dismantling

Kindle DX reveals its inner self

RapidRepair is at it again. Last week it took apart the Palm Pre, and now it's dismantled the Kindle DX.

No word on how much it costs Amazon to build the DX (read full review here), but I'm sure we'll have that soon enough (anybody want to guess?). For those interested, here's a list of chips on the circuit board:

MCIMX31LDVKN5D, M91E, CTAK0915B Samsung 916, K4X1G323PC-8GC3, EMA188A5 Samsung 907, KMBLG0000M-B998 MC13783VK5, AM86D, CTRE083B Samsung 840, K4M28323PH-HG75, AAH055BE Epson D135211B1, F09090125. E-INK I also like what the folks at RapidRepair say at the end of the operation:

"Simply follow these steps in reverse to put your Amazon Kindle DX back together! The Kindle DX has many replaceable parts inside. In many ways this product is user serviceable."

Good to know.

Check out another picture after the break.… Read more

After dismantling, Palm Pre is estimated to cost $170

For those of you who enjoy seeing the latest and greatest gear in pieces, RapidRepair has already torn apart the Palm Pre just hours after the first units became available.

Once the thing was completely ripped apart, the folks at RapidRepair tallied up the price for each component and determined that it costs Palm around $170 to build the Pre. How accurate that number truly is, we can't tell you. But what we do know is that the Pre will cost you $199 (with a $100 mail-in rebate and two-year service agreement).

Anybody think these teardowns are silly? Or … Read more

iPhone 3G innards revealed; battery not soldered in

It was bound to happen; the folks over at iFixit have gone ahead and taken apart the iPhone 3G that they waited so long in line for in the cold wintry air of New Zealand.

They took apart the iPhone 3G piece by piece, layer by layer, right down to the logic board, and you can take a look at all the gory details over on their site. One of the more interesting things they discovered is that unlike that of the original iPhone, the battery in the iPhone 3G is not soldered on to the logic board, which means … Read more

Gallery: Cracking open a flip phone

Certain members of TechRepublic's staff boast that particular breed of inquisitiveness that makes them want to pry stuff open and check out its insides. We're talking about electronics, of course, not kittens. It's pretty innocuous, really, except that it totally voids your warranty. Legally, we here at Crave cannot condone the dismantling of electronics, nor of kittens, for that matter.

Anyway, TR has been nice enough to let sister site News.com republish part of their "Cracking Open" series, where they dive into all manner of contemporary and vintage electronics. This time it's an … Read more