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Samsung Galaxy S4 undressed on camera, found to be easily repairable
If you damage the microUSB connector, SIM slot or camera module on Samsung's new Galaxy S4, you may not need to spend a lot of time or cash swapping in replacements. Of course, you'll need to get the flagship smartphone in hand before you're able to damage it, but if you do, repairs shouldn't be a tremendous undertaking, if today's teardown video is any indication. According to TechnoBuffalo, which published the clip (available at the source link), the Gorilla Glass screen could be a bit more costly to replace, but overall, the device appears to be quite repairable. US carriers are expected to begin selling the Jelly Bean smartphone later this month, so even though this first undressing isn't terribly detailed, we should have but days to wait before taking a much closer look.
Oculus Rift gets torn down by iFixit, adds high repairability to its kudos list
The Oculus Rift VR headset has had a wild ride so far after hitting its Kickstarter goal in a single day, raising a whopping $2,437,429 and gaining accolades along the way to the release of a development kit last month. iFixit (or one of its very trusting friends) was apparently one of those ponying up the $300 for the developer version, and naturally the first thing they did was put a screw-gun to it. The teardown reveals as tidy-looking a design on the inside as the exterior, and iFixit said that it couldn't have been easier to do. The only minor hitch was cables held together by tape which would likely need to be replaced in the event of any surgery on the Rift. It's hard to say whether that ease of access will remain with the final production model, but the way that Oculus has gone about its business so far, we wouldn't be surprised. Check the step-by-step process for yourself at the source.
iFixit breaks open an HTC One, literally
Considering its sleek, primarily aluminum construction we never thought the HTC One was going be easy to crack open. But, it seems not even iFixit was completely prepared for the challenge of picking one apart. Since there are no screws used in the construction of the body, the fearless hackers needed to turn to a heat gun, a suction cup and a metal spudger to gain access to the internals. Underneath the swaths of aluminum and glass it turns out most of the components are covered in foil-like copper shielding that is quite difficult to deal with. There are a few screws inside, however, like the pair of fasteners that connect the 2,300mAh battery's cable to the motherboard. In the end, iFixit handed the One its namesake on the repairability scale -- meaning this sucker is practically impossible to pull apart and reassemble. To see the complete and careful destruction of HTC's latest flagship hit up the source.
BlackBerry Z10 gets the iFixit teardown treatment
Screws and a little glue -- that's all that stood between an intact BlackBerry Z10 and the curious hands of those iFixit folks. And the results? Well, it's nothing you didn't know already: a motherboard, some Samsung flash memory, a Snapdragon S4 and camera modules. So, if you're the type that needs a little tech carnage to help seal your purchase decision (and, yes, the Z10 is finally on sale in the US), go ahead and click on the source.
Sony ruthlessly guts an Xperia Tablet Z for your viewing pleasure (video)
It's not unusual to see products helplessly dismantled by the likes of iFixit and the FCC, but on rare occasions, companies sacrifice their own creations for our twisted enjoyment. This particular teardown is one of those instances, as Sony employed the skills of one "badass engineer" to reduce an Xperia Tablet Z to nothing but parts. There isn't much to learn from the accompanying gadget snuff movie aside from the cold speed at which said badass accomplishes the task -- inside the slate is a bundle of known components held together by a mixture of screws, tape and glue. The clip's narrator specifies the Tablet Z will be available sometime in May, but check out the video below if you'd like to get thoroughly acquainted beforehand. And don't worry about the poor unit's fate. Sony is just as adept at putting things back together.
Samsung's Galaxy S 4 gets torn asunder, reveals its innards
Now that we've officially seen the Galaxy S 4 unveiled in a Broadway-like production, why not take a look inside it? Chinese outlet IT168, which gave us a peek at the flagship earlier today, couldn't resist tearing one open just before the handset's official reveal. What went under the screwdriver in this instance was a 3G-only China Unicom version of the GS4 packing dual SIM slots and the expected Exynos 5 Octa CPU, 2GB of RAM, 13 megapixel camera and 2,600mAH battery. Hit the neighboring source link for the entire set of glamour shots of the disassembled smartphone.
iFixit rips apart Pebble and finds very little inside, even less that's repairable (updated)
Generally when iFixit tears something down we're treated to scrumptious piles of technological gore. Screws, chips, connectors and all sorts of components end up scattered around the table. With the Pebble smartwatch? Well, there's not so much in the way of digital guts to pull out. Upon cracking open the shell, which was apparently impossible to do without shattering the screen, iFixit found a single assembly that housed all the components. Everything from the 120MHz Cortex-M3 MCU to the three-axis accelerometer and the Bluetooth radio was on a single board. It was under that Bluetooth EMI shield where the one surprise crops up. It appears that the Texas Instruments controller chosen for the e-paper watch does not support the wireless protocol's low energy profile, something Pebble lists as one of the specs on its site (we've reached out to the company for clarification on this matter). As you might expect, the compact construction means this is not a particularly repairable device. So, rather than pull your own apart, just check out the electronic autopsy at the source. Update: Well, we've finally heard back from Pebble and it seems the watch does have support for Bluetooth Low Energy. The confusion comes from the fact that, although the TI controller inside is label as a CC2560 (which lacks support for BLE) it actually carries the same firmware as the CC2564 which does support the protocol through Panasonic's RF module.
