Picture this, you're lying in bed as you wake up to the smell of something burning. Curious as to what it is you look over and see your nightstand on fire as your brand new Galaxy Note 7 is engulfed in flames. This was a real life nightmare for Samsung and many of their consumers. As many of you know, Samsung recently had to recall their Galaxy Note 7 due to a neat new feature they added to the phone. What could possibly be better than an exploding phone!? Hundreds of cases of the Note 7 overheating and some catching on fire or even exploding have been reported which led to a huge recall and devastating loss for Samsung. This was a dilemma across the globe. The FCC and airlines banned the Note 7 from all flights, including carry on and even checked luggage. At first the issue was unknown, but after Samsung looked into what could have caused the issue they came to a realization. As many of you could guess, it was the poorly made battery. After Samsung had recalled about 1 million out of the 2.5 million that were already manufactured, they began to make changes to the battery to resolve the issue and get the phones back on the market. As you can imagine, it was a mess for Samsung and their users throughout the globe. Samsung stopped all sales and shipments of the Note 7, and worked with government agencies and other corporations to provide refunds and exchanges for the device. Trying to resolve the issue the best they could, they started to send replacement phones to customers. Soon enough, there were even more cases of the phones exploding and catching fire.

So what caused the battery explosion?

The exploding battery was caused by a few contributing factors but the main issue was a short in the battery. Small devices like the Note 7 and many other if not all phones are powered by lithium ion batteries which consist of highly reactive and flammable elements such as lithium and carbon. These elements are able to store energy in the form of positive and negative electrodes which are separated only by an extremely thin piece of micro-perforated plastic. In the first batch of defective batteries, the positive and negative layers were squished at the top right of the battery, and part of the negative layer was pushed into the positive layer which caused a short and resulted in a phone on fire. After a few reported cases of this, Samsung recalled all the phones and soon issued replacement phones and shortly after even those phones began to explode. Due to constant competition between the companies that manufacture cell phone batteries, these batteries are packed as tightly as possible. The more layers packed into the battery, the more powerful it will be. Different from the last defect, these batteries were said to be packed too tight and the layers separating the positive and negative poles were punctured. The defect in the second batch of batteries was once again, poor manufacturing of the batteries. The manufacturer did a poor job welding the positive layer with the rest of the battery, and left a small piece of material loose inside the battery. With the battery being pressed so tightly together, it was basically a ticking time bomb. With some of them worse than others, it was only a matter of time before the poor construction gave and the extremely flammable chemicals inside caught fire. There is also a process called “plating” in which the lithium ions inside the batteries start to coat the surface of the negative contact. In some extreme cases such as in some the Note 7 explosions (second defect), the lithium metal that coats the contacts forms tiny spikes (called “dendrites”) that can puncture the separator creating a short circuit. In some of the batteries, the insulation tape that insulates the two layers (positive and negative) was completely missing which leads to a defective battery.

The second production of defective batteries is what really hit the nail on the head for Samsung. How will customers react when the Note 8 arrives? Fearful of another explosive phone? Hopefully not, Samsung has big plans to perfect their devices from now on. They will do so by implementing a new battery testing protocol that should make phones safer and prevent any unseen issues along with upgrading their staff and be more cautious of design flaws. Profits suffered for Samsung, it is said the recall ran the company about $5 billion in all. Samsung hopes the Note 8 will help buyers forget about the Note 7 woes.

Links:
https://www.cnet.com/news/why-is-samsung-galaxy-note-7-exploding-overheating/
https://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-galaxy-note-7-return-exchange-faq/

WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE…
It’s 7:53pm on a Sunday, a few weeks before Christmas. You are late, as usual. Frantically, you attempt to maneuver the holiday traffic. You’re failing miserably.

Circling for the ninth time, it appears, you spot the only parking space on earth! Oh the Joy! Catapulting out of the car, you forget your precious IPhone 6 was in your lap. It’s a moment stuck in time. Horrified, you watch your phone spiral to the concrete in slow motion. You fumble with keys and holiday list, in a feeble effort to save the device, reminding you of why you gave up baseball after Little League.

Smack! Your phone slams to the ground as you shriek in terror. Immediate thoughts: ‘Please, not again!’, quickly followed by, ‘Really? I do NOT have time for this!’. You pick up the phone, turning it over as you cringe because you already know: Shattered screen! Happy Holidays to you.

Somehow your quick twenty-minute trip to grab $30 worth of Secret Santa gifts just turned into the prospect of buying a new $500 iPhone. Defeat overcomes you….but then, “DING”. The shattered phone sounds somewhat alive under all that broken glass. Could it be?
You beg Siri: “Hey Siri, find a phone repair store in Philadelphia”.
Siri chimes in, “Phone Repair Philly is open until 8pm”.
You yell at Siri now: YES CALL PHONE REPAIR PHILLY!!!

The angel that answers tells you he CAN and WILL fix it in about 15 minutes, he’s willing to work late and it’s not even going to cost 100-bucks. Holiday MIRACLE much??!

