We knew that our iPad Disassembly video was going to get a lot of attention, based on the hundreds of thousands of views that our other videos have had, over the past weeks and months - like the iPhone 3Gs and the PSP Go. However, we never would have guessed that we'd get over a quarter of a million views in just one week, rating as high as the #7 top viewed science & technology video in places!
Check out the stats below to see just how popular our iPad Disassembly video is. If you agree that it's awesomesauce and want a copy of your own, you can now download our latest stop-motion video in iPhone/iPod format, iPad/AppleTV format, or full 720p HD for your computer.
Yes, I'm in a good mood, even on the day after we send all those checks off to the big slush-fund in Washington...but we'll set that story aside and chat about something that I am truly excited about, TechRestore, the Mac, iPad - you get the picture.
First, the iPad:
I was fortunate enough to spend last week on Maui with family and friends with the only frustrating part of the trip being that I had to wait until Monday, April 4th to get my iPad delivered to me - what's the deal with no Saturday delivery on the island? Oh, I forgot about "island time" - I guess that's why we go over there in the first place, to relax and forget about things like overnight shipping. Anyway, after spending a week with this new device, I have a few comments, but I'll leave the extensive reviews to all the pundits and fanboys on the Internets.
iPad comment #1 : You will want one.
iPad comment #2 : Wait for the 3G version. Being limited to WiFi defeats the purpose of owning one.
iPad comment #3: If you can't wait and you buy (or bought) a WiFi only version - at least you can enjoy being treated like a rock star when you use one in a public place. But still, wait for the 3G if you can.
iPad comment #4: Get a case
iPad comment #5: You will break it. It's super shiny, super slippery and you will have it in your hands all the time...until it hits the floor. See comment 4 to help avoid breakage. We got our first iPad repair request within 48 hours after the iPad was released.
iPad comment #6: We will fix it. Of course we will – we have parts in stock now and once the dust settles on our move we will be announcing a full lineup of repairs.
Final iPad comment: It's just the beginning. Love it or hate it, the iPad contains the future of computing, today. The touch interface is immersive and the always on connection to the net is addictive.
Be sure to check out our iPad disassembly video below - Brian and Ivan have done a great job putting together over 1600 photos in an entertaining and informative 3 minute video.
TechRestore - the evolution of a brand
Back in 2004, I had the fortunate chance to take the team of experts that I had worked with since 1994 and startup TechRestore. We were excited about new opportunities and we quickly blew through all of our projections and our expectations about what our business could achieve. Now, as we get ready to perform our 54,000th repair (that's fifty-four-THOUSAND) , we continue to evolve into a company that is focused on exceeding your expectations, creating a great work environment for our team and giving back to the community - especially the Mac community. We are currently outfitting a new facility to better serve our local clients in the San Francisco Bay Area, we're expanding into some new branded product lines, building a new website and Customer Relationship Management application, developing a new iPhone and iPod Touch app and more - in other words, we are BUSY and excited about the future.
Since we're all about change, today we're rolling out an evolution of the TechRestore logo that you will soon see on our website and in our advertising over the next month or so. I wanted to give my closest 20,000 subscribers first look! :-) Originally, we had a different logo for each service that we offered, but we soon realized that our primary logo was the most popular and we stuck with it.
Let me know what you think about the new logo, I would love your comments!
DiamondGlass
When Apple first released the Unibody MacBook Pro series back in 2008, my first comment, upon seeing the glass cover that is installed on top of the LCD screens was "We are going into the glass business". And we have done that with a vengeance. Not only are we repairing the broken glass on hundreds of Unibody MacBook and MacBook Pros each month, we also currently supply repair companies all over the world with glass replacement panels. One problem we've seen in the glass panel replacement market is cheap, thin, fragile glass panels being offered as replacements for the original glass. These panels seem to make their way from China and other countries and they are of such poor quality that they can break by just handling them. After seeing consumers and businesses getting duped into buying this poor quality glass, from other companies, we decided to put together a video showing just what junk is out there in the marketplace.
Today, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our premium Unibody MacBook & MacBook Pro glass replacement panels - DiamondGlass by TechRestore. DiamondGlass panels are the strongest and highest quality replacement glass screen covers available for your Mac - period. You don't have to take our word for it - join me in watching the destruction:
As I mentioned in the video, we are currently using DiamondGlass panels for our glass repairs and we will soon have self-install glass panels available with video instructions on our website.
FUTURESHOCK
Hello again!
It's been a crazy couple of weeks, with the iPad release, beginning the move to our new building, the iPhone OS 4.0 announcement, etc... And now that Shannon's back from Maui (the real reason he's in such a good mood (c; ) we can get back to our regular schedule of Buzz e-mails.