iFixit tears down Microsoft's Surface Pro, rates it 1 out of 10 for repairability
You know the drill (or is that screwdriver?) by now. New gadget lands at the iFixit labs, and the good folk there give it a teardown. Microsoft's Surface Pro is this week's lucky slab of silicon to hit the bench. The good news is that a removable battery and SSD will make swapping those out a charm. That's pretty much it for the good news though. The less good news is the sheer number of screws you're going to have to contend with (over 90 by iFixit's count). The bad news is that screen is a real fiddle to remove, and there are globs of adhesive to navigate (holding that battery and screen in place for example). The worst part? By our tool-weilding friend's reckoning, you'll be lucky not to sever a major cable artery just by opening the thing. There's not much by way of hardware surprises, bar the mAh rating of the battery (5,676). All this earns the Surface Pro a repairability rating of just one out ten (ten being the best). Better treat yours with the love and care it deserves then. [Thanks, Chris]
BlackBerry Z10 goes under the knife, reveals innards similar to Galaxy S III LTE
BlackBerry Z10 devices have only been out in the wild for roughly a week, but the folks at UBM TechInsights have already forced one of the handset's open to figure out just what parts make it tick. Prying the device apart revealed the expected Snapdragon S4 Plus and three other parts from Qualcomm accompanied by Samsung-made RAM and storage. What stands out most to the dismantlers, however, is that the Z10 packs many of the same components in Samsung's Galaxy family of devices, particularly those of the LTE-toting GS3. It's not the most scrutinizing tear down, but you can hit the bordering source link for the entire parts list and full set of images.
Samsung-branded Qi wireless charging pad stops by the FCC for a dismantling
Samsung may be trying to usurp Qi's wireless-charging dominance, but for the moment it still has to play along with the de-facto industry standard. That's why the company has pushed this Qi-compatible wireless charging plate onto the green baize of the FCC's poker table, likely in preparation for a commercial release. Peel away the plastic and you'll find a beefy arc reactor electromagnet nestled at the heart of the device -- and since the Commission was kind enough to publish some pictures, we've thrown them into the gallery below.
Sony's Xperia Z gets dissected by the FCC's curious scientists
While it's being wheeled through the FCC's underground Washington bunker, it's merely known as patient PY7PM-0280. It's only once it's been through the ordeal of being torn to pieces and put back together again that we can call it the Sony Xperia Z. Given that the documents are now available, it's clear that the commission feels the collection of GSM, LTE and 802.11 a/b/g/n modems are safe enough to hold one to the side of your head. Even better, the snap-happy techno-vivisectionists also included a gallery of teardown pictures, letting us peek inside the guts of the smartphone -- which is good, because if we tried it ourselves, we'd probably void its waterproof properties.
Ouya developer console gets an official unboxing, flaunts transparent case (video)
It's a little early for an Ouya teardown, but Kickstarters who chipped in $699 won't have to wait long to see what the little console is made of -- Ouya's developer hardware is transparent. The console's team decided to cut the inevitable march of unboxing videos off at the neck, offering fans a quick preview of the package it's shipping out to devs. The standard accoutrements are there -- the tiny console itself, two prototype controllers with batteries, HDMI and power adapters, plus a micro USB cord and a letter to developers thanking them for their investment and warning them of the early build's bugs. The note also cautions deep-pocketed gamers that the device is built specifically for developer use, and has no games to placate eager couch potatoes. The video shows the console booting up, and even demonstrates how easy it is to open the hardware. Skip on past the break to get a glimpse at what early adopters and developers are getting their hands on.
Sony Xperia V torn apart by the FCC for our education and amusement
Like a sadistic Roman emperor, the boys at the FCC enjoy throwing unsuspecting smartphones to the lions and watching the result. This week, the unfortunate victim is Sony's Xperia V, which has been roundly gutted for inspection. Eagle-eyed readers who browse our gallery might spot components from Qualcomm, Elpida and Samsung nestled amongst the circuits that make up its colorful insides. Given that government approval is the final hurdle on a device's journey to retail, we'll expect the Xperia V to arrive in time for the holidays -- with Jelly bean promised to arrive a mere three months after. %Gallery-172772%
iFixit pries open new 21.5-inch iMac, finds twin mics and a glued-on display
We got an early teardown of the latest 21,5-inch iMac thanks Japanese site Kodawarisan, but now it's had the full iFixit treatment. The overall verdict? Well iFixit weren't overly enthused with some of the new design's internal fixings, making a special reference to the use of glue to bind the LCD and glass to the rest of the frame, instead of magnets as found in previous models. Likewise, those two major components are now fused together meaning if you want to replace one, you'll be replacing the other, too. This adhesive also contributes to the trickiness of general repair. Beyond the glue-based concerns, there's the usual intense poring over of internal like the dual mics found at the rear, or the 2.5-inch HGST / Western Digital hard drive. Overall, though, the tone is a definite thumbs down when it comes to repairability, with the device getting just 3 out of 10 on it's now famous meter. Prise open the source link for the full internal tour.
