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Antigua

by Mark on July 29, 2010

I’m just a few days away from my wedding/honeymoon/vacation and couldn’t be more excited about it. We’re going to a Sandals resort at Antigua, so this will probably be the nicest place I’ve ever visited so far. Here’s a pic:

Here are the reasons that this will be the best vacation ever:

  1. I’m getting married
  2. Free food and drinks for 7 days.
  3. Scuba Diving.
  4. Doing nothing for 7 days.

The hard part will be getting there – total travel time in the air is just 8 hours, however we’ll be spending 10 hours in the Miami airport overnight! Has anyone ever had to do this? Do they have beds or something? Seems wacky to me, but it was really the only option to get to Antigua for a reasonable price.

Once we get there, I plan to eat and drink like I’m on death row. No one will be able to stop me. They’ve got 10 restaurants and 10 bars – some of which let you sit on the beach.

We plan to go scuba diving, which I’ll admit is a bit intimidating for someone who’s never done it before. I’ve heard of some crazy freak accidents. I’ve also heard that sometimes if the equipment isn’t set up right, and you go too deep, the scuba mask can suck at your face causing major bruising all around your eyes. I’m kinda interested in doing the scuba first, then getting the crazy bruising, then getting married. What could be cooler than taking wedding pictures that make us look like we beat each other up the night before our wedding?

Anyhow, when I get back I’ll make another post to describe how it all went down.

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My Nearly Forgotten Love

by Marian on July 28, 2010

Thinking back to my childhood, several things pop into my head. Basically, it revolves around school, field trips, snacks, nap time and the library. I realize I went to the library quite often with my mom when I was a kiddo, but unfortunately, that habit didn’t exactly carry over when I blossomed into–eek–an adult! Recently, it dawned on me that I was missing out on a great local library system in San Antonio which offered copious amounts of books for my leisurely reading at no cost made me feel terrible because I could have saved so much much from not having to buy something I was going to read once.The San Antonio Central Library - a.k.a. "The Red Enchilada"

Since that revelation, I’ve since requested a library card, so all I need to do is drop by my local library (one street away from my house) and finish up that process. Then, it’s a long future of checking out books for me! Is it nerdy of me to be excited for this? Nah, I didn’t think so.

By the way, apparently the San Antonio Public Library has started gettin’ with the times and has now started offering free e-book, audiobook, music and video downloads…all without having to leave your house. Whoa. Meaning, I can download them onto my iPod or new, snazzy iPhone 4 and get my read on. Oh yeahhhh. :)

Alas, my new adventures to come are contingent upon whether or not I pick up that library card, so I’ve got to hop over there pretty soon. Man, how could I have possibly almost forgotten about one of my favorite places in the world?

If you have kids and have never really taken them to the library, I really recommend doing that. I especially recommend taking them to one of those huge gigantor libraries like the Central Library here in San Antonio. Memories of being completely mystified by this are still fresh and lingering to this day…

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Oh the Odd Ways We Recycle Around Here

by Anthony Magnabosco on July 23, 2010

As you may have read in a past blog post, we take the old, used iPod batteries we collect and send them off to be disposed of properly. We also try to consume the left-over packaging that our customers used to send their iPhones and iPads to us when we find ourselves shipping things out – all of these efforts help the environment.

Another thing we have been doing (for almost two years now) is using plastic bins for storing the devices we repair as iPods, iPhones, and iPads are routed from area to area within our service shop. The bins are durable, brightly-colored, stackable, and easy to hang on a tech bench rack, wall rack, or shelf.

But one of the best things about our little bins is that we can write the order number on the front with a black grease marker, and when the device is repaired and shipped out, we toss the empty bin in a large red trash can. When we have a chance, we just wipe off the markings, and they can be used again and again and again. Definately low tech, but stickers cost money and consume paper, toner and glue; we have found that the “keep-it-simple” and “keep-it-green” mantras often go hand in hand.

Bins Ready for Cleaning and Re-Use

Bins Ready for Cleaning and Re-Use

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Ding Ding Ding! Milliamp Review Ratings Off the Chart!!

by Anthony Magnabosco on July 22, 2010

Top Consumer Reviews - Milliamp Bests the Rest

Top Consumer Reviews - Milliamp Bests the Rest


The venerable consumer review and rankings site TopConsumerReviews.com just called out Milliamp as THE place to go for your iPod, iPad, and iPhone repair services. Milliamp topped the charts amongst a list of worthy competitors, and our openess about the entire repair process with our customers seemed to seal the deal. Here is the review of milliamp:

Milliamp Review - Ranking One

Milliamp Review - Ranking One

As an aside, their site is quite nice – they even spent the time and money to record a video greeting so that visitors to their site can learn all about iPhone repair – here’s a screenshot of the woman that welcomes you:

iPhone Repair Review Welcome

iPhone Repair Review Welcome

So thank you, TCR, we greatly appreciate the recognition.

Best regards,

Anthony Magnabosco, Owner
milliamp.com

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Danny Lee Mercedes Golf Tournament

by Anthony Magnabosco on July 12, 2010

Think you had a bad day today? No, you didn’t. It could have been much more difficult.

I would like you to read about this fundraiser our UPS Driver called to our attention the other day for Danny Lee Mercedes, a local San Antonio boy that suffers from Autism. You can be sure that we made a nice donation for the charity event, and we hope that it helps make this event a success.

The event is on Saturday, July 31 at the Flying “L” Golf Course.

Danny Lee Mercedes

Danny Lee Mercedes

Anthony Magnabosco, Owner
milliamp.com

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Frank milliamp Review

by Anthony Magnabosco on July 8, 2010

We occasionally get feedback from our customers in the form of reviews or emails to the owner or emails to our Customer Service Department, but this one that came today was different in that it was a milliamp review from a customer that was visiting San Antonio and decided to walk into our shop for service.