Video
This time around, we have a new stop-motion animated disassembly video of - you guessed it - the iPad! Check it out:
1675 frames of high-definition unboxing, take-apart and reassembly, in under 3 minutes - all set to a wicked beat, TechRestore style! HD quality, iPad/AppleTV, and iPhone/iPod versions will be posted on our video downloads page soon!
Photos
If you'd prefer to just peep some photos, we have still-frames of the iPad disassembly posted on our Flickr page.
Music
If you like the music in our iPad Disassembly video, you're in luck, because I'm offering it as a free mp3 download, called iPadrone! Since I ran out of appropriately electronic sounding canned music, I created a new track, in Garage Band. You can listen to iPadrone, or download a copy, to enjoy on your i-device of choice
iPhone App Pick
Here's another great game that doesn't get much attention: Blastination. The gameplay is unique but intuitive and the 2D graphics are quite artful. In fact, this app seems like the type of thing you'd find at the gift shop, in the Museum Of Modern Art..if they sold iPhone apps, that is. Check it out here or go directly to the iTMS app store and get the free version.
Enjoy!
Brian Northway Designer/Animator
Buzz Specials
These coupons are valid through 4/30 at Midnight Pacific Time. You can use the coupons and order via the links below, or call 1-888-572-7372 to speak to one of our friendly humans. Coupon codes cannot be combined, but you can use them on separate orders, if you are so inclined.
So, I did it. I finally took the plunge (no pun intended) and remodeled our kids bathroom. After looking at old linoleum for years and each time thinking to myself, "We really need to update this bathroom" - I completely gutted the space a couple weeks ago and have been on my hands and knees ever since. The thing about home improvement projects is that they have a very typical lifecyle:
Stage 1: Destruction
This is where the fun begins. Your head is full of ideas and you have a sledgehammer in your hands. Your kids stare in awe as you destroy part of your home on purpose and within a very short time, you are staring at an empty room, just waiting for your creative energy to explode all over the place.
Stage 2: The Trip to Home World
Whether you go to Home Depot, Lowes, MondoHome - whatever is in your neck of the woods, chances are, you're going to wind up at some ginourmos warehouse store, wandering the aisles with a glazed look in your eye as you look at all the options for you new, empty space. Typically you have your spouse in tow and quite often any plans you have made about materials goes right out the window when said spouse happens to look at the "special order Italian glass tile" that is at the end of the aisle containing all the rest of the tile that you can take home with you today. Once you spend 20 minutes bringing your spouse back to reality, you load the tile up that you had agreed on previously. Then it's a quick trip around the rest of the building ("The tram to paint town is about to depart!") to pick out paint a new vanity and other sundry items. All in all, expect to spend 2-3 times as long as you think it will take. You will have a headache by the time you leave.
Stage 3: Progress
You plunge in and make a big impact with tile, paint and new fixtures. You are truly Master of your Domain.
Stage 4: The Finishing Touches AKA: Will this never end?!
You're almost done. There's only 30-40 things left on your list, but most of your mistakes are hidden by the overall impact of your superb placement of the bath matt, toothbrush holder and other accessories. As you look around, you start to see all the little things - just one more touch-up of trim paint, oh, one more section of grout to cleanup, one more piece of baseboard that need caulking. You get the idea. It's the home stretch - push hard and you will actually get this thing done. Be forewarned - do NOT fall for the Classic "let's start ANOTHER project" at this time - although enticing, you will only cause yourself (and your spouse) grief if you go down this rabbit hole.
All in all, things when pretty well and most of the flaws in my work are hidden well behind sinks, mirrors and toilets - not bad for the first time.
OK, enough about home improvement. We have some great stuff for you this week! Onward....
These DIY videos are direct and detailed, without a minute wasted. Our unique auto fast-forward editing, allows you to see every move the tech makes, without suffering through each little screw removal/replacement in real-time. Watching these videos is also a good way for you to see if you feel confident enough to indulge your inner hacker, and attempt doing your own repair - see what you're in for before you ever pick up a screwdriver!
Desktops & Wallpapers
Now for the goodies...I've re-engineered a classic sci-fi movie poster, to be Mac themed: Invasion Of The Unibody Snatchers! Here we have a Mac desktop image and an iPhone wallpaper image:
Click on the images above to see them full size, then right click and select save, to make them yours.
To install an iPhone wallpaper image:
Click on the image that you like, to see it full size.
Right click on the full-size image and select save.
Add the image to your iPhoto library and sync with your iPhone.