THE SMARTPHONE SHAKES
A study by NY Daily News shows that 84% of smartphone users worldwide reported they would not be able to go an entire day without their device. Stunning, but accurate.

Over a year ago, young entrepreneur Mac Frederick left web giant Google, to create Phone Repair Philly as a way to cater to a few hiccups in the local market, along with Momentum Digital, an agency that helps market repair shops (fittingly). A smartphone owner has limited options when breaking a device, especially when pressed on time, but Mac believes people choose this repair service because of its flexibility, low prices, convenient hours, great reviews, and various repair options.
Due to the limited time and options when it comes to fixing a device during the holiday season, we had Mac suggest a few things to consider when deciding what to do or where to go.
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1. Apple Store - Make sure they can repair the device and book a few days in advance. This is not a fast turnaround and sometimes they will convince you to simply buy a new device.
2. Carrier Stores - Most don’t fix the devices and will either pitch you on buying a new one or getting insurance and accessories. Insurance is not a fast turnaround, either, so avoid this at all costs unless you tend to get water damage or lose your phones often.
3. Repair Shops - These can go really good or really bad. Read up on reviews and make sure the place is licensed, trained and certified. Do some extra research on the cost and process so you’re well prepared and can’t get duped. Also, call ahead and get a price and turnaround time. Some places require an appointment or might not even have the parts. Lastly, ask about the quality of parts and warranty offered.

FASTEST FIX
Breaking a device is never fun, but it’s not the end of the world, even though for many of us it’s the center of our universe. So this holiday season, not only should you equip your device with the proper phone accessories, but also make sure you’re aware of your options in case the unimaginable happens.

Phone Repair Philly now has two locations: the Spring Garden repair shop and the Center City repair office. The downtown location recently opened inside of the new We Work co-working space in Center City, so it’s conveniently located near Apple, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The shops are open from 10am-8pm every day (even on Sunday).
The best thing to do would be to call ahead and get an accurate quote. They even travel to you within city limits for a $20 travel fee if you schedule in advance. If you’re an iPhone user, make sure to take advantage of their December special for $20 Off iPhone Screen repairs.

For those already in need of a repair you can contact Phone Repair Philly via their website or contact information below.
www.phonerepairphilly.com
fix@phonerepairphilly.com
(267) 603-2403

A quick introduction to Phone Repair Philly and our owner Mac Frederick as we move into our 2nd location in Philadelphia, PA.

Have a broken device? Well, 90% of Americans do at some point in their lives. Here are Phone Repair Philly we make it our goal to fix any device you have or potentially buy it from you so you can go about your daily lives.

So we just launched our 2nd store within the WeWork co-working space in Center City Philadelphia at 1430 Walnut Street #200. You can schedule an appointment or come up to the second floor. We are located above the massive Verizon store on 15th and Walnut (see image below). Call, text or email us for pricing and specials. If you need a repair and CHECK IN on Facebook then you can SAVE $10.
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Phone: (267) 603-7073
Email: fix@phonerepairphilly.com
Website: Phone Repair Philly


​Locations: 935 Spring Garden St.
1430 Walnut Street #200
 
Please contact us with any questions or concerns about your device and how we can help. It's our #1 Goal to help provide a good customer experience!

- Mac Frederick (Owner / Entrepreneur)

             

Starting a business isn't easy; neither is repairing an iPhone. Phone repairs can be difficult, even more so than imagined. Have you ever started a business or fixed a phone? Well if you have then you can understand the risk involved. There is no perfect way to go about it and it sure as hell won't feel safe. However, by doing research and preparing for the event and the difficulties you will face, it allows you to be more confident to be able to take on the opportunity. That's also how you need to look at the event, as an opportunity. This is a chance to learn and grow as a person. You will learn about the job or service you are about to undertake or provide, as well as learn more about yourself. Learning that you can take on new challenges by trying something new is very empowering. This can help you grow as an individual so that you become open to even more ideas and opportunities. Not only will this lead to new endeavors and financial gains, it will help you enrich your own life and personal sense of accomplishment.

When I first got started back in 2012 doing repairs for iCracked, I was scared silly. I had no idea how to repair a device or get into fixing any electronics. My first iphone repair was a nightmare. This was completely foreign to me. I had no idea what I was doing and my friend was trying to help me, but was also not very effective. What really helped me was just doing it. As Nike says, 'Just Do It'. I went for it and I messed up. I broke the digitizer on my iPhone 4 while trying to replace the cracked screen on my white Verizon CDMA iPhone. This sucked. I failed and it hurt. However, I took this as a challenge by taking on the repair again with another phone. This time it was a little easier and smooth, and most importantly, the phone worked after the repair! Yes! Things are possible by taking an interest and investment in yourself and learning on your own. So, this is not my recommendation to repair your own iPhone screen, but maybe this will at least inspire you to try something new. Something foreign and difficult. Go for it already!

- Mac Frederick - Owner & Founder of Phone Repair Philly & Momentum Digital