Number of posts : 3152 Age : 53 Localisation : Kalamazoo, MI Registration date : 2012-03-18
Subject: Oh no! Broken tablet! Thu Oct 23, 2014 6:20 am
My 13 year old daughter dropped her tablet at school and it Spider webbed. First, she isn't allowed to take it to school so we were mad at her for taking it in the first place. It is a Dell tablet, so I called Dell to see if I could get it fixed. Yeah, they will fix it for $142. A NEW one costs $150, so that idea is out. I called some local places and they told me the same thing... That Dell tablets are expensive to fix. I'd be better off with a new one (all the places I called told me this, even Dell). So I decided maybe I could fix it myself and I went on YouTube to look around. It looks to be a pain in the butt to fix so she will have to do without until she saves up enough money to buy a new one. Basically the glass is glued to the "guts" of the tablet and you have to heat it up with a heat gun and remove the broken glass. No thanks, I don't think I could do it.
So she is gonna have to save up to buy a new one. Hopefully it is a lesson learned for her NOT to take it to school and be more careful. The next one I buy will have an extended warranty. (Like her Nintendo 3D-S, it broke over the summer and it wsa fixed for free thanks to the warranty).
Staybrite
Number of posts : 23668 Age : 56 Localisation : Arizona Desert Registration date : 2007-02-08
Subject: Re: Oh no! Broken tablet! Thu Oct 23, 2014 8:27 am
This is what I keep telling my 14 year old son when he asks why he isn't allowed to take his kindle to school....of course he seems to have managed to burn out the battery (or something) from over use.
_________________ "I used to be indecisive.......... Now I'm not sure."
BearDad
Number of posts : 2132 Localisation : Huron, SD Registration date : 2013-05-01
Subject: Re: Oh no! Broken tablet! Thu Oct 23, 2014 9:55 am
What!? A teenager disobeying? Never!
I wish a broken tablet was all we had to deal with for our 13yo daughter. Without going into details, I'll just say that her crimes were so bad that she no longer has any access to electronic devices besides her phone, not even at the library, and her phone is what Verizon calls a "feature" phone (AKA a dumb phone).
Staybrite
Number of posts : 23668 Age : 56 Localisation : Arizona Desert Registration date : 2007-02-08
Subject: Re: Oh no! Broken tablet! Thu Oct 23, 2014 11:15 am
BearDad wrote:
I wish a broken tablet was all we had to deal with for our 13yo daughter. Without going into details, I'll just say that her crimes were so bad that she no longer has any access to electronic devices besides her phone, not even at the library, and her phone is what Verizon calls a "feature" phone (AKA a dumb phone).
Wow that's impressive. My son got a temporary ban for computer use at the library. They only give you an hour a day and you check in with your library card number. They caught him using his card number....then later his brother's card number....and then later mine, all in one day!
_________________ "I used to be indecisive.......... Now I'm not sure."
metaldude
Number of posts : 790 Age : 58 Localisation : Texas Registration date : 2014-05-07
I wish a broken tablet was all we had to deal with for our 13yo daughter. Without going into details, I'll just say that her crimes were so bad that she no longer has any access to electronic devices besides her phone, not even at the library, and her phone is what Verizon calls a "feature" phone (AKA a dumb phone).
I've got the same situation. I can't disconnect the the phone without facing an accelerated price tag of $300 for my teen's smartphone. I had to put parental controls on it and block everything but Mom and Dad's numbers. It's a lot to pay for a phone that only calls two numbers.
Guilty/Forgiven
Number of posts : 9986 Age : 55 Localisation : Yucca Valley, CA Registration date : 2007-05-18
I thought most touchscreens still worked when spidered. I've at least seen a lot of cracked and spidered screens being used by folks. Some must be easier to replace I guess, but I've had to do a phone or tablet screen.
_________________ "If you are not concerned about your neighbor's salvation, you should be concerned about your own."
alldatndensum Admin
Number of posts : 23657 Age : 55 Localisation : Tennessee Registration date : 2007-01-30
Subject: Re: Oh no! Broken tablet! Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:23 am
I need some work done to my Vizio tablet. The jack where you plug in the charger is going bad. I've tried different chargers and you have to put a pen under the cord to make it connect enough to charge.
_________________ I might have decided, or maybe not, that I should or shouldn't, depending on the issue or non-issue, to possibly share or not share, any thoughts, opinions, or facts (that might not be deemed factual by some), due to possible fear of any misinterpretation or retribution.
Number of posts : 2132 Localisation : Huron, SD Registration date : 2013-05-01
Subject: Re: Oh no! Broken tablet! Fri Oct 24, 2014 7:23 am
That sounds like a bad solder point. My Kindle is the same way. If I can figure out how to get my Kindle case open it's something I can fix easily enough.