Locate the image on your iPhone, tap , and then tap Use As Wallpaper.
iPad fans will also want to check out the iPad Desktop image featured in last weeks Buzz. It turns your iPhone into a mini iPad (which it basically is anyway, until they release some iPad specific apps).
iPhone App Pick
I just have to share this gem, since I haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere. It's a free iPhone game called Alpine Crawler. It's a simple 2D, side-scroller involving a truck and some hills - the aim being to complete the course in time, without rolling your 4x4. As with most good action games, it's all about the amazing real-time physics. Check out the Alpine Crawler web-page or iTMS app store link.
Enjoy!
Brian Northway Designer/Animator
Buzz Specials
The Buzz coupons are valid through 4/2 at Midnight Pacific Time. You can use the coupons and order via the links, or call 1-888-572-7372 to speak to one of our friendly humans. Coupon codes cannot be combined, but you can use them on separate orders, if you are so inclined.
Since Shannon's out today, we're jumping right in to the goodies...
First off, I have to mention the iPad. It's definitely a Kindle killer and a netbook neutralizer - but then, Kindles and netbooks aren't $500+. I've heard that you really have to hold an iPad, and use it a bit, to fully understand this device's true sex appeal. While I totally believe that, I still think it's a little weak that you can't make calls with it, using a Bluetooth headset, or run ordinary Mac OS apps. That said, I certainly wouldn't turn one down, if it was offered to me for free - and that's exactly what we're doing!
Register to win an Apple iPad three different ways:
Sign up for our bi-weekly Buzz newsletter (also see "signup" at upper right).
Srsly - it's that easy...and you can maximize your chances of winning by doing all three. Don't worry about the safety of your email address - no one on Earth has ever received spam from TechRestore! Our Buzz newsletter has an easy opt-out and we would never give or sell email addresses to another company, 'cuz that's just not how we roll.
For a brief summary of the iPad's features and my observations from the announcement, click here.
I created these 19 high-quality, stereo ringtones mostly from iMovie sound effects. Unlike ringtones made from songs, these unique attention getters include retro phone rings, spacy sci-fi sounds and classy orchestral accents. There's even a Mac start-up chime for us die-hard Apple fans. (c: Just keep in mind that the audio previews require ultra-high compression, to be small enough for the web, so the're a bit rougher and tinnier than the actual ringtone files.
Once downloaded, simply drop them in your iTunes and sync with your iPhone.
If you'd prefer to make your own rigntones, I've posted everything that you need to know here. It's simpler than you think!
Web Videos
I have a couple of found videos that I think are worth sharing (no, not the Mad TV iPad commercial).
The first one is the iSandwich, an iPhone made of food. The video's a little on the slow side, as you watch the preparation of the edible electronics, but the surprise ending is well worth the wait!
Next up is the source of the "leaked iPad photo," that I wrote about just before Apple's announcement. Apparently, it was just part of an Apple Store window display, featuring a 10" iPod. It was just pure coincidence that the photographed part happened to be almost exactly the size of the new iPad.
New Homepage Layout
Here's a sneak peek at our new homepage. After our recent format change, we've decided to add some content "below the fold," for those of you who don't mind scrolling. Let us know what you think of it - suggestions are always welcome.
Enjoy!
Brian Northway Design & Marketing TechRestore
Buzz Specials
Here are the deals! You can use the links to order, or call 1-888-572-7372 if you have questions and want to speak to one of our awesome humans. Any coupons listed can be used online or via phone and are valid through 2/12 at midnight Pacific Time.
As you can see, there are far fewer parts in this latest version of the Sony PSP game system, though it's none less complicated. Unlike previous versions of the PSP, changing the battery voids your warranty (not our favorite feature) but the compact size makes it a solid contender for the best hand-held gaming device, even if it lacks the cameras of the DSi and accelerometer of the iPod touch.
A downloadable version of this video will be up next week, followed by YouTube annotations labeling the parts inside the PSP Go.
While I was in the warehouse the other day, I noticed a huge box, containing 3000 MacBook Pro palm-rests. When I asked what they were for, I was told that these particular parts all had broken keyboards, trackpads or cosmetic issues, and were going to be recycled. I decided that covering the parking lot with keyboards would look pretty good, on video, so I had them set aside for me.
Saturday morning, I arrived at 7am, made some coffee, checked my e-mail and set to work on my idea. Somehow I had thought that working with 3000 palm-rests would be as easy as working with 3000 Lego pieces but, as I began unwrapping each individual part, it quickly became apparent that this was a monstrous task. Three hours later, I had unwrapped a little over 400 of these things, working at a fairly brisk pace. At that rate, it would have taken me over twenty hours just to unwrap them all, let alone place them and clean up, so I decided to switch gears at that point and start laying them out on the blacktop (this proved to be pretty rough on my legs and back, I would find out the following day).
