Free iPhone 4 Bumper App is Online
It is finally here, Apple’s promise to give users free bumpers to help fix the issue the faulty antenna. Of course, a bumper will not actually repair the mobile phone’s actual hardware, but it provides users with a way to use the smart phone without worrying about calls being dropped all of a sudden.
According to reports, the Apple iPhone 4’s antenna is prone to losing signal and worse, dropping calls. Many users have complained that the smart phone would often drop calls in the middle of a conversation, which was both wasteful of resources and also frustrating for people having the call. For a while, the cause of the issue was hard to pin down, and it was not until many people complained online that it was known that the antenna was the cause for the problem.
However, identifying the cause did not bode well for anyone, the only solution to a hardware problem that affects the hardware for all devices is a recall for all iPhone 4 units, and with over a million of the devices already purchased by consumers, it was a logistical nightmare that Apple did not want to wade into.
The solution came about 22 days later after the launch of the iPhone 4, a full three weeks after the device has been out on the market and almost as much time since users have identified the problem that plagues the device. Apple’s answer came in the form of an emergency conference where the problem has been dubbed as “antennagate”.
Steve Jobs took the stage and gave a rousing speech about how the issue is not really Apple’s problem but a problem for all phone makers. Naturally, it only took days before other phone makers countered Jobs’ arguments, stating that only the iPhone 4 has such as history and experience with so many dropped calls.
Apple’s iPhone 4 Issues could have been Avoided
The current state of things is: Apple has already sold over 1.7 million defective iPhone 4 units. The issue is something that cannot be easily resolved and in order to sort things out, Apple has already declared that they will be holding a press conference.
What makes things really tough to take in is the rumor that Apple was already aware that there was an antenna problem during the prototype testing of the handset. According to an informant from within Apple; the senior engineer, Ruben Caballero was told not to speak to the public about such matters. It is ironic however, as the rumors point to Ruben as the man who found the secret location in the first place.
Knowing that Apple could have prevented all of this from happening in the first place is a truly disappointing realization. After all, so many users has been affected by the omission of this one single step; had the iPhone 4’s antenna been okay, then no one would be worried about dropped calls and not massive lawsuits would need to be fired.
As to why Apple refused to listen to a chief engineer, no one can tell. But one can only assume that they are already deep in the production process when they realized that they could not afford to change the devices as they are.
In the meanwhile, millions of iPhone users are already looking towards the big conference, hopefully Apple would be announcing a solution to the issue and that a fix would be made available for users. Still, that is unlikely as it is believed that the hardware issue cannot be resolved by an over the air update. It is only a short while before Apple’s conference; we will finally get to find out what Apple has been up to regarding the issue.
iPhone 4 Problem List Grows Long, This Time the USB Port Catches Fire
Yet another problem has reared its ugly head, much to the dismay of Apple fans all over the world. The issues keep on piling up, possibly because these smart phones were wheeled out much quicker than it should have been before strict quality checks could be performed. This time, the issue has caused many a burned hand as iPhone 4 USB ports end up malfunctioning and catching on fire.
As if yellow screen blotches, dwindling reception issues and broken displays were not enough, now the device suddenly catches fire by simply plugging it in for a charge.
The USB malfunction results in a messy goo of burnt plastic and melted metal near the USB port. This looks to be the most dangerous flaw yet, leaving the owner with skin injuries and an expensive mobile phone paperweight.
According to reports, one such owner verified that he only plugged his device in to charge the iPhone 4 when its connection caught on fire. The owner of the toasty device then tried to return his dangerous mobile phone to Apple via their official store. Unfortunately, he went home with nothing due to the unavailability of a replacement handset.
Apple Store techs confirmed that the unlucky owner’s iPhone 4 did indeed have a malfunction when it was plugged in, which can be attributed to a defective USB port.
Because of all the bad publicity, Apple still refuses to go for a mass recall or give out freebies for their unsatisfied customers. At least they did offer a full refund to those who would rather be rid of their iPhone 4 devices, but this is hardly enough to address the prevalent (and now, utterly dangerous) issues that the initial iPhone 4 batches are experiencing. It is truly shocking the way that the mobile phone giant has skimped out on the quality of their fast selling device.
