This week’s employee spotlight moves to the front of the house. Jamie is often the first person our customers talk to when they’re interested in sending their phone, tablet, or laptop in for repair. As our customer service coordinator, she’s our in-house people-person, cheerfully answering the phone and reminding you that your device is in good hands. When she’s not providing excellent customer service, this former cupcake baker is a mom to “a plethora” of cats and cacti and also sells adorable homemade enamel pins (check out Pizza Squid below!). A self-described “really weird person,” Jamie is into crystals, knitting, exploring, and thrifting. I don’t think she realizes that we’re all fairly weird here at iFixYouri headquarters!

Accessories, News, Repair, Tips

Why You Shouldn’t Buy Cheap Chargers

December 2, 2016 Staff Leave a comment

Beware of cheap chargers! It’s not just your phone you have to worry about blowing up on you (Sorry, Samsung). It’s safe to say that most of us have been caught in the wild without a charger and 2% battery and succumbed to the $8.99 iPhone charger at the gas station. You know the type; sold right next to the male-enhancement pills and questionable energy tonics, not the familiar clean white but instead a color that reminds you of bad candy. While these may be fine in a pinch, we recommend avoiding using these chargers regularly. Reports of fire, electrocutions, and (much worse) damage to phones have been widespread. These cheap chargers, sometimes blatant counterfeits designed to look similar to official accessories, are inexpensive for a reason. Let’s take a look at a MacBook charger, since its larger size makes things easier to see. The official Apple charger is on the left, the knockoff on the right.

macbook charger — Original vs. Cheap MacBook Charger

The biggest issue regarding the safety in these knockoff chargers has to do with insulation. These devices are designed to take a very powerful electrical current from your wall and convert it into something that can safely charge your laptop. As you can imagine, a lot of safeguards are required to prevent wires from crossing and to distribute the electrical load evenly. Those safeguards aren’t as numerous in the knockoff; you can see how much empty space there is compared to the official one. If you’re going to use one, make sure you’re not standing on a wet or metal floor or you might get a deadly surprise. Budget chargers for iPads and iPhones are similarly constructed: a housing the same size and shape as the official, but the electronics inside barely fill the space. Here’s another side-by-side with iPad chargers (counterfeit on the right)…

…and a $2.95 iPhone wall charger, looking like something from a vending machine.

Now, we’re not saying all off-brand charging accessories are bad (but a lot of them are, according to the BBC). You can save money, but don’t be tempted to save more than 50% or you might be in trouble. An iPhone charger (wall plug and cable) retails for around $25 and good alternatives, such as PureGear or AmazonBasics, can be found for close to $15. These, of course, will be of a different external design than the official Apple product, but feature similar build quality and safety. Beware of products that make an attempt to look like exact copies of official products but have a price tag one-tenth the size; these are designed to trick you into buying an inferior counterfeit while thinking it’s legit, much in the way that Ghosthunters is titled to confuse people looking to rent Ghostbusters at the local RedBox. In the interest of safety, be sure to look for logos of product-quality organizations, such as UL, CSA, and CE.

At iFixYouri retail locations, we sell a variety of accessories for your devices, from protective and decorative cases to chargers. Our stores carry PureGear chargers, all of which carry either the CSA or CE label and are touted by our expert technicians. If your device was damaged by a faulty charger, either a charging port malfunction or a battery that suddenly doesn’t hold a charge or dies suddenly, iFixYouri can diagnose the problem and repair it quickly and with top-quality parts. We might even throw in a quality charger, too!

Photo credits http://www.righto.com/

Employees

Employee Spotlight – Neil

November 30, 2016 Staff Leave a comment

neil2 img_20161101_154221

Our employee spotlight focuses on Neil, general manager of our iFixYouri Longwood, FL. Neil’s as much of a rocker as he is a repair guru, and an educated rocker at that. Neil holds a degree in Music Performance and Jazz Guitar from Seminole State College, and plays guitar professionally. You can find him in the First Baptist Church of Sweetwater’s orchestra or strumming his guitar and banjo for local theaters, including nationally touring musicals. Speaking of touring, Neil once worked as a roadie for a Led Zeppelin tribute band (though is rather mum about the crazy goings-on of rock ‘n roll lifestyle), though he currently plays in a band called Hazardous Folk, also featuring the manager of the iFixYouri Winter Park location. Together, they play a mix of blues, southern rock, jazz, and folk for the jam-minded music lovers of Central Florida. Check out the video below and prepare to get funky.

Accessories, laptops

Black Friday

November 23, 2016 Staff Leave a comment

The dreaded holiday shopping season is upon us once again. As is tradition, it begins in the dead of night when the hordes swarm and overrun retailers, many of whom put up a paltry defense but ultimately fail to hold back the seething, shouting mob. Black Friday is equally loved and loathed; many of those who complain about the commercialization of the holiday season still wake in the small hours of the morning to queue in the cold for the best deals. As you would guess, iFixYouri is here to spill the beans on the best deals in popular technology.

