Feb 12
BlackBerry’s new all-touch Z10 may have only been announced a little over a week ago, but some intrepid nerds have already torn the phone to shreds. And inside? It looks a lot like a Samsung. More »
Feb 12
BlackBerry Z10 goes under the knife, reveals innards similar to Galaxy S III LTE
Posted in: Today's Chili 
BlackBerry Z10 devices have only been out in the wild for roughly a week, but the folks at UBM TechInsights have already forced one of the handset’s open to figure out just what parts make it tick. Prying the device apart revealed the expected Snapdragon S4 Plus and three other parts from Qualcomm accompanied by Samsung-made RAM and storage. What stands out most to the dismantlers, however, is that the Z10 packs many of the same components in Samsung’s Galaxy family of devices, particularly those of the LTE-toting GS3. It’s not the most scrutinizing tear down, but you can hit the bordering source link for the entire parts list and full set of images.
Filed under: Mobile, Blackberry
Via: CrackBerry
Source: UBM TechInsights
Feb 11
Samsung-branded Qi wireless charging pad stops by the FCC for a dismantling
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Samsung may be trying to usurp Qi’s wireless-charging dominance, but for the moment it still has to play along with the de-facto industry standard. That’s why the company has pushed this Qi-compatible wireless charging plate onto the green baize of the FCC’s poker table, likely in preparation for a commercial release. Peel away the plastic and you’ll find a beefy arc reactor electromagnet nestled at the heart of the device — and since the Commission was kind enough to publish some pictures, we’ve thrown them into the gallery below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Samsung
Source: FCC
Jan 19
While it’s being wheeled through the FCC’s underground Washington bunker, it’s merely known as patient PY7PM-0280. It’s only once it’s been through the ordeal of being torn to pieces and put back together again that we can call it the Sony Xperia Z. Given that the documents are now available, it’s clear that the commission feels the collection of GSM, LTE and 802.11 a/b/g/n modems are safe enough to hold one to the side of your head. Even better, the snap-happy techno-vivisectionists also included a gallery of teardown pictures, letting us peek inside the guts of the smartphone — which is good, because if we tried it ourselves, we’d probably void its waterproof properties.
Gallery: Sony Xperia Z FCC Teardown Gallery
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony
Source: FCC
Dec 28
Ouya developer console gets an official unboxing, flaunts transparent case (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
It’s a little early for an Ouya teardown, but Kickstarters who chipped in $699 won’t have to wait long to see what the little console is made of — Ouya’s developer hardware is transparent. The console’s team decided to cut the inevitable march of unboxing videos off at the neck, offering fans a quick preview of the package it’s shipping out to devs. The standard accoutrements are there — the tiny console itself, two prototype controllers with batteries, HDMI and power adapters, plus a micro USB cord and a letter to developers thanking them for their investment and warning them of the early build’s bugs. The note also cautions deep-pocketed gamers that the device is built specifically for developer use, and has no games to placate eager couch potatoes. The video shows the console booting up, and even demonstrates how easy it is to open the hardware. Skip on past the break to get a glimpse at what early adopters and developers are getting their hands on.
Continue reading Ouya developer console gets an official unboxing, flaunts transparent case (video)
Source: Ouya
Dec 06
Like a sadistic Roman emperor, the boys at the FCC enjoy throwing unsuspecting smartphones to the lions and watching the result. This week, the unfortunate victim is Sony’s Xperia V, which has been roundly gutted for inspection. Eagle-eyed readers who browse our gallery might spot components from Qualcomm, Elpida and Samsung nestled amongst the circuits that make up its colorful insides. Given that government approval is the final hurdle on a device’s journey to retail, we’ll expect the Xperia V to arrive in time for the holidays — with Jelly bean promised to arrive a mere three months after.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony
Source: FCC
Dec 03
2012 iMac “Assembled in USA”
Posted in: Today's ChiliJust about every device that Apple sells these days is made in China by Foxconn and other major manufacturers. Though it looks like some of Apple’s items are no longer being manufactured in China. A recent teardown performed by iFixit on the new 21.5-inch iMac revealed that the machine was made in the USA.
I say the teardown revealed this fact, but it was actually etched on the back of the iMac’s case, in plain sight. The little laser its stamp on the back says “Assembled in USA.” Exactly how much the machine is actually assembled in the US remains unclear – though the machine’s large IPS display is definitely still assembled in China by LG.
Products can be called “Assembled in the USA” without all components actually being produced within the US. The only qualification is that “substantial” assembly must take place in the US. According to the FTC having all components assembled in foreign countries and merely screwed together in the US wouldn’t qualify product to be labeled as “Assembled in the USA,” so Apple must have a manufacturing facility or partner somewhere in the US once again.
