Analysis Archive

  • iPhone 4 antenna woes contextualized by dude in the know

    iPhone 4 antenna woes contextualized by dude in the know

    Posted on June 25, 2010 | No Comments
    It's the ultimate of ironies that Apple's externalized antenna array in the iPhone 4 -- hoped (and hyped up) to finally give us a phone every bit as good the rest of the device -- has become the cause of most rancor in the immediate aftermath of the handset's release. This morning you'll be rubbing both sleep and disbelief out of your eyes as you read that Apple's response to some people's reception problems with the 4 is to hold it differently. But, before we start ostracizing Apple as the singular offender here, let's hear from a man in the know.

    Spencer Webb runs AntennaSys, a company that designs tailormade RF solutions, and has himself worked on making quad-band transceivers for AT&T. As he tells it, almost all phone makers have now transitioned to locating their antennae at the bottom of the phones. This has been in order to move radio wave emissions away from the head (a shortcoming that a top-mounted aerial would incur), which the FCC has been quite demanding about with its SAR standards --
    The iPhone 4, however, moved the antenna action from the back of the phone to the sides. This probably improves the isotropy of the radiation pattern, but only when the phone is suspended magically in air.
    Another great point made here is that testing done both by the Federales and mobile carriers might include the head, but never accounts for the presence of the person's hand. Thus, although a phone's antenna could test very well, it might suffer from such issues as those experienced with the iPhone 4. Mind you, this still seems like an assembly (rather than design) problem to us, since most of our editors haven't had any reception worries and we in fact saw improved performance on that front while conducting our review testing. Spencer himself has decided to buy the phone knowing full well about this potential limitation, and concludes on the note that "sometimes an antenna that's not great, but good enough, is good enough."

    iPhone 4 antenna woes contextualized by dude in the know originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 03:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Brookstone mobile site augmented with video

    Brookstone mobile site augmented with video

    Posted on June 24, 2010 | No Comments
    Brookstone, the specialty product retailer in malls across America, recently rolled out an updated mobile website complete with video to augment product descriptions. The site was developed by Usablenet, the same folks that recently worked on the Marks and Spencer mobile site. The site follows the footsteps of the Marks and Spencer site, and offers another good point of reference for successful mobile design, in case you needed "inspiration" for your own mobile design efforts.

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  • Epic Symbian^3 review published, notices it’s lagging behind

    Epic Symbian^3 review published, notices it’s lagging behind

    Posted on June 24, 2010 | No Comments
    If you like detail as much as you like Nokias, then this news is going to make your day: Mobile Review have posted one of the most thorough overviews of an OS that I've ever seen. The OS in question is Symbian^3, Nokia's latest build of their tried-and-true OS, and the final Symbian OS to grace an N-series device.

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  • Freshly open-sourced, final Froyo build now rolling out to lucky Nexus One owners

    Freshly open-sourced, final Froyo build now rolling out to lucky Nexus One owners

    Posted on June 24, 2010 | No Comments
    You crazy kids and your Nexus Ones. It looks like the final Froyo build (FRF83) is now being rolled out as an over-the-air update. This update supersedes the previous Froyo build (FRF50) that was rolled out to a limited number of Nexus One handsets for testing.

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  • Is the Android Market down for you? (update: it’s back)

    Is the Android Market down for you? (update: it’s back)

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    As I began the process of tearing into our brand new Droid X review unit, I ran through the nearly endless mental laundry list of all my favorite Android apps. “I’m totally going to install all of these“, I thought. Only one problem: The Android Market wasn’t showing any apps. None. No Yammers, no Yelps, [...]

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  • Hands-On with the Motorola Droid X (With Video!)

    Hands-On with the Motorola Droid X (With Video!)

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    I just had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Motorola’s latest addition to their Android lineup, the beastly Droid X superphone, and man-oh-man, is it glorious. It’s not exactly unique; it’s nearly identical to Sprint’s EVO 4G, both in appearance and specifications — but given how well the EVO 4G has been received [...]

