Tech Talk is a series highlighting a member of the Gophermods Family. We presented each of our technicians, managers and employees with a series of questions. These are their answers. Today our guest is Allen Hansen: globetrotter and technician extraordinaire.
Allen Hansen is a Technician at Gophermods and is one of the multiple UM students Gophermods is proud to employ.
1. Where are you from?
I currently live in Minneapolis; however, I was born and raised in central Michigan.
2. What do you do at Gophermods?
I am a technician at Gophermods. Working at both the IDS and St. Anthony locations, I work firsthand with customers devices in order to resolve software and hardware issues they are experiencing. I specialize in diagnosing and repairing Android/Apple mobile devices, but have experience with tablets and laptops as well. In todays age, our devices connect us to the world and that requires the mentality that we are “working” for each and every customer that enters the store in order to reconnect them with society.
3. What is your favorite phone to repair and why?
The iPhone 6 is my favorite device to repair. The device was designed in such a way that its disassembly is smooth. Almost every part is replaceable within the device, meaning that a majority of the components are not micro-soldered onto the motherboard itself.
4. What is the biggest repair challenge you’ve faced?
The biggest repair challenge I have had was when I encountered an iPhone 6. The device originally came in for screen, back camera, and back camera glass replacement. With that being said, the device was in pretty rough shape upon arrival. Prior to the repair, all functions of the device worked great besides the back camera. This even included the screen, though badly cracked. After reassembly the device would not boot properly. Unfortunately the original damage to the device was severe enough that the release of pressure on the components during the repair was its last straw. In the end, we replaced the customers device. Now a days, backing up a device, using cloud storage, has become quite simple. Thankfully the customer took advantage of this feature. If you currently aren’t taking advantage of backups on your daily driver, we recommend it. Some helpful links on backing your device up can be found below:
5. What motivated you to be a part of Gophermods?
Currently studying Computer Science at the University of Minnesota, I had always had an interest in hardware. In the past, I would work on my original Apple 30GB iPod Video. To this day the device is still in working order.
6. What is your favorite piece of technology that you own?
If I were to choose my favorite piece of hardware, I would have to hand it to my Huawei (华为) smart watch. This device works with my phone to give me instant updates throughout my day. One of the features I use most would be reminders through Google. To set a reminder, I simply raise my wrist, say “OK Google” and then what I want to be reminded about when and where. This, along with all of its other functions, aid in increasing my productivity on a day-to-day basis.
7. What is your current phone?
I currently own the Huawei (华为) Nexus 6P (128GB).
8. What do you like about your phone?
When, most, individuals think about a Chinese made product, the word cheap might come to mind. Huawei (华为) is the first Chinese company to partner with Google, and the last, to develop a phone for the Nexus line. I think the device itself has set the standards for the benchmarks of a device both nationally and internationally. One benefit of the device is having the stock Android experience. If you don’t know, stock android is the Android operating system (OS) without any mask or bloatware. I receive instant updates from Google, unlike some devices that have to wait for the manufacturer to reproduce the OS. This includes taking advantage of the machine learning and AI on a day-to-day basis that Google pours into their devices as well.
9. After repairing a wide variety of phones, is there one you would consider switching from your current one for?
I don’t think I would switch my device based on the repairs I have done thus far. This could change drastically if someone were to walk in with a broken Google Pixel device in the near future though.
10. What is the most bizarre or unusual repair you have ever encountered?
I was once working on a water damaged iPhone 6S, meanness to say the device had seen better days. The internals of the device were covered in corrosion to the point that I didn’t have high hopes. After the liquid damage repair process, I was able to recover the device in full with the help of one replacement front camera.