Why Apples customer and repair service rules! iPhone 5s with uneven display backlight

Well check this out: I got my "new" iPhone 5s (yes, I know, it's an older model but I chose it as it was included in my new contract with Telenor, the cell phone provider) and noticed two darker areas on the display. Since our eyes adapt quite well to contrast differences they weren't visible when looking straight at one point on the screen, say the center of it. But I saw the spots if I was scrolling black-on-white text on the screen and following it with my eyes, then the eyes would kind of travel from brighter areas through the darker spots into brighter areas again.

And you probably know what it's like: when you've first seen something like this then you will always see it. Just like that tiny dent on your new car.

Updating the software did nothing, so my theory was that it was a hardware fault.

Now, I realize this is not the end of the world or anything like that. It's almost ridiculous. The iPhone still worked perfectly fine despite this "cosmetic fault". But if I was going to do anything about it, now was the time. I think it will be harder to sell this iPhone in the future if the screen has these darker spots, so even if it made me feel a little picky I decided to try to have it repaired under warranty.

I returned it to the cell phone operator for warranty repair. The guy in the Telenor store agreed on there being darker spots so he sent it to their repair service with a clear description of the fault.

The repair company Conmodo however returned the iPhone without repair, saying "The stated fault could not be recreated". They did some software updates and also wrote that the error could be in the customers (my) backup data.

Well well. I was not happy to see the darker spots as soon as I started the device again right there in the store. I'd say Conmodo's repair techs either are to stressed or not thorough enough. Everyone can make mistakes, I'm sure they do fine work otherwise but not in this case however.

I contacted Apples chat support and after a very short wait got in contact with an advisor. He looked at a picture I sent him and immediately saw what I saw  - darker spots on the display. I guess I'm not crazy after all:

Uneven, blotchy iPhone 5s screen - easiest seen on thumbnail size.

Please pardon the poor picture, I never planned to actually use it. The darker spots are much easier to see on the thumbnail size picture, again I think because our eyes are so adaptive. Still, trying to photograph it was not easy. Tweaking the levels a bit exaggerates the differences in light intensity, again easiest seen on thumbnail size:

Adjusted image - note "blotchiness" especially along the right edge

Following the Apple advisors advice I went to an Apple Store. They too saw the fault and took the iPhone in for screen replacement. I was asked to come back an hour later to pick up my phone.
When I came back they told me that my phone did not pass the calibration machine test after changing the display. It seems there was something else at fault other than the display itself, so they replaced the unit and gave me a new iPhone under warranty!


In short - I think Apple has the best customer support there is! They seem to go to great lengths to satisfy the customer. I also think that warranty repairs - actually all repairs - are best left to Apple themselves. They seem to have the highest standards for their work.

Texas TI-84 Plus CE-T calculator screen foam edge issue - customer support is great!

I recently bought a Texas Instruments Ti-84 Plus CE-T, a graphing calculator with a color screen. Long ago I had a TI-83 that unfortunately got stolen, so I was looking forward to be Ti-armed again.

As I used my new calculator I noticed a white spot at the top left edge of the screen. I looked closer and I noticed that the screen is surrounded by black foam. I assume that this is to seal it from dust and reflections. And I think that it is a good way to do that, the foam will conform to the screen and small dimensional differences in the production will do nada. That would give problems if a ridgid material was used.


However, on my particular Ti-84 it seems as if this foam piece is either damaged or got caught up and folded over in the manufacturing process. Instead of forming a nice black edge it shows the white plastic beneath and above the screen:






Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus CE-T showing damaged foam surrounding the screen - iPhone 5s



Obviously this is just a cosmetic problem, the calculator works fine. But it still feels a little uneasy to pay for a new toy and find a fault such as this - after you have seen it for the first time it will stand out every time you look at it. And you will look at it because you know it´s there. Just like the first scratch or dent on your new car.

I sent ti-cares@ti.com an email and asked them about their opinion. They replied within two business days and asked for a picture of the problem. I sent them the one the above cut-out is taken from and within one hour I got this reply: "We have looked at the picture you sent and it is for sure a warranty exchange." Then they provided me with several options to have it exchanged.

My experience of this is that Texas Instruments have a great customer service!
I´m looking forward to exchanging this unit under warranty. Good customer service Texas Instruments!

Now I have to go and refresh my math a little bit. Or perhaps a little bigger bit....

Parallels Desktop 11 and OS X El Capitan: Problem ID: 352

I love being able to run Windows on my Mac thanks to Parallels. It really simplifies my computer use as I am not "locked in" on either system.

I recently had to restart the Mac by holding the on/off button after the Photos app had frozen. Annoying! But the real problem appeared after the "hard" restart...