So Frank, thanks for taking the time to submit your feedback on milliamp.com – I have printed the review and placed it in our break room so that it can be read by my entire staff:

milliamp review by frank

milliamp review by frank

It is brief, but we value any feedback, good or bad, so that we can learn from it and improve our offerings in new and unexpected ways.

Anthony Magnabosco, Owner
milliamp.com

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Recycle Your Old iPad/iPhone/iPod Battery with Us

by Anthony Magnabosco on July 8, 2010

It may not be a well-known fact, but we have been encouraging our customers to (if they purchased one of our do-it-yourself battery replacement kits) to send back their old, original, stock battery when they have compleed the repair so that we can dispose of it properly for five years now.

And if we perform the battery replacement here in our shop, we take care of that chore for our customers immediately.

We Can Dispose Of Your Old Battery - The Proper Way

We Can Dispose Of Your Old Battery - The Proper Way

We have a long-standing partnership with Call2Recycle, which is this great outfit that sends us a sturdy box that we dutifully fill up with old batteries, and ship it back to them when it is filled. They can then properly dispose of our old iPod batteries, iPhone batteries, and iPad batteries so they are not clogging up some landfill in San Antonio.

call-to-recycle

call-to-recycle

We do not charge our customers anything extra for this service – we WANT to do this, and it is the right thing to do. So the next time you purchase a kit from our site, or send in your device to us for a new battery or other repair, you can rest assured knowing that we not only have YOUR best interests in mind, but that of the environment as well.

Heck, that’s the main reason why we have a green leaf in our logo!

Best regards,

Anthony Magnabosco, Owner
Milliamp LTD

Let Us Recycle Those Old iPod Batteries for You

Let Us Recycle Those Old iPod Batteries for You

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My ‘Dual Survival’ Review (Lovvvve It!)

by Anthony Magnabosco on July 5, 2010

Dual Survival_Review

Dual Survival_Review

There is a new show on the Discovery Channel called ‘Dual Survival’ and it immediately shot to my top three favs from the very first episode. It features these two survival dudes that have markedly different philosophies when it comes to their outdoor methodology, and this dichotomy alone makes for compelling television. Add to this the beautiful scenery, interesting animals encountered, and the little tips and tricks they impart, and you have one great show.

Cody Lundin is the earthy-cruchy desert rat who apparently lives in a shack somewhere in Arizona, and his often-mentioned claim to fame is his penchant for walking around barefoot. But he knows his sh!t, and is very respectful of nature and plays it very conservative. He will graze for food rather than waste calories hunting for a chance to score meat, and his respect for water borders on religious.

Dave Cantebury is an ex-military man with respectable experience in wilderness environments, and immediately made me think of my buddy David, who I just know would love this Cantebury. He is a meat-eater who likes to lay low to the ground so he can see furry animals better, and has a habit of saving (and later, eating) the hearts of the creatures he snags.

It’s great folley to see tough Dave shake his head at Cody’s eccentric ways, but don’t worry – this is not overplayed, and it is subtle. The guys have true respect for each other, and even though I have just see four episodes, you can see they have grown to trust in each other.

The material is very well-paced, and I have yet to encounter a show that is boring. Some of the highlights that come to mind include Cody snagging an iguanna (and Dave subsequently slicing off its’ tail [which wagged and twitched afterwards in the sand]), Dave punching this Peruvian rabbit-like creature in the head after it blasted through a firery blockade, and Cody teaching Dave how to eat a Huhu grub (which my kids now re-enact [much to my wife's chagrin] with french fries).

Dual Survival - You Gotta See It

Dual Survival - You Gotta See It

If you haven’t seen the show – take the time to find in on your DVR and record ALL the first-run episodes. You will not be sorry, and heck, you will learn something about survival as well.

Anthony Magnabosco, Owner
milliamp.com

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Blowin’ in the Wind

by Marian on July 2, 2010

Hey, folks!

Over the weekend, I took a nice little roadtrip with my husband west of San Antonio to go visit our delightful family for a few days. It has been three years since he had seen his little brother (who was a Marine and was shipped off to Iraq a few times), so now that the entire family was together, it was extra special. Although there’s not too much to do in the lazy little town of Menard, I was okay with relaxing, playing cards, going to the lake and playing with our cute little nephew.

Fastfoward to Monday when it was time to go home. Obviously, Texas is, well, really freakin’ hot and really freakin’ humid! After we packed up our gear and were just about to hit the road, I saw a mosquito that I wanted to get OUT of our truck immediately! Unbeknownst to me, however, I slipped and forgot that when you roll down the passenger-side window all of the way, it’s probably not going to roll back up again. Whoops. So, despite our best efforts, we came to the conclusion that the motor was shot and that there was no hope in that little window rolling up again! Guess who got to blast down I-10 doing 85mph with their hair blowing in the wind! :)

Fortunately, things turned out to be pretty positive and we missed the clouds of doom that were looming above and looked like they were going to dump water on us at any second. I realized I desperately needed to call my dad mid-trip so I decided that, despite the wind, I’d make do with what I had to work with! A few minutes into the conversation, I realized that my father (who I normally have to yell at for him to hear me), wasn’t having any problems hearing me! Finally, I asked him if he could hear me okay even with the wind blowing like crazy and he asked me what the heck I was talking about! Haha, needless to say, I think my new iPhone 4 just paid for itself with its new kickass noise-cancellation microphone. I was “blown away” by the fact that that he could hear me okay even with all the noise! He didn’t even know I had my window down!

Amongst many, many, many, many, many other reasons, I can’t say I’m disappointed with Apple’s new iPhone 4! Awesome display, blazin’ fast speed, efficient and smooth multi-tasking and even a sleek design to boot. Oh, and yes, I’m also INCREDIBLY happy for the upgrade in camera.

Own an iPhone 4? Did you break your new screen yet? If you did, send it over to us! We’re itchin’ to get even more fixed up and looking new again! Click this link for more information: http://www.milliamp.com/iphone-4-screen-repair.html or email us at support@milliamp.com if you have more questions!

