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Posts tagged antenna
Sorry Stevie, I can make lefty calls with my Bold 9700! See RIM’s Official Statement.
Jul 16th
Yesterday at the Apple iPhone 4 Conference, Steve Jobs made a claim that the BlackBerry Bold 9700 amongst other devices, loses signal when gripped in a certain way. Apple even went as far as launching http://www.apple.com/antenna/ showing diagrams and videos of how Smartphones lose signal when gripped ‘improperly’.
Being an AT&T subscriber with a Bold 9700, I tried gripping my device just like Apple’s diagram showed, but it held strong at 5 bars. I should add, don’t have a case on my 9700, as it is completely naked. I tried again several times for lengthy enough periods to make sure there was no signal degradation. I even tried completely covering the bottom of my 9700 with both hands and it still did NOT drop a single bar. Also see RIM’s official statement below.
“Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple’s claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public’s understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple’s difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple.”
- Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie
I can’t personally speak for the other devices Apple claims have antenna issues, but I believe it would have been wise for Stevie to leave the 9700 out of this, being that it’s an AT&T device with absolutely no antenna issue. It would have been much more respectable if Apple just owned up to the issue in the first place, offered free cases or refunds, and left it at that. Making false claims about an error in the software and then about competitors devices, simply makes Apple look foolish. Feel free to drop a comment below and let us know how you feel about Apple’s new false claim.
[Source: CrackBerry]
Apple Posts Antenna Attenuation Info Page
Jul 16th
Ooh, the heat is on. Along with being apologetic to iPhone 4 owners, Apple also doubles back with a “see, it happens to everyone” info page. While the news isn’t, news, so to speak, it does highlight the problem with holding any kind of phone. The reason it’s such a big deal now is likely do to the high profile nature of an iPhone and extremely targeted location it occurs at.
Apple demonstrates this by showing signal loss on various phones, including: the Samsung Omnia II, HTC Droid Eris, BlackBerry Bold 9700 and the iPhone 3GS. Apple also goes into some pretty surprising details about their antenna testing lab (the pictures are incredible). I think the attempt on Apple’s part is certainly worth noting, but ultimately won’t stop people from complaining that there exists a flaw in the design of the iPhone 4…, despite it being a physics issue that no one has conclusively solved.
Smartphone Antenna Performance via Apple
Apple Holding iPhone 4 Press Conference on Friday
Jul 14th
Quick bit of news. There’s a conference about the iPhone 4 this Friday, the 16th. The presumption is that Apple will tackle the “death grip” issue once and for all. Maybe they’ll announce the white iPhone 4 as well. This would be appropriate since I just put an order in for the black one after not being able to hold out any longer. We’ll see.
via Engadget
Exclusive: iPhone 4′s Antenna to be Flipped?
Jul 14th
Now before I go into too many details, this report came to me this morning, from an AT&T employee who gave me zero evidence to support this other than his/her claim. This makes me incredibly wary of it’s factual basis. Here’s what I was told: the antenna bands on the iPhone will basically be rotated, clockwise, 180°. This would put the “bottom antenna” on the top of the phone. Now the bridge between the two bands would be on the top right corner of the handset…, similar to where the vibrate switch is but on the other side. Since no one grips their phone on the top half, this would “recitfy” the supposed issue and bring it more in line with other devices that have the same problem. It’s been mentioned that many phones lose signal when the top of the phone is gripped.
We’d see it “within 30 days” and all iPhone 4′s can be replaced with the rotated version, if taken back to the store. This somewhat contradicts earlier reports that the antenna band composition would be changed because of a recall. Still, it makes sense. Signal loss when a phone is touched is real, for every handset. The thing that gets me is that it doesn’t seem to be completely comprehensive. Some people appear to have no trouble at all and that the real fault is AT&T’s network.
Take this report lightly, I’m not totally convinced this person is right, based on how wonky it sounds. It is worth sharing, however, and I’d be delighted if it ended up to be true. I hope everyone gets some resolution on this matter quickly. It’s now become so trite - I can’t stand reading about it anymore.
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