When the Mac was running again Parallels wouldn´t start. "Unable to load the Parallels driver." "Problem ID: 352" See http://kb.parallels.com/en/123307 for more info.

Parallels driver error - iMac screenshot

I tried: resetting permissions, deleting the Info.plist, running as root user, deleting and reinstalling Parallels (several times) - all to no help. I was in contact with Apples support who kindly made an exception for me offering free advice over the phone and email despite my support period being expired. Very good Apple, thank you! They were in doubt as to the Info.plist was at fault, but gave me tips on how to delete it.

Parallels support and article was convinced the Info.plist was corrupt for some reason. Honestly, I have no idea.

What fixed the problem was reinstalling El Capitain. And ironically that took much less time than all the other messing around did.

So if you get the same problem and don´t feel like spending half a day messing around - just remove Parallels, reinstall OS X El Capitan, and then reinstall Parallels. Even if reinstalling the OS X somehow reminds you of using windows...

iPad mini with Retina - much easier to read text!

 I've had the iPad mini for some time now and just recently switched to the iPad mini with Retina. I must say that by far the biggest advantage with the Retina screen is that small text reads so much easier!

I spend a lot of time reading and annotating PDFs studying publications. I switched to the mini to make it easier to bring along compared to the full size iPad I started with. The mini is much easier to have in my lap when I attend lectures and participate in meetings. But reading normal size magazines on the small screen was a little hard due to the pixelation. I had to zoom in sometimes to ease the strain on my eyes. The mini with Retina? No problem, no zooming! Reading this as I write it is also much easier than with the old mini.

I've found that imported pictures from my iPhone or DSLR also displays much better and are easier to adjust or edit compared to the plain mini.

I use the "darker colors" setting under settings/general/accessibility/increase contrast. I've set my iPhone to match so I've got the same look on both units.

So if you are choosing between an iPad mini Och iPad mini with Retina and expect to reader write smaller texts - go for the Retina. You'll never regret you did!

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How to protect your iPhone

If you're like me you want your iPhone to look good. You've spent your money on the thing and we all simply want our phones and other things to look as good as possible. So what can you do to keep your sparkling new iPhone looking good?


You protect it, that's how ;-) There's a whole industry making accessories for phones and they're doing that for a reason. There is a lot of money to be made of course so that's the main reason, but the things they sell are useful too - that's why they actually manage to sell the stuff they make.

Get yourself a case first. That'll protect against scratches and dents. I've been saved several times by the case taking the hit instead of my iPhone getting banged up. Last time however the case got smacked up and unfortunately my phone too. Still, without a case my iPhone 5s would look really battered from all the drops!

Second, get yourself a screen protector like the Linocell Glass screen protector. It's more expensive than the plastic films but it lasts much longer, protects against blows and scratches and feels like the original screen. No sticky feeling, no drag. These glass protectors are made of glass and an adhesive film. They are relatively easy to install and you get no bubbles that look ugly. The only telltale signs are the increased thickness around the home button that will feel a little "deeper" and the slightly raised edges. It's 0,4mm thick so it's not much but still.

I've been saved twice now by this glass protector! My screen would probably have cracked the first time and definitely the second time I dropped my new iPhone! The frame got a little dented the second time and weren't it for the plastic case it would be much worse. I smoothed the dents with a felt wheel on my pedestal grinder. Sure felt funny!

Third, put your iPhone in a small plastic bag and roll it up before you put in in your work pants pocket. If you have a dusty or dirty job this is a cheap way of protecting your phone. It's a great tip for your wallet as well, keeps the drywall dust from sanding you credit cards. It will also protect against water splashes. While you might get funny looks and comments for your "cheap case" it really works!

So protect your new phone. It'll look better and it'll last longer. You'll also get more paid when you sell it some day if you've kept it protected. Yes, it'll cost you some money to buy the case and screen protector, but you'll regret if you don't do it when you stand there with a busted screen and a scratched and dented iPhone. Ouch.

/J

iPhone photos "Through The Loupe" - check this out!

So I got this idea of trying to take a photo with my iPhone through a pocket loupe I have. Well, the image turned out kind of interesting, so I´m going to try to take some more photos the same way and post them here.

It will be a kind of photo project using just the iPhone 5s and a 10x pocket loupe. Not very high technical quality of the images but that´s the charm of it. 

This is the loupe I use:

Pocket loupe (10x) - iPhone 5s, some cropping

And here is the picture that got me started:

Jeans Through The Loupe - iPhone 5s + 10x loupe, cropped

Closeup of iPhone magnetic case:

iPhone magnetic case, camera lens opening - iPhone 5s + 10x loupe, cropped

Closeup of some crud that the factory included on a Linocell Extreme Glass screen protector:

Wife´s iPhone screen - iPhone 5s + 10x loupe, cropped

More pics coming!