Fundy
Number of posts : 5387 Age : 50 Registration date : 2007-05-04
That sounds like a bad solder point. My Kindle is the same way. If I can figure out how to get my Kindle case open it's something I can fix easily enough.
How difficult is it to open up a Vizio tablet and get it back together? I have a sautering iron and could do a repair but am afraid of ruining the tablet.
_________________ I might have decided, or maybe not, that I should or shouldn't, depending on the issue or non-issue, to possibly share or not share, any thoughts, opinions, or facts (that might not be deemed factual by some), due to possible fear of any misinterpretation or retribution.
That sounds like a bad solder point. My Kindle is the same way. If I can figure out how to get my Kindle case open it's something I can fix easily enough.
How difficult is it to open up a Vizio tablet and get it back together? I have a sautering iron and could do a repair but am afraid of ruining the tablet.
Like the Kindle, they don't typically make those things easy to open. They'd rather you a) pay them to repair it, or b) throw it away and get a new one. Maybe this will help:
I haven't found the courage to tackle my kindle yet.
alldatndensum Admin
Number of posts : 23657 Age : 55 Localisation : Tennessee Registration date : 2007-01-30
We only gave $58 bucks for this one from Woot a few years ago. I wanted to try it and they had these refurbished. I cannot get a replacement for that cost. I might try opening her up and seeing what I can do.
_________________ I might have decided, or maybe not, that I should or shouldn't, depending on the issue or non-issue, to possibly share or not share, any thoughts, opinions, or facts (that might not be deemed factual by some), due to possible fear of any misinterpretation or retribution.
Number of posts : 3891 Localisation : Indiana Registration date : 2007-01-30
Subject: Re: Oh no! Broken tablet! Sat Oct 25, 2014 9:56 am
alldatndensum wrote:
We only gave $58 bucks for this one from Woot a few years ago. I wanted to try it and they had these refurbished. I cannot get a replacement for that cost. I might try opening her up and seeing what I can do.
The only time I've had to try this fix was on a laptop, and your tablet is likely a mini USB or really small circle plug so it's not likely to help unless by chance you have a larger circle plug. It COULD be the spring metal that is supposed to make connection with the outside of the plug barrel. Sometimes somehow it can get pushed up so hard that you have to bend it down again a bit so it makes contact. A couple needles or other small metal objects to get under the metal so you can pry it are usually needed for this surgery.
_________________ "If you are not concerned about your neighbor's salvation, you should be concerned about your own."
MikeInFla
Number of posts : 3152 Age : 53 Localisation : Kalamazoo, MI Registration date : 2012-03-18
Subject: Re: Oh no! Broken tablet! Sat Nov 08, 2014 9:00 am
Update:
I had been eyeing the Best Buy tablet, Insignia. I could find very little about it online so I was pretty skeptical. It has a 10 inch screen which was impressive to me. When I watched the YouTube review of it the guy said it didn't have a rear camera, which would have been a bummer for my daughter. It was on sale for 149.99. She had $50 to give me and has to pay me back the remaining $100.
We went ahead and got it and I warned her that it didn't have a rear camera. She said she was fine with that. When I talked to the guy at Best Buy he said there were no complaints on them and none had been returned. So I went ahead and got it.
When I got home, it was non-operable. The thing didn't work, just my luck and I bought the last one they had. The power button did not respond and when plugged in nothing happened. I called Insignia Tech support and popped off the back and took the battery out and replaced it but it still didn't do anything. I returned it to Best Buy and asked my daughter if this is what she really wanted and she said yes. The screen is huge (here it is compared to an 8 inch screen).
I asked Best Buy if they could find me another one around and they looked and found none. So I had them call the Destin, FL store about 45 minutes away. They had 2 in stock so I did a store transfer and picked it up the next day.
She is very happy with it and this newer version DOES have a rear facing camera. She says it also runs much faster than the Dell Tablet she broke. I hooked the Dell up via USB to the computer to try and get her pics from it but the computer didn't see anything so I guess those are a loss.
Best Buy had screen protectors for around 30 bucks. WAAYYYY too high so I went on e-bay and found one for 6 bucks. When it came, it had 3 screen protectors and I applied it last night. I also bought her a case for it but because of the way the case is made you can't power it up because the power button is on the back. She was ok with this too as she really liked the case. it props up and she can watch Netflix without having to hold it.
I haven't played around with it too much but it does seem to have quick response and she says it is better than her old tablet.
All is well, except she owes her savings account 100 bucks!
Staybrite
Number of posts : 23668 Age : 56 Localisation : Arizona Desert Registration date : 2007-02-08
Subject: Re: Oh no! Broken tablet! Sat Nov 08, 2014 12:25 pm
Very cool!
_________________ "I used to be indecisive.......... Now I'm not sure."