BGR reviewed Apple’s third-generation iPad earlier this week, and we said the new model was better than the iPad 2 in almost every way. As it turns out, there is indeed at least one area where Apple’s previous-generation iPad outshines the new tablet — albeit by a slim margin — and third-party consumer electronics warranty provider SquareTrade recently took to the streets to prove it. In an effort to illustrate why its warranty services can come in handy, the company performed a series of drop tests to determine which tablet is sturdier. The iPad 2 and new iPad each survived the first drop from waist height with the displays facing upward, but that was as far as they got. A waist-high drop of the iPad 2 with the screen facing down cracked the top corner of the glass face, and a drop from shoulder height finished the job. The new iPad, on the other hand, saw more than half of its screen shattered from a waist height drop with the display facing down. The subsequent drop from shoulder height left the tablet looking like it was run over by a truck. The moral of the story: don’t drop your iPad. SquareTrade’s video follows below.

Apple on Wednesday announced its AppleCare+ extended warranty service for the iPad. Like other Apple products, when purchasing an iPad the device comes with a one year limited warranty, however accidental damage is not covered. With AppleCare+, users can breathe easy knowing their $499+ slate is safe from water damage, drops and hardware malfunctions for two years — although users are only allotted two incidents of accidental damage, each of which will require a $49 service fee. AppleCare+ is priced at $99 and must be purchased within 30 days of buying an iPad.

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As promised, ASUS has released a bootloader unlocking tool for the Transformer Prime. The tool is packaged in an APK that can be downloaded from the company’s website. Once downloaded and installed, the Transformer Prime will have the ability to run custom ROMS, however ASUS warns that unlocking your bootloader will void your warranty. “Once you activate the [unlock app] you will not be able to recover your ASUS product (“Original Product”) back to original locked conditions,” ASUS stated. “You also acknowledge ASUS does not guarantee service satisfaction to any Revised Product, including events involving paid service requested by you to be performed to the Revised Product.”

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Via a press release today, AT&T announced a new, comprehensive insurance offering dubbed Mobile Protection Pack. As the company explains, the new offering is a combination of three services: mobile insurance, enhanced support, and mobile locate. Mobile Protection, which will retail for $9.99 per month, covers subscribers against equipment loss, theft, accidental damage, liquid damage, and out-of-warranty malfunction. It also provides users with the ability to locate, lock, and trigger an alarm on a misplaced phone — and includes a handful of setup services. The complete list of covered devices can be found here, and includes the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Motorola Atrix 4G. Users looking to replace a damaged or lost device will have to pay a $50 or $125 deductible and, like all AT&T insurance offerings, Apple’s iPad and iPhone are not eligible. Hit the jump for the full press release.

AT&T Introduces the AT&T Mobile Protection Pack, a First-of-its-Kind Offer to Replace, Support, and Locate Your Mobile Device

Mobile Protection Pack features Mobile Insurance, Enhanced Support and Mobile Locate

AT&T* today announced the availability of the new AT&T Mobile Protection Pack, providing comprehensive protection and service support for several devices in AT&T’s mobile phone portfolio. The new package, available for $9.99 a month, combines two existing AT&T services – Mobile Insurance and Enhanced Support – along with the new Mobile Locate app, offered exclusively as part of the protection pack.

“This package is designed with the customer and their wireless support needs in mind,” said Mark Collins, senior vice president, Voice and Data Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Now concentrated in one service package, customers have a more convenient, affordable and seamless way to protect and manage their wireless device.”

AT&T Mobile Protection Pack combines the following services:

Mobile Insurance. Formerly Wireless Phone Insurance, Mobile Insurance provides replacement for approved claims involving loss, theft, accidental damage, liquid damage, or mechanical and electrical failure after the manufacturer’s warranty expires. Customers can sign up within 30 days of service activation or device upgrade.

Enhanced Support. Customers can take advantage of direct live support (via phone or web chat) for device setup, plus general “how to” help and ongoing troubleshooting assistance. Customers can also grant the service agent permission to remotely access a capable device and/or customer’s computer via a secure connection to help manage account and device needs.

Mobile Locate. Available exclusively within the AT&T Protection Pack, Mobile Locate allows users to remotely locate, lock or sound an alarm on their missing phone via the Mobile Protection Pack website. Compatible phones must be powered-on and be within an AT&T coverage area. Highlights include:

• Locate missing phone in real-time. Customers can locate their phone in real time, plus retrieve the last five locations of the device, including turn-by-turn directions to each of the locations.
• Sound an alarm. An alarm on the device can be activated, even if the phone is on silent or vibrate. The alarm will sound for three minutes unless turned off by the customer.
• Secure data by remotely locking the phone. Customers have the ability to remotely lock the phone if lost. If the phone is found, customers can simply enter a unique pin to unlock the phone.

To enroll in and learn more about the AT&T Mobile Protection Pack, customers can call 866-MOBILITY or visit www.att.com/mobileprotectionpack.Mobile Insurance is available separately for $4.99 per month per enrolled mobile number. Enhanced Support is also available separately for $9.00 per month per enrolled mobile number.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Customers must enroll in AT&T Mobile Protection Pack within 30 days of activation date or device upgrade date. Existing Mobile Insurance customers can upgrade to the Mobile Protection Pack at any time. Both Mobile Insurance and Enhanced Support are available as standalone products, however Mobile Locate is only available as part of the Mobile Protection Pack. If the customer is enrolled in Mobile Protection Pack and decides to drop Mobile Insurance, both Enhanced Support and Mobile Locate will also be dropped. However, the customer can still purchase Enhanced Support separately for $9.00 per month per enrolled number. Mobile Locate is available on select phones. All features may not work on all devices. Visit att.com/mobileprotectionpack for more information.