You might notice a lack of deals from Apple in this guide. After skipping Black Friday entirely last year, the company has been whispering about some secret event with unknown offers. BOGO iPads? Free dongle sack with every 2016 MacBook Pro? Who knows? Only Apple does.

DISCLAIMER: These deals vary in availability. Some are offered in-store and online, some are Black Friday-only doorbusters, and you can get some starting Thanksgiving Day. Check the website for each retailer to see what the deal is and how best to take advantage of it. Happy hunting!

LAPTOPS

Apple is knocking $200 its 13” MacBook Air in both configurations: $800 for the 128GB model and $1000 for the 256GB. Traditional Apple craftsmanship that everyone expects but the non-Retina display is okay at best.

For the same price as the 256GB MacBook Air, you can snag a 13” HP Spectre x360 laptop at Best Buy instead. It’s a touchscreen convertible (folds back for use as a tablet) with a 256GB hard drive, 8GB of RAM, and an Intel i7 processor. Combine that with great battery life and a beautiful display and this chases the MacBook Air out of the ring.

For a little higher-end, Dell’s XPS13 laptop will be available, with premium options, at Costco for $1349, $300 off. We wrote a glowing review of this beauty recently, and our opinion still stands. You can’t beat a professional-level current-generation laptop at this price.

While we’re on Dell, the manufacturer is offering their Inspiron 11 3000 laptop for 50% off; only $100! It’s nothing fancy: 11” non-touch screen, 2GB RAM, and 32GB of storage. But for 3.6% of the price of a loaded 15” MacBook Pro, you get an HDMI port, microSD reader, and 10 hours of battery in a ¾-inch laptop. If you need a cheap laptop to get a student, even if it’s not your student, the Dell is the one to go for (just avoid the cruddy touchscreen model).

PHONES

Best Buy is offering the Samsung Galaxy S7 32GB for $550, $120 off retail. This is an amazing price for an unlocked current-gen phone. If you’re looking for something on a carrier plan, the retailer is also offering a $250 gift card and a $50 Oculus Content Pack (for use with the phone and a Gear VR device) when you sign up with a S7 or S7 Edge.

If the shiny new Google Pixel has your eye, Verizon (the only mobile carrier offering it) is knocking down the price of both the Pixel and Pixel XL 32GB to $240. If you want the 128GB model of either, it goes up to $360. That comes out to $10 a month and $15 a month, respectively, over two years. Yes, you will be locked to a data plan (the minimum starts at $55 a month) but it’ll be quite some time until you see this phone offered at this low a price.

If you’re not planning to buy a phone but want a case or screen protector for an existing phone, iFixYouri has you covered. We’re offering 50% off all cases, tempered glass screen protectors, and accessories (such as chargers, earbuds, charging packs) so check in at any of our 15 retail locations. We’re also offering 10% off any repair in-store or online at iFixYouri.com. These deals are available all weekend long and through Cyber Monday, so don’t stress. If you snag a new phone on Black Friday, stop by an iFixYouri store on the way home for all the accessories!

TABLETS

Target is knocking down prices on iPads, with $150 off the iPad Pro (to $450) and $125 off the iPad Air 2 (to $275). Far and away the best deals on iPads, unless Apple goes even lower (see above). If you’re torn between a tablet and a laptop, Best Buy is offering the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 for $600. While a solid and worthwhile machine at its original $1000 price, at $600 this beast is the best deal out there. The 12.3” screen is larger than the Pro, and it uses Windows 10 as an operating system, allowing you to do anything a computer can. Included is an Alcantara cover with an integrated keyboard and trackpad. 128GB with a microSD slot for expansion rounds it out. It’s the ultimate peanut-butter-and-chocolate experience, best of both worlds.

CAMERA

Best Buy is slashing the price of the Nikon D3400 dual-lens kit in half. Great for beginner and semi-pro photographers, this kit comes with an 18-55mm VR lens for solid stabilization and low-light capture and a 70-300mm telephoto ED lens for sharp photos even from a decent distance, all for just $500. It even comes in a sleek matte metallic red for those who want to stand out from their peers in Intro to Photography class (or in classic black for the shy ones). Best Buy is also throwing in a 32GB SD card.

There’s also a similar D5300 kit for $600 (again $500 off) but there’s not much of an improvement over the D3400; slightly better lenses, a fancier screen, and wi-fi hookup (they both have Bluetooth, however). Same processor, aperture, and sensor.

HEADPHONES

We’re finally starting to admit that Beats aren’t as overrated as they originally were. We recommend snagging the Beats Solo 2 wireless on-ear headphones for $120 at Target (down from $300). No longer bass-heavy monsters, the Solo 2 are a great, reliable set for all types of music or podcasts.

