The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming PC that crams the guts of a laptop computer into a compact design that’s meant to be held in your hands. But despite the tight fit, Valve promised earlier this year that the Steam Deck would be user-repairable. And now the company is delivering on that promise. Spare […]
ifixit
Lilbits: Apple’s Self Service Repair isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
Apple launched its Self Service Repair program in April in what appeared to be a major win for the right to repair movement. Folks who want to buy a replacement screen, battery, or other components without taking their phone to a repair shop can now do that. But actually fixing a phone by yourself? That’s […]
Google partners with iFixit to offer replacement parts for Pixel phones
Google has announced plans to make it easier to fix a broken Pixel phone. Starting later this year you’ll be able to buy spare parts and tools to fix Pixel 2 and later phones from iFixit. Google says things like replacement displays, batteries, and cameras will be sold as individual parts and as parts of kits […]
Samsung introduces a self-repair program for select phones and tablets
Repairing a cracked screen, broken charging port, or other components of a smartphone or tablet can be an expensive, time-consuming, and generally inconvenient proposition, especially if it means going without a phone while you wait for somebody else to perform the repairs. While some folks are comfortable performing their own repairs at home, finding genuine […]
Lilbits: Would you pay a subscription to always have the latest iPhone?
Over the past few years we’ve seen a growing number of companies move to subscription models for things you used to be able to pay just once for. Want to use Adobe Audition or Premiere? You need a subscription and if you stop paying, you lose access. QuickBooks recently went the same way. And Microsoft […]
Valve will offer Steam Deck replacement parts for DIY repairs
Last fall Valve released a short video showing how to disassemble the Steam Deck handheld gaming PC, but strongly advised folks not to actually do it since opening the case weakens its protection against drops and other damage. But if you’ve got a broken part, then opening the case to see if you can replace […]
Lilbits: Windows Terminal to become default command prompt for Win11 (plus jailbreaking the PS4, using older Chromebooks and more)
For the most part you can use Windows without ever typing into the command line. That’s one of the key things that set Windows apart from its predecessor, MS-DOS. But power users may still find themselves firing up command line utilities like the Windows Command Prompt, Microsoft PowerShell, or the Windows Subsystem for Linux from […]
Lilbits: Amazon the knockoff artist, Dell’s rugged laptops, new OnePlus and Black Shark phones
For years critics have claimed that Amazon rips off the companies that sell their products through its online store by using data to determine which items are likely to be popular and then creating and selling their own knockoffs, undercutting the competition on price and by promoting its own products. Now a report from Reuters […]
Samsung’s Galaxy Upcycling at home was supposed to be much, much better
Samsung’s Galaxy Upcycling at Home is a program designed to breathe new life into old smartphones by letting you repurpose the hardware for new uses. At least that’s the idea. But when the program rolled out in beta in April, only Android 9 phones released in 2018 are supported – you know, phones you might […]
Lilbits 392: Dell XPS 17, Google Pixel Buds 2, and a DIY handheld gaming PC
It’s no secret that Dell is planning to launch an XPS 17 laptop with a svelte design (as well as a Precision 5750 model aimed at professional). But it looks like someone at Dell France jumped the gun and set a website for the upcoming laptop live a little early. The page is gone now, […]