^you can degrade the signal on any cellphone by gorilla gripping it, this is not the same as the signal issue that's unique to the iPhone 4 although a lot of people are getting the two confused because the end results of both look similar. The problem is, killing the iPhone 4's signal doesn't require a gorilla grip it just requires a simple bridging of the gap between the two antennas.

6/27/2010 1:42:48 AM

Ok that makes sense. Thats why Apple made the bumper. I'm surprised Steve didn't reply. "Just buy a bumper."

6/27/2010 9:11:30 AM

http://steve.grc.com/2010/06/26/iphone-4-external-antenna-problem/

Interesting perspective in this article, especially this comment:

Quote :

"To give a sense of scale, -113dBm is approximately the weakest 3G signal an iPhone 3G/3GS can maintain a call or data connection with – this corresponds with 1 bar. -100dBm (13 dB stronger) corresponds to 5 bars, with 2 – 4 bars proportionally in between, so the 1 – 5 bar range is only a 13 dB signal range – a relatively small range compared to the real world range of received signals. Any signal stronger than -100dBm would still read 5 bars, and if you were within a few hundred yards of a cell tower it’s possible to get a signal as strong as -70dBm (or more) – a full 30dB stronger than the minimum signal necessary to show 5 bars. In that instance you could have almost a 30 dB loss in signal without the reading dropping below 5 bars – therefore no visible change to the user or dropped call. From looking at the videos that show the signal dropping from 5 bars to No Service, this means that the person testing it must have only just been receiving a signal strong enough to reach an indicated 5 bars, and the signal must have been attenuated when touched by at least 13dB to reach a point of no service. My estimate is the attenuation is probably around 15-20dB. So what happened to the field test app, which can display accurate signal strength in decibels over a wide range, and would clear up this whole situation ? It was removed in early beta versions of iOS 4 and remains “missing in action” in the release version of iOS 4, even on older devices like the 3GS. Sadly, I don’t think this is a co-incidence."

6/27/2010 9:48:03 AM

^that's the reason a lot of people claim not to have this issue, because the db levels represents by the 5 bars are not equally distributed. Every iPhone 4 has the issue some people just don't realize the damage they're doing to their signal because of how good their signal was to begin with.

6/27/2010 11:09:28 AM

There have also been reports of 2 phones right next to each other, one exhibiting the issue and one not. However, that could simply mean they are connected to different towers. If that is the case, then it is possible that an OS update which simply makes the routine that decides when to switch towers more aggressive essentially "fix" the problem.

6/27/2010 11:31:04 AM

so when can these l33t iphones chat with my dusty old evo?

6/27/2010 3:05:40 PM

never?

6/27/2010 3:08:57 PM

Quote :

"never as soon as skype updates their iPhone app?"

6/27/2010 3:12:28 PM

AT&T fucking blows.


I wake up this morning to find that I don't have a data plan.... never mind the fact that I had been using it for the past 3 days.


I call them up to find out wtf was going on, and the girl on the other end is not only bitchy, but tells me I was on a "pay as you go" data plan (what the fuck?), and told me that "your phone shouldnt even be working."


So I full expect to have to call back and bitch at someone for data overages on my bill this month that I SHOULDNT EVEN HAVE.

6/27/2010 3:18:49 PM

^^ Jobs was saying they were using open protocols for their video chat.

I would expect those other phone manufacturers to add this at some point.

[Edited on June 27, 2010 at 3:22 PM. Reason : ]

6/27/2010 3:22:41 PM

Because we all know that all these big companies have no problems agreeing on which open protocols to support.

I just assumed that by "open protocol" they just meant that anybody would be free to create an app that took advantage of those protocols. Like the skype app will just "convert" FaceTime to whatever proprietary (?) protocols they use for their video chat.

I'd count on that happening wasaaaay before I would think you'd see FaceTime on an android device.

