The Hippest Phones » Shortcoming

iPhone 4 antenna woes contextualized by dude in the know

Vlad Savov — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:47:00 +0000

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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Verizon announces software update for Droid Eris coming in 2010

Greg Kumparak — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:14:22 +0000

While Verizon might not be shoving the HTC Droid Eris down our throats the same way they are with its Motorola-made sibling, the Droid, the Eris is still one slick little piece of mobile kit. What it lacks in form factor (that is, a physical keyboard), it makes up with its drop-dead-gorgeous Sense UI. The [...]

Wearable ContourHD cam gets lens kit and waterproof housing accessories

Dave Freeman — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:40:46 +0000

Devin recently reviewed the ContourHD 1080p, a wearable HD camcorder designed to be worn during activities that would cause other camcorders to self-destruct. One thing it couldn't do, however, was go into the water (though it resisted some splashing). It's not designed to be waterproof out of the box, which definitely could be a problem for divers, rafters, or other water-sport enthusiasts. The makers were clearly aware of this shortcoming, and they've come out with a waterproof housing that will protect the camera to a depth of 10 meters.

Toshiba TG01 to get the WinMo 6.5 treatment

Greg Kumparak — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:24:27 +0000

While the TG01 is kind of a beast on the hardware front, the software is sorely lacking. 4.1″ WVGA touchscreen? Yes please. HSDPA, WiFi, and a 1GHZ Snapdragon process? Heck yes! Windows Mobile 6.1? Er, we’ll pass. But fear not, current and potential TG01 owners: Toshiba’s fixing that shortcoming as best they can. Toshiba has just [...]

Geek Weekend: Columbus, Ohio

Scott Merrill — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:30:07 +0000

Geek Weekend is a continuing travel series about geeky things to do in cities around the world. Want your city featured? Write us at tips@crunchgear.com. It's a common opinion -- even amongst its residents -- that Columbus, Ohio is "Cow Town, USA" with nothing to do. As a life-long resident, I disagree emphatically with that notion. Columbus is the 15th largest city in the United States, and the greater Columbus area has just under two million residents. Columbus is within a half-days drive of over half the U.S. population, making it easy to reach for many people, as well as making it a good layover for a long drive to another destination. Tourism related sales were $7.2 billion USD in 2007, and according to a Longwood's International Study the central Ohio region had 55.6 million trips in 2007: 44.3 million day trips, and 11.3 million overnight trips (so the answer is "Yes, people do visit Ohio!"). The Ohio State University, which has anchored Columbus for more than 130 years with a rich history, has more than 50,000 students, which brings a wide variety of activities to town, including arts and cultural events, and concerts at the Newport Music Hall and the Schottenstein Stadium. If you can't find something to do in Columbus, the shortcoming is your own, and not the city's! Be that as it may, I'd like to share a short list of my own favorite features around Columbus.