.KEYWORD gethightech
.FLYINGHEAD THE FRUGAL HANDHELD
.TITLE Do-it-yourself handheld repairs
.OTHER
.SUMMARY If your trusty Palm OS computer breaks, don’t just throw it away. If you’re handy, you can fix it yourself at a reasonable price. Before you run out and spend too much on a new device, be sure to read this article.
.AUTHOR Steve Niles
As an editor for PalmPower Magazine, I frequently get letters from readers asking detailed technical repair questions about Palm OS handhelds. I have to be honest, though. When it comes to the deep inner workings of mechanical things and electronic doohickeys, I’m at a loss. I put up a set of vertical blinds in my dining room the other day, a procedure that pushed my technical proficiency to the limits. If there’s a rattling noise in my car, I don’t pop the hood and check it out. I turn up the radio.
In my opinion, though, the next best thing to knowing how to do a thing is knowing where to find out how to do it. From now on, whenever someone writes in to ask me how to replace a cracked screen or how to resuscitate a Palm handheld that has apparently suffered the equivalent of a major coronary, I’ll refer him to the extremely knowledgeable and friendly folks at Gethightech.com (at http://www.gethightech.com).
.H1 Do-it-yourself savings
Gethightech.com is an online business that sells quality new and used Palm OS parts and accessories. They also provide quality repair service for Palm OS units. However, that’s not all they do. I recently had an opportunity to speak with Gethightech’s founder, Robby Stanley, who told me, "We’re not just after the almighty dollar. Our goal is to help people." They do just that by providing free technical assistance via email. If you write to the Gethightech staff with a repair issue that has you stumped, they’ll reply with an answer, usually within one business day.
It doesn’t stop there, though. On March 11, Gethightech began providing downloadable "Do-It-Yourself" PDA repair videos on its Web site. And, once again, this service is completely and totally free. Video titles include "Palm III Take-Apart" and "Upgrading Memory in Older Units." All of these videos are between 800KB to 3.5M, so they aren’t an unreasonable download, even on a 56K modem. They arrive as zipped AVI files and can be viewed using either QuickTime or Windows Media Player. You can get an idea of the video quality from the screen capture in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A Gethightech offers free "Do-It-Yourself" PDA repair videos.
Being in the business of helping people makes good financial sense. Providing this kind of fast, efficient, and friendly customer service has resulted in an ever-growing loyal customer base that returns to Gethightech for replacement parts.
Does fixing your PDA yourself make good financial sense for you? I believe it does. Say you’ve got a perfectly good Palm IIIxe you’ve been using for awhile and really bonded with. Then one day you accidentally drop it and crack the screen. You could just replace it with a newer model, but that’s going to run you anywhere from $250 to $450. You could send it back to Palm, Inc. to repair for a $100 flat fee. Palm sends you a shipping package, you pack up the handheld, and they fix it and send it back to you. In the meantime, you’re without your handheld for a couple of weeks. The other alternative is to do it yourself. Gethightech will sell you the glass for just $50, and you can follow the installation steps in their free Do-It-Yourself video. Plus, the feeling of self-sufficiency you get is pretty priceless.
The videos are easy to follow, narrated by Robby Stanley himself. However, if you absolutely cannot figure out the procedure, you can send your Palm handheld in to Gethightech, and they’ll fix it themselves for fifteen bucks. Not a bad deal.
.H1 Where did these guys come from?
Robby Stanley started out working full-time in IT at such companies as Apple and Hewlett-Packard. Stanley started Gethightech after fishing a broken Palm handheld out of an ill-tempered boss’s wastebasket. He popped the unit open, discovered they’re rather simple inside, and began collecting spare parts from eBay and flea markets. The company has been selling computers and Palm handheld parts and accessories over the Internet since 1999, first using eBay as a sales outlet. In February 2000, Gethightech Inc. was created specifically to specialize in selling PDA Parts and accessories and to provide quality service.
It’s a small company, which is how they keep their prices low. Theirs is the first business to offer used Palm OS parts. The company has established excellent relationships with individuals and suppliers that provide them with most of the used PDA and Palm OS based units. Stanley says they still scour eBay, buying up broken Palm handhelds to strip them of the still-functional bits. I can relate to this. I used to drive an old 1980 Nissan Maxima that was mostly comprised of used parts bought on the cheap from a local junkyard.
.H1 What about the warranty?
My first question for Stanley was, "What about the warranty?" I mean, if you pop open your Palm handheld, doesn’t that automatically void the warranty? He admitted this is true, but unless you purchase an additional service plan, if you crack your PDA’s screen, it’s out of warranty anyway. Plus, warranties don’t last nearly as long as most people manage to keep their handhelds running. Just to be safe, though, Gethightech does post a number of disclaimers regarding warranties. In all the time they’ve been in business, they’ve never had any problems from customers with regard to warranty issues.
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.H1 Popular with cost-cutting enterprises
Since the economic downturn, Stanley said, a lot of companies have been trying to cut costs by bringing items from the Palm OS handheld graveyard back to life. In the old days, when a handheld broke, most companies would toss it into the closet and replace it. Now, however, they’re digging out those old handhelds and putting in bulk orders to Gethightech to get them up and running again.
Besides spare parts, Gethightech also sells Palm handheld accessories, such as cables, cases, and keyboards. If you wish, you can even buy a single stylus. Most sellers only offer packs of three or more. They sell Gethightech branded accessories as well as reselling items from other leading manufacturers.
Whether you’re outfitting an entire company or just trying to repair your own old-but-trusted PDA, Gethightech can provide you with the parts you need. Their free videos will walk you through everything you need to know to perform the open-case surgery. So if you have a repair question, don’t ask me. Ask the folks at Gethightech.com.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Gethightech.com, visit http://www.gethightech.com.
For more information on Palm handhelds, visit http://www.palm.com.
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.BIO
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6fe59
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