Will the iPhone4 be better than the DROID incredible? Perhaps more important, what can consumers do if either of these gizmos break?
The new iPhone 4 contains features that surpass the DROID Incredible, if only by virtue of the proprietary Apple software and hardware involved. That said, think ditto in reverse for the DROID Incredible. If you want to compare both with the HTC EVO 4G don’t even go there. But if it’s Apple’s and a DROID that float your boat, know that the iPhone4 will be sold with a stainless steel band that will be almost X-rated while coupling; this band will be 4 times stronger than steel and allow for the iPhone4’s extra thin and rigid design. Both the front and the back of the newest iPhone will be made with engineered aluminosilicate glass which is the same thing that’s used in high speed trains and helicopters. The stuff is 20 times stiffer and 30 times stronger than plastic. Very durable indeed, you say. The DROID incredible is incredibly made out of plastic. So Apple is already bragging about the iPhone4’s “curb appeal.” Will that mean it will be indestructible? Think about it. The gizmo will weigh a mere 4.8 ounces (137 grams), be only 4.5 inches tall, 2.31 inches wide, and 0.37 inches in diameter. What respectable human monster couldn’t break something that size, no matter what it’s made of? The DROID Incredible weighs 4.59 ounces (130 grams), measures 4.63 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.47 inches in diameter. How breakable is that? It’s made of freaking plastic, you figure it out. One reason why the supposedly indestructible iPhone4 is so very breakable might have to do with its depth: The iPhone4 is considerably thinner than the DROID Incredible.
Before it’s inevitably broken, the iPhone4 will offer a stultifying 7 hours of talk time on 3G and 14 hours on 2G with standby time of up to 300 hours. The Droid Incredible offers a semblance of Apple’s yak-yak prowess, but only a semblance.
Okay, now let’s assume the worst. Your iPhone4 and your DROID Incredible are both broken simultaneously. For a host of reasons, and you’re not a parasite, taking either back to the manufacturer is not an option. You’re out dollars. What to do? Don’t panic, take one or both phones to your nearest independent repair shop. Certified service technicians there – in a word, resident geeks, should be able to get either gizmo going again.
Jeff Gasner is with CPR-Cell Phone repair. The leader in Cell Phone Repair and iPod Repair offering cell phone repair services nationwide. Visit http://www.chicagocellrepair.com.