If earbuds are more your thing, Best Buy has the SoundSport in-ears from Bose for only $40 (normally $100). These highly-rated buds are growing in popularity among athletes who haven’t quite jumped aboard the wireless train. Check out our review of the wireless model, and imagine all issues with battery and connectivity disappearing. Quality.

FITNESS TRACKERS

Several different options in the competitive arena of wearable fitness trackers. Should you go with the $90 Fitbit Charge (normally $130) at Target…or the waterproof Fitbit Flex 2 at Wal-Mart for $70 (down from $100)?

The Garmin Vivofit 3 has received attention for its purported year-long battery life. This $100 model will be available for $60 at Target.

TELEVISIONS

‘Tis the season for insane discounts on high-end TVs. If you don’t have a 4K screen yet, now’s the time to grab one, like the Hisense 50” model that Target is carrying for $250. Not cheap enough for you? Best Buy has a 49” Toshiba 4K TV with built-in Chromecast (great for streaming from less-than-legal sources) for only $200.

HOME DEVICE

Google is selling their Google Home speaker assistant for $99 through their store. If you’ve been ogling the Amazon Echo, save yourself $80 and go with the Home. We think Assistant beats Alexa any day of the week, and twice on (Black) Friday.

TearDown, laptops

MacBook Buyer Beware

November 21, 2016 Staff Leave a comment

Stunned by the Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro? Thinking about buying one for yourself or a loved one? Don’t rely on the only hit to your wallet being just the exorbitant one upfront.

2016-macbook-pro-ports

iFixit, a website known for their “teardowns” of new electronics, just released their dismantling of the 15″ MacBook Pro. This model, along with the 13″, scored a 1 out of 10 on their scale of “repairability.” Issues brought up included direct soldering of the RAM to the logic board and the proprietary solid-state drive. Upgrading your performance or storage is practically impossible, so you’ll want to be sure to buy the model with the optimum specs for your daily use. Also, the newfangled Touch Bar is stunningly easy to break during repair, being held down by a ridiculous amount of glue (iFixit’s experienced teardown techs accidentally destroyed it on both builds). The power button also doubles as a Touch ID sensor, and is thus connected directly to the logic board; this might mean that swapping out a faulty power button will require replacing the logic board (!).

repairability

If a MacBook Pro is in your buying future, we strongly recommend purchasing an AppleCare plan with it. While it seems pricey ($349 for the 15″ MBP) it’ll definitely pay off if something goes wrong. iFixYouri is currently in talks with suppliers about parts for the new models, but we can tell you right now that they won’t be cheap to repair. Save yourself a lot of money and a huge headache by thinking ahead of time. The total price goes up to $2,750 (before dongles) but if you can comfortably pass the $2,000 mark for a laptop, you shouldn’t be worrying much.

If you own a current or older model of MacBook Pro, and your screen is giving you issues or battery life isn’t what it used to be, give us a call. iFixYouri does all sort of repairs for Apple laptops, from one Air to seventy Retina MacBooks for corporate clients, with quick turnaround and excellent customer service.

Accessories

Top Tech Gifts for the Holidays

November 18, 2016 Staff Leave a comment

The holidays are just around the corner, and Black Friday looms upon us. As the official device-repair partner of the University of Central Florida and the Boston Red Sox, iFixYouri knows tech inside and out. If you’re starting to think about gifts and looking for something a little modern, we’ve done the brainstorming for you.

Rock Out With Your Plug Out

Cut the cord with Bose SoundSport Wireless headphones. High audio quality and 6 hours of battery life makes the SoundSport great for athletes. Unlike the Apple AirPods, a lightweight cord keeps the buds together, so don’t worry about losing them!
GREAT FOR: runners, iPhone 7 owners
($149, amazon.com)

Netflix and Chill?

If someone you love only has a “dumb” TV and is still being forced to watch Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube on a small computer screen, buying them a Roku is an act of mercy. We recommend skipping the new Roku 4 and grabbing the oldie-but-goodie Roku 3. Just plug into a TV and have instant access to practically everything the web has to offer. Subscriptions required for most services, but that’s the way the world works nowadays.
GREAT FOR: your parents, your grandparents
($70, amazon.com)

Solve the Case

At iFixYouri, we repair hundreds of smartphones a day, most of them damaged by drops. Protecting your phone with a case is highly recommended, and yet, we can’t help but notice all the naked devices we see in the wild. We get it; why spend all that money on a gorgeous rose-gold iPhone then cover it up with an ugly, bulky case? Don’t worry, there are some in-vogue iPhone cases out there for both girls and guys. Kate Spade has a new line of hardshell and wallet-style cases in classic designs that go with any outfit, and Native Union integrates a hand-carved wooden slat into each of their slim CLIC Wooden cases.
GREAT FOR: clumsy fashionistas
(both $40, amazon.com)

News

Why Would Google Delete All of Your Data?