I think the final result is still pretty impressive, even if I didn't get to whole 3000 pieces, and it is certainly a sight few people will have seen before. The highlight of the video, as it turns out, was peeling out on those MacBook parts. I have to thank our General Manager, Paul for that idea, as it turned out to be the highlight of the video and was also fun to do. Skidding atop the keyboard tiles was a bit like trying to stop while driving on ice. Click here to see for yourself!
Afterwords, I gathered up all of the keys and other broken bits to be recycled. The plastics and metals all melt down just the same, even when they're torn to bits.
Ah, the Magic Kingdom. I think my kids began enjoying the magic first thing in the morning, once they made it to the first attraction. I think my magic started up at about the time we sat down for dinner at the end of the day, with an ice cold beverage.
We walked, and we walked, then we walked some more - over 7 miles per day during our 3 days between Disneyland and California Adventure - chasing after Fastpasses, running to make a parade, hurrying to get a good spot for the parade - you get the idea. Did we have a good time? You betcha. Did we get any rest? Heck no. But maybe that's the point, because why wouldn't you go on Pirates of the Caribbean just one more time, even if the park is only open for 5 more minutes? And when you have the chance to watch Fantasmic on the water near Orleans Square, you better hustle and get a good seat, because you are surely not the only tired parent in the park with the same idea.
Here's the numbers, in a nutshell - no offense to Chip, or Dale
* 21 miles of walk, walk, hustle, hustle
* 87 times having to say "No, we can't buy that" during the 3 days. Not bad, considering that I'm sure I had to say it over 300 times at DisneyWorld a few years ago. My kids are growing up! ;-)
* 14 Gallons - the amount of water that drenched my wife, Renee, from Splash Mountain. How do I know this? Because she told me...over, and over and over.
* 1244 kernels of over-priced popcorn. Of which, at least 324 pieces were dropped on the ground by my son.
* 3 Times in a row that the kids and Renee went on California Screamin'
* 27 times that Ethan yelled "That was AWESOME" after getting off a ride.
* 27 times that our 11-year old, Skylar, was patient with her little brother when he yelled "That was AWESOME" in her ear. Thanks, Sky!
* 124 people that I saw eating Churro's that really shouldn't have been.
* 1 Jedi Training Course that included a battle between my son and Darth Maul. Life changing, (for him) that's all I can say.
* 18 times that we walked up and back through Downtown Disney...Never again.
* 1 small humanoid robot named ASIMO that impressed us all with his performance at the Inoventions exhibit in Tomorrowland.
* $706 for 2 adults and 2 children's tickets for 3 days - I thought we were in a recession?
* 47 minutes - total time spent in the Lego store at Downtown Disney, spread over 3 visits.
* $525 - amount my son would liked to have spent at the Lego store. "Dad, can we get the Death Star?!" See the second line above for my response.
* $49 - total dollar amount actually spent at the Lego store.
* 447 laughs, giggles and smiles that made the trip memorable for Skylar, Ethan and their cousins, Colton and Chloe
* 3 times I caught myself looking at my children, wondering how they had grown up so quickly. OK, maybe it was 34, but close enough.
So there you have it, 3 days of fun in the sun, rides, friends, family, food, drink, laughs, water, sore feet, along with Mickey Mouse and other assorted characters. What a great trip it was, indeed.
I'm going to let Brian Northway take it from here. I'm headed off to the Eastern Sierra's for a pack trip up to some high altitude lakes, in search of some last minute Golden Trout fishing before the weather turns on us for winter. Enjoy the rest of the ride this week and thanks for joining us!
DIY Game Repair Parts
Announcing our new DIY Reapir Parts for the Sony PSP! Every day these hand-held gaming systems get more features and less expensive. We've done a lot of great repairs on these units and, from the beginning, you've asked if we sold individual parts for them. Until now, we've only had a handfull of PSP parts available for sale outside of a full-service repair but, as the times change, so does TechRestore.
From now on, you can buy any PSP part we have in stock (and soon Nintendo DS/DSi parts) without having to get a full service repair! Than means you save on shipping it in to us, having us do the install and shipping it back to you. We even provide documentation that shows how to take the PSP apart, step by step. Of course this also means that we will no longer be offering game system repairs but, we will empower you to fix it your self, and you can do it! All it takes to fix most of this stuff is a small screwdriver and 20-30 minutes. Believe me, it's far less complicated than navigating a treacherous 3D world with 10 buttons and an analog stick, and defeating a two-story tall monster, with a combination of special moves and hi-tech weaponry.
