Jul 28
The power of today’s technology –particularly media, is quite immense. Take Apple’s Antenna issue, which they ‘addressed’ a couple of weeks ago with a quick emergency conference that debuted an antennagate song, Steve Jobs’ latest excuses and several allegations about other mobile phones, manufacturers and the phone industry in general with regards to antenna technology.
Before, it would have taken plenty of time before each company would be able to have their say and for members of the mobile phone community to be able to tell each other about individual findings. Now, thanks to the internet, all it takes is a week or even less to get word around.
Anyway, last week was full of official statements and indirect comments from other mobile phone manufacturers disagreeing with Apple. Now a private research company based in Germany, Stiftung Warentest, has announced that the iPhone 4’s antenna issues are unique.
And this is more than just trying to make simple calls on the phone and occasionally touching the handset’s exposed antenna. The German research company has put the iPhone 4 in a serious battery of tests to see how much signal is really lost when the device is touched or held.
According to the results, 90% of signal strength is lost when the antenna is touched. While it is common to lose a certain degree of signal power, losing 90% is just too much. No wonder that that iPhone 4 has a big history of dropped calls even though the device has only been launched recently.
On average, mobile phone users operate in an environment where the signal strength is not perfect. But at any strength well over 50%, one would still expect a smart phone to be functional and even handle a phone call (not minding voice quality that is); to see that Apple’s device will not work unless the actual signals are perfect, than the iPhone 4 is certainly designed with a major flaw.
Jul 26
Apple’s signature bumper cases have now become an indispensable companion to the iPhone 4. Considering the reception problems their poor design has caused and the amount of negative press they have garnered recently, Apple is taking a more proactive approach to solving consumer problems.
For those who do not know, they have recently announced that there will be an issuance of bumper cases at no cost in order to improve the performance of the Apple iPhone 4. For any user who has previously bought an official bumper case, a rebate may be applied for at official Apple Store branches, those who remain dissatisfied may still return their units for a full refund within 30 days of purchase.
That being said, it seems that these same bumper cases are no longer available for purchase from the company’s online store. The price displayed has even been switched to zero and a note confirming that Apple is fulfilling their promise to its users is posted at the bumper’s product page:
“iPhone 4 Bumpers are currently unavailable for sale.
Apple will offer a free iPhone 4 Bumper or other select cases to iPhone 4 customers. Details on how to order a free Bumper or case will be available soon on apple.com.”
Also, some of those who have bought a bumper case from the online store have received an email from the company informing them of their respective purchase refunds being processed automatically.
Since the number of iPhone 4 toting customers are in the millions range, Steve Jobs said that Apple’s bumper case supply is not enough to meet the demand. The removal of iPhone 4 bumpers from the online store, along with the production of new cases, seems to be a step in the right direction to make sure everyone is satisfied with their Apple product.
Jul 23
Apple has been putting the antenna of the N97 Mini to test in a recently uploaded video that shows the signal bars on the Symbian smart phone dropping from a full 7 down to 2 bars just by being held in the hand. While this may seem like collaborative evidence to the argument that Apple is presenting, they are taking the whole concept out of context.
Sure, looking at the video might seem like Apple was right all along. But many are forgetting the fact that the Nokia N97 Mini has been out since last 2009. That has given Nokia owners more than enough time to air whatever possible complaints they may have. So far, the only issues that Nokia has had to contend with are some firmware freezing issues that were easily resolved (most likely left over from the more unstable firmware on the original non-mini Nokia N97).
Simply put, the N-series handset does not suffer from the antennagate issue. Never has Nokia ever needed to pull an emergency press conference to explain their handsets, nor does the N97 Mini need to be used with a casing to work properly.
The biggest clincher would have to be the fact that even if the signal drops to a lower bar, it is not enough to drop calls. Maybe, bringing the N97 Mini to a very low reception area might suffice for a dropped call. But in almost a year of use, N97 Mini owners has never had a problem with dropped calls (else they would be openly complaining about it).
Apple presents a very intriguing argument for anyone who is not too familiar with the facts and the nature of the problem. And in that regard, they would succeed. But misdirection can only go so far –particularly when they are dealing with devices that are already tried and tested.
Jul 22
Since last February, Microsoft has been exciting many smart phone users with the promise of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 operating system. The new platform is dynamic, geared towards social networking and has plenty of new features that are bound to make previous critics of the Windows Mobile OS see MS in a brand new light.
However, in these past couple of days, the excitement for the new OS has turned into apprehension as the developer copies have been shipped out and the initial reactions are quite the opposite of what was originally expected.
