Just bought a new digitizer off ebay with tools included, hopefully when it comes in my surgery on my phone goes as well as the others posted. It costs me $54.95, but its being shipped from hong kong.
Thank you to all the previous posters for all the information. I'm not sure what I'm more pissed about. Dropping my Aria and having the screen crack or the ding it put in a vintage 57 Gibson guitar on the way down!!
Funny thing is I was in Best Buy yesterday looking for a gel case for it and of course because I didn't buy an i(diot)phone there's nothing available for the Aria. I ordered the new digitizer from Nationwide Cellular last night after reading the posts. I also order the little tool they recommended along with some adhesive just in case. I opted for the 4 day delivery for $20 and they automatically upgraded me to Fed Ex 2nd day for the same price. My screen will be here tomorrow morning!! I'll post some pics of the operation.
Thank you to all the previous posters for all the information. I'm not sure what I'm more pissed about. Dropping my Aria and having the screen crack or the ding it put in a vintage 57 Gibson guitar on the way down!!
Funny thing is I was in Best Buy yesterday looking for a gel case for it and of course because I didn't buy an i(diot)phone there's nothing available for the Aria. I ordered the new digitizer from Nationwide Cellular last night after reading the posts. I also order the little tool they recommended along with some adhesive just in case. I opted for the 4 day delivery for $20 and they automatically upgraded me to Fed Ex 2nd day for the same price. My screen will be here tomorrow morning!! I'll post some pics of the operation.
Dings, scuffs and scratches on vintage guitars are welcomed my friend! If you fine a cosmetically pristine vintage guitar, usually means someone was wrong with it...why else wouldn't it have normal wear and tear?
Being around Nashville musicians daily, these guys won't go near anything "vintage" if it doesn't look used and somewhat beat up
So thank your Aria for putting the ding in it as it just adds to the character of your vintage piece!
so i bought a htc aria with a cracked screen off craigslist and ordered my replacement digitizer. I got tired of waiting so i rooted it already but the cracked screen seems to want to cut me so i'm not using it anymore. But nice little purchase i thought.
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Blue Wedge is all that worked for me
The only tool that worked was the blue wedge as I think I stated. I had to use a very tiny flat head screw driver to open mine (basically use the flat head in one of the wings of the tri-wing screws on the back and use some pressure to unscrew it). The tools shipped are generic they are not intended to always work.
I had my Aria for about a week and a half and I dropped it from the seat of my car (Acura TL) to the concrete. It insta cracked and I was pretty pissed at myself 1. for dropping it and 2. for not buying the insurance I was asked about when I bought it. I haven't bought insurance for years because I'm pretty good with my phones and I had an iPhone for about 3 years and I don't think they offered it. I wasn't too upset when it first happened, I guess I was being a bit naive, but I was confident either ATT or HTC would replace it considering it was within 30 days. Of course neither cover physical damage but I guess I felt it shouldn't have broken from such a short distance. Maybe 2 feet max. I had done the exact same thing with my iPhone ( I have a problem with leaving my phone in between my legs when I drive then forget and get out) more times than I can count and the screen never broke. I also didn't have a case on any of my iPhones. I understand touch screens are made of glass and of course can break from any distance but I definitely feel the Aria is way more fragile than the iPhone. It almost makes me want to switch back if iOS didn't suck so bad. I think the design of the back is also not a coincidence. In my opinion the backing feels rubber and the appearance of the screws makes it "look" sturdier than it really is (false sense of security for the buyer). This is one of the reasons I didn't buy a case either.
Anyway I understand why they aren't gonna replace it for me I guess I feel like if it were me and I was a phone maker trying to compete with the likes of Apple I would replace a phone no questions asked within the warranty. But that's just me. I appreciate everyone posting their tutorials on replacing the screen yourself but considering I only paid $120 I'm prob not gonna pay $60 to fix it, guess I'm cheap.
The guy at Att I bought my phone from said if you have the unlimited data plan you get to upgrade yearly anyways so here's to having a cracked screen for a year!
Screen came from HK.
Installed it.
Feeling wonderfully competent with tiny teeny phone connectors. Decent feeling.
Notes on the above superb install instructions:
1) Things you'll need:
TRI 00x50 Screwdriver (call Electronic City, 818.842.5275, $4). The kit from HK comes with 3 interesting tools (1 of which you'll need, the plastic pry, as indicated above) but not the Y or Tri blade screwdriver. Search for the ProsKit Tri 00x50. A size 1 y-bit will not fit (commonly found in bit sets for security systems).
