New industry as consequence of PDA problems?

The article discuss the increase in the market for PDA and handheld repairs. Screen cracks are the #1 problem users find, but internal batteries follow very closely.

"To a certain extent, yes, the manufacturers plan for their batteries to go out,'' said Stillwell. "It's a good opportunity to up-sell to the next PDA." Stillwell is the owner of STNE, which is changing its name to PDA Specialists.

When comparing the repairs cost (in the range of US$ 120) with the price of brand new devices, users end up using these services.

Outfits such as GetHighTech of Morgan Hill, and STNE of Everett, Wash., provide low-cost alternatives. Judging from the volumes of repairs and memory upgrades reported by these firms, consumers are responding.