Today in iOS Podcast - The Unofficial iOS, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch News and iPhone Apps Podcast

I am not seeing the Reception issue for the iPhone 4

Fri, 25 June 2010

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I know there have been a LOT of videos out there showing reception issues with the iPhone4 depending on how you hold it. Personally I am not seeing this issue - As the video above...

I know there have been a LOT of videos out there showing reception issues with the...

I know there have been a LOT of videos out there showing reception issues with the iPhone4 depending on how you hold it. Personally I am not seeing this issue - As the video above shows. Don't get me wrong I am not saying this issue is not happening to some people - just that it is not happening to all people. Here is what Apple said about the issue. (From Engadget)

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.

There are also many other post out there - Gizmodo has a post that has many videos showing people that do have the issue.

Here is my theory on this and mind you it is a long time since I worked with a Smith Chart (Yes I have an Engineering Degree - and was even the Chief Engineer at a company that made Quartz Crystal Oscillators - which are the heart of RF systems). I think this is a Stub issue where depending on what band you are on and the size of your hand, and the amount of muscle / fat in your hand / body you may or may not see this issue. Yes that sounds like voodoo - Welcome to RF engineering. One part science one part magic.

The following is as non-technical as I can make this. Antennas are tuned for specific lengths - known as Stubs - where if you hit the right length you get the best reception. However there are specific lengths that cause an anti-stub and these will actually cause total loss of reception. The way the system sees the antenna length will vary when external stimuli are introduced (you). How the circuit looks at you in addition to the circuit will depend on many factors - How big you are overall, the size of your hand, the make up of the fat / muscle in your body, and where you are touching the antenna. Some people I think are perfect anti-stubs and cause complete loss of signal. Others will have minimal to no effect. It is possible when (if) I loose 20 pounds - that my results above could change - just as they could change based on the Cell band the phone is on.

Again I have been away from the bench (RF Engineering) for a while - almost 10 years. So above is just my theory. I am sure others have their theories. And by no means was the above meant to be a RF Engineering 101 course - I leave that for Les Besser who I met a long time ago when just a college student and he pointed me to the RF world. Actually I reached out to Besser and Associates - the foremost authorities on RF engineering and they gave me the contact info of their Antenna Guru. If he replies back I will update this post with his thoughts.

Let me know in the comments below if you are having the issue with the reception of the iPhone 4 getting worse when you hold it in your hand.

Update 1: Engadget found their own antenna expert here is their post on this subject.

Update 2: Here is a link to my second video which shows me holding with the "Death Grip" for over a minute with Zero issues. Again not saying it is not happening to others - just that it is not happening to me. Obviously your results may vary.

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Tii - iTem 0134 - iOS4 is available for download

Wed, 23 June 2010

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Links Mentioned in this Episode:

A Better Sense of Who's Winning the Android-iPhone Horse Race | The Big Money

YouTube - STAR WARS I-PAD BRIEFING

Android Phone Users More Willing to Switch to IPhone, Finds Nielsen - eWeek

SIM to micro-SIM | Crave - CNET

iPhone Dev Team to offer jailbreak and carrier unlock solution for iPhone 3.1.3 and 4.0 OS

First WiMAX handset not Sprinting from stores - The Register

PCWorld - EVO not as fast as advertised

Apple's Worst Security Breach: 114,000 iPad Owners Exposed

microsim2sim 2010 | MicroSIM Adapter and Cutter shop 3FF mini-UICC

Google mobile ad chief fires back at Apple lockout - The Register

ATTs iPhone 4 Deals for Recent iPhone 3GS Buyers

ATT e-mail apologizes for iPad data breach | Security - CNET News

HTC EVO 4G and Droid Incredible suffering from unresponsive screen issues -- Engadget
"Hackers" Respond To AT&T's iPad Security Breach Email
Apple iPhone 4 Pre-Ordering Is a Total Disaster
iPhone 4 pre-order mess takes a sinister turn with privacy breach -- Engadget
iPhone 4, with 512MB of RAM, to offer 'robust performance' - Computerworld
ATT MicroCell use to count against data caps | Electronista
Is your iPhone 4 really reserved for next week | ZDNet
iPhone 4 has display supply issues, analyst says - CNET News
Forrester: iPad sales will plummet - Apple 2.0 - Fortune Tech
Apple Sells Three Million iPads in 80 Days
No Walk-In iPhone 4 Sales at ATT Retail Stores Until June 29th - Mac Rumors

Apps Mentioned in this Episode:
Tii App
Words with Friends
Spent on Apps
Fruit Ninja

Advertiser:
http://www.squaretrade.com/tii

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Pre-Ordering the iPhone 4

Mon, 14 June 2010

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Update5: 7:09 AM ET 6/16/10 - Looks like is at fault for most of the pre-order issues. One thing to make sure when putting in your phone number put it in as 9135551234 format - no...

Update5: 7:09 AM ET 6/16/10 - Looks like is at fault for most of the pre-order issues....

Update5: 7:09 AM ET 6/16/10 - Looks like AT&T is at fault for most of the pre-order issues. One thing to make sure when putting in your phone number put it in as 9135551234 format - no spaces or dashes - that seemed to work for some.

Update4: 10:47 AM ET - If you still can't pre-order from the Apple site - maybe you will want to try the new Apple Store App here - If that does not work then you can look at pre-ordering with ATT, Best Buy or Radio Shack:

att.com must pay up front
Best buys. 50.00 deposit
radio shack 50.00 deposit
Walmart will be selling the day of delivery 6-24
(Thanks Steph for sending that in)

No one has White iPhone4's - so it just looks like the Black Model at Launch.

Update3: At 9:00 AM ET lots of reports coming in about the Apple system being down or timing out. Just keep retrying. It took me three tries at 8:00 AM to get all the way through. Just looks like lots and lots of interest in the iPhone4. I am also getting people emailing in they also were able to reserve / order their iPhone - so you will get through - it just make take a few (dozen) tries.

Update2: You can as of 8:00 AM ET reserve or pre-order your iPhone4. However only the black iPhone is available for Reserving at the Apple Store for pickup. :( I hope Apple lets us change the reservation to the white iPhone on the 24th.

Update1: New link for reserving the iPhone added. Rumor is now 8:00 AM ET.

Sometime between 12:00 AM ET and probably 9:00 AM ET the iPhone 4 will be available to pre-order.

When it is available I will send out a push with the URL to pre-order and also update this post.

If you will want to pre-order for delivery to your house you will need to go here - http://store.apple.com/

If you want to reserve an iPhone 4 for pickup at your apple store you will need to go here - http://store.apple.com/us/go/iphone4

Right now the Apple reps do not know what time Pre-Orders / Reservations will start. But if the past is any indication it likely will be around sunrise on the East coast.

Again this post will be updated as soon as I have more info.

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Tii - iTem 0133 - WWDC 2010

Wed, 9 June 2010

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Links Mentioned in this Episode:
The Android Achilles Heel