All of our PDF take-apart guides are available for free, before you even purchase a part, so that you can see how easy (or complicated) they may be. Naturally, the deeper you go, the more you'll have to keep track of but a litte hacker spirit goes a long way - and, frankly, the hardest PSP repair is easier than the simplest auto repair. The best part is, you don't even get your hands dirty! (c;
Click here to locate game system repair parts available for your repair.
Future Shock
If you haven't seen it already, our latest video is a tear-down and rebuild of the new, fifth generation, iPod nano. As you might expect, it's done in our usual stop-motion style, but this one begins with a demo of some built-in video effects, shot on the nano 5G. Here's the script:
Imagine that you're a Terminator cyborg or an alien Predator, showing up outside the TechRestore repair center to infiltrate our animation room. With the aid of a heads-up display and thermal imaging, you slip past the receptionist, hidden by your electronic cloaking device. Just to be sure that you weren't seen, you hack the securty camera. Once inside, you see the latest in human nano-technology, sitting on the dissection table. Taking it apart telekinetically, you record all of the inner workings, labeling them for future reference. Suddenly one of our our techs, Ivan, discovers your intrusion, but your mind control beam forces him to reassemble the nano - at warp speed. Mission accomplished, you verify the unit's functionality and beam back to the mother ship, along with the iPod, of course!
Here's a desktop image showing an infinite field of 5G nanos, within nanos, within nanos...made from a frame of the video above, and a splash of color, that I added to liven it up. I know, our last two wallpaper images were of nanos but, with such an exciting new product out, who can think of anything else? Until last week, I actually thought the Flip Mino was a pretty cool device, but now it seems about as interesting as a giant, cold-war era, cassette walk-man, since the new nano does video recording. Way to go Apple! I cant wait to see what the new iPod touch can do - HD video recording perhaps?
This week's screen saver is an updated promo for the Macintosh Computer Expo. This one features NCMUGs fantastic event flier, floating above a Google Earth rendering of the expo location, in Petaluma, California, amid a shower of virtual fireworks. The event is just as free as the screen saver and, if you've never been, I can tell you that Petaluma is a charming little town with lots of restaurants and cafes on the river - great options for a lunch break, or dinner after the event.
Check out this week's specials. Use the links to schedule a service or place your order online. Naturally, you can also call 1-888-572-7372 to speak to a human being that is standing by to help you Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM Pacific Time. Specials are good until midnight, on Friday, September 25th, but don't wait until the last minute to place your order. (c;
See 215 iPod nanos (4G) tumble like dominoes in our latest video!
The first time I set them up, I accidentally started them going, when I was nearly done placing them all, because one of the iPods didn't sit flat - that took the wind out of my sail for a bit, since it's pretty rough on one's back, bending over a table to precicely place hundreds of iPods. The re-do was better though, because I could better distribute the iPods, knowing how far the 215 would go, and get a little time-laps footage of the set up to boot.
In case you're wondering why we would risk scratching this many iPods at once, I'll tell you that these were actually destined for recycling. It seemed a fitting end to get one last look at these beautiful gadgets before they were disassembled and reincarnated.
As always, if you like the video, don't forget that you can share it with friends on FaceBook and MySpace, not to mention YouTube! Also, it will be available for download soon.
Let's talk about the Grid. You know, that sucking vortex of time and space called the Internet - that crazy "system of tubes" that gives so much but can also take so much away. Just how connected are you? Check your email often? Update your Facebook/MySpace/ Twitter/LinkedIn/Flickr/AIM accounts very much? When your email client chirps at you about that new incoming message, how long can you resist before checking? Years ago, I owned a desktop Mac and a PowerBook. Both of them were required, since the PowerBook wasn't really powerful enough to use for everything, but the portability was so enticing. Checking email from the couch! A revolution, even if I had to use a 20 foot telephone cable back then to connect. Then WiFi came along and we were given more "freedom" to connect to the Grid from anywhere close to a base station - again, talk about convenience. Slowly, Mac laptops came along with more and more power until I could cut the cord to the desktop completely and live full time on my PowerBook. With the laptop, you still had to lug it around, it didn't go with you everywhere and even though you were connecting more often to the Grid, you could shut the thing off.