New 21.5-inch iMac gets an early teardown in Japan
We're currently putting Apple's latest "skinny" iMac through its paces here in New York, but an eager Japanese customer has already popped open the 21.5-inch desktop's case, revealing a serviceable hard drive, removable logic board and even a bit of room to spare in the tapered silver housing. There's not much in the way of details over at Kodawarisan, a scant Japanese-language site, but there are plenty of interior pics to gawk at, tiding us over until the experts at iFixit manage to dissect an iMac of their own. Head on over to the source link below for a dozen or so undressed snaps of Cupertino's latest creation.
A look inside the new iMac
The first 21.5-inch redesigned iMacs have been on sale in Asia over the past day, have been unveiled in Europe and are just now making their way to Apple Stores across America. AppleInsider has a short unboxing film of the new iMac from one of their readers (see below), but the real excitement came when Japanese blog Kodawarisan opened up one of the iMacs to reveal the innards. As you can see from the images at the top and bottom of this post, the iMac comes in a new trapezoidal box and is quite nice-looking from the outside -- but let's take a look at the inside. The big surprise is that the circuitry of the redesigned iMac has an amazing amount of room in which to live, with surprisingly large ducts keeping the entire thing cool. The machine translation of the Kodawarisan blog post notes that the component count is down from previous models, meaning that Apple is still adhering to late Steve Jobs' maxim that simpler is better.
A glut of Wii U guts and specs revealed
Anand Lal Shimpi is a much braver person than we could ever hope to be, tearing open Nintendo's new Wii U console for a detailed look at its innards. The tear down reveals the Wii U is powered by a multi-chip module – a PowerPC-based CPU – built using IBM's 45-nanometer manufacturing method; the GPU is comparable to AMD's RV7xx series of cards and shares 2GB of DDR3 RAM with the CPU.As for power consumption, the Wii U doesn't take much, drawing 32.8 watts of power when booting up the console's dashboard. In testing New Super Mario Bros. U, Shimpi discovered the console draws only 33 watts of power during gameplay; less required energy than any other home video game console on the market right now. Now maybe Green Peace will ease up a little on Mario's masters?
Kindle Fire HD 8.9 gets torn asunder, reveals a Samsung heart
Would you like a little silicon gore to go with that Kindle Fire HD 8.9 review? Well, you're in luck as the folks over at PowerbookMedic have just posted a teardown of Amazon's high-end tablet. Despite sharing a physical similarity to its 7-inch sibling, there are a few surprises inside: like its predominant use of Samsung-sourced components, in addition to a connected 6,000mAh dual battery setup. DIY types can hit up the source below for an illustrated how-to, but as always, we caution you to proceed at your own risk.
Nintendo's Wii U gets gutted in the name of specs
Curious about what silicon is powering Nintendo's Wii U? So was Anand Lal Shimpi, who tore his brand new console to pieces in the name of science. At its heart is a multi-chip module with a PowerPC-based CPU, built on IBM's 45-nanometer process, paired with a GPU similar to AMD's RV7xx design. These two components share 2GB of DDR3 RAM (plus an unspecified amount of eDRAM), while Anand calculates memory bandwidth to be 12.8GB/s. That's around the same as as the Nexus 10 and new iPad, but should throw more frames at your eyeballs because those other devices are operating at much higher resolutions. In terms of power consumption, the Wii U's innards draw a pretty constant wattage regardless of load, drawing 32.8W when rendering the disc menu and 33.0W when playing Super Mario U -- for comparison, that's around a third of the appetite of the greedy little PlayStation 3 Slim.
iFixit pries open Google's Nexus 4, exposes somewhat stubborn battery (update: repairability verdict, LTE chip)
The warranty-voiders over at iFixit decided to spend their Friday evening tearing into a freshly delivered Nexus 4 and have given us a peek inside Google's smartphone darling. After removing a pair of screws and spending a few minutes prying off the rear cover, the teardown specialists found that the backplate's sparkling exterior isn't the only thing that makes it special. In addition to serving a cosmetic purpose, the hind side plate packs a handful of pressure contacts that power the handset's NFC antenna and connect its wireless charging induction coil. Extracting the battery required evicting additional screws and a fair amount of elbow grease to wrangle the 2100 mAh pack free from adhesive. As for the motherboard, its removal was a relatively easy process comprised of freeing it from a couple of connectors. The outfit's final verdict on the device's repairability isn't in just yet, but you can tap the source link below to gaze at the LG-made phone's innards. Update: iFixit has given Mountain View's smartphone a 7 out of 10 score in terms of repairability. The three point mark-down stems from a tricky battery removal experience and the glass front, which is fused to the display and its frame. Also, despite the lack of LTE support, a close look at the motherboard reveals a Qualcomm WTR1605L seven-band 4G LTE chip.
