Reply With QuoteThen adding the bump(?) case to the iPhone4 shouldn't/wouldn't lead to any improvement in the signal?Originally Posted by london lad
Best wishes,
Bob
I can't believe the Americans.
They have one of the most successful companies in the world, directly or indirectly providing employment for hundreds of thousands of people and they just can't wait to attack it.
The iPhone 4 is an incredible product, if the antennas were under the casework, like the ip3, no one would have said a word.
If you hold on to ANY RF antenna it will alter its performance, try cupping your hands round the bottom half of an ip3, just the same effect.
None of this has any real effect in the real world.
Then adding the bump(?) case to the iPhone4 shouldn't/wouldn't lead to any improvement in the signal?
Best wishes,
Bob
For those it affects, it definitely does.
Well I can't make the meter move by gripping the phone and I live in a low signal area.
If I completely cup the phone and wait (the iphone averages signal display over 5 or 10 seconds) it will drop but so will any phone I do that to.
I have used the phone, at my home, just like I did its predecessor, two days with a bumper and two without and there is no noticeable difference in normal use.
If anything I think it may works a little better than the ip3 did.
My phone goes into service in low signal areas, I can make calls, what do I care about a meter
The first mobile phones had no meter, just a green light or 'no service'
No signal drop whatsoever here. Much ado about nothing, in my opinion
LL - You're right about the meter not meaning anything, but there are plenty of tests online showing call quality being affected, calls dropping out, and download speeds reducing greatly when holding the phone "incorrectly", so for some it is a genuine issue.
Well 1 week on with the iPhone 4 and I'm still a VERy happy camper... vast improvements over the 3GS and just a pleasure to hold and use :thumbup:
I was in London Village yesterday, and couldn't believe how ubiquitous the iPhone 4 is already! :shock:
SM...what was your final verdict with the "Three" debacle? I was following you over on Macrumours.
It's worth persisting to get over the hurdle of their woeful Indian call centre and signed-up to Three. I've tried 3G microSIMs from O2, Orange and Three in my iPad, and travelled up and down the country with all of them. Three has the best coverage and speed by a country mile. I get >2.5Mbps in many locations. And at just £15 for 10GB/month, the value proposition can't be beat. I'm seriously considering defecting to them from O2 for their monthly rolling SIM-only deal for my iPhone when my contract expires later this year.SM...what was your final verdict with the "Three" debacle? I was following you over on Macrumours.
Only just twigged that you're Seamaster on MacRumors :)
O2 have stock as of 10am today (2nd July) on the upgrade order line if anyone is looking for one.
I know this classic scene has been done to death but it's just perfect for soooooo many situations... and now...
Hitler Reacts to the iPhone 4 Antenna Issues - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h3Ogt2L44Q
Apple have released a press release on the iPhone 4 reception issue:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07 ... etter.htmlDear iPhone 4 Users,
The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product launch in Apple’s history. It has been judged by reviewers around the world to be the best smartphone ever, and users have told us that they love it. So we were surprised when we read reports of reception problems, and we immediately began investigating them. Here is what we have learned.
To start with, gripping almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many Droid, Nokia and RIM phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way which covers the black strip in the lower left corner of the metal band. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have accused the iPhone 4 of having a faulty antenna design.
At the same time, we continue to read articles and receive hundreds of emails from users saying that iPhone 4 reception is better than the iPhone 3GS. They are delighted. This matches our own experience and testing. What can explain all of this?
We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.
Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.
To fix this, we are adopting AT&T’s recently recommended formula for calculating how many bars to display for a given signal strength. The real signal strength remains the same, but the iPhone’s bars will report it far more accurately, providing users a much better indication of the reception they will get in a given area. We are also making bars 1, 2 and 3 a bit taller so they will be easier to see.
We will issue a free software update within a few weeks that incorporates the corrected formula. Since this mistake has been present since the original iPhone, this software update will also be available for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.
We have gone back to our labs and retested everything, and the results are the same— the iPhone 4’s wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. For the vast majority of users who have not been troubled by this issue, this software update will only make your bars more accurate. For those who have had concerns, we apologize for any anxiety we may have caused.
As a reminder, if you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.
We hope you love the iPhone 4 as much as we do.
Thank you for your patience and support.
Apple
Colour me sceptical.
I don't seem to have a problem but if I did I'm not sure I would swallow that explanation.
No one's happier than me swallowing the Cupertino Kool-Aid, but this has to be a hardware issue.
EDIT: Gruber's posted a helpful translation of Apple's letter. :lol:
The Beeb's take on this is a touch sceptical too. I read it on my Desire so I've no idea how to find the link on this PC.
The biggest issue for me will be the fact that the Phone 4 won't fit any of the three docks that i use for my iPhone 3GS. If and when I go for an upgrade, I can well see me shifting the new phone and keeping the old one!
Buy an Apple Universal Dock. They you only have to replace the top plate when you change devices, which costs coppers.
3 for £7 from Apple.
That letter showed remarkable self-restraint. Class action lawsuit from disgruntled "consoomers"? Oh, get over yourselves, you wet, pampered tosspots.
But retina display? Very close to Retinal Display, and sod-all to do with one's retinas, but I'm sure they knew that ;).
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
I think that Apple may have jumped the shark with that one. :)
Best wishes,
Bob
In case anyone else wants to downgrade their iPhone 3G from OS4 to OS3.1.3
http://lifehacker.com/5572003/how-to...s-4-to-ios-313
I think I'll be doing this to my old one if I keep it!
does anyone know if it is safe to download the new OS for the 3G yet?
Some say it's OK, plenty of others say it kills the 3G somewhat... you don't get all the features and benefits from iOS4 so personally I'd recommend avoiding it, or picking up a cheap 3GS as there seem to be more and more of those about.