Happy trails,

Marian

P.S. R.I.P., iPhone 3G!

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iPhone 3GS Battery Issue with iOS4 May be Lurking

by Anthony Magnabosco on June 23, 2010

Potential iPhone 3GS Battery Issue with Apple iOS4

Potential iPhone 3GS Battery Issue with Apple iOS4

It has just come to our attention that there may be an unforseen compatibility issue with the iPhone 3GS batteries that we have been offering to our customers, and the new iOS4 operating system that Apple has released.

We have had a customer report today (and we have been able to duplicate this in our shop) that, while upgrading his iPhone 3GS that had one of our batteries installed to the new iOS4, the update stopped midway and reported an ‘Error 29′. We have been doing some research (admittedly, very limited because this is such a new development) and it appears the update is failing because of the replacement battery. The update to iOS4 appears to work just fine if the old, original, stock battery is installed.

Now, we do not know if this is an issue that will quickly fade away with a yet-to-be-released iOS4 patch from Apple, or if this outcome was by design, but we will eventually get to the bottom of it.

As a company that prides itself on providing perfect iPhone repair products and services, learning that there could be an issue with something that we have sold, even when it is largely out of our control, is very disconcerting to us. But we also pride ourselves on transparency: we are determined to find a solution to this potential issue, communicate our findings to you as we get them, and hopefully be able to offer a solution to all of our customers in a way that is as quick and painless for all involved.

Until then, if you have had us install an iPhone 3GS battery for you, or you have purchased an iPhone 3GS battery from us and installed it yourself, please refrain from updating your iPhone 3GS to the new iOS4 operating system. If you have already done this, and encountered ‘Error 29′ and your iPhone 3GS is no longer working properly, please email us so that we can provide you with the necessary steps to reverse the iOS4 update [if this is even a feasible option at this time]. And if you have updated to iOS4 with one of our batteries installed and did not encounter any issues, please email us and let us know that as well. Email: service@milliamp.com
As far are we know, this issue does not affect 1st Generation iPhone (aka iPhone 2G) batteries, iPhone 3G batteries, or any of the other batteries that we sell.

We will be providing updates to this situation as it develops on our blog and on Twitter.

Thank you in advance for your patience during this time.

Best regards,

Anthony Magnabosco, Owner
Milliamp LTD
owner@milliamp.com
Cell Phone: 210-787-9482

6/24/2010 11:48AM Update:
We just posted a Press Release on TransWorldNews about this issue to see if it helps generate solutions. – Anthony

6/25/2010 11:23AM Update:
We have been working hard and trying all sorts of ways to restore an iPhone 3GS back from iOS4 to 3.1.3 so that at the very least an iPhone 3GS in this predicament can be functional again, but we keep encountering the dreaded Error 29 during the restore process. As soon as we have a proven solution that works, we will let you know here. -Anthony

6/26/2010 1:00PM Update:
We just posted a Press Release on PRWeb about this issue to see if it helps generate solutions. – Anthony

6/28/2010 9:23PM Update:
Well, we have received a handful of emails/calls from customers that have our iPhone 3GS battery installed and are unable to complete the update to iOS4. Interestingly, we are also receiving (and reading) reports of others that have the stock OEM iPhone 3GS battery installed with the original Apple operating system (non-jail-broken) and are also having issues upgrading to iOS4, or if they can upgrade, they are having severe battery meter drainage issues.

This suggests to us that the issue that we have reported is not entirely related to just third-party, after-market, generic iPhone 3GS batteries. There are a few rumours of a new update to iOS4, but as of today, nothing is available yet.

We did just have a customer tell us about the method that he used to downgrade his iPhone 3GS to his pre-iOS4 operating system, but we have not yet had a chance to duplicate his steps and see if it really works – we will give it a shot first thing on Tuesday. More important than a successful, temporary downgrade in OS, however, are functionality and stability. We will have to make sure the device continues to work well in 3.1.2 and 3.1.3 without freezing up, hanging, or rebooting before we can conclusively say we have a way for you to downgrade from iOS4.

As an aside, we have already put our feelers out for brand new iPhone 3GS batteries. If we can get our hands on some, we will glady change out the first battery with this new one – providing that these newbies pass our tests and work flawlessly with iOS4. Please stay tuned, and thanks for your continued patience. – Anthony

6/30/2010 12:34PM Update:
Took a few days, but we have been able to successfully communicate the exact type of iPhone 3GS battery that works with iOS4 to a couple of our suppliers. These should arrive late next week, and once they do, we will test them out to not only make sure that they work with iOS4, but will also hold a charge comparable to the original stock battery Apple installs in the iPhone 3GS. More updates to follow. – Anthony

7/7/2010 10:27PM Update:
Our first of two new battery shipments will arrive early next week. The minute they arrive, we will be pouring over them to see if they work in an iPhone 3GS with iOS4. A customer that found a new battery elsewhere brought their iPhone 3GS in – we installed it and she was able to complete the iOS4 install, so it looks like this is the correct approach. Thanks for your continued patience. – Anthony

7/12/2010 2:40PM Update:
Our first batch of new iPhone 3GS batteries arrived just a few moments ago! We expect to have the results of our tests with iOS4 with this first shipment available before the close of business Wednesday. Stay tuned. – Anthony

7/14/2010 10:34PM Update:
Sorry for not posting this a bit earlier today, but wanted to be sure of our findings. Great news. The brand new iPhone 3GS batteries we received are working great with iOS4. Details on how to get your new iPhone 3GS battery will be emailed to our customers and will then posted here before Noon Thursday. – Anthony

7/15/2010 2:24PM Update:
We were literally minutes away from blasting out an email that contained a link to the page on our site where former customers can place a new order for a free iPhone 3GS battery when we learned that Apple has just released an update to their iOS4 Operating System. We are downloading it from Apple now and expect to be able to attempt to install it on several iPhone 3GS’ running one of our batteries later this evening. Before Noon Friday we expect to be able to advise you on going forward with the new iOS4 or going through the steps of getting a new replacement battery. This is definately not a planned thing and we are not dragging our feet at all – we just want to make sure we have all of our ducks lined up before we communicate a solution to our customers. Thanks again and stay posted. – Anthony

iPhone 3GS Battery Replacement Plan

iPhone 3GS Battery Replacement Plan

7/16/2010 9:20AM Update:
Well, iOS 4.0.1 did not play nicely with our original replacement iPhone 3GS batteries, but our new iPhone 3GS batteries worked just fine with iOS4 and iOS4.0.1, so we are moving forward with our battery replacement program.

