iPhone 4 is the Best in Its Class Despite Antenna Issue
7/29/2010 06:01:00 PM - 0 comments
Apple iPhone 4’s dreaded “hotspot”, a visible seam in the phones external antenna, is no longer an issue for voice calls. A recent test conducted by Walt Mosberg, personal technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal, indicated that “touching the hot spot doesn’t always ruin the call, even if it lowers the number of bars.” Mosberg added that deliberately touching the hotspot actually makes the signal-strength bars to rise. It still falls from three to one, but it doesn’t always stay that way. He said the bars now fluctuate.
In several instances during Mosberg’s six weeks of testing and continued use of the iPhone 4, he said he tried to cover the hotspot while he was on a call “and the call continued normally, strong and clear, even though the bars dropped to one or two.”
AT&T Coverage Causing Reception Problem?
Mosberg observed that he experienced too many dropped calls during his test. He attributed the problem to AT&T’s “heavily stressed network”. He added that the stunning rise in AT&T’s subscribers since the iPhone’s introduction in 2007 caused the network’s inability to efficiently handle voice calls. However, “in areas with average or strong AT&T coverage and capacity, the iPhone performs better than its predecessor and about as well as other AT&T smartphones.”
AT&T experienced a gigantic 5,000% rise in data traffic when it obtained sole carrier rights to the iPhones. It is for this issue that Mosberg “wouldn’t advise adopting (the iPhone 4) as your primary phone if you live, work or travel in areas with poor AT&T reception, or if you prefer a network under less stress.”
The Bumper and the invisibleSHIELD
Apple’s immediate action to fix the hotspot controversy, including the defect in its signal-strength bars, regained the people’s confidence in the iPhone 4. Mosberg believes that, “It is, overall, the best device in its class, for reasons including its ultra high-resolution screen, easy integrated video calling, slick software, strong battery life, a remarkably thin body, and a world-beating selection of 225,000 third-party apps.”
He added that the “bumpers” given away to every iPhone 4 users greatly reduced voice call problems even in areas with weak reception.
To further provide better experience to iPhone 4 users, Best Buy recently offered free invisibleSHIELD plus installation to every customer who bought their units from the store. For those who are not able to get the item for free, they can buy it for $9.99.
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