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  • Apple crashed FedEx

    Apple crashed FedEx

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    A note on the FedEx tracking website notes that “Package deliveries are proceeding as normal, however tracking updates are temporarily being delayed. Please try back later.” Why? Because you people keep refreshing the tracking site, that’s why! Don’t worry, though. Your package won’t end up on a desert island with Tom Hanks. Shipments are going [...]

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  • Apple: White iPhone 4 Won’t Be Available Until Second Half Of July

    Apple: White iPhone 4 Won’t Be Available Until Second Half Of July

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    Apple just released a statement saying that the white iPhone 4 will not be available until the second half of July due to manufacturing challenges. It's unclear from the statement what those challenges are. Apple said that the shortage of the white iPhones will not affect supply of the more popular black models. But for those of you who were pining for a white device, you will have to wait until the second half of July. The iPhone 4 was available for pre-order in Black starting June 15. At that point, it was assumed you'd be able to purchase the white model of the phone in stores on June 24.

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  • Confirmed: Verizon to launch Droid X, the first slim Droid sans keyboard

    Confirmed: Verizon to launch Droid X, the first slim Droid sans keyboard

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    We’re live at the Droid event in San Francisco and we’ve just spotted a Droid X banner. Check this post for updates on the new phone live as it happens.

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  • Droid X to launch with Android 2.2?

    Droid X to launch with Android 2.2?

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    Take it with the finest grain of salt for now (which, given that the Droid X is going to be announced in about an hour, shouldn’t be a big deal), but we just got a bit of a last minute tip regarding Verizon’s newest addition to the Droid line. According to our tipster, Verizon is doing [...]

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  • N8 to be Nokia’s last Symbian-powered N-series phone, Meego FTW

    N8 to be Nokia’s last Symbian-powered N-series phone, Meego FTW

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    Nokia's flagship phones, the N series, are about to undergo a change. The next in line, the N8, will be the very last N series device to run Symbian OS. From the N9 onwards, N-branded devices will run the Linux-Foundation-backed Meego.

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  • Live from Verizon’s “Next Generation of DROID” Event

    Live from Verizon’s “Next Generation of DROID” Event

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    Whether we’re talking about the EVO-challenging Droid X or the QWERTY-sliding Droid 2, Verizon’s had one hell of a time keeping the latest additions to their Droid lineup under wraps lately. Of course, just because some of the juicier details have already spilled out doesn’t mean Verizon won’t make a big fuss when they’re ready for [...]

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  • Pre-paid MiFi coming to Virgin Mobile 28th July

    Pre-paid MiFi coming to Virgin Mobile 28th July

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    If you're sick of contracts, and after a simple way to get your WiFi device online while on the road, then this could be of interest to you. Next week, Virgin Mobile will offer the Novatel MiFi 3G router for $149, ready to be paired with your choice of pre-paid data block, with prices ranging from $10 for 100MB up to $60 for 5GB.

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  • Apple’s failure is your gain: User iPhone 4 reviews flood the Internet

    Apple’s failure is your gain: User iPhone 4 reviews flood the Internet

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    What’s the difference between a tech pundit and some dude who likes the iPhone? Not much, actually. That’s why I’m glad to see that, thanks to Apple’s inability to release units on the right day this week – it appears FedEx didn’t hold the shipments and basically bombed them out like they would for everyone [...]

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  • Video: a fresh look at Windows Phone 7

    Video: a fresh look at Windows Phone 7

    Posted on June 23, 2010 | No Comments
    Microsoft held a little gathering in New York City last night, where they showed off the progress being made in Windows Phone 7. The big upshot of this is that Into Mobile were there to capture a video of some demo-time with the new OS. It's the first video I've seen of the OS running on real (albeit pre-production) hardware, and it gives you a good idea of the feel that Microsoft were going for with their new UI. I've been a fan of the UI since I first saw it, and I really like the fluid feel and the gorgeous transitions (which are, to me, the highlight of the video).

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