2) Patience.
3) Clean hands.
New screen is in.
I drop phones once in a while, hopefully the silly rubber thingy I put on the outside of my ARIA will give it some of the durability my old 3G iPhone has (dropped my iPhone countless times, nothing ever broke, never had a case).
Nonetheless, I'd stay away from this phone and maybe get the Samsung as my screen replacement adventure has been expensive and frustrating.
The feeling of installing the new screen is nice though.
i bet you wouldnt be such an ass if it was your phone that's broken.
Actually if I dropped my phone and broke my screen I'd have no one to blame but myself. So yeah, I'd be pissed at ME not the manufacturer of the phone.
People drop their phones, shit happens. However when you drop your phone and blame the manufacturer for it breaking well, you're just being an idiot.
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You may want to use some glue to hold the new screen on, hopefully this will not happen again. My phone still had enough of the sticky paste left to hold the new screen fine
what kinda glue would you use for this and/or where would you get it? I replaced my screen but the sticky stuff at the bottom of the phone was lost with the old screen and its not wanting to stay down. So any thoughts on where i could find that at?
For those of you who have fixed it, does the replacement part look and perform identically to the original? Reason I ask is because my last phone had a problem breaking LCDs and the quality of the replacement parts was highly variable. Since I don't think my shattered screen will hold together very long, I was considering getting the one from Repairs Universe given the reports of 2-day delivery.
I have the same problem (had phone 8 days, daughter drops it about 2 ft., digitizer shattered) and before I order a new part, I want to make sure it's going to be 100% functional as original. The responsive touch screen is one of the main things I like about this phone.
On a different note, indeed there are things they could have done in the design of this phone to make a impact break like this much less likely. I would have to say any hand-held device that will shatter with a 12-24" drop is indeed faulty by design. Drops of up to 4 ft should be considered as expected and normal occurrences for any handheld device. Somehow manufacturers of thousands of other handheld devices with glass screens have figured out how to prevent this type of damage during normal use, and have been doing so for a century or more. As customers we are right to expect HTC to do a better job. I am not going to comment on my experience with AT&T customer service on this because I don't use that type of language.
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Works Great
The screen works and looks just like the original. You can't even tell that the phone was opened.
To the person responding about glue type: I honestly do not have a clue where to get the paste or tape that was originally used. If the cover will not stay on the phone I would personally user Krazy Glue and hope that it never happens again unless somebody can provide where to get the tape(sticky paste).
Although the directions on here were great, i would suggest going on YouTube and follow the direction with video as it made it much easier. I just completed mine in about 35 minutes. I don't have the direct link but just put in HTC Aria take apart digitizer and it will come right up and it's by the guys from repairsuniverse.com.
You can actually find a direct link to our HTC Aria take apart video repair guide at the link below. Glad the ones that have seen it are finding it useful.
I HIGHLY recommend looking at repairsuniverse's screen replacement video and using their method rather than the OP's. The tricky part (for me, at least) was getting under the board to access the digitizer plug and RU's method removes a few more pieces to make the plug access much easier.
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Add one more to the list of cracked screens. Day 17 of owning phone. Fell 3 ft onto concrete out of my phone holster when I bumped into something. I have insurance with ATT. The claim is actually handled by a 3rd party vendor Asurion. $50 deductible. They send you a new phone you send yours back.
It starts by you calling the insurance claim number for Asurion. They ask a bunch of questions and take info. Then they direct you to a website to download an affidavit that must be notarized. You also need to send them a copy of your ID, first page of a bill and proof of phone ownership. Mail that in and they will review your case. Afterward they will allegedly call you and tell you if your claim is approved.
I'm going on a week's vacation starting tomorrow so I won't have the phone until I get back, hopefully.
The piece of clear packaging tape I placed over the broken glass seems to be keeping me from cutting my fingers and I can read most of the screen in the interim.
I HIGHLY recommend looking at repairsuniverse's screen replacement video and using their method rather than the OP's. The tricky part (for me, at least) was getting under the board to access the digitizer plug and RU's method removes a few more pieces to make the plug access much easier.