Cell phones tethered us a little more, if not to the actual Grid, then to the parallel lines of communication. Phones got smaller, more powerful and then, they got Smart. The smartest phone of all, of course, is the iPhone (IMO), but let's not forget the massive success of the Blackberry (Crackberry), Google's new Android platform and Windows Mobile. Now, we get data "pushed" to us - which is incredibly convenient and productive, but it has changed the way we interact with the Grid and with people in a big way. How many times have you seen two people "talking" while one of them has their face buried in their Smartphone? Multi-tasking? I don't think so. I think the message that is being sent is that whatever happens on the shiny little device is more important than this conversation. I wish I could tell you that I haven't done the same thing, but the allure is sometimes hard to resist, especially with that damn iPhone. There's an App for just about anything you want - except resisting the seductive pull of the thing in the first place. But maybe that's the point and I'm just becoming a luddite in my old age? ;-) I do know that I'm trying to unplug from the Grid a little more than I used to, focusing on completing single task while waiting to check email, not jumping to every Instant Message that pings me, leaving Skype shut down at night for an extra hour. Taming the beast, pulling out the best and leaving the rest behind to find a balance of all those high-tech shiny toys that I love with more single-minded focus on that quaint, offline stuff that I also enjoy so much.
How about you? Share your story and I'll feature some tips on how you handle the great balancing act.
Your iPhone is (was) under attack!
Up until last Saturday, that is. Apple released iPhone software 3.0.1 that fixed the SMS attack vulnerability. Apparently, if you received a text message containing just a single square character, you're being warned that your iPhone is about to be taken over by this SMS attack.
Once your iPhone has been attacked, it now can go out and attack other iPhones, and so on and so forth - you've seen those movies where all the appliances attack people....well, something like that.
So, connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC and upgrade your iPhone software to version 3.0.1 to stomp out this pesky "Take over the Earth" SMS vulnerability. I did the upgrade Saturday evening (See above article on being connected to the Grid to much) and have had no problems at all.
Here's the link to the original article about the SMS attack.
Last Call for Mac OS 10.5!
Apple has released Mac OS 10.5.8, reportedly the last update before Mac OS 10.6 AKA Snow Leopard is released. Generally speaking, the reports have been positive about the 10.5.8 update, with few reported problems.
We do however, recommend following a specific path to perform your upgrade to help avoid most problems.
1. Use the Disk Utility application to Repair Disk Permissions before doing anything
Many of you have asked how we make our stop-motion device disassembly videos. You may be surprised to discover that we do it using equipment and software that you probably already have at home: a digital camera, a tripod and Apple's iMovie software. I suppose that our secret ingredient might be the technician who takes apart and puts back together what ever gadget happens to be the subject of our latest video but, other than that, it's pretty basic. The flipping and floating effects are achieved by leaning parts up against paperclip holders or balancing them on erasers (or anything else I happen to have lying around). No 3D software or green screens are invloved in the process. In fact the 3GS Disassembly video is the first one that I've used photoshop on. The Magic Eraser that was holding up the box lid was too visable, even if it was only onscreen for a tenth of a second. Here's a 3 minute documentary showing how it's done:
Speaking of videos, if you haven't seen rapper and movie-star Ice T destroy his MacBook Pro with a hammer (no, not MC Hammer, just a normal claw hammer) then you have to check it out. This just goes to show that even the rich and famous aren't immune to the frustrations of computer malfunction. Do yourself a favor though, when your Mac stops working, just send it to us, and we'll fix it for far less than the price of a new one.
I've got one more link for you too. It's an online translation game called Translation Party. The object is to come up with an english phrase which will be repeatedly mistranslated to and from Japanese for as long as possible until, finally, it is turned into a phrase that is consistently translated back and forth accurately (or equilibrium). For example, the phrase "help is on the way," finds equilibrium in only three steps, being fist mistranslated into "in the way of support," and finally to "support options." If you find a good one (eg. ten or more steps), email it to me and I'll post it next week.
Lastly, I'll just add to Shannon's warning about the latest OS X update. It worked fine on my G4 PowerBook for some reason, but all of my user settings were alienated due to a permissions issue on my intel iMac after I installed the update. I just figured that Apple must have resolved the issue by now, ya know? All was not lost however, as I was able to resolve the problem by manually restoring administrator access to all of the sub-folders in my user folder to which I was denied access (the source of all my problems). They were clearly marked with a red 'do not enter,' sign, but I just got info on each, unlocked them and added read/write access for the administrator group, propagating all permission changes to enclosed items. According to the info window, I already had full access, in spite of my inability to open these folders, but adding the admin group gave me access for reals. I guess having a little past experience working as a sys-admin came in handy, but don't ignore Shannon's advice if you haven't already updated. My solution was long and tedious process.
Have fun and keep your system safe!
