Camera Removal?

[a4aaron]

I know I know, The droid incredible has a pretty sweet camera, and you are prob. thinking why would i ever want to remove it? Well i work for the DOD and they have a strict policy against camera phones. I took apart my phone the other night and took a look at the camera, it appears to be soldered down.

Does anyone know if the camera can be removed?

Will this effect how the phone functions, minus the obvious lack of camera?

To any Verizon people, can you order a Droid Incredible without the phone?

 

[Cory Streater]

I pried on mine a little bit and it almost looks like it might just pop off. I'm not taking it any further than that though. Usually you need to remove all the screws and then pull it off. You would be left with holes in your battery cover.

I doubt it would affect the phones ability to function, but who knows until you actually do it.

No there is not a non camera version.

 

[a4aaron]

I had it all the way off. You just remove the four screws. Then the top and bottom just snap together, not much to it.

 

[a4aaron]

Ok this is for all of you government employees that need to remove your camera: This was very easy and only takes about two min. to do.

1) Remove the back cover of the phone

2) Take out the battery and remove the SD card

3) Remove the 4 screws located in each corner

4) Carefully unsnap the front face from the back ( work your way around the phone doing one at a time)

5) Puch in the black tab sticking out of the camera housing.

6) Pull off the metal housing and remove camera.

The camera just sits down in a socket, there are not wires to unhook or anything to crazy, it just pulls out.

7) Replace the metal housing

8) Snap phone back together

9) Replace screws battery , SD card and battery cover and your finished


I have had mine out for a day and have not noticed any difference to the operation of my phone.

 

[krelvinaz]

Interesting. What do you plan on doing with the hole in the back cover?

 

[Orange#AC]

Interesting. What do you plan on doing with the hole in the back cover?

M&M dispenser?

 

[VZWBB]

Just a dumb thought here, but some of our customers here at work require phones without cameras on their site. I don't go offsite much so this isn't an issue for me. However, if I do go to a customer site and I need my phone (ie can't leave it in the car or guardhouse), they put a sticker on it over the camera. If you remove the sticker it says "void" or something like that on phone, so its a way for them to tell when you leave if you've done something you shouldn't.

I wonder if that would be an option for you guys. Food for thought.

 

[a4aaron]

Interesting. What do you plan on doing with the hole in the back cover?

Interesting enough, there is not a hole in the back cover. The glass is part of the back cover. It functions as a window that the camera looks out of.

 

[kev83202]

So really if you go on vacation you can pop the camera back in? That's cool.

 

[4x4r8d]

Why don't you just leave your phone in the car?

 

[boo5ted]

Probably so he doesn't miss any calls, texts or emails.

 

[a4aaron]

Probably so he doesn't miss any calls, texts or emails.

You hit the nail on the head!!

 

[zhelf]

You hit the nail on the head!!

yea really whats the point of a smartphone if you dont have it with you.

 

[slinky317]

What happens when you try to go to the camera function on the phone? Does it give an error?

 

[krelvinaz]

Interesting about there not being a hole.

How do you prove that the camera has been removed to the guards??

 

[a4aaron]

What happens when you try to go to the camera function on the phone? Does it give an error?

No error, the screen just goes black. Nothing else happens

 

[a4aaron]

Interesting about there not being a hole.

How do you prove that the camera has been removed to the guards??

You can look through the camera window and see the empty socket and board where the camera used to be. I also showed them the black screen and how it would not take a pic.

 

[goobalicious#AC]

Just followed the directions that the OP provided, and used the following Youtube video for video clarification on the first part of disassembly...

YouTube - HTC Droid Incredible Disassemble Take Apart Repair Guide

It worked GREAT! I did this to a BB Storm a few yars ago, and the Dinc was sooo much easier to work with. Great writeup!

 

[Revolutionary]

I've been out of FedGov for a couple of years now, but I seem to recall the policy at the time stating that modified phones would not pass muster. Has that changed?

 

[bigk]

I've been out of FedGov for a couple of years now, but I seem to recall the policy at the time stating that modified phones would not pass muster. Has that changed?

What the.... If some one managed to fully take the entire camera out of the cell phone they would still have a problem with it???



Now all security has to do is check for any camera lenses and your good to go. (That way they know you wont put it back on later while at work.)