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3 On Your Side: A Fix For Cracked Smartphone Screens

By Jim Donovan

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Chances are you or someone you know has had a cracked smartphone screen.

Replacing the entire phone can be very expensive, but that's not the only solution.

They slip from our fingers, get knocked off tables. In an instant, you could end up with a cracked screen.

Allysa Black's phone broke at an office party.

"My boss actually knocked it out of my hand, so he shattered it," said Black.

Keri Thomas cracked hers after dropping it, and it's still under contract.

"I'm kind of in prison with it," said Thomas.

But you don't have get stuck with a cracked screen; there are companies that can fix them.

First up, CPR Cell Phone Repair in Horsham. It's one of 175 franchise locations throughout the country. Owner Ken Shaw says while they do repair many iPhones, they also service other brands.

"We also repair Samsungs and HTCs, Motorolas, almost any manufacturer of cell phone," said Shaw.

CPR Cell Phone Repair's price for replacing the screen on our iPhone 4 would be $80 dollars and it would be ready in about an hour.

At the Apple store in Cherry Hill, they told us they couldn't fix a broken iPhone 4 screen.

Apple tells us in-store screen repairs are only available for the 5, 5c and, if parts are available, 3 and 3g models.

When it comes to the 4, they told us they could replace the entire phone for $149.

Finally, we checked iCracked.com. They bring the repairing to you. Just go online to find a tech near you. Once you connect, you schedule a meeting place of your choice.

We arranged to meet iCracked tech Tyler Wolfe at a Starbucks. He fixed the phone on location. It was good as new in less than 30 minutes, and it cost $85 dollars.

Tyler says customers love the convenience.

"It takes out a lot of the hassle with finding someone that's going to do it," said Wolfe.

And while he'd love your business, he says one of the simplest things you can do to avoid a screen repair is keep your phone in a case.

LINKS:

www.cellphonerepair.com/horsham-pa

www.icracked.com

www.jcdrepair.com

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