Anyone who received an iPhone 3GS battery from us can place a new order that will start the process for getting their battery exchanged. We are not going to charge anyone for the cost of the new battery, the labor associated with swapping these batteries out, or the return shipping expense from us to you.

An email about this has just been sent to all of our customers, and we will continue to make updates regarding iOS4 and battery compatibility as we learn more about it on this specific blog post and via our Twitter account.

Thank you for your patience through all of this – it certainly was not expected, but hopefully we handled it to your satisfaction. All future sales of replacement iPhone 3GS batteries that we sell from this point on will be the new iPhone 3GS battery. – Anthony

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Mr Cod Review San Antonio – Our New Neighbors

by Anthony Magnabosco on June 21, 2010

mr-cod-san-antonio-review

mr-cod-san-antonio-review

We have new neighbors in our little strip mall here in San Antonio – Mr. Cod!

The owners of this new establishment have been working very hard to get the place (which is actually the 2nd Mr. Cod’s in San Antonio) ready for business over the past several weeks. And us milliamperes have been waiting with anticipation for it to open. Well, last week it did!!

Side-Note: There used to be a Charlie’s restaurant there, but we rarely frequented it; we took to the saying “Well, there’s always Charlie’s…” whenever we got too wrapped up doing iPhone repairs, realized that it was 2pm, and we still had not eaten lunch yet, and really did not want to head out too far from the office…

I had the chance to eat at Mr. Cod last week, and the fish was steaming hot and fresh – in a word, delicious. You can tell that the owners really care and want you to have an enjoyable experience. I will be going there again this week for sure, to get some more Mr. Cod flaky fish goodness. So check them out the next time you are on De Zavala Road near the US Post Office – the food is really good and includes quick, friendly service, too!

Anthony Magnabosco, Owner
milliamp.com

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An Evening iPhone 3G Repair Chat

by Anthony Magnabosco on June 17, 2010

iPhone 3G LCD Repair and Other Discussions

iPhone 3G LCD Repair and Other Discussions

This evening I was contacted by a potential customer via AOL Instant Messenger (my handle is ‘MilliampOwner’, if you wish to chat with me directly) who had an odd situation with his iPhone 3G. Here goes!