Brian Northway TechRestore Animation Guy
Weekly Specials
MacBooks, we've got MacBooks! Big giant trucks keep bringing loads of MacBooks to our loading dock every few days and we are thrilled to be able to bring you these powerful systems at our lowest price points to date. Along with the MacBooks come MacBook Pro systems, 15-inch and 17-inch models with incredible pricing and performance. All of these systems have had that specials TechRestore Pixie Dust sprinkled on them during the Restoration process, insuring years of trusted use, like a good Mac should always provide. Along with the system deals, you will find nice discounts on a MacBook Matte Finish screen replacements, drive upgrades and more.
The coupons are valid through 9/14 at Midnight Pacific Time. Order via the links or give us a call at 1-888-572-7372.
I had assumed that the whole world had already seen the MacBook Wheel announcement, back when it came out back in January, so I was shocked to discover that some avid Mac fans actually missed it! If you are one of these sad few, you have to check out the MacBook Wheel launch video, from the Onion. You may even need to watch it a second or third time, to read the 'predictive sentences,' and the news feed scrolling across the bottom.
Stay tuned for this week's news - it's almost done!
Now for our latest video, the Nintendo DSi Disassembly. This stop-motion sequence shows one of these hot, new, hand-held gaming systems taking it's self out of the box and automatically disassembling. With the help of our lead game system technician, Ivan Villanueva, the DSi goes back together in record time, for the whole world to see.
Assembled from a thousand seprate photographs (or exactly 1,304 in this case), the animation process starts with me unboxing the device. I can get a little tricky with my photography here, making booklets seem to float by stacking them on unseen supports etc., because it's not very technical.
Once the disassembly segment begins, I soon require the expertise of a technician (basically, so that I don't break anything). Also, remembering the rotation and velocity of each animated part is hard enough without having to keep track of where all the screws and other parts go. (c; Unlike the process of an ordinary repair, during a stop-motion shoot, the technician is constantly interrupted as I ask them to pause so I can snap a frame, or give me a few minutes to animate parts leaving the field of view.
The reassembly scenes are shot in time-lapse style - partly because it's interesting to see but, mostly, because the tech and I are too fried to spend another 8 hours animating the parts coming back together. In fact, some of the earlier videos don't even have a reassembly sequence, for this very reason. However, after being inundated with requests to show the reassembly (in order to prove that the device still works) I decided that showing the skilled hands of the technician at work was the perfect way to finish this type of video.
After all of the frames are shot, I download them and process them all in photoshop to enhance the color and contrast. After that, I combine them into one huge, 1600x1200 pixel video, in Quicktime Pro, at 15 frames per second (an animation standard known as "shooting on twos," since there are 30 frames per second in video). Using a great Italian freeware program called MPEG Streamclip, I crop and resize the video down to widescreen, 720p HD (1280x720). From there, it's off to iMovie HD, where I add the titles, music and sound effects - the latter requiring hours of scrubbing, frame-by-frame to precisely place the sounds.
And that is how the TechRestore videos are made. Once again, I hope you enjoy the show and please let me know if you have any questions, comments or requests!
Ever wonder what's behind your PSP screen? Here's a wallpaper image of exactly that! As you can see in the video, it looks even better on a PSP with clear faceplate.
Lance's PSP now shows even more of it's inner workings. You can download the same past-modern wallpaper image to use on your own psp right here:
PSP Wallpaper Installation Instructions
First, drag the image above onto your desktop or right click on it and save it to a desired location.
Next, follow the instructions below for USB or WiFi:
Using a 5-Pin USB Cable or a Memory Stick Pro Duo Card Reader
1. Connect your PSP or Memory Stick Pro Duo to your PC. (If using a USB Cable, plug it into your PSP, boot up your PSP, then go to Settings, and scroll down to USB Connection) 2. Go to My Computer -> Open the new Removable Disk that has appeared. 1. If you are using a mac the memory stick will appear on your desktop! 3. Create a folder named "PSP", inside that folder make a new folder named "PHOTO". 4. Now take the PSP wallpapers you have downloaded and transfer them into the "PHOTO" folder.
Using available WiFi Internet Access
1. Boot your PSP to its Main Menu. 2. Find the "Network" section and click on the "Internet Browser" 3. You should see a Blank Page. Click the "Triangle" button, then click on the "File" button, and finally click "Address Entry". 4. Type in the url/address to your PSP Wallpaper image and click "Enter". (If you have an available network setup and ready it should connect to it wirelessly automatically or it should let you choose which one you like to use. If not you will need to set one up in Network Settings) 5. You will notice that the image should load up. Now click "File" and click "Save Image". 6. Destination should be set to "/PSP/PHOTO/" and "File Name" can be whatever you wish. Once set click "Save". Once finished it will say "Save Complete".