A little update on my situation. I contacted HTC and they directed me to a customer survey. At the end of the survey in the comments section I just bitched a lot about my situation. Basically said that I loved the phone and understood why physical damage is not covered under the warranty but considering it only dropped from about two feet felt it should have been replaced. And considering HTC is competing with Apple and I switched from an iphone they would do anything possible to keep me.
About a week later the day after I almost ordered the replacement screen for $60 to replace it myself I got a call from HTC. They offered to replace my phone for free, which is awesome, but I already switched back to my iPhone. So if anyone is interested in a new Aria I have one to sell! Or if you want the cracked one I'll sell that one too so I don't have to go through the hassle of getting it fixed...
I've had my Aria for about forty days - The first day I got it, the corner cracked from just me taking off the back cover. I thought, "Awesome! Whatever, this phone's glass is flimsy but it was my fault, I won't bitch." Three days later I stuff it in my pocket with a paper clip, scratches all over it. "Awesome! Whatever, my fault." I never put my phone in my pocket with other things again. Learned my lesson. Yesterday? I sit my phone down and the corner taps the table first, BAM! Cracked the opposite corner. I thought, "Motherducker. This phone is so fragile! I have to be careful." And right after I thought that, I go to set it down but knock my hand into a lamp and drop it from about six inches from the table, the corner hits, the entire screen shatters.
I know that dropping phones breaks them. But I had an iPhone for just about ever and it never cracked, never chipped, and hardly ever scratched. In my opinion, the Aria phone itself is great. But the glass screen blows. It's made out of thin, flimsy, soft, wannabe glass that should never be put on a phone. I called ATT and they did nothing for me. I wasn't offered insurance when I bought mine, so I tried to explain to them that they need to either stop selling them if they break so easily, or start reimbursing people for their money. They told me there is no insurance or warranty that covers "broken screens" in the first place and there's nothing they will do to fix it. WTF? That's the number one cause of broken phones and there's no coverage for it? The guy was a jerk. "Ma'am, I actually have the Aria and it's worked perfectly fine with no cracks or chips. I don't know what you're talking about." Yeah, you motherducker? In a month when it breaks, I hope you feel like a dick.
I've had my Aria for about forty days - The first day I got it, the corner cracked from just me taking off the back cover. I thought, "Awesome! Whatever, this phone's glass is flimsy but it was my fault, I won't bitch." Three days later I stuff it in my pocket with a paper clip, scratches all over it. "Awesome! Whatever, my fault." I never put my phone in my pocket with other things again. Learned my lesson. Yesterday? I sit my phone down and the corner taps the table first, BAM! Cracked the opposite corner. I thought, "Motherducker. This phone is so fragile! I have to be careful." And right after I thought that, I go to set it down but knock my hand into a lamp and drop it from about six inches from the table, the corner hits, the entire screen shatters.
I know that dropping phones breaks them. But I had an iPhone for just about ever and it never cracked, never chipped, and hardly ever scratched. In my opinion, the Aria phone itself is great. But the glass screen blows. It's made out of thin, flimsy, soft, wannabe glass that should never be put on a phone. I called ATT and they did nothing for me. I wasn't offered insurance when I bought mine, so I tried to explain to them that they need to either stop selling them if they break so easily, or start reimbursing people for their money. They told me there is no insurance or warranty that covers "broken screens" in the first place and there's nothing they will do to fix it. WTF? That's the number one cause of broken phones and there's no coverage for it? The guy was a jerk. "Ma'am, I actually have the Aria and it's worked perfectly fine with no cracks or chips. I don't know what you're talking about." Yeah, you motherducker? In a month when it breaks, I hope you feel like a dick.
It really sounds to me like you got a faulty phone. I've pulled the back off my phone countless times and have never had a crack or even once thought something bad might happen to the screen. I'd contact HTC directly and see what they can do for you.
Also... the term 'motherducker' is so awesome I think you should use it with HTC. That's a guaranteed phone replacement!
Last edited by Ambictus; August 31st, 2010 at 10:13 AM.
I bought a replacement screen for forty bucks online. It wasn't too hard to take apart and put back together with a YouTube video walking me through it. The screws inside are the tiniest screws in the entire world - so I grabbed my eyeglass screwdriver (it was still too big!) and went at it for twenty minutes until they finally unscrewed. The end result is an 8/10. There's a weird glow from the menu buttons that shines through the black paint and even shines up and around the screen which discolors your pictures at the bottom slightly. My glue almost came completely off inside, so my screen's pretty loose - but my case keeps it held together nicely. I also have some dust particles under my screen that I can't get rid of. Overall, I was very pleased with the replacement screen.