6/27/2010 3:37:55 PM

well skype needs to get the ball rolling then...I don't see why this would be sooo hard...I mean, it's not like it was a surprise option...everyone knew this thing was coming out with vid chat capabilities

6/27/2010 5:16:56 PM

Oh yeah don't know if anyone's mentioned this but "Gun Range" is the first game that uses the gyroscope in the iPhone 4. It's a pretty simple game but it's amazing how accurate and non-laggy it is now. Should check it out.

6/28/2010 10:33:43 AM

Does anybody play Godfinger, and, if so, does anybody want to be my plus+ friend? No, this is not a joke. Yes, I am a grown-ass man. Playing what amounts to yet another Farmville.

6/28/2010 10:54:54 AM

I should be getting an iPhone 4 for me and one for my wife on Wednesday. So what can I reasonably expect to sell my iPhone 3G (~1.5 yrs. old) for? It's not unlocked, just plain 'ol 8GB 3G.

Thanks.

6/28/2010 11:04:08 AM

If you jailbreak/unlock it, looks like $150-$200 on eBay.

I put mine up last night and it's already up to $2.25!

6/28/2010 11:21:45 AM

^any info as to how difficult or what resources are required to do it? I know, i know, "Google is a wonderful thing." But I don't want to end up following some random how-to that ends up crippling my iPhone. So any recommended walk-throughs or recommendations would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

6/28/2010 11:24:58 AM

http://modmyi.com/guides/how-jailbreak-4-0-iphone-3g-ipod-touch-2g-os-x-windows/

In summation: very easy.

6/28/2010 11:29:46 AM

FYI: iMovies is pityful if you are doing anything over 10 minutes. If you are trying to put together very short clips, it is fine. otherwise, forget it. Locks up, wont export... You have to end up rebooting the phone.

[Edited on June 28, 2010 at 12:10 PM. Reason : .]

6/28/2010 12:00:40 PM

lol, my battery lasted a whole 6 hours today

6/28/2010 1:36:35 PM

Is that actual usage or standby? What's your usage data say? I'm at 3 hours 26 minutes for usage and 6 hours 52 minutes for standby and batteries down to 34%. Hmm.

[Edited on June 28, 2010 at 1:54 PM. Reason : s]

6/28/2010 1:54:15 PM

i already plugged it in so i didnt even think to look. i've been using it most of the day though

6/28/2010 2:00:24 PM

Hey atleast it's not like Android where half the time your phone goes down 10%/hour and that's normal.

6/28/2010 2:03:46 PM

lol, ive installed a ton of apps lately in cydia.. pretty sure some of those were sucking down the battery. uninstalled everything i can

6/28/2010 2:08:06 PM

Yeah mines not even jailbroken. Guess i'm just using it more than usual because it's new.

6/28/2010 2:09:10 PM

my 3gs battery doesn't last nearly as long as it did before iOS4

6/28/2010 2:53:33 PM

Time since last full charge:
Usage: 1 Hour, 28 Minutes
Standby: 8 Hour, 42 Minutes

iPhone has been plugged in since the last full charge.

I'm at 83%

Oh, and keep in mind, most of that "usage" was when it was plugged in playing music.

[Edited on June 28, 2010 at 5:04 PM. Reason : .]

6/28/2010 5:03:24 PM

i don't think they charge sometimes when plugged in and running, i noticed that while running tom tom in my tomtom cradle coming back from florida once, its was in the cradle for a good 8 hours with a low battery, but the screen/gps was one the whole time.

6/28/2010 7:31:49 PM

Anyone else having an issue emailing themselves pictures? I'm on an iphone4 and haven't been able to send myself an email from inside an app at all as well as fwding photos from my library.

6/28/2010 8:10:54 PM

OH....MY...GOD...

I was literally in tears watching this hilarious video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg
Video: An EVO 4G Salesman Confronts An iPhone 4 Shopper (NSFW)

6/28/2010 8:15:41 PM

Quote :

"i don't think they charge sometimes when plugged in and running, i noticed that while running tom tom in my tomtom cradle coming back from florida once, its was in the cradle for a good 8 hours with a low battery, but the screen/gps was one the whole time."

how much power do you think it takes to run tom tom?

greater than, less than, or equal to the amount of power being supplied by the charger?

