Got a weak iPhone battery or a broken screen? Dish wants to send a technician to you.

The company better known for its TV service is getting into the smart phone repair business. It's become a fast-growing industry with mall kiosks and mobile repair shops popping up as quickly as our clumsy fingers can drop our phones on concrete.

Dish's new nationwide service costs $35 for a visit in addition to  repair costs on any number of Phone 5, 5c, 5s, 6 or 6 Plus devices (you can have them work on multiple devices in a single visit). The company plans to offer repairs for Android phones (and presumably newer iPhone models) in the future.  They won't charge a fee if it can't fix the phone, according to the website dish.com/smartphonerepair. The downside? Using a service like that is likely to void the warranty on your phone. Dish says it offers its own 60-day guarantee after a repair, but that won't cover any additional accidental damage.

In this space every week, we'll define a tech term, offer a timely tip or answer questions about technology from readers. Email ogallaga@statesman.com.

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