Iphone Deadspots on touch screen

First, No you cant get it repaired by anyone but apple, sorry

Second, you dont need to sign a contact to use your iPhone. You can use the iPhone as a GoPhone and buy minutes as you go, however this can end up being quite costly if you plan on using the internet or e-mail alot, i would suggest just getting the 2 yr with the 49.99 plan, this includes unlimited data 200 txt messages and 450 minutes (i think)

Hope this helped