Regardless of where the new iMac is made, the iFixit teardown also revealed that the slim new model is almost impossible to repair or upgrade, so if you want an iMac that you can tinker with, then grab a 2011 model.
[via Mashable]
Dec 03
Apple has shifted some assembly of its new 2012 iMac to the US from China, a teardown of the updated all-in-one computer has revealed, though the extent to which US labor and expertise have been relied upon is unclear. The new OS X machine torn down by iFixit bears the legend “Assembled in USA” where usually you’d expect to see “Assembled in China” on other Apple hardware, though while the Mac may have been pieced together closer to home, the chances of repairing it yourself have decreased dramatically.
For instance, the optically laminated display – which eliminates the air gap between LCD and cover glass, and makes for a slimmer panel, better-quality graphics, and a reduction in reflections – will make it particularly difficult to replace individual components in the screen section. If the cover glass breaks, for instance, you’ll need to replace the LCD too, even if it’s still working fine. Interestingly, Apple apparently uses the same LCD panel itself as on the last-gen iMac; the only difference is the optical lamination bonding system.
A shift from 3.5-inch to 2.5-inch hard-drives helps shave away bulk (and Apple has sensibly clad the drive in rubber, so as to help prevent vibrations), as does replacing the multiple small fans of the previous-gen with a single, large fan. That sucks in air through the squared-off vents along the bottom edge of the iMac, and blows it out of the back vents hidden by the stand mechanism.
Unfortunately, while the 27-inch iMac has user-accessible RAM, the 21.5-inch model hides it behind the logic board, and while you could remove the original chips you’d need to unglue the screen first. There’s also, unsurprisingly, no room for a second drive: even the Fusion Drive models, which pair traditional spinning HDDs with flash storage, use a small flash memory chip rather than an actual second SSD.
It’s not all bad repair news, however. The dual-microphones and webcam are now attached with sturdy – and removable – cables, making swapping them out more straightforward, while the antennas for Bluetooth and WiFi are also modular. Overall, though, iFixit rates the 2012 iMac 3 out of 10 for repairability, citing the troublesome upgrade process and replace-unfriendly components like the display sandwich.
But, how many of those components come from the US? According to the FTC, “Assembled in USA” is a so-called “qualified Made in USA” claim, where it’s considered deceptive to suggest that a product has been made within the country as a significant amount of the work that went into it was done overseas.
“A product that includes foreign components may be called “Assembled in USA” without qualification when its principal assembly takes place in the U.S. and the assembly is substantial. For the “assembly” claim to be valid, the product’s last “substantial transformation” also should have occurred in the U.S. That’s why a “screwdriver” assembly in the U.S. of foreign components into a final product at the end of the manufacturing process doesn’t usually qualify for the “Assembled in USA” claim” FTC
Since it is insufficient to simply piece together overseas-produced components and meet the standard, Apple must be doing more in the assembly process to justify its claim. Previously, only made-to-order Macs bore the “Assembled in USA” branding, but the iFixit machine was an off-the-shelf model of the standard base configuration.
More on the new iMac in our hands-on with the 27-incher.
Some 2012 iMac “Assembled in USA” tips tricky teardown is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Dec 01
iFixit pries open new 21.5-inch iMac, finds twin mics and a glued on display
Posted in: Today's Chili 
We got an early teardown of the latest 21,5-inch iMac thanks Japanese site Kodawarisan, but now it’s had the full iFixit treatment. The overall verdict? Well iFixit weren’t overly enthused with some of the new design’s internal fixings, making a special reference to the use of glue to bind the LCD and glass to the rest of the frame, instead of magnets as found in previous models. Likewise, those two major components are now fused together meaning if you want to replace one, you’ll be replacing the other, too. This adhesive also contributes to the trickiness of general repair. Beyond the glue-based concerns, there’s the usual intense poring over of internal like the dual mics found at the rear, or the 2.5-inch HGST / Western Digital hard drive. Overall, though, the tone is a definite thumbs down when it comes to repairability, with the device getting just 3 out of 10 on it’s now famous meter. Prise open the source link for the full internal tour.
Source: iFixit
Nov 30
We’re currently putting Apple’s latest “skinny” iMac through its paces here in New York, but an eager Japanese customer has already popped open the 21.5-inch desktop’s case, revealing a serviceable hard drive, removable logic board and even a bit of room to spare in the tapered silver housing. There’s not much in the way of details over at Kodawarisan, a scant Japanese-language site, but there are plenty of interior pics to gawk at, tiding us over until the experts at iFixit manage to dissect an iMac of their own. Head on over to the source link below for a dozen or so undressed snaps of Cupertino’s latest creation.
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Kodawarisan
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