6/28/2010 8:40:37 PM

I have that problem with the Droid when I have it in the window mount. Damn thing would eat the battery when using navigation over an extended period of time even if it was plugged in. My issue ended up being overheating. Put it on a vent mount and no battery drain or heat issues since.

6/28/2010 9:08:17 PM

My battery didn't decline but it didn't charge either, just stayed in the same position... Might have had something to do with the heat as well, dash gets quite hot when heading into the sun.

6/28/2010 9:19:09 PM

Weird iOS4 bug (or feature, whichever).

If I've had Photos opened and then sync to add more photos the new ones won't show up until I kill Photos completely. It doesn't seem to refresh at all after syncing to show the new files.

Just kinda weird. You'd think Apple would have sorted out one of the phone's primary apps (well, for me at least).

6/28/2010 11:33:09 PM

shadow... that shit was hilarious!!

6/29/2010 11:05:56 AM

^^iphone os 4 is buggy as shit. hopefully most of it gets fixed in the next update

6/29/2010 11:08:39 AM

I'm noticing that tends to be the case with a lot of Apple's .0 releases. They seem to have a LOT of problems once they get out in the real world.

6/29/2010 11:10:06 AM

apple doesnt do any in house testing. .0 releases are public betas

6/29/2010 11:14:09 AM

i think that's a bit of an exaggeration, sir.

6/29/2010 11:15:03 AM

Noticed a couple bugs but nothing too big. One bug i noticed was i emailed a photo, and for some reason after that whenever i brought up the photos app it automatically pulled up an email with that same photo wanting to be emailed. Had to shut down photos and delete the photo to fix it.

Oh and i LOVE the new option to send a small/medium/large or original picture in emails.

I was complaining about that last year and everyone was teaming up on me saying there's no need to email a full res photo from an iphone.

6/29/2010 11:21:55 AM

im sure they do some basic functionality testing, but theres no integration testing security testing or load testing.

6/29/2010 11:22:47 AM

My e-mail has been completely hosed since upgrading. It doesn't mark e-mail as read, can't maintain an accurate count of unread e-mails, etc.

6/29/2010 11:24:59 AM

Girlfriend decided she wanted an iPhone 4 on Friday because she had to renew her AT&T plan. Went in on Friday and she reserved one. They just called her saying they got hers in today.

So what's this about people pre-ordering/etc ad not getting them until July?

6/29/2010 11:35:41 AM

people who got owned

6/29/2010 11:36:35 AM

Quote :

"My e-mail has been completely hosed since upgrading. It doesn't mark e-mail as read, can't maintain an accurate count of unread e-mails, etc."

Same. Well, actually, that's not true, my 3GS is fine since the upgrade, but my 4 has been acting this way since I got it.

6/29/2010 11:54:55 AM

My email on 4 seems to be fine. Still using gmail push set up via exchange settings.

6/29/2010 11:58:12 AM

5 dropped calls in 2 hours while driving down I85 w 5 bars on a 3gs. Wtf

6/29/2010 12:01:16 PM

I guess i just don't talk on the phone enough to get dropped calls.

6/29/2010 12:10:49 PM

Not sure if it's a bug, but my pandora only plays on the right hand speaker ... Not a thing comes out of the left side... Anyone else seeing this behavior? (built in speakers)

Also, the silicon case I put a link in for a few pages came in today ... 3 day delivery from Cali, and only 5 bucks for the product. It is actually made really well, nice feel to it ... No more reception issues either.

-just checked ... Speakerphone also just uses right hand speaker

[Edited on June 29, 2010 at 2:12 PM. Reason : .]

6/29/2010 2:06:02 PM

^I'm pretty sure only the right thing is the speaker. The only one is a mic.

6/29/2010 2:08:10 PM