Insane iPhone Tricks

Never really got into the iPhone craze (though I did buy one...), but this guy definately knows how to show off his new gadget.

Dude fixes his iPhone’s broken glass screen by himself - the ghetto broken display fix method

While this isn’t the first shattered glass display that we’ve seen from the iPhone world, it certainly has the funniest outcome. Too bad this guy didn’t get a free replacement from Apple.
Our friend wasn’t having any of Apple’s $300-to-replace-your glass-overlay nonsense. Like a true DIY soldier, he replaced his broken iPhone’s glass screen (with some clear plastic) all by himself. Armed with a razor blade, some 1/32 inch clear plastic, a dremel rotary tool, scissors, permanent marker, and a healthy dose of “anger, spite, and an imagination,” Epic managed to replace the broken glass overlay with a custom-cut clear plastic piece.





Sure it’s ghetto. Sure it looks funny. But it’s a worthwhile interim solution until iPhone parts start to come down in price.

Quick tip: we keep our iPhone’s glass screen facing inward, towards our thigh, when we keep it in our pocket - a dented casing is much easier to deal with than a broken glass display. We’re sure Epic would have done well to follow that advice.

DIY iPhone Turned Alarm Clock Stand

Clever do-it-yourselfer, iPhone owner flipped over the black plastic packaging his phone shipped in, and cut out a section with a sharp craft knife to turn it into a stand. Then he installed the iPhone Alarm Clock application, and uses the phone in stand on his night table. He writes:

"I'd been after a nice looking digital clock for the bedroom for ages, so I was pleased with the 'Digital Clock' app from the iPhone App Store. It's quite customizable (colour, brightness and digit style) and auto-rotates. Only problem is you have to leave it on all night—which used to drain the battery almost flat, until I discovered Airplane Mode!"

Of course, Airplane Mode turns off the Wi-Fi and data connection to your phone while you sleep—which will protect you from interruptions and help you sleep better.

Nice work

DIY: Turn an Old Phone into an iPhone Docking Station

We have seen some interesting do-it-yourself (DIY) projects for the iphone, the most recent one was the iPhone Scanner which quite a few readers thought was an excellent idea.

But you got to love this DIY project by fonejackerhacker which turns an old phone into an iPhone docking station, just for the retro look and the effort that seems to have gone into making it.

onejackerhacker from UK explains his DIY project:

Rotary Dial 1940's Phone fitted with an iPhone speaker dock. One speaker behind the dial (10w) on the front of the phone and two speakers in the handset (2x 3w). The IR sensor and controls are fitted to the side of the phone and docking port is hidden under the receiver when the hand set is off. I would like to get this working so when the handset is removed the power turns on and turns off when returned. The 3.5mm external port still works and the power cable removes.

As the donor speaker was an official 'works with iPhone' product all of the normal charging and iPhone features are uncompromised.

He goes on to tell us about his future plans with this project:

I am working on a version that has a microphone on the handset and with the use of an iPhone .app that I am developing you will be able to use this as a handset for the iPhone, or as a headset.

It apparently took him 7 hours to make the iPhone docking station and plans to publish a "How To Doc" sometime in the future.

You can see some of the photos which gives some clues on how the doc was assembled.

You can also checkout the video of how it all works below:

Okay, I must admit it is not something I will spend my time on, but as I mentioned earlier, liked the retro look and the effort that seems to have gone into making it.

How about you?

The iPhone as a document scanner? No way!

It’s nigh impossible to hold an iPhone still enough and at just the right distance from a document to take a clear picture of said document for digital safe-keeping. That is, unless you’re rocking this DIY (do-it-yourself) homemade iPhone document scanner. Digital warrior and University of Cincinnati’s school of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) industrial design student, Kyle A. Koch, crafted the home-brewed iPhone document scanner that you see above out of corrugated cardboard.


Says Kyle: When I got my iPhone last year I loved having everything important in one place, and the ability to get rid of unnecessary devices, documents and information I kept with me. I would frequently snap photos of class assignments printed on copy paper so I wouldn’t have to worry about losing them. The documents normally came out pretty clear, but it was tough to keep still while taking the pictures. I set out to make something that would ensure clean, consistent pictures of documents taken with the iPhone that would be free and easy to make on your own. And so, here you will find pictures of and a template to make your own iPhone document scanner.

The cardboard rig isn’t a document scanner, per se. It’s more like a copy-stand for your iPhone. Regardless, with an iPhone resting perfectly still on top of his iPhone document scanner/copystand, Kyle can now go about his document scanning ways with ease.