We’ve been taking your feedback to heart and making major changes to give you, our cherished customer, exactly what you want.  You said you love our prices but hate paying for shipping to get your beloved gadgets returned home after our TLC process has restored them to their former glory.

 

In fact, shipping fees scored more hater points than wearing corduroy pants and Velcro socks together (actual survey question).  So we listened and it’s official…we’re now offering FREE return shipping on all repair services.  We even managed to lower prices on tons of services at the same time!  We’ve been hard at work to deliver exactly what you want.  Stay posted…we’re going to be rolling out some revolutionary changes to improve your entire cell phone repair experience!

November 2010 – AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile announce ISIS.

January 2011 – Apple reportedly introducing NFC to the iPhone and iPad.

April 2011 – Apple stores begin selling Square mobile credit card readers.

April 2011 – Visa invests in Square.

May 2011 – Google launches Google Wallet.

June 2011 – Paypal predicts the death of the actual wallet by 2015.

Sides are being drawn.

The bigwigs of the payment industry and the tech industry are gearing up to launch into the mobile payment system field, and all signs point to the possibility of a future without the need for credit cards or cash.

So what are the options, and who is going to come out on top? I’ll try to make some sense of it all for you.

Google Wallet

Google seems to be jumping out of the gate early with Google Wallet, their partnership with Mastercard and the credit giant’s PayPass technology. Additionally they’re working with point of sale companies and retail brands on what they’re calling the SingleTap shopping experience, where with a “single tap” of your Google Wallet you can pay with a credit or gift card, redeem promotions, and earn loyalty points. They have a long list of partners, including big names in retail like Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Foot Locker; and dining like Noah’s Bagels, Subway, and Jamba Juice.

The glaring downside for Google is the limited scope of their product so far. Mastercard is a huge partner for sure, but actually, only people with Citibank Mastercards will be able to use Google Wallet. Additionally, it is only available on the “Gingerbread” smartphone, which is only available from Sprint, the nation’s third largest carrier. So, in order to use Google Wallet you have to own one particular phone, available on only one network (which is the smallest of the big three), and you have to have a Mastercard issued by Citibank. While it’ll undoubtedly grow over time, early adopters are going to be the ones who drive this technology, and a smart company will have as many doors open to their new services as possible. The limited access Google is offering could be a huge liability.

ISIS

Another potential game changer is ISIS – the joint venture (AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon) mobile commerce network. Three huge carriers with multiple phone options could have been a real threat to Google Wallet. However, they’ve recently scaled back from their initial goal of creating an original NFC payment system, to serving as a “mobile wallet” for existing credit card companies. The potential positive with that decision is that the option for consumers to use their phone to make purchases while still using their existing credit accounts could be the bridge needed to warm the market to the idea of making mobile payments at all, especially among consumers who have security concerns.

PayPal

PayPal has a huge footprint in this market and a ton of skin in the game. They’ve already provided payment services for over ten years, have over 100 million active accounts, and are expected to facilitate more than $3 billion in mobile transactions this year alone. They are ambitious, boldly predicting that people will be able to live solely off of mobile payments in just three years time. Paypal MUST be doing something right, as Google is snatching up their former executives to work on Wallet.

Oh, and of course VISA and American Express are each developing their own mobile payment systems, but not being tech companies, I don’t think we should expect much from them. They’ll be looking to recarve their niche in other ways.

Demand?

I also have to mention that I don’t think there’s a ton of demand for this technology, at least not right now. How often have you heard someone (an average consumer – NOT a technophile) express interest in this kind of service? Probably not much, if at all. As I mentioned above, security is a big concern among tech-wary consumers as well.

Really though, only time will tell. After all, millions of people didn’t know they wanted an iPhone until it was released either. If you’re a retailer, just make sure you seek input from your customers before making a big investment on any new technologies in your stores.

No matter what happens, you win!

When it comes down to it, all of this jockeying for position and maneuvering to gain a foothold in this new market will only create more competition, better options, and enhanced technology. We could see Big Credit shaken to its core by a brand new payment system standard. We could see lower rates and fees across the board for both retailers and shoppers as traditional credit card companies are forced to actually compete for once in a wide open market against dynamic tech companies and their fresh ideas. It’ll be fun to watch it all play out, and ultimately, when all the dust from The Great Payment System Platform War of the 21st Century finally settles, the real winners will be you and I.