I bought a replacement screen for forty bucks online. It wasn't too hard to take apart and put back together with a YouTube video walking me through it. The screws inside are the tiniest screws in the entire world - so I grabbed my eyeglass screwdriver (it was still too big!) and went at it for twenty minutes until they finally unscrewed. The end result is an 8/10. There's a weird glow from the menu buttons that shines through the black paint and even shines up and around the screen which discolors your pictures at the bottom slightly. My glue almost came completely off inside, so my screen's pretty loose - but my case keeps it held together nicely. I also have some dust particles under my screen that I can't get rid of. Overall, I was very pleased with the replacement screen.
For the "glow" if you transfer the backing from the old screen to the new on this will resolve this. It's easy to do.
And for holding the screen in place we recommend using the adhesive strips we provide with the part, you will also find this keeps out dust from getting under the screen.
First thing to do is check the connections. Make sure the touch screen is connected correctly. If it is still not responding you nay have a bad screen.
All our screens are quality checked before dispatch to ensure this doesn't happen but this probably isn't the case with your eBay seller and it could be one of the cheaper imitations about.
Check over the connections and hopefully that will get you up and running and your phone working again.
there are two ribbon connections involved. One is very tiny (i think this is the screen ribbon cable) and the other I think is the digitizer ribbon. On the tiny one, is there any particular place the other side of the ribbon has to go, or interact with, other than its connector? I am confident that I managed to get both connectors back together because I "felt" them snap into place via the plastic pry bar.
Last edited by bitshift; September 13th, 2010 at 07:18 AM.
At $5 per month and a $50 deductible, the insurance would seem to be a bargain, but you are limited to 2 claims/year. My screen lasted about 2 weeks before a short drop to the garage floor did it in. This phone is really touchy. First broken screen for me ever. Good thing I had a screen protector on it so it did not end up falling apart. I will be able to use it while I get a replacement. I got this phone for its small size. Now I have to get a case and lose the size advantage. Sucks.
there are two ribbon connections involved. One is very tiny (i think this is the screen ribbon cable) and the other I think is the digitizer ribbon. On the tiny one, is there any particular place the other side of the ribbon has to go, or interact with, other than its connector? I am confident that I managed to get both connectors back together because I "felt" them snap into place via the plastic pry bar.
No, if the connector is fully "snapped" in place it sounds like it is connected correctly.
You may wish to contact your supplier as if it is installed correctly as it sounds you may have a bad screen.
I got my Aria around the end of August and I kept really good care of it until one day I pick it up and it flies out of my hands and cracked. I was about to cry. So the next day I called (which is my advice to anybody) AT&T and told them my phone was STOLEN. If you call AT&T and say you cracked your phone, the insurance won't cover it. If it's stolen, they do. Now here's what I did (because I can't go without a phone cause I drive everyday to school an hour away and my husband is a marine and I like being able to talk to him) so...
Option A: If you HAVE to have a phone and don't want to wait for another phone... When you say that somebody stole your phone, they will disconnect your number so that way the person who "stole" it won't be able to use it. BUT if you UPGRADED your phone and used your original SIM card (not the one that they give you in the box), call AT&T, say your phone was stolen, and instead of them canceling your number, tell them to put it on the backup SIM card that you have, and put it in one of your old phones (if you have any). Then tell them to send you a new phone, and you'll be transferred over to the insurance department and then request a new Aria and they'll send it to your house by the next business day (or two).
Option B: If you CAN go without a number for a few days, just call AT&T and tell them your phone was stolen and you want a new aria, and they'll disconnect your number until you get the phone in the mail (again in about a business day or two) and then you call and activate it to your number/service.
Seems like a lot of work, but one phone call and you don't have to pay for a whole new phone, you don't have to pay for a new screen, and you get the new Aria the very next day or two. It's worth it. Trust me.
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I replaced my digitizer last night and every thing seems to work fine, only when i make calls now I cant hear anything but people can hear me. Did i mess something up with the earphone speaker? is this possible to fix?
I replaced my digitizer last night and every thing seems to work fine, only when i make calls now I cant hear anything but people can hear me. Did i mess something up with the earphone speaker? is this possible to fix?
I'm going to guess you have the speaker covered somehow. Does speaker phone work ok?
