Tag: Mobile Tech

It’s almost like a pick-your-poison situation. While the iPhone 4 is a beautifully designed piece of consumer electronics and is capable of excellent things, its novel antenna design has proven to be problematic for some users. I mentioned in a few comments that the issue hits lefties (or people that use their phones with their left hands) more than their right-handed counterparts. The Los Angeles Times explained why this is the case:

Apple redesigned the phone so the steel frame around the handset doubles as its antenna. The left side of the frame is used to broadcast a cellular signal; the right side is for other bands, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

As a result, people who tend to hold their phone in the left hand may be plagued by the signal problems more than those who hold the phone in their right hand.

As a lefty, I’m kind of bummed about the whole thing. I can take solace in the fact that righties making Skype calls through WiFi should have issues too. Ha ha!!!

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In a post titled “You @ssholes need to stop sending emails to me about this antenna issue“, Fake Steve Jobs has hilariously addressed the iPhone 4 reception issues plaguing numerous first-world countries. The post is the funniest thing I’ve read all month and I highly recommend checking it out. Here are some choice clips:

First of all, this is not a big issue. If you’re experiencing this, most likely it’s not the phone at all — most likely you’re just living in a place where there’s bad reception, in which case the solution is simple: you need to move.

Or maybe you’re living in a place with good reception but you just need to buy a bumper for your phone and/or wear latex gloves while holding the phone.

Or you can try going bare-handed and just learn how to hold your goddamn phone properly. Either way, it’s no big deal.

AllThingsD says if it’s really true that all mobile phones have this exact same problem, “why haven’t we heard complaints like this about `every wireless phone?’ Why hasn’t RIM issued instructions for a proper BlackBerry handhold?”

The answer, of course, is that RIM doesn’t care about customers the way we do. Honestly, what other company has a billionaire CEO who will sit at his desk for hours and hours personally answering thousands of emails, one after another, telling people how to hold his product? And can I tell you how hard I am fighting the urge to suggest to people that they try shoving the thing up their butt and see what kind of reception they get then?

It’s just brilliant, brilliant stuff. Head on over to Fake Steve’s site and read it in its glorious entirety!

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Apple has released an official statement on the iPhone 4 reception issues that some users have been complaining about. I think it’s pretty hilarious. Check it out:

Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.

I agree with RPadholic smartguy — Apple should be giving away its “bumper” cases for free if they really clear up the issue. Now don’t get me wrong, I still think the iPhone 4 is an impressive piece of hardware, but Apple’s “solution” to this problem cracks me up.

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Apparently it’s harder to build white iPhone 4s than black ones. Apple has explained the delay behind the white iPhone 4 model in an official statement:

White models of Apple’s new iPhone 4 have proven more challenging to manufacture than expected, and as a result they will not be available until the second half of July. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected.

Initially I thought the black model was better looking, but after seeing how it’s a mad fingerprint magnet and considering the rarity of the white model…I kind of want a white one. And no, I’m not selling out on my race.

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