Setting your Wallpaper on your PSP
1. In the PSP Main Menu go to "Photo" and click on the Memory Stick. 2. Now you will see you image. Select and open the image you would like to use. 3. Press the "Triangle" button and then go to "Set as Wallpaper" button and click it. 4. It will ask you if you would like to set as wallpaper or overwrite current wallpaper. Click "Yes". 5. Now go back to your PSP Main Menu and you should have the new custom wallpaper as your background.
See Shannon's interview, at Macworld Expo, on PixelHeadsNetwork.com and keep an eye out for what the back of my shirt says! (c; I had just come back from lunch and had no idea that he was being interviewed, so I just marched right in to the video - lol.
I'm pushing to get all of our tear-down videos updated to HD, so that I can work on a new video. I can't tell you what it is yet, but it will be exclusive to TechRestore. No else even has photos of the inside of this device, let alone a video of it - muhaha! {evil laugh}
Our fourth most popular video, happens to be the first stop-motion take-apart video that we ever did, unless you count the brief blip iniPod mini Madness (which, sadly, I shot in low-res, not upgradeable to HD). Now you can see the iPhone insides in even greater detail, with better music and sound effects! I had to cut the unboxing bit, since it didn't fit the widescreen format, but I know you really want to see the device it's self. (c;
TechRestore's HD revolution continues! Here's the HD remaster of our second most popular video, the unibody MacBook Pro disassembly. The image quality in the embedded player below looks good, but it still doesn't show all the detail. Click here to watch it full size (and don't forget to click the 'watch in HD' option!
We're on iTunes! Future Shock, TechRestore's video podcast is now live on the iTunes Music Store - and it's free. Now you can have high-quality versions of our animated videos on your iPod, iPhone or computer, without having to be online while you watch them. Better yet, by subscribing to our podcast, they will be automatically downloaded, so you can be showing them off to friends, on your iPod, before they get picked up by the big gadget blogs!
I was fortunate enough to spend last week on Maui with family and friends with the only frustrating part of the trip being that I had to wait until Monday, April 4th to get my iPad delivered to me - what's the deal with no Saturday delivery on the island? Oh, I forgot about "island time" - I guess that's why we go over there in the first place, to relax and forget about things like overnight shipping. Anyway, after spending a week with this new device, I have a few comments, but I'll leave the extensive reviews to all the pundits and fanboys on the Internets.
One problem we've seen in the glass panel replacement market is cheap, thin, fragile glass panels being offered as replacements for the original glass. These panels seem to make their way from China and other countries and they are of such poor quality that they can break by just handling them. After seeing consumers and businesses getting duped into buying this poor quality glass, from other companies, we decided to put together a video showing just what junk is out there in the marketplace.
Here's another great game that doesn't get much attention: Blastination. The gameplay is unique but intuitive and the 2D graphics are quite artful. In fact, this app seems like the type of thing you'd find at the gift shop, in the Museum Of Modern Art..if they sold iPhone apps, that is. Check it out 
, and then tap Use As Wallpaper.
I just have to share this gem, since I haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere. It's a free iPhone game called Alpine Crawler. It's a simple 2D, side-scroller involving a truck and some hills - the aim being to complete the course in time, without rolling your 4x4. As with most good action games, it's all about the amazing real-time physics. Check out the Alpine Crawler 
Ah, the Magic Kingdom. I think my kids began enjoying the magic first thing in the morning, once they made it to the first attraction. I think my magic started up at about the time we sat down for dinner at the end of the day, with an ice cold beverage.
Let's talk about the Grid. You know, that sucking vortex of time and space called the Internet - that crazy "system of tubes" that gives so much but can also take so much away. Just how connected are you? Check your email often? Update your Facebook/MySpace/ Twitter/LinkedIn/Flickr/AIM accounts very much? When your email client chirps at you about that new incoming message, how long can you resist before checking? Years ago, I owned a desktop Mac and a PowerBook. Both of them were required, since the PowerBook wasn't really powerful enough to use for everything, but the portability was so enticing. Checking email from the couch! A revolution, even if I had to use a 20 foot telephone cable back then to connect. Then WiFi came along and we were given more "freedom" to connect to the Grid from anywhere close to a base station - again, talk about convenience. Slowly, Mac laptops came along with more and more power until I could cut the cord to the desktop completely and live full time on my PowerBook. With the laptop, you still had to lug it around, it didn't go with you everywhere and even though you were connecting more often to the Grid, you could shut the thing off.
Your iPhone is (was) under attack! 
