Tech Talk is a series highlighting a member of the Gophermods Family. We presented each of our technicians, managers and employees with 10 questions. These are their answers. Today our guest is Casey O’Connor: Regional Manager for Gophermods Apple Valley, Eagan and Plymouth.
1.Where are you from?
I grew up in a small town called Elkhorn in Wisconsin and have been living in St Paul for the last handful of years.
2.What do you do at Gophermods?
I am the Regional Manager at the Apple Valley and Eagan stores.
3.What is your favorite phone to repair and why?
The iPhone 6. I just really like the way the phone is designed on inside.
4.What is the biggest repair challenge you’ve faced?
I would have to say most HTC phones. HTC devices are poorly designed on the inside. They use a lot of anti-static tape and their cables tuck and turn all over the phone and if everything is not put back together with the tape in the exact same place the phone does not work correctly.
5.What motivated you to be a part of Gophermods?
I enjoy taking things apart and learning how they work. One of my favorite things to do is when a new device comes out and no one knows how to take it apart yet; to then figure out the right way to take that device apart.
6.What is your favorite piece of technology that you own?
My Xbox one. I am a big Halo guy plus with everything else you can do on it those consoles are great.
7.What is your current phone?
LG Nexus 5x
8.What do you like about your phone?
I like that it is not a huge display like most phones are now and the thumbprint scanner being on the back of the phone is great spot for it. Plus the phone runs on the Google Fi network which is a huge plus.
9.After repairing a wide variety of phones, is there one you would consider switching from your current one for?
Definitely not I love my phone now. Working on the nexus devices is one of the reason why I bought my phone in the first place. I had iPhones for years but they really don’t change much and lack some of the best features when they come out. I left apple and couldn’t be any happier with what I have now.
10.What is the most bizarre or unusual repair you have ever encountered?
It was an iPhone 4s repair that a customer brought in because he had a friend to a color switch for him and afterwards the phone did not turn on. When I opened the phone there was so much wrong with it. Half of the shields were missing and it seems like the person that repaired the phone used glue to try and hold the cables in place. They even took an iPhone 4 home button and taped it to the screen. It was a nightmare.