maemo.org - Talk - [iPhone4] Loses Reception When You Touch the Side (Who says Apple products are "Better Quality"?)

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Re: [iPhone4] Loses Reception When You Touch the Side (Who says Apple products are "Better Quality"?)

I am already seeing the next iPhone.

The iPhone 4GS. Featuring the latest innovative feature called FreeHold where you can hold the phone anyway you like!

Re: iPhone 4 - Loses Reception When You Touch the Side (Who says Apple products are "Better Quality"?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by quipper8 (Post 727881)

I really do hope it is just a software issue for apples sake and all the people about to buy one, but from the various videos I have seen it does seem like there is definitely a possibility to disrupt the reception on the iphone 4 to the point of dropping connection with even a very accurately placed finger.

Definitely it's not a software issue. But workarounds for hardware issues can be done with software, who knows.

Re: [iPhone4] Loses Reception When You Touch the Side (Who says Apple products are "Better Quality"?)

@gerbick: do you mind testing if putting a layer of tape over the offending lower-left metal band area can have a positive effect to this 'bug'?

(I'm thinking invisible shield material, but any non-conducting tape should do, right?)

Re: iPhone 4 - Loses Reception When You Touch the Side (Who says Apple products are "Better Quality"?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by M A S T E R (Post 727117)

I dont think they can fix that. I believe its a hardware issue especially since the antenna is right there. Which means recall or Rebate one of the two i am sure.

-MASTER

Quote:

Originally Posted by YoDude (Post 727147)

Not necessarily.

I remember one Motorola iDen phone having a similar issue that resulted in a statement to the effect:

"Some people are having issues with reception. Our engineers have determined that how you hold the phone affects signal quality... blah, blah, blah..."

They went on to show a diagram that had very specific places to put your fingers and whatnot. They then sent this "Bulletin" out to everyone who had already bought one and slapped a sticker on every new one made from there on out. :)

Maybe you have to be wearing a turtleneck sweater or suttin' when ever you use the new iPhone. :D

And as if it was on cue...
Apples response the very next day:

Quote:

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.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget..../jobsemail.jpg

-engadget

Who is this "YoDude" fella? I sure hope someone is writing down all the stuff he posts to save for posterity or suttin'... :D

Re: [iPhone4] Loses Reception When You Touch the Side (Who says Apple products are "Better Quality"?)

People really do need to learn how to hold their phone!

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/8120/wrongd.jpg

Re: [iPhone4] Loses Reception When You Touch the Side (Who says Apple products are "Better Quality"?)

lol poor lefties... imagine being forced to hold your phone in a stupid and an unnatural way! :D

*lifts n900, remembers to turn it around and hold it horizontal as there's no portrait keyboard..*

Re: [iPhone4] Loses Reception When You Touch the Side (Who says Apple products are "Better Quality"?)

Hahahaha..... why iphone users are so surprise about this phone? He (you know who i mean) already told you during the day launched that iphone will go to the next level and changing the way people using the phone.... OF COURSE...Including the way you hold your phone ....hahahahahahaahha

So lived with it.

Re: [iPhone4] Loses Reception When You Touch the Side (Who says Apple products are "Better Quality"?)

Collection of random replies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kojacker (Post 728889)

lol poor lefties... imagine being forced to hold your phone in a stupid and an unnatural way!

They could implement the any-orientation rotation, similar to iPad. That would help for browser/app use. Might be a bit inpractical for calls though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by noipv4 (Post 728555)

To make iphone even more thin, they had no other way but to use the bezel.

While that may be the case, it makes me wonder, if just adding a non-conducting finish to the metal surface would be enough (radio waves pass through many non-conductors like it was air).

Quote:

Originally Posted by pantera1989 (Post 728738)

A miniUSB instead of microUSB would have been better

MicroUSB is a (to-be) standard chosen by industry. Basically EU forced them to decide a charging standard, so all phones could be charged with similar charger.

Now manufacturers just needs to learn how to attach those ports to devices correctly so they don't fall off.

Re: [iPhone4] Loses Reception When You Touch the Side (Who says Apple products are "Better Quality"?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by juise- (Post 728917)

Collection of random replies.

They could implement the any-orientation rotation, similar to iPad. That would help for browser/app use. Might be a bit inpractical for calls though.

Sorry if the sarcasm didnt come through, I'm not really mocking lefties :P It's a nice suggestion but really it's not necessary. We have an iphone4 here and we don't have the problem with covering that part of the phone with our hand that others are facing, signal isnt dropping - however I think it's worse if you have sticky palms. We could lick our hands first to try that out but no way we'd be allowed to get spittle on the development tools :P Really, it's easy to just adjust your hand to avoid covering it anyway if it was a problem. Being right handed Im not fussed either way :) It's a silly design flaw but it's not much of a big deal in my view :)

Re: [iPhone4] - Please be aware you must hold your phone in the correct manor !

Quote:

Originally Posted by ysss (Post 728705)

Anytime someone publicly takes pleasure in another (person/brand/camp/etc)'s loss, is a visibly classless act.

I disagree. For one thing I find Apple's grip on people's mindshare to be rather unhealthy (and I believe you and Gerbick have agreed with me in the past). Events like this break that illusion. And hopefully get people to criticize Apple more often, and as a result have them (hopefully) make better products. Which then of course benefit people who don't want to own Apple products by forcing their competitors to do better.

That being said I feel sorry for the customers that are having problems (the same way I feel sorry for the people who buy the N900 without knowing what they are getting into). And I do hope Apple has a fix soon (ideally a replacement).

And sadly of course it'll be with a good shot of Steve's marketing talk.