Just got digitizer and tools from RU last night and after some stressful operation time everything works great except--
Quote:
Originally Posted by atak
I replaced my digitizer last night and every thing seems to work fine, only when i make calls now I cant hear anything but people can hear me. Did i mess something up with the earphone speaker? is this possible to fix?
having this problem to a lesser degree- if i have headphones plugged in or put the phone on speaker i can hear the other person, but when I'm using the phone regularly I can't hear anything.
Also, i did as follows--
Quote:
Originally Posted by repairsuniverse
For the "glow" if you transfer the backing from the old screen to the new on this will resolve this. It's easy to do.
and the glow is still there. wondering if i should just do trial and error with the backing to get it in the right place? would prefer not having to completely take apart and reassemble the phone over and over, obviously. I thought i put it in the same place as the original but I guess not... anyone have any tips on where to place this?
Well now the speaker phone is working but im still not able to hear anything without the speaker phone turned on were you able to fix this?
Sounds like you both have a connection issue with the earpiece speaker. Check over the connections for the speaker and this should resolve your problem.
I got my Aria replacement and immediately bought the cheap rubber case, wel not so cheap, that At&t sells plus I had left over screen protectors. This until seido puts out a nice innocase for this which I'm a fan of.
The rubber case, and any case for that matter, protects the edges of the glass all around. If I had this the first time my phone flew across the room, the screen wouldnt have cracked. I'm pretty sure of it. The way these cases come over the edge of the glass just a bit is enough.
I feel like such an idiot. Sweatshirt pocket, phone slipped out and hit the ground. It's not durable for sure, doesn't make it a bad phone. Just has thin glass. My touchscreen still works brilliantly. I just have it cracked and can't text around my mom or she'll see it and flip.. Once I get this thing repaired I'm going to be SO careful..tight pockets and bra only.
Also I think it would just be best to cough up the extra cash and have HTC do it...safer and they'll do it right. then we don't have to worry about mixing things up and tweaking something that shouldn't be tweaked..I mean...for the time we/you all are putting in to try and replace it yourself..wouldn't it just be better to put up and extra 20-40 bucks to get it done right?
I had the rubber case on mine and it didn't do much..I think it's just the impact that no matter what will hurt the thin glass.
Last edited by KayseeP; September 23rd, 2010 at 08:28 PM.
I've been following this thread and managed to install the replacement screen on my Aria. However, during the install, I must have touched the LCD, because while the glass is now replaced, the LCD is completely broken. This is just a warning to those who wish to follow the instructions for taking apart your phone. Be EXTREMELY careful when prying the glass from the LCD, as apparently barely any pressure on the LCD will break it.
At this point, I'm not sure as to whether I should order an LCD and try and replace that as well, or just bite the bullet and ask HTC for an OOW repair...
I guess I'm lucky, but when I dropped by Aria from about 3 feet off the ground, the glass didn't break. Actually, it kind of flew out of my hands as I was taking it out of my pocket. It ended up face down on the concrete and I was afraid that the glass would crack. Amazingly, the screen didn't even have a scratch when I turned it over. So I guess it just depends, maybe some of the phones use better glass than others? When I dropped it, I didn't have a case, so I bought a case just in case I dropped it again. Incidentally, my sister dropped her Aria, and the screen cracked, but she is going to fix it herself. I think HTC should go for stronger glass, still, even if it means the phone will be heavier and cost more. I'm not sure if iPhone/iTouch screens are more durable, because I have never dropped my iTouch, but it's a fact that people have cracked iPhone screens by dropping it, too, so we all just have to be more careful. I hope in the future there is some way to make a glass/plastic hybrid that has the same feel of glass with the durability of plastic for the same price as these ultra-thin glass.
Last edited by tiga2001; September 24th, 2010 at 03:57 PM.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thefoodman52
Not to be a party pooper here... you did a great job with all the instructions!! However... it looks like the screen's on backwards...
lol no, the screen is correct. The camera on my computer inverts the image.
It would have been an interesting thing to try to explain that if I had put it on backwards.
The HTC Aria arrived as AT&T's second Android handset, though many more have come in its wake. The mid-range device packs the full Android experience into a small package with a style that only HTC could achieve. The Aria's 3.2-inch tou... Read More
Blue Wedge is all that worked for me
My situation and a little venting
Update
Take that, HTC!
