At least, not any more.

I’ve finally replaced my severely broken iPhone with a refurbished unit through my phone plan. I’m in the US, and have ATT. Yes, I know; I’m sorry as well. I literally had to wait for my contract to be up, so I could “upgrade” my phone with the exact same phone. There is no insurance, and there’s no allowance for simply replacing a broken unit without renewing your contract for another two years (at least, if you want a discount).

So, I finally can see the entire screen again, after three or four months of dealing with the phone that you are looking at below…

The phone met with an accident. It hit the pavement face-first from about five feet in the air. I was walking through a door while trying to access the phone, and something went terribly wrong. Dealing with it while I was waiting was a major pain: Amazingly, the phone worked and I could use it, but if you really want to have some fun, try using something like this with the Google Map application. Here’s what would happen if I tried to read a book (my photo is out of focus, but you get the idea):

So, needless to say – I’ve been a much happier fellow, this week. I’ve often sat down, turned on the new iphone, and simply gazed at it’s un-shattered glory. And yes, I’m one of those genetic weirdos that has no trouble reading a book on my iPhone.

I have learned a few things with this experience, and I’ll impart them, since I’m typing away:

• Get yourself a practically bullet-proof case for your iPhone, or any of the cool front-faced smart phones. It’s worth the extra bulk and the cost, if it spares you from having to deal with the cell-phone from hell. I have met more than one person who is suffering from the same predicament.
• If you DO manage to crack the glass – IMMEDIATELY run out and buy a screen protector for your phone model, and carefully put it on the screen. It will help keep it together until you can fix it or replace it. Also, a cracked glass screen is cracked GLASS, and can cut your fingers just like any broken glass. The screen will act as a safety barrier.
• Say what you want about Apple, Steve Jobs and the Mac Fanboys like myself, but the stinking thing kept working. I had NO dead zones on the touch screen, and could still play a game. I got a headache, but I could play. If that’s not a testament to the quality of an Apple product, I don’t know what is. I cracked the screen of a Palm PDA once – It was a paperweight in six point five seconds.

Lastly, the cracked iPhone is still in use! It’s sitting on my night stand and acting as my alarm clock. I’ve now learned about battery consumption on these things. With the phone in airplane mode and the Wifi off, it’s been going for almost two weeks now with no need of a charge. All that communication that we need in this modern society of ours really takes a toll on batteries.

I think I might jailbreak the thing just for fun. After all, I’m still completely legit with my new phone, so I don’t think I’ll be hurting the big “A.” Besides, I can’t help myself: I love to tinker…