My iPad/iTouch is damaged/won't turn on/won't charge *sob*

Water damage -
 
Do NOT turn the device on, wipe off the surface water as best you can and put it in a basin of dry rice in the hotpress for 2-3 days.
 
Do NOT use a hairdryer on it as that will only push water further into the innards! Usually the rice trick works wonders but Paul (our iPad fixit guy) says that moisture will remain in the device and corrode bits so it is best to send it along to be checked out to prevent more expensive problems down the road.
 
At this stage your warranty is void anyway so don't send it back to Apple. They can tell because there is a white piece of lithmus paper just under the headphones connector and it turns pink when it has come in contact with water. It won't ever change back so they will always know and will always tell you that whatever your problem is has been caused by water damage (even if the water damage happened 6 months ago!).
 
Screen is cracked into a million tiny pieces -
 
Send it to Paul at http://www.ipodrepaircentre.ie/ but email me first because I have arranged a discount on screen replacement for people who have gotten their iPads via the mobile phone recycling scheme. Discount is 25% - screen replacement on an iPad1 is normally 120 and he will do it for us for 90, iPad2 is normally 135 and he will do it for us for 100. You will be responsible for postage charges. You need to get the secret code from me before you fill out the online form, then just print it off and post it to him with your device. If you live in or near Celbridge you are in luck because that is where he is based and you can call into the repair shop.
 
After a drop your warranty is void so sending it to an 'authorised repair centre' and paying between 200 & 300 euro for a screen is a waste of time. I have had my sons iPad screen replaced by Paul and it is bang on :)
 
We didn't discuss other discounts but if you have any reason to send him a device then email me for the code and send it along then. He has several Special Needs families on his books and understands the need for a quick turnaround and the cost factor involved as some of us could get to know him quite well!!
 
Insurance -
 
For those of you interested in going the insurance route you can get insurance for up to 5 named devices here: http://www.gadgetinsurance.ie/ . Read the ToS yourself please, but there is a 25 euro excess on each claim. What they don't say on the website is that they send devices to the UK to be repaired so turnaround is about 3 weeks. If you can live without your device (without a replacement) for that long then this could be an option for you.
 
Myself and BPI are trying to arrange something insurance wise, but we have only just started working on it recently. As soon as I have anything to report I will let you know :)
 
Won't turn on/screen seems dead -
 
You should always charge your device for about 12 hours after you take it out of the box. Don't use it, charge it first, this will prevent battery problems later on.
 
Charge your device, once the charge gets to about 5% there isn't enough power in the battery to power the screen (in my experience). Plug it in, after about 15 or 20 mins you will hear the beep of the charger, it won't beep until it hits about 10% or 12% so don't stand over it waiting to hear the beep.
 
If you have power in the device reboot it by holding down the home button and the oblong button on the top right of the iPad. After a few seconds you will see a little red message saying 'slide to switch off' so switch it off. This will only happen if you have enough power in the device so always try step one first. Leave it sit for a few mins and then turn it back on again using the same buttons. When the item powers up double tap on the home button (circle button on the end bezel). A line of apps will appear and the screen will move up a little. Hold on one of these apps until it starts to wobble, once the red minus sign appears on the apps delete them all. This will clear your device of any apps that are running in the background or stuck in a loop and should clear your device of the crashing issue. I do this every evening!
 
My device won't charge -
 
Charge your device, once the charge gets to about 5% there isn't enough power in the battery to power the screen (in my experience). Plug it in, after about 15 or 20 mins you will hear the beep of the charger, it won't beep until it hits about 10% or 12% so don't stand over it waiting to hear the beep.
 
There is an issue with about 1% of iPad2 re charging so if the above doesn't work then you may have this problem. It is the plug/charger that is at fault and not the device. If you live near a CompuB bring it along there and they will replace the charger for you.
 
Also, be aware that there isn't enough power in a desktop/laptop to charge your iPad so having it hooked up to your computer won't charge it, it has to be done from a wall socket.
 
iPad stuck on the Apple logo when booting: http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/11/iphone-stuck-on-apple-logo/
 
IPad freeze: http://www.knowyourmobile.com/appleiphone/ipad/ipaduserguides/458098/how_to_fix_a_frozen_ipad.html