Mike Trieu

On the teardown photos, I can make out a couple connectors that I assume are some sort of rf connectors on the top and...

Wow, nobody's answered you? Well, I'm in your exact boat today due to an unfortunate incident with a micro/nano SIM adapter snagging on the extremely fragile SIM reader pins. A cursory glance at eBay suggests there still is a market for replacement Z2 SIM readers, but it would appear to require delicate soldering skills. If that doesn't sound like something you'd have the stomach for, perhaps a full board replacement (expensive!) is what you'll have to settle for.

I'm assuming that "IPA" stands for "IsoPropyl Alcohol" and not "India Pale Ale"

I would love to know that detail as well.

Just wanted to give some feedback about this a couple years later. Nope, it doesn't look gross in the slightest and this is after HEAVY, real-life, everyday use/abuse. It's still as optically pristine as the day I unboxed! it :)

I'm assuming you're referring to the T-Mobile version of this phone. No, it's not just the antenna that's different, but the radio as well. They both have to be matched.

No, I'm almost certain the rattling noise comes from the camera autofocus mechanism. You can hear it when you use any camera/barcode application.