STTF 8:40 pm
(9:08:30 PM): Hello, how are you? I don’t mean to bother you, but I just had a couple of questions about iPhone repair.
(9:08:30 PM): If you have a moment, please let me know, and I’ll be quick for sure. Thanks.
MilliampOwner 9:08 pm
(9:08:42 PM): of course – how can i help you this evening?
STTF 9:09 pm
(9:09:39 PM): Hi. Well, I have an iphone.. unfortunately, on the corners, it has a pale shade of white… and im not sure how it got there. have you guys ever seen that?
MilliampOwner 9:10 pm
(9:10:12 PM): what generation iPhone is this, STTF?
STTF 9:10 pm
(9:10:21 PM): It’s a more pale light that’s lined up on the corner of the phone… … its the 3G.
MilliampOwner 9:11 pm
(9:11:23 PM): this is on all four corners, or just one or two?
STTF 9:11 pm
(9:11:34 PM): on two, left and right..
MilliampOwner 9:11 pm
(9:11:51 PM): top or bottom
STTF 9:11 pm
(9:11:58 PM): and there’s also specs of dust under the screen. so those are pretty much my only two problems.
(9:12:12 PM): well.. the left side and the right side of the phone.. the whole area.
(9:12:17 PM): of the corner.
MilliampOwner 9:13 pm
(9:13:17 PM): can you send me a pic?
STTF 9:13 pm
(9:13:42 PM): well, unfortunately, it doesn’t show up in pictures… i tried, but its hard to see.
MilliampOwner 9:14 pm
(9:14:38 PM): it sounds like the lcd, the part that lays below the digitizer screen, but it’d be helpful to see it. if you took a snapshot with the phone, would it capture then – the old – home button/on button press-at-the-same-time trick?
STTF 9:15 pm
(9:15:20 PM): sorry i’m not sure what you mean…
MilliampOwner 9:17 pm
(9:17:29 PM): ah sorry – if yuo press the on/off button at the top of the phone, and the home button at the same time, the iPhone takes a screenshot of the screen – I am curious if the distorted image you are seeing appears in the resulting image.
STTF 9:18 pm
(9:18:40 PM): hmm doesn’t seem to work for me. but the light doesnt annoy me that much, its the dust thats driving me nuts, ha
MilliampOwner 9:18 pm
(9:18:51 PM): you can then see that image as a photograph in your photos
(9:19:06 PM): ok
MilliampOwner 9:19 pm
(9:19:33 PM): well, dust is no problem for us, and if the issue is your LCD, that is not a problem for us, either. Is this an iPhone 3G or 3GS?
STTF 9:19 pm
(9:19:48 PM): 3g, sir
MilliampOwner 9:20 pm
(9:20:55 PM): then this is the place to start – just mention in your Order Comments about your concern with the dust and we can make sure that is long gone during the LCD replacement: http://www.milliamp.com/lcd-replacement-iphone-3g.html
STTF 9:21 pm
(9:21:47 PM): sure thing.. but im hoping you guys could take a look at the screen as well.. and see if you can try to fix it or what caused the shade of white..
MilliampOwner 9:22 pm
(9:22:23 PM): did the iPhone get dropped or wet?
STTF 9:22 pm
(9:22:31 PM): nope
(9:23:28 PM): honestly, i bought it from somebody else.. and they claim to have never noticed it before.
MilliampOwner 9:23 pm
(9:23:43 PM): well, i can’t say that I personally have seen just edges of an iPhone 3G LCD fade out like that, but perhaps one of my techs have. If it turns out that there is a smaller or larger issue other than than an LCD, then we’d bring that to your attention and then you could decide on which was to proceed.
STTF 9:24 pm
(9:24:36 PM): and i should mention for you guys to take a look in the order comments?
MilliampOwner 9:25 pm
(9:25:19 PM): no need – my technicians are trained to always read the comments from our customers, as this make determining the root cause of the issue(s) easier.
STTF 9:26 pm
(9:26:02 PM): if i end up having to replace the glass, its just too expensive..
(9:26:13 PM): maybe depending on the condition, you guys can offer a lower price?
(9:26:15 PM): is that possible?
MilliampOwner 9:27 pm
(9:27:12 PM): why don’t you place an order for our $19 evaluation instead. This way, we put the repairs towards the part(s) you need, and then we can negotiate a bit :-)
(9:27:17 PM): here’s that link instead:
(9:27:40 PM): http://www.milliamp.com/iphone-repair-evaluation.html
STTF 9:36 pm
(9:36:00 PM): sure thing. i may just have you guys do a dust removal. i just have one more question. after you guys remove the dust, how do i keep the iphone clean and not allow dust to enter the phone again?
MilliampOwner 9:37 pm
(9:37:20 PM): well, there is always a chance more dust can get between the digitizer and the LCD. If you are really concerned about that, you might want to consider getting this: http://www.milliamp.com/dust-under-iphone-screen-cleaning.html
STTF 9:38 pm
(9:38:00 PM): lifetime removal?
MilliampOwner 9:38 pm
(9:38:08 PM): yep
(9:39:00 PM): all you’d have to cover on that one woudl be the shipping
STTF 9:39 pm
(9:39:06 PM): they say the 4G has some kind of anti-dust thing… that sounds interesting.
MilliampOwner 9:40 pm
(9:40:26 PM): well, they fused the digitzer and LCD into one piece. no dust. However, if the digitizer breaks and the LCD is still good – too bad – you need to buy a new digi/LCD combo. This is how the FIRST generation iPhone was constructed.
STTF 9:41 pm
(9:41:28 PM): oh i understand. also, i hate to admit this, but my phone is unlocked/jailbroken. i realize you guys are not big fans of that, so im not sure if that would deny me any service?
MilliampOwner 9:42 pm
(9:42:26 PM): not big fans of that process, but we see if all the time and it does not phase us
STTF 9:43 pm
(9:43:05 PM): well the problem is that the iphone is only available for at&t… and let’s be honest, that’s not really fair lol. so people really have no choice.
MilliampOwner 9:46 pm
(9:46:16 PM): yeah. don’t get me started on that one…
(9:46:18 PM): :-)
STTF 9:47 pm
(9:47:00 PM): alright, alright. well anyway, thank you for all your help.
(9:47:04 PM): i appreciate it a lot
MilliampOwner 9:48 pm
(9:48:15 PM): my pleasure – watch for the blog post – and I will keep an eye out for your device.
STTF 9:48 pm
(9:48:37 PM): yes, sir. thank you.
(9:48:43 PM): have a good one.

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The Hubbalub and I

by Paula on June 11, 2010

I have officially been with Milliamp for ONE MONTH!!! YEAH!!! I can honestly say that I’m still in love with Milliamp as much if not more than I was when I first began. My new fascination has become Millihub which has been affectionately nicknamed Hubbalub by my co-workers. I absolutely LOVE our new system which has a few kinks but hey no one’s perfect so he without flaws cast the first stone. When the new system first arrived I spent a lot of my time just exploring it and getting to know the ins and outs of the Millihub. It makes my job soooooo much easier now because I can accurately tell a customer what stage their device is in, look up customers who don’t know their order numbers (UGH this used to annoy me to no end but once again the Hubbalub saves the day and nips that issue in the bud=-), and leave as many detailed notes as I want. I learn something new about Millihub everyday! Today I learned how to cancel orders and credit accounts using the new system. This used to take forever in the Legacy because I’d have to toggle between two or three systems but AHHH HAAA not anymore Legacy Shmegacy!! I can’t wait until we complete all of the old orders and don’t have to use Legacy anymore. I kind of feel like I did when I was a kid and got a new toy; the old one just doesn’t look as appealing as it did before. The new one is so much cooler and shinier because it hasn’t been played with as much. Instead of ripping the head off of it or cutting off all the hair and using a crayon to beautify the old system like I did my Barbies; I’ll just be patient. Patience is a virtue I have learned in my old age (I just turned 25 last Saturday and I am officially a quarter of a century old!! I checked for wrinkles, crows feet and sagging this morning a whooo (sigh of relief) thankfully I’m not there yet!) I have also found a way to help speed up the process by asking to help Wes whenever he needs it; you know the old saying many hands make less work!! Now don’t get me wrong I’m not in the tech room disassembling iPhones or soldering batteries in iPod Touches (not yet but maybe one day I’ll make the move from Paula the customer service representative to Paula the technician and become milliamps first female tech…(crickets chirping) well a girl can always dream can’t she?) but I try to help anyway I can. Most recently my job was peeling the stickers off of batteries to make sure they were for the right device. I peeled the stickers off of about a 80 or so of those bad boys and I even have the paper cuts to prove it; but hey No Pain No Gain! Over here at Milliamp we are definitely gaining! Not only are we the best iPad, iPhone, and iPod repair Company there is; we have Millihub which is pretty nifty too. I hate to toot my own horn but TOOOOT TOOOOT!! Milliamp ROCKS!!!!