Chime in and tell us what you think!

 

You guessed it…more awesome repair services announced today!  This time we’re putting the spotlight on our HTC Droid Incredible 2 Repairs!  Of course we have Incredible 2 Glass Touchscreen repairs and Incredible 2 LCD Repairs as  usual.  We also offer our HTC Incredible 2 Charging Port Repairs for when your charging port no longer works.  I’m sure this is old news to you guys that are familiar with our services.

 

Did you know that we service more HTC Droid Incredible repairs than any other retail business in North America?  It’s unbelievable and oh yes…Incredible!  Talk soon.

Another quick note to tell everyone if you have any issues with your HTC Freestyle – IUG is the place to be!  We fix the gambit of HTC Freestyle repairs…from Freestyle Broken Screens and Broken Glass to Freestyle Charging Ports or Liquid Damage.  We’ve got your repairs on lock!

 

As always…backed by our “Iron Clad” 90 Day warranty on all parts and labor.  Check out Inspect-UR Gadget for your next HTC Freestyle Repair need!

 

 

 

 

I know, I know…cheesy headline, but this is a serious statement!  We now have HTC Thunderbolt Glass Touch Screen Repairs, Thunderbolt LCD Repairs, Thunderbolt charging port repairs, Thunderbolt Liquid Damage repairs and more.  You should know what comes next…as always, backed by our “Iron Clad” 90 day warranty, unbeatable service and fantastic prices.  Typically the most common issue that we see is broken thunderbolt glass and cracked thunderbolt digitizers, but of course we always fix what the others won’t and what they can’t!

 

Shop online or give us a call at 877-6-Go Gadget (877-646-4234) today!

Just a quick note…starting next week any customer who checks in on Facebook at one of our locations will receive an instant $5 savings on ANY repair service!  This is valid for a limited time so spread the word!!

Hope everyone is off to a safe and festive 4^th of July (extended) weekend!  Before we close up shop and get some much needed R&R we wanted to take a quick minute to announce our newest repair service for the HTC Inspire.  As usual we offer a full array of repairs for the HTC Inspire including HTC Inspire Glass Digitizer Touchscreen Repair , HTC Inspire LCD Screen Display Repair and of course Liquid Damage repairs and Charging port repairs. 

 

Don’t forget, if you don’t see your Inspire repair listed, we can still get it taken care of for ya!  Our specialty is difficult to repair items that our competitors just can’t do.  And of course you can rest easy knowing that all of our Inspire Repairs are backed by our “Iron Clad” 90 day warranty on all parts and labor as usual.

 

Happy Fourth of July from the Inspect-UR Gadget family to yours!

I’m sure everyone is aware that we’ve been on Facebook for a while now…but now we’ve added several of our top selling repairs for you to shop right on Facebook!  We’ve got our Xbox Red Rings of Death Repair, Sony PS3 Yellow Light of Death Repair, iPad Repairs, iPod Touch Repairs, and much more right on our Facebook Fan Page for you to get the repair you need as quickly as possible.

For a limited time only we are offering 10% off any repair from our Facebook Fan Page.  Just use code: UR2COOL to get it!

 

Just click on the “Social Store” link on the left hand column on our Fan Page to start the process.  Keep it social and tell us what you think!

We’ve been feeling so bad for leaving our friends outside of the US with very little options for their cell phone repair and Tablet PC Repair needs, it’s been causing some of our staff sleepless nights!

 

Finally, we’ve got it worked out for you and now offer our fantastic parts and repair services to our friends all over the globe.  No matter where you are, whether in the Ukraine or Australia,  Japan or Iceland, and everywhere in-between, Inspect-UR Gadget has got you covered.

Remember us for all of your Tablet PC Repairs such as the iPad 2, Blackberry Playbook or Samsung Galaxy Tab….not to mention our HUGE list of Cell Phone Repairs and other cool gadgets too!

 

Remember – You can save 10% off of any repair service for a limited time only!  Just use code:  JACKIECHAN