Mobile Insurance: A nonrefundable deductible of either $50 or $125 applies, depending upon the device model for each approved claim. Claims may be fulfilled with a new or remanufactured device. Customers are allowed 2 claims within any consecutive 12 months with a maximum device value of $1,500 per occurrence. Customers can cancel the optional coverage at any time and receive a prorated refund of unearned premium. Mobile Insurance is insurance underwritten by Continental Casualty Company, a CNA company (CNA), and administered by Asurion Protection Services, LLC (in California, Asurion Protection Services Insurance Agency, LLC, CA Lic. #OD63161. In Puerto Rico, Asurion Protection Services of Puerto Rico, Inc.) a licensed agent of CNA.

The Motorola DEFY might be rugged enough to withstand a long drop, a dust storm and even a monsoon, but it looks as though countless units around the world couldn’t even endure the manufacturing process. Hundreds of DEFY users from markets across the globe have taken to forums complaining of the same problem — the ear speaker stops working within the first few days of use. Owners are able to hear callers fine when using the handset’s loudspeaker, but the ear speaker remains nonfunctional. Some users have attempted to take the phone apart and repair the speaker themselves, though this is not advisable. Motorola has yet to confirm or deny the issue publicly, but affected handsets are being repaired or replaced under warranty.

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Following widespread reports, Nokia confirmed on Thursday that some of its N8 smartphones are faulty. The response comes following reports from N8 owners around the world claiming that their devices inexplicably died. Users all complained of similar symptoms — the device wouldn’t reboot, take a charge or even power on after the failure. As some speculated, Nokia confirmed that the issue is related to power management.

There have been some reports in media on the Nokia N8 quality. Niklas Savander, head of Nokia sales and marketing, addresses the issue in a video interview published today in our company blog Nokia Conversations. In a limited number of Nokia N8 devices, there appears to be an issue relating to power management. As product quality is a top priority for Nokia, we have taken immediate actions to address this. As with any product performance issue, this is covered by Nokia’s warranty. Any affected consumers should contact their local Nokia Customer Care. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Thankfully, the issue does not affect all N8 handsets and as Nokia’s statement points out, faulty units will be replaced under warranty.

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Apple has made changes to its policy regarding the transferability of AppleCare Protection Plans, a source told BGR. Starting immediately, an Apple customer will have the ability to transfer AppleCare Protection Plan coverage to a new device without having to cancel the current plan and purchase a new one. Though no formal announcement has been made to the public, Apple notified its employees of the new procedure on Monday. The policy change, which applies only to eligible purchases made within the 30-day period prior to a transfer request, simplifies the buying process for customers. AppleCare Protection Plans for the iPhone have been transferable since June of this year, and now the new policy will apply to all Apple products eligible to be covered by a protection plan.

The antenna issues plaguing the iPhone 4 have infuriated many iPhone users (and rightfully so), but have you ever wondered how Apple is training its employees to deal with the fiasco? Well thanks to one of our Apple connects, we now know the exact procedures AppleCare reps must follow when dealing with any reception complaints regarding the iPhone 4. Hit the jump to check them out.

1. Keep all of the positioning statements in the BN handy – your tone when delivering this information is important.

a. The iPhone 4′s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. Our testing shows that iPhone 4′s overall antenna performance is better than iPhone 3GS.

b. Gripping almost any mobile phone in certain places will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world.

c. If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 3GS, avoid covering the bottom-right side with your hand.

d. If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 4, avoid covering the black strip in the lower-left corner of the metal band.

e. The use of a case or Bumper that is made out of rubber or plastic may improve wireless performance by keeping your hand from directly covering these areas.

2. Do not perform warranty service. Use the positioning above for any customer questions or concerns.

3. Don’t forget YOU STILL NEED to probe and troubleshoot. If a customer calls about their reception while the phone is sitting on a table (not being held) it is not the metal band.

4. ONLY escalate if the issue exists when the phone is not held AND you cannot resolve it.

5. We ARE NOT appeasing customers with free bumpers – DON’T promise a free bumper to customers.

Clearly Apple is taking the position that nothing is wrong with the antenna, although that’s not surprising since most companies will never willingly admit their flagship product is potentially suffering from an unfixable flaw. But does anyone else find it interesting, if not troubling, that there is no mention of an impending software fix?

Mac aficionados that also enjoy a pack of Marlboros every now and then might want to keep their smoke as far away from their computer as possible for it appears Apple doesn’t take kindly to the habit. Yesterday, Consumerist ran a story about two customers that were denied warranty repairs to their MacBook and iMac by Apple (both had purchased extended AppleCare warranties) simply because the machines were exposed to second-hand smoke. Both appealed to the office of Steve Jobs to no avail. The strangest thing, however, is the explaination that one received from someone at Jobs’ office: the nicotine released from cigarettes is classified as a bio-hazard by the Operational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and as such, Apple employees are within their rights to refuse to work on a machine that has been in contact with the chemical. The only suggestion Apple offered was to take the computers to be fixed somewhere else on their dime. Obviously these two cases are an anomaly, but the question still remains: should Apple be able to walk away from its obligation as set out in the AppleCare agreement because of a little bit of smoke? Just to be clear, there is nothing in the AppleCare fine print that even comes close to singling out smoking as being prohibited.

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