up the battery from the glue holding it in place.

“You will be using a plastic putty knife and a spudger to release the adhesive holding the battery to the upper case” iFixit describes, going on to point out that “the adhesive is very strong, and will require a lot of strength and patience to remove.”

If all that sounds like too much hard work and death-dicing, Apple will happily do it for you – albeit for $199. That could actually be something of a bargain, however; iFixit estimates that “third party battery replacements will cost over $500 if technicians follow the safer Apple-suggested procedure and replace the entire upper case assembly along with the battery.”

In short, if you’re keen to have a MacBook Pro you can repair yourself, the older-style model is probably what you should be looking to; a slim machine like the Retina Display version demands some compromises. Apple is yet to release sales breakdowns indicating exactly how many people have made that compromise in return for the notebook’s undoubtable charms, though the company apparently struggled to keep up with demand post-launch as shipping times extended into several weeks.

[via 9 to 5 Mac]

Time, patience and a taste for danger demanded for DIY Retina MacBook Pro fixes is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google’s Nexus Q was arguably the least-polished launch of the IO opening keynote, but there’s no denying that the media streamer itself is a solid and handsome piece of kit. That’s catnip to teardown merchant iFixit, which has opened up its toolkit of screwdrivers and spudgers and promptly stripped the “Designed and Manufactured in the USA” orb down to its nude essentials.

As you may have guessed, Google’s homegrown boast doesn’t necessarily encompass every component inside the spherical shell. Exactly which parts are US-made and which come from the traditional suspects in Asia is unclear, though the hefty outer casing – the lower half of which contributes almost 46-percent of the overall weight – is believed to have come from local suppliers.

A TI OMAP4460 chipset, NFC, 16GB of Samsung flash memory, 1GB of RAM and Texas Instruments TAS5713 25 watt digital audio power amp are all lurking inside. What there’s currently no sign of is the speculated ZigBee mesh connectivity which could allow the Nexus Q to one day be a home automation hub.

Overall, iFixit rates the Nexus Q eight out of ten for repair potential, scoring it highly for the disassembly process (though warning it’s all too easy to lose some of the numerous components) and the minimal use of glue or solder. However this isn’t something the casual tinkerer should crack open: the power supply, for instance, is quickly exposed, which could lead to a nasty shock.

More on the Nexus Q in our full review.

Nexus Q teardown: USA boast pans out partially is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you love modding gizmos and gadgets, then I guess you are familiar with the popular electronics site iFixit. iFixit is actually a California-based company that publishes free wiki-like online repair manuals for consumer electronic devices via its website. One such example is the teardown of the newly launched Nexus 7 tablet that we have written about today. iFixit launched an app for iOS in February this year, where it is currently rated 4+.

So, if you’ve been asking for an iFixit app on your Android device, then today’s your lucky day. That’s because the “iFixit: Repair Manual” app for Android is now available for free. The app features tons of step-by-step guides and repair manuals including MacBook Repair, iPad Repair, Xbox Repair, PC Laptop Repair, Harley Davidson Repair, Honda Accord Repair, and a whole lot more. It’s also important to note that the app is open source, which means that you can also make your own contribution via GitHub. Get the app now via Google Play.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Chrome for Android leaves beta, now available on Google Play, Google Maps for Android gets offline functionality,