SHIIIIIITTTTTT! The unforgettable feeling of panic and horror, as I watched my iPhone drop to the cold, hard, terra-cotta-tile floor! Face down. A very ugly sounding crack.  My first thoughts were denial: “its OK, its in a protective case and its fallen harder before!”.  But that sound; I knew it was bad, and I think I said a Hail Mary as I slowly bent down to see.  GASP!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  THE GLASS IS CRACKED!! THE GLASS IS CRACKED!!!  But wait, my background is still on!  Slide to Unlock still works!  There is a God!  There is a chance!!!

Thankfully, I still had a fully functional iPhone; I immediately set out to learn my options: Option #1 was the Apple Store; $250 flat rate, about a week turn-around. Not bad. Not good either.  Option #2 was DIY; I found plenty of sites offering just the glass ($30+) or Glass and a Digitizer ($65+); DIY could be good; not by me, but I have an associate who is quite good at such repairs.  and finally, Option #3: use a repair service, most with two-day service ($120+).

But first, what is a Digitizer?  It is the touch interface or sensor, connected to the inside of the glass that detects the electrical differences between the glass and our fingers.  The digitizer tells the iPhone exactly where on the screen you are touching.  I have read that the Digitizer and the glass can not be separated, although there are vendors selling the glass only.  My research told me that I should replace the digitizer and the glass.

Option #1 was out; $250 and 5 days to repair was too much and too long.  I read stories on the interwebs that many customers were able to get their iphones fixed for free at either the AT&T retail shops or at the Apple stores (after some aggressive complaining); however my 3G is 7 months old, and I put my chances at a free repair at slim to none, and didn’t want to burn a day trying.

Option #2 seemed risky. Only $65, but what if the case doesn’t snap back on, or gets scratched up; or a ribbon cable is torn.  There are quite a few DIY videos available, and I must say, the process is serious.  I decided to leave this as a last resort.

And so I went with option #3 using a Repair Service.  Double the cost of #2, but half the cost of #1, and only two days without.  But what service?  There are quite a few, to be sure.  In this type of situation I will typically downplay the internet research (what? from a tech geek), and rely on the experience of a few trusted friends.  Actual human interfacing; via GoogleTalk of course.  Unfortunately, only one friend  had a recommendation.  She had used a site called iResQ to repair her cracked glass in Jan.  She said their service was fantastic.  Not much to go on, but it was Monday and I was running out of time, and had to ship by 3PM for next day, so I quickly visited their site and ordered (through an easy to use and understand process) their “iPhone 3G Digitizer Replacement 2-Way Prepaid With Overnight Shipping” for $120.  I added it to my Shoppping Cart, checked-out and shortly after (7 minutes to be exact), I received a UPS Overnight label via email (link to the UPS site).  I used my own packaging (the original iPhone box, and some foam peanuts in a slightly larger box) and my iPhone was on its way.  As a note, I did a factory restore before sending; this is a must.  Always protect your data, be it corporate or personal (like adding bacon, just sound strategy for every day life).

I secured a Blackberry Curve as a loaner, and well, that’s another story.  Later that evening I received a tracking number from iResQ and received another tracking number for the return trip the following afternoon.  I did not receive a confirmation or status report that the iPhone was received and was being repaired.  This was not a problem, but may be a nice feature to consider.  And as promised, I received my iPhone via UPS Next Day Air Saver before noon on Wed, less than 48 hours.

The phone looked perfect; the new glass was exactly the same (i checked with a 3G and a brand new 3GS); the case was not nicked or scratched, and was on correctly, and the input sensor worked as well as before.  The reload was a drag, but there were so many Jailbroken apps that had multiple updates after 3.0, that a fresh start was warranted any way.

SUCCESS!!! Thanks to iResQ and their amazing service, I was without my iPhone for less that 2 days, and my phone is as good as new..  Put them on my list of recommended vendors.  Not much more I can say.

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