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Pretty Photog Stuff

by Marian on June 9, 2010

I don’t know about you ladies out there, but if you’re into using your camera regularly, it is pretty important to have the right accessories to keep your expensive stuff safe! The last you’d want is to drop your camera on the ground and *gasp* BREAK IT! The same goes for your slick new iPhone or iPod! So what’s a girl to do? Personally, I’ve found that actually locating a camera bag is not that tough, but getting beyond your boring basic black bags is pretty difficult and requires a bit more research. Luckily, I’m in the know and have rustled up a few of my favorite accessories for your dSLR

Essential #1: Camera Strap

Duh! Let’s escape Nikon and Canon’s grasp by getting something (dare I say it?) pretty! Unlike most others, this nifty strap doesn’t just slip over your old one, but actually replaces it so you don’t have to worry about it shifting around. Plus, it holds your lens cap so you don’t lose it! You can find this little gem (and many others) on Denise Hytonen’s shop called August Blossoms on etsy.com.

Essential #2: Camera Bag

Also a top item on my favorites list is a nice, plush camera bag. One that’s so chic, it’ll keep your camera dry and cushy, but also holds all of your other stuff (read: wallet, keys, makeup bag, etc.). I’m still searching for The One that completes me, but this one would suffice until that lucky day. You can find this particular bag on GypsyRoseHandbags, but they have a slew of other cute ones of all shapes, sizes and colors. Now that you’ve got the gear to get your new camera protected, it’s time to highlight some of the coolest stuff around.

Goodies that you don’t need, but damn they’re cool anyway:

Photojojo is one of my favorite places in the world on the web because I want every single item they sell. Here’s a little showcase of three of my favorite items: Fuji Instax Mini 25 Instant Camera.  This camera owns on so many levels. Who could possibly hate instant gratification from a quirky camera?

By far, this is one of the coolest possible ways to display your photos. I definitely recommend this one if you’re in need of a simple, but still colorful way of displaying your best:

Last but not least, Gorillapod kicks major ass! Buy one. Please. 

 As you can tell, I have a, err, thing for photography. Whether it’s shooting the ever-so-popular picture of my puppy, Dexter, or capturing those special little moments here at milliamp, this is one passion that’ll never get old.

Happy trails!

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Angry Birds

by Michael on June 9, 2010

Being an Iphone user, I often find myself wasting hours of my life browsing the app store. Recently I have discovered an app called Angry Birds. It is probably the best game I have ever downloaded since getting my phone back in December. In the game you launch little birds out of a slingshot towards different buildings to try and destroy these evil pigs that have stolen your eggs. As easy as it may sound, the game is starts to actually get pretty difficult around level 10 or so. Level 1 starts out pretty straight forward shooting birds through the flimsy wood structures to eliminate the pigs. By level 10 you will be shooting birds in to reinforced steel barriers, followed up by explosive TNT barrels (it gets pretty intense). Currently I am stuck on the 1st part at about level 50 or so. The entire game is 3 parts with about 60 stages each. You can get the game free, but only with about half the stages. The full version of the game is $.99 and is well worth it. Well its probably time for me to get back to work and start receiving some new devices we got in! Game on!

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R4 REVOLUTION

by Michael R on June 9, 2010

Ive recently purchased a Nintendo DSi system off of craiglist for a mere $120, (a fraction of the cost in store which is 180 , I believe). I also caught wind of a magical DS card called the “R4 revolution”. With this vessel, I can take a normal microSD card and fill it with as many DS games as i can cram into it (downloaded from the internet, yes I’m aware thats called pirating, but alas, that’s the life for me). I had to do a little diligent searching on the Craig to find someone who had one for sale, seeing as you can only buy them in the UK where they are legally sold online. Being the true Pirate and “its a free world” spirit that I am, I quickly found one for $30.
I only spent $150 all together on the system and the card, and I am proud to say I will never have to spend another dime on it. I can download any game on the market for DS on it, I can listen to music with the hacked software inside the card, I can also play videos with that same media player.
Anything you can think of
almost, can be done by this little mini computer. Heck! you can even download emulators (virtual game consoles) onto it, like N64 or Snes and Sega if you have a large enough microSD ( I personally use 8gb and above). Yes, Im not contributing to the already failing economy by doing this lovely practice, but can you blame us pirates? Why conform to the corporate dictatorship that spends 5 dollars to buy an SD card and fill it with hardly 50mb of actual data, then turn around and sell it to gullible consumers for ohh say… 59.99!?

YA ill stick to living the dream with my baby blue DSi, browsing the web, taking pics, downloading games, chatting and battling with other DSi’s.

Yo ho!  It’s a pirates life for me.

-mike 2.0

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iPhone 4 Repair?!

by Anthony Magnabosco on June 7, 2010

The new Apple iPhone 4 was announced today, and man is it super-spectacular! And we can’t wait to start doing repair services on this bad-boy.

Right off the bat, let me say that, as the owner of a future iPhone 4 repair shop, knowing that the glass on the front and back is more durable is a downer. I mean, no one wants anyone to break their screen, but if it happens, we want to be the ones to fix it. But this glass might result in way less iPhone 4 screen repair requests: good for consumers, not so good for us.

I am kind of secretly hoping the glass is similar to the kind of glass you would find in a high-end shower: super durable and shatter-resistant, but if one hits the glass on the edge just right, the glass explodes into a million cracks.

Broken iPhone 4 Glass

Broken iPhone 4 Glass

Fortunately, the iPhone 4 battery is still built-in – soldered or plug in, it’s hard to say until we get our hands on one. But you can rest assured knowing that we will develop another lithium-ion iPhone 4 battery for it with all the milliamp-goodness inside that our fans have come to expect, along with our legendary 10 years of coverage.

Another thing that excites me is Apple ditching the metal or plastic backplate for this new glass iPhone 4 backplate. I always hated the silver metal iPhone 2G backplate (they get dented and scratched so easily) and the plastic iPhone 3G/S backplates crack or get scratched easily, too. Shattering is probably the only concern iPhone 4 (why do I keep hitting ’3′ on my keyboard when I go to type ‘iPhone 4′?) owners are going to worried about with their shiny new glass back covers. Plus, our unique milli-Wipes are going to stick beautifully to the back of the iPhone 4!