In terms of looks and feel, the new OS’ user interface is everything that Microsoft originally demonstrated it to be and a little more. Everything runs smoothly –in fact, some could say that it runs better than the demonstration videos. But there are some crucial factors missing.
These factors are multitasking and “cut and paste”. According to Microsoft, users do not need these features and that adding them in will only sacrifice the handset’s performance.
Anyone who was tried out the Apple iPhone would be quick to say rubbish, and they have every right to do so. When the iPhone OS first launched, multitasking and cut-and-paste were two major features that we not included in the operating system. Users had to demand and beg Apple –which eventually relented; cut and paste came out early, while it took over two years to get multitasking as an available feature.
Microsoft needs to learn from Apple –or at least, Apple’s mistakes. There is not point putting the Windows Phone 7 OS through a similar problem, especially that the industry already knows the possible outcome as well as what the market needs.
With the developer copies of Windows Phone 7 already released, expect to know more about this new OS in the coming days.
Jul 20
Apple certainly has a tendency for making enemies, and this time, they managed to gain the ire of the quiet folks at RIM.
Seriously now, does Apple really care about other companies in the industry? Steve Jobs said in his emergency conference that he and the folks at Apple have considered getting a “wall of PR” to shield them from the troubles of having to deal with issues such as the antenna problem. They certainly ignored the issue long enough, but they still need a good PR crew to stop them from saying things that would offend plenty of people
For those who missed on the emergency Apple conference held last Friday, Steve Jobs decided that the problem with the iPhone 4 was not a rare problem and that other mobile phones were prone to losing signal.
This comparison, however, is exaggerated. After all, all mobile phones will lose a couple or so bars of signal if held in a certain way. But it is only the Apple iPhone 4 that loses signal so badly that calls actually get dropped. Regardless, Jobs still decided to say that the BlackBerry Bold 9700 was also prone to the issue “just like the iPhone” –a comparison that the folks at RIM cannot take sitting down.
According to the chiefs at RIM, they have been working hard at developing and manufacturing products that provide the world with high quality devices. This includes all aspects of product design which includes the technology that they use for antennas. To their credit, not a single BlackBerry handset has ever suffered from antenna issues.
Apple certainly was not in a position to bring in a BlackBerry handset in the event. The CEO’s of RIM also stated that, “One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity”.
Jul 19
It was only a short while ago that the new iPhone iOS 4.0.1 update has been released and aside from a new color scheme for some side applications, the biggest addition here is the fact that Apple has changed how the device would calculate the signal for users.
With the new OS update, the signal bars rarely ever show a full signal; which is quite odd for locations where other devices are working just fine. Apple has also made it easier to see how low the signal for an area is by adjusting the sizes of the graphics to show slightly larger bars than usual. It seems that Apple really wants to emphasize that with the iPhone 4, getting a good signal is no longer a possibility.
But is this really the solution to the iPhone 4 antenna problem? It is not. The device would still drop an ongoing call if a certain part of the handset was pressed during operation. This would have been okay (or at least, less of an issue) if it was an obscure part of the handset that was not often touched. However, the part is an exposed piece of plastic where the metal antenna boarder around the device connects to the phone –it is situated in an area that is prone to be touched if the handset is held with the left hand.
Apple has even stated that users are simply “holding the device wrong”, ignoring the fact that the problem still lies with their hardware.
Many users tired of waiting for an actual solution that works, have resorted to using more creative ideas in improving the performance of their device. Some would cover the antenna with some tape while others have reported that a small coat of nail polish is enough. Others simply place the handset in a protective case which prevents the antenna from being directly touched.
Jul 13
It has been a short while before the launch of the Apple iPhone 4 and already, we are seeing the first signs of Apple’s influence on the World Wide Web. As much as the tech industry respects and would want to live by the words that Adobe gave us: “the internet is not controlled by anyone”, it is hard to admit that Apple is at least, a very influential force.
With their latest handset easily selling over 1.7 million in just three days (and thus, we can only wonder how many have been sold by now), it is hard to say that Apple’s restrictions are not setting a new standard. Despite the fact that there are significantly more people using other smart phones with other operating system, the fact that even big companies are adapting to the new handset is astounding.
Take YouTube for example, now this is a famous web service that is technically owned by Google -a rival for Apple. They originally used Flash content for their site, but since Apple’s iPhone does not support Flash, YouTube has had to adapt HTML5 as the new format for its mobile site.
It may seem like a small victory for Apple, but it is significant. YouTube is a standard, the fact that Apple users once needed to have special apps means that the argument regarding the use of HTML5 as a new standard over Flash was hard to prove. But this goes against exactly that.