November 18, 2016 Staff Leave a comment

How much of your life is kept on Google accounts? Are all your documents saved on Google Drive? Family pics on Google Photos? Credit cards and gift cards on Google Wallet? Maybe you run a small business and do your marketing with Google AdWords? If so, you might want to start reading the “terms of services” very carefully. Several hundred people who purchased the new Google Pixel smartphone directly from Google in order to resell to a third party have found themselves locked out of their Google account. It starts with a friendly little letter…

google-accountsa

…then escalates to a terrifying message:

your-google-account-has-been-suspended.-anshelkgmail.com-gmail-google-chrome-2016-11-16-20.21.45-1

Can’t say they weren’t warned. When buying the Pixel from the Google store, part of the terms & conditions state the following: “You may only purchase Devices for your personal use. You may not commercially resell any Device, but you may give the Device as a gift.” Even if it’s just your recovery account associated with such activity, both will be banned. Google, like a vengeful god, will sweep down upon any digital platform it controls and ban you from it. What makes things a little sketchy is that there’s no part of any of the notices that informs the locked-out what they did wrong. It took several of them putting their heads together to realize that the one thing they all had in common was buying the phones and having them shipped to a smartphone retailer in New Hampshire. This is the kind of thing that causes mess-in-your-pants panic: being severely punished for an unknown crime.

While most companies would simply serve a cease-and-desist letter to the New Hampshire company and impose a restriction on the number of phones being ordered (the current limit is 5), Google went ballistic. This is a textbook case of trust-betrayal, Google is essentially saying, “We’re giving you a good thing, don’t take advantage of it.” The forum that advertised and discussed the plan has reportedly been doing the same thing with Google’s Nexus phones with no issue. One can’t help but feel as if this is an overreach of power on Google’s part; if someone violates a legally binding contract (accepting the terms of service, in this case), you handle it properly and through legal channels. Holding data hostage just isn’t appropriate, especially since this can affect business owners.

After spreading the story around the various news outlets, the forum announced that Google has unlocked the accounts while reminding the guilty parties that they were in violation of their “fraud prevention efforts.” If anything, this was just a display of power, an extreme measure to scare off anyone else thinking of buying to resell. It’s scary to think that Google has this ability, and can do what they want with your data to mete out whatever they deem to be “justice” for whatever they deem to be wrong. This definitely brings up the question: How much of your life should you trust to one company?

Google’s new motto: Don’t be evil…and don’t mess with us.

Locations, News, Press Release

iFixYouri: Proud to Support the UCF Knights!

November 16, 2016 Staff Leave a comment

iFixYouri is proud to announce that we are now the official device-repair partner of the UCF Knights! And we don’t say “proud” lightly; several of our top-level employees are UCF alumni, including founder and CEO Chris Johncke. “We pride ourselves in being a business that’s been founded by Knights,” says Chris. “Attending UCF during the Knights’ first conference and division championship wins in 2007 was huge for me. This upstart school with a relatively young football program taking on, and beating, bigger universities is what it’s all about. iFixYouri is starting to take on bigger competitors and we’ve got them on the defensive.”

Exciting events are in play for the next season of Knights football, basketball, and baseball, as well as around campus.

Every semester, iFixYouri will hold a scavenger hunt on campus, beginning and ending in the Technology Commons. By taking pictures of certain landmarks with Snapchat and adding them to your Story, participants can win fun prizes.
Giveaways for seat upgrades and VIP experiences. Entrants will simply need to check-in on social media, take a photo, etc at the Technology Commons. Keep your eyes peeled for details.
Look for the iFixYouri tent in the Fan Fair tailgate area while you pre-game. Expect giveaways and fun goings-on!
iFixYouri will be present at Knights basketball and baseball games, including outfield signage and PA announcements. There’ll be on-field and on-court game promotions where lucky Knights fans can win smart devices, t-shirts, and more!
Exclusive deals on repair services and accessories through the official UCF app, as well as entertaining original content.

One-hundred percent committed to the Knights, iFixYouri will work hard to to make sure their devices are in top working order. From the iPads the football coaches use on the pitch to draw out plays, to the MacBooks the department uses to track stats and player registration, we’ll be there to keep everything running smoothly. All iFixYouri employees are excited and proud to be gears in the UCF Knights machine as it heads towards championship season. And remember, all UCF students get a 10% discount on any repair just by showing their student ID. Go Knights!

The closest iFixYouri walk-in location is across from the UCF main campus in Weeks Plaza next to Starbucks. iFixYouri has multiple locations in the greater Orlando-area.

iFixYouri Blog

Employee Spotlight – Jamie