Now, the display is the most amazing part of the new Apple iPhone 4, and seemed to be the main focus during the presentation today by Steve Jobs. Sharper images and higher resolution are going to render images beautifully on the new iPhone 4.

Considering all of the new features: HD video recording capabilities, enhanced screen resolution, front and rear-facing video cameras, I am still scratching my head as to why this was not called the iPhone Video. But perhaps with the FIFTH generation iPhone – after all, video starts with ‘v’ and V is the Roman Numeral for 5.

More to come on this exciting new device from Apple, and the repair challenges that will come with it.

Regards,

Anthony Magnabosco, Owner
milliamp.com

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iPad Winner Posts Video of Prize Arrival

by Anthony Magnabosco on June 5, 2010

The woman who won an iPad from milliamp.com, Pashyn Santos, posted a video of the arrival of the device and its’ unboxing on Friday. She hung out all morning outside with her video camera, tracked the package on her UPS iPhone app, and then bounded onto the street when the driver finally showed up with her package.

You can see her most-awesome video by clicking anywhere on the picture below:

ipad-winner-celebrates

ipad-winner-celebrates

We could not have found a more exciting and worthy individual to offer this challenge to than Pashyn. From the moment we saw her video where she sings about wanting an iPad we knew that, if she hit our goal of 50,000 video views, she would truly appreciate the prize. You can obviously tell from her video that her new iPad is going to get lots and lots of use.

We also had a lot of fun putting the shipment together, too. Everyone at milliamp.com signed the congratulatory card (be sure to pause her video and catch Chris’ little note!), we tossed in a red-colored silicone iPad case that we have been experimenting with on our own iPads, slipped in a few fresh milli-Wipes, put everything into one of our oh-so-secure iPad shipping boxes, and heck I couldn’t resist tracing my hand on the box right before we shipped it out as if to say “Howdy!” to Pashyn and all of her YouTube viewers that helped her reach her goal.

We would have shipped Pashyn her iPad a hell of a lot sooner, but it took Apple forever to fulfill our wait-list request!

So thanks, Pashyn, for your wonderful video (and btw great video camera work too, whoever that was!) and for just being you!

Sincerely,

Anthony and Your Friends at milliamp.com

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Summer

by Lindsey on June 4, 2010

Hello everyone in Milli-World!

Summer is HEREEEE!!! and im HEREEEE (at Milliamp) boo, just kidding!  :/  It’s just such a beautiful day, and I wish I could be outside soaking up ze sun!!  Anyways, enough of my lonely pity party… Mark told me I had to blog today (the deadline is uppp!), so I’m scrambling for ideas while typing this, welcome to the scatterbrained mind of Lindsey!  Well, BIG news as of late is that I have purchased a lovely hot-pink bicicleta that I’ve been riding around to work and such, and it’s so great!  The past two days I couldn’t/didn’t ride my bike because of ominous weather forecasts, that turned out to be BUNK both times, but alas..  Man those two days driving to work were extra horrible! Just because I’m used to lovely rides in the park (which is the bulk of my route to work, how awesome is that?!?!)  and when I’m sitting in atrocious traffic it makes me go BONKERS.  I saw a deer this morning, an armadillo and 2 bunnies on another day :)   And I say “gooood morning” to all the passerbyers (is that a word? it has a squiggly under it.. but I know I’ve heard it before?!?!).  I know it sounds silly, but just saying ‘good morning’ to people passing by really puts me in a good mood!  haha.. god this blog is so random and lame, sorry.

So, this summer I am planning some pretty cool trips, well i don’t know about ‘pretty cool’.. but trips nonetheless.  My cousin is getting married in Florida, and I won’t be able to make it.. BUT they are having a shindig in Shreveport, LA where she’s from.. so I’ll get to see some fam I haven’t seen in years!! Next trip:  Marquette, MI to see my grandma and aunts and such.  My g-ma is a cool lady!  She is very artistic.  She makes stained-glass lamps, paints, crochets,  does wood carvings and wood burning and much, much more!! (I said that in a super-cheesy voice btw).. i def wanna learn some SKILLZ during my visit!  AAAND my dad says I need to swim in Lake Superior as well! I’m gonna bring my BFF along for the ride (well flight actually..but whatever) and I always have fun with her.. so I know I’ll have a great time!  Last trip: COSTA RICA!  I don’t remembered if I’ve already blogged my plan for Costa Rica (I have a horrrrible memory :/).. but ya that’s the plan for my big trip over the summer!  I have issues with committing to pricey stuff such as trips.. so I still need to iron out the details of when I’m going..etc… but ya!

Now for books!!  As anyone who works here knows, if I’m on break I’m likely reading (or sleeping in the photography room, haha :D ) .  Right now I’m reading The Two Towers, yes LOTR.  It’s going swimmingly thus far, the Ents are en route to Isengard.. Sauron’s about to get OWNED!!! awesome, well, I was at a friend’s the other day and noticed she had the *ashamed sigh* Twilight Series books.. and idk, I think I might read them?  I always end up giving into popular culture behind the curve, haha.  So likely I’ll be reading the books when it’s all blown over (hopefully it will all go away soon!!!).  I hear the books are good, even though the movies are totally HORRENDOUS!!  I mean, the Edward guy is not even attractive (in the movies, that is).  He just reminds me of some euro-trash weakling that’s sulking in a corner (I’ve only seen the first one, so Idk if he stops being lame or not in the later ones).  So, if you’re thinking to yourself “LINDSEY STOP!! don’t read those evil evil books!” Then I welcome your rants, and would ask, “well then, what would you suggest I read?”.  I’m open to suggestions!! I love summer reading :) .  So, if you’re inclined, please post a comment with some book suggestions and I’ll take a gander!