Money Supermarket are offering £192 for my old 3G, I just might take it!
VERY good price that, O2 are offering £20 less: http://www.o2recycle.co.uk/
Interesting - and I doubt you can blame Windows this time.
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/07/04/ ... re-hacked/
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/07/04/ ... ck-itunes/
:|
Ah, schadenfreude....
Why not?
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Well being a complete newbie to Apple and Iphone I must say 1 week into my ownership and i'm impressed! Still getting used to the touch screen and what this thing can do but think I will be able to move away from my old Blackberry now.
Battery life seems to be terrible though, From fully charged after 24hrs its down to 30%, thats with about 10mins internet browsing and only a few mins of calls!! Is that the norm?
Far from the norm, I'd take it back and get another one... have heard of a handful of bad battery issues, but most have been superb. This is a snapshot of mine:
I get the same sort of times as Jon. how long did you charge it for ?
Was on about 50% when i got in and then put on charge for 4 hours. When i took it off charge at 10.30pm it read full, went to sleep and woke up at 6.15 where it had dropped to 63%. The phone had just been sat on standby :cry:I get the same sort of times as Jon. how long did you charge it for ?
What was the "USAGE" time displayed? Take a screencapture if you can (press home and power button together) and upload it after a full charge and days use (or overnight).
What was the "USAGE" time displayed? Take a screencapture if you can (press home and power button together) and upload it after a full charge and days use (or overnight).
Will do, on charge now.
Currently reads:
Usage 5 hrs 55mins
Standby 1 day 14 hrs
That's definitely not right. I did some tests with my 3gs when I first got it to try and work out if it would save the battery overnight by turning off 3g, email, notifications, etc. Even with everything turned on it was never below about 88% after 8 hours.Was on about 50% when i got in and then put on charge for 4 hours. When i took it off charge at 10.30pm it read full, went to sleep and woke up at 6.15 where it had dropped to 63%. The phone had just been sat on standby :cry:I get the same sort of times as Jon. how long did you charge it for ?
For those that are interested, with everything turned on it still dropped to about 92%.
"I forget who it was that recommended men for their soul's good to do each day two things they disliked ... it is a precept that I have followed scrupulously; for every day I have got up and I have gone to bed."
Has anyone got their iPhone on a Tesco tariff?
Just out of interest, does it show Tesco as the carrier at the top or O2?
"I forget who it was that recommended men for their soul's good to do each day two things they disliked ... it is a precept that I have followed scrupulously; for every day I have got up and I have gone to bed."
Oh what percentage, or is that now lost as you're on charge? That sounds better though but the best test is fully charged and use it until 2 or 2% left and take a screenshot :) Don't plug it in at any time during that though, otherwise it won't be accurate ;)
Not me but have it on good authority that as long as you update the carrier software when promoted it will say Tesco. My wife's 3GS on Virgin said T-Mobile for ages and now it says Virgin since the update :)
Think i'm starting to understand this now :DOh what percentage, or is that now lost as you're on charge? That sounds better though but the best test is fully charged and use it until 2 or 2% left and take a screenshot :) Don't plug it in at any time during that though, otherwise it won't be accurate ;)
The phone had died and so yes it was on charge but it was at 3% when i took those figures.
Cool, well those figures will only reset once your phone has charged to 100% (hence, "Time since last full charge") so report back in a day or so once fully charged and used till nearly empty again :thumbup:
The one I looked at in Tesco's yesterday said 02-UK
Charge it overnight (or 12 hours if you can) Reset the usage meter, turn the battery percentage off and just use it normally until the batt symbol goes red (20% ish) then take a screen shot of the usage page and post it up :-)Was on about 50% when i got in and then put on charge for 4 hours. When i took it off charge at 10.30pm it read full, went to sleep and woke up at 6.15 where it had dropped to 63%. The phone had just been sat on standby :cry:I get the same sort of times as Jon. how long did you charge it for ?
My contract on my current 3g is ending tomorrow and I'm intending to keep the handset and switch to a Sim Only deal (O2 Simplicity) for £20p/m.
Or as I'm a low user I can get an iPhone 4 for £30p/m (24mth contract).
Can anyone who's made the switch advise whether I should upgrade; are you making the most of the new features, is it much faster or better in anyway that isn't obvious in the marketing guff? Or do I hang on until the next version is out.
Chris
The improved camera / flash, face-time, unified in box and the better battery life would be the things that would swing it for me. Have a look at the 100 + new features and see what you would use. Don't for get the a lot of the new features are available on your phone by upgrading to ios4.
Has anyone used facetime yet?
If I understand it correctly it is limited at the moment to wi-fi and iphone 4 only, so quite limited, although there is nothing stopping anyone from implementing the standard on an android or other phone with the required hardware.
Is there a mac app that supports it? Could I find a wi-fi hotspot while I am out and then do a facetime video call home to my mac?
And how much better is the battery? Can you go an extra day without charging, or is it still every night or every other night, so no practical improvement.
"I forget who it was that recommended men for their soul's good to do each day two things they disliked ... it is a precept that I have followed scrupulously; for every day I have got up and I have gone to bed."
Facetime is very cool, though as you say quite limited at the moment... day to day I'm sat either at home or at the office on wi-fi so I guess it could be used more, just need more friends with iP4's!!
Battery is WAY better, but it's never going to be "Blackberry" great... it's the best iPhone battery to-date.
To be honest I think if I suggested "Facetime" calling any of my mates I'd be called a homo and maybe slapped. Iphone 4 - it's pretty much the camera and a marginally better screen to play Angry Bird on.
Facetime is extremely useful and works perfectly. I am using it regularly now. Most offices and homes have wi-fi so its works where you need it most and works very well.
IP4 battery is much better as Jon says above
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