RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss • Hacker News Board

Re: RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss

#51

Post by nixy » Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 4:12 PM UTC

Tichy wrote: post #14

nixy wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jobs clearly stated that the demo of bars being dropped on other brands of phones was done in an area of bad network reception. If people try the death grip with good network reception they won't see any drop in bars. As I understand, this is the same for the iPhone 4.

In the real world, sometimes there is bad network reception. Then there are people who can still make calls in that area, and people who can't.

Yes, but that might account for why this guy isn't able to reproduce the bar drop.

Re: RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss

#52

Post by edster » Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 4:25 PM UTC

grandalf wrote: post #49

MWinther wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just like there are people not being able to reproduce the problem on their iPhone 4.

Point?

The point is the single data point you are providing. Finding iPhone 4 users with this same data point of not having a problem point to the fact the you entirely missed the point.

Re: RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss

#53

Post by glhaynes » Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 4:35 PM UTC

Ask the average iPhone 4 user: would you rather have the new antenna design, which generally considerably outperforms the old design (not to mention all the side benefits such as making the device so thin and strong), or would you like a design like the 3GS back, which outperforms the 4 in one specific circumstance that doesn't seem to affect most people in real usage?

Re: RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss

#54

Post by edster » Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 4:36 PM UTC

grandalf wrote: post #47

sigzero wrote: post #26

Did you notice RIM didn't deny it?

I can't reproduce it on my bb curve 9800

point?

Re: RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss

#55

Post by underdown » Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 5:00 PM UTC

dieterrams wrote: post #31

statictype wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you've missed the point. With the iPhone 4, it's possible to reproduce this issue by holding the phone in a very natural way. The fact that other phones also lose reception but only if you hold them in a special way clearly isn't a problem - if it were it would have created a big stink. And if you think people are deliberately making a big production out of this to screw with Apple, then why wasn't it done wi…

Ugh. We know it's easy to intentionally reproduce the problem. But the only data anyone has suggests that, in practice, it doesn't seem to be affecting people much, just like I'm sure deathgrips aren't affecting BB users much. Can we move on from Antennagate now? Maybe talk about Erlang instead?

I dropped a ton of calls before getting a case. That being said the real scandal here has zero to do with the antenna and everything to do with Steve Jobs ham handed response. If they just owned up we wouldn't be tAlking about it as the fix is pretty simple and effective. I suspect jobs didn't because he saw the antenna as a feature instead of a bug.

Re: RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss

#56

Post by moxiemk1 » Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 5:01 PM UTC

DougBTX wrote: post #8

bombs wrote: post #5

If the antenna is internal (and invisible) how many would even realise they were affecting it in any way? Apple drew a lot of attention to its antenna, both in terms of design and marketing, so how many people reported problems after deliberately trying to screw with it? I just made my iPhone 3GS, Blackberry 9700 and Nokia N97 all drop a couple of bars by covering their internal antennas with my palm. I expect this t…

The point is that you can have the same effect on an iPhone 4 with your pinky.

Though the ease of producing the problem on the iPhone 4 is very real, this argument annoys me:

No one touches their pinky over that line in normal use. Does it cause a problem? Yes. Does anyone just sit there with one finger on the side of the phone? No.

Instead, say that a grip natural to a large number of users causes signal loss.

Re: RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss

#57

Post by glhaynes » Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 5:03 PM UTC

gaius wrote: post #15

jsz0 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They showed a video of the Bold 9700 having a death grip issue which probably also effects very few people in real world usage. (13% of 9700 owners based on this site's poll)

I have a Bold 9700 and have never had a problem of this kind.

That's the thing: if you try, and hold it at the right place, you probably could have a problem. (In the right location and network situation.) In practice, you most likely don't — or, you do rarely have the problem, but don't trace it to that cause, just as the vast majority of network problems on phones aren't traced to their cause: people just try the call again.

The same is true of the iPhone 4. It's just easy to find the exact place where it happens on the iPhone because it's basically marked.

Re: RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss

#58

Post by qq66 » Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 6:19 PM UTC

moxiemk1 wrote: post #56

DougBTX wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is that you can have the same effect on an iPhone 4 with your pinky.

Though the ease of producing the problem on the iPhone 4 is very real, this argument annoys me: No one touches their pinky over that line in normal use. Does it cause a problem? Yes. Does anyone just sit there with one finger on the side of the phone? No. Instead, say that a grip natural to a large number of users causes signal loss.

What? I don't have an iPhone 4 but the way I hold my phone, all of my fingers are on the left side of it. I would touch the "spot of death" every time I made a call.

Re: RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss

#59

Post by DrJokepu » Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 6:36 PM UTC

moxiemk1 wrote: post #56

DougBTX wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is that you can have the same effect on an iPhone 4 with your pinky.

Though the ease of producing the problem on the iPhone 4 is very real, this argument annoys me: No one touches their pinky over that line in normal use. Does it cause a problem? Yes. Does anyone just sit there with one finger on the side of the phone? No. Instead, say that a grip natural to a large number of users causes signal loss.

I do touch the line with my pinky in normal use all the time. Maybe I have an abnormally shaped hand, I don't know. That being said, I love my new iPhone 4, I'm a new convert from Android and I don't really have reception problems.

Re: RIM on Apple's claims of Blackberry Bold signal loss

#60

Post by grandalf » Sat, Jul 17, 2010, 6:43 PM UTC

edster wrote: post #52

grandalf wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Point?

The point is the single data point you are providing. Finding iPhone 4 users with this same data point of not having a problem point to the fact the you entirely missed the point.

I thought that with any iphone 4 in all but the strongest signal areas it was possible to cause a decrease in measured signal by doing the death grip.