TTYLM (talk to you later, Milliamp!) <——–dumb

DRAT! I couldn’t get a picture to upload.. GRR @netnanny

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Road to the Stanley Cup

by Eli on June 4, 2010

Couple months ago I have started watching hockey and after watching it couple of times, I have learned to like it. When I visited my friend in Chicago about 2 months ago, he got me watching his local team the Chicago Blackhawks. He told me everything a fan needs to know about enjoying hockey and I’m still learning many things when I watch.

 So its that time again where two teams battle it out on the ice for the mighty Stanley Cup. Who is going to win it this year? Will it be the Chicago Blackhawks or the Philadelphia Flyers? I think its going to be the Blackhawks this time around because they have been playing great this season and with Neimi making those awesome saves makes it all the better. My friend and I will be cheering them on win or lose but we rather see the Blackhawks holding the cup sky high.

 I really wish I could really get tickets to one of the games but they are so expensive and the chances of winning a pair of tickets to a game with my luck are very slim. If the Blackhawks win, my friend said it would be like when the Spurs won the NBA finals the first time. Downtown San Antonio was party town USA locked down all night long and it was long night of the neighbors not being able to be quiet from partying as well.

 So, Good luck to both teams going for the Stanley Cup and may the best team wins.

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The End Of A Hiatus

by Wes on June 2, 2010

I realize my blogs focus on music an awful lot, but what can I say, I’m a music lover, addict, fiend, aficionado,elitist, snob, etc, etc, etc.  I have such a fervent love of music that it permeates nearly everything in my life, including the tech room here at Milliamp. If you’ve ever walked in the shop, you’ve probably heard faint murmurs of music from the tech room, nearly every moment of my day is accompanied by music. I realize that I listen to some pretty odd stuff (e.g. Black Eyes, Liars), and the other techs don’t let me forget that, nearly every day I’ll get a “WHAT is THAT??,” but I am only encouraged by these reactions.

I’m often asked, “who is your favorite band?,” and I’ve always struggled with this question, I’ve never been able to pin my taste to ONEfavorite, but the closest I’ve come to that answer has been Montreal’s Godspeed You! Black Emperor or GYBE. GYBE has been in constant rotation in my collection for the past five or six years, their lush blend of orchestral arrangements, melody, cinematic song structure, artwork, controlled chaos, and crescendo has kept me captivated. Unfortunately for me, the band has been broken up for around seven years, meaning, I have never had the opportunity to experience their live performance. A few friends of mine, a bit older than I, have had the opportunity and have only made me want too see them even more, but alas, this seemed impossible until just recently. GYBE has gone on record and released a press release signaling their triumphant, albeit brief, return to the stage. The group has announced that they will be playing the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in the UK and will be playing nice cities in the US in the winter. From the moment I learned of their return, my anticipation for the winter has been out of control. I plan on traveling to one of the larger cities in which they play so that I can make a trip out of it. Their tour dates have not been announced, and as a result, I’ll be waiting on pins and needles until they are. Needless to say, this is really a dream come true.

For those interested, the link to their press release is as follows: http://www.1119732.net/

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So You Think You Can Dance

by Bradley on June 2, 2010

This summer has much in store for me, that is packed with fun filled death heat!  Such as this weekend, I am planning a trip to Enchanted Rock.  Rachel and I are going to hike it and the trails around it and maybe even camp out there if we find a spot.  I love camping, something about making it in the outdoors gives you that feeling of  “I can do anything, I don’t need you mom”…well it does for me.  Supposedly if it is really quiet or at night, the huge rock at the park makes really loud cracking noises which are really cool.  There is also a story behind those noises, I will find out and let yall know.  Also I want to plan a trip right down the road to a park called Government Canyon.  They have so many hiking and biking trails there it would keep someone busy for days.  It also looks like gorgeous.  I had this goal when I was younger to visit every single NFL stadium, and most of the college football stadiums, which I would still love to do.  But ever since I went to Big Bend and Yosemite National Parks, I want to create a new goal.  Which would be to visit or camp in every national park.  Really get to experience the nature part of the United States that no one really gets to see.  If I ever had 2-3 months of nothing to do I would for sure hike the Appalachian trail, I would need to plan way ahead of time.  But wow what an adventure!

Since Summer arrived, it means summer fruits and veggies did too!  Which are the best FYI; bananas, corn, watermelon, and strawberries!  HEB has great deals on all by the way, I got 6 cobs of corn for $1 and bananas are 44 cents a pound!!!  But don’t be fooled like me, their watermelon said it was seedless and it wasn’t.  Stupid seeds, it is still delicious though.  Since I started I might as well tell you what else I found at HEB the other day.  Flavor Blasted Goldfish!!!  So good, they have like 7 different flavors now too, but I stick to the Xtra cheddar.  Oh and Olive Oil, that stuff is expensive but they have little yellow coupons on the aisles for 1-2 dollars off.  Well enough with this food talk, its making Gerke hungry.  Have a good one yall!

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One of the great new features of our millihub system is it’s ability to “auto-magically” generate emails to our customers as a device moves from each stage of the iPhone repair process. We have complete control over what apppears in the subject line and body of these emails, and pack them full of useful information (for example, the results of the tests we performed right after your iPod was removed from its’ packaging and received into our system).

Well, one of the most important parts of our job is to set customers’ expectations – to let you know exactly what is going on and what is likely to occur next. If we can do this effectively, we reduce phone calls, emails, and frustration from both parties.

millihub-breadcrumbs

millihub-breadcrumbs

One feature we plan on adding soon (um, Mark, um, hello?? [said like Dane Cook]) to our email notifications is actually something we noticed while purchasing a device from Apple a while back: provide a “breadcrumb trail” to show you where you have been and where you are heading next in the proces. In the case of our iPhone evaluation and iPod repair business, we can show you where you have been, where you are currently at, and where you are likely to head next.

We expect that something as simple as this will alleviate a tremendous amount of confusion and help set expectations, and that is undboutedly half the battle.

next-steps

next-steps

Anthony Magnabosco, Owner
milliamp.com

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