While it may seem illogical for Google to prove Apple correct about HTML5, they cannot afford to alienate over 1.7 million users from being able to tune into the largest depository of user generated video content on the internet.
In the meanwhile, both Google and Adobe have reported that they are working on their own development software and support for the HTML5 format.
Jul 09
It seems that T-Mobile is busy training their staff to handle the most basic calls, questions and complaints about the upcoming Apple iPhone 4. While other network operators have already outsold their stocks, T-Mobile is still awaiting theirs. And according to this report, it seems that their stocks are about to arrive pretty soon.
The Apple iPhone 4 is much sought after handset. Despite some of the initial complaints regarding the device, there is no doubt that the iPhone 4 is a cult icon –or at the very least, it is continuing the legacy that has been set by the 3G. For a couple of years now, the iPhone has become the symbol and face of the smart phone industry. Despite the fact that RIM and Android devices are actually more spread out, there is no other smart phone in our society that is more recognizable.
T-Mobile’s sales personnel are being trained to answer three top questions about the Apple iPhone 4 as well. The first is how to take out the SIM card 
from the handset (which is actually quite confusing if a user is not instructed). The second is how to properly switch off the device and more importantly, how to turn it on. Lastly, they are being instructed how to deal with customers having issues with the whole iTunes and iPhone connectivity. After all, computer proficiency is something that is really hard to come by these days.
Surprisingly, there are no comments about people complaining about the handset’s infamous antenna issue. For those unfamiliar with the case, it seems that a significant number of iPhone 4 owners have observed that accidentally touching the antenna on the side of the handset will kill off the signal. Unfortunately, anyone who uses their left hand to hold the device and bring it up to their ear is likely to touch this exposed antenna –and accidentally cause the call to be dropped.
Jul 07
The fact that smart phones come with GPS features is a pretty well established fact, and the fact that Apps such as Tom Tom’s GPS navigation feature exists for the Apple iPhone means that even the established sat nav service companies recognize the value of the hardware that a typical smart phone offers.
But when companies such as Nokia and Google announce that they will be offering sat nav services for free, it certainly changes the perspective on what technologies people should be investing in.
Just several years ago, GPS was still in its infancy and having a dedicated device in a vehicle was a sign of luxury. Now, it is a near requirement for people who need to get to locations fast without having to spend much time learning new directions (or having to stop and ask for them). GPS is slowly becoming a basic necessity. And just as companies such as TomTom and Garmin have started growing, the advancement of sat nav services also grew for smart phones.
More than just location based services Nokia and Google are able to offer full, voice guided turn by turn navigation with additional features such as live traffic updates, weather conditions and even points of interest.
This however is not going to kill companies such as TomTom and Garmin. But they will have to turn to other markets. Unlike Google, sat nav companies compile their own maps. While community based maps often contain plenty of great local information, their reliability is not one that Google is able to assure –unlike that of a professional GPS service.
Of course, while the average person does not need that much accuracy, professionals do. This means that people who seriously need sat nav –such as delivery personnel, emergency volunteers, law enforcers, fire fighters and the like will still need devices such as TomTom’s onboard GPS units.
Jun 09
Previous models of the Apple iPhone have fast become the solo device for on the go connectivity and entertainment. Due to the fact that so many people own an iPhone, it has the advantage when it comes to the sheer number of people in its default market.
Aside from listening to music, watching videos and surfing the internet, iPhone users have been found to enjoy various “pick up and play” games. Many casual game developers have been thriving on game apps they make for the Apple crowd. Even Nintendo, the world’s leading casual game company, has recognized the Apple device as worthy competition for their own Wii and DS game platforms.
With the upcoming iPhone 4, what lies in store for Apple fans all over the globe?
Gaming will inevitably get better on the iPhone 4 due to the inclusion of its built in gyroscope. This allows for sensitivity based gaming controls which are able to detect the angular velocity, rate of rotation as well as the user acceleration. This seems to have been included specifically for the casual gaming crowd. Apple says that these will provide “an even better gaming experience.”
The upcoming Apple device makes use of a three axis gyro that works with the iPhone 4’s built in accelerometer. If compared to the Nintendo Wii’s Motion Plus controller, the Apple device has a definite advantage because only a two axis gyroscope (tuning fork) is installed in the Motion Plus.
Think of it as the middle ground between the Motion Plus and the Sixaxis controller for the Playstation 3. This definitely opens up a whole new world of gaming for the Apple crowd but will it catch on? It may not have been a hit on the console market but it can surely make waves with the portable gaming crowd, considering the number of games already utilizing the accelerometer.