Apple’s Solution: Not Working
According to Apple, there is no problem with the antenna on the iPhone 4. The issue is that users are not able to make calls when they are in areas with low reception. Unfortunately, since the iPhone 4 (and all the other iPhones) are not able to show the proper amount of signal strength in a given location, users are unable to determine where they should be able to make a call.
Now that is basically how we sum up Apple’s recently posted letter regarding the iPhone 4 issue. In order to rectify the situation, Apple has decided that they would be releasing a new patch that would accurately depict the signal strength in a given area. This is hard to believe. Sure, Apple is pointing out a real problem with the iOS, but that is not the root of the antenna issue.
The root of the antenna issue is the antenna itself. The problem here is that the phone loses all reception when that antenna is touched by a hand. Hands apparently, have not been tested properly at Apple’s super sterilize laboratories. Apparently, a dirty, greasy hand is more likely to drain signal than newly washed hands wearing sterilized gloves in a tech room.
While Apple’s letter will not fix your iPhone’s antenna, here is a quick list of solutions that do work. First off, use nail polish. When we do not exactly recommend this tip that has been circulating the net, it does take minimum effort and is a great fit for those who do not want to resort to using a large case. And that is another solution; getting a case. Since this would prevent the hand from touching the antenna directly -that will no longer be an issue.
Lastly, unsatisfied users can return the handset within 14 days of purchase –and buy an Android smart phone instead.
Smart Phone GPS: Splitting the Demographic Map
Back then, people just needed any GPS. Typically, a standard GPS device would provide you with just as much information as other would. While some had extra features such as points of interests, the common features were all one and the same. Of course, the big defining factor was also the fact that the service was paid for.
But these days, getting access to voice guided sat nav is a simple matter of turning on the feature on your smart phone. Many Nokia handsets have the feature, and so does all Android smart phones that have GPS and use versions 1.6 Donut and above, like the popular HTC Desire.
Many believe that the emergence and growth of GPS on smart phone technology will be killing off companies such as Garmin and TomTom. While these may seem likely, the reality is far from such. Aside from the fact that Garmin and TomTom are established, reliable and well respected brands in the GPS industry, they also cater to a very specific market of people who cannot afford to switch to the free GPS services offered by mobile phone makers: professional who need very accurate GPS services.
These include the police, delivery personnel, medical response teams, and other groups and institutions that have to rely on “paid” maps –maps that they can count on (or sue the company if the data contained is misleading or incorrect).
While Nokia and Google’s maps are often more than enough for the average person, they are also not accountable for the accuracy of the data they supply.
With that said, it is obviously more than enough for the average person to use the free voice guided sat nav services as opposed to having to pay a monthly service (with the average cost of a high end smart phone –it is something that is almost expected now). According to recent news, free GPS is now being brought to the iPhone thanks to Skobbler.
Disney to Establish Footing in iPhone App Development
It looks like the iPhone OS is going to be the next gaming platform that Disney Interactive is setting its eyes on.
Disney has already been an established brand in the video game market –especially in the past few years. With their purchase of the Kingdom Hearts license from (then) Squaresoft (now known as Square Enix) to the development of the Disney Interactive studios that focuses heavily on creating games internally. This latest game, Epic Mickey is an expansive third person adventure game for next generation consoles.
Now, it appears that Disney is seeing the value of games on smart phones and would like to start creating their own apps particularly for the Apple iPhone. Their Apple-preference is seen in the acquisition of Tapuluous, the developer of successful iPhone apps such as Tap Tap Revenge. Tapulous is not just a well known app developer, but they are also an established Apple supporter. The choice to get Tapulous is also quite strategic; the company is currently working on social games for the iPhone.
In any case, this makes purchasing an iPhone 4 (or sticking to the older iPhone 3G/3Gs) a pretty nice alternative for any Disney fans –because with this, no official Disney apps will be released for other platforms.
So far, there has been announcement as to exactly what apps and games will be made available for the iPhone -though some expect some tie-ups with existing console titles or even some functional apps that provide insight into the history of Disney and its works.
In many ways, it is not surprising to see Disney making such a move. The entertainment company has always been at the forefront of the industry and with smart phones becoming a heavily influential media channel –it is natural that Disney would step into the industry as well.
AppleCare Up and Ready to Handle iPhone 4 Reception Complaints
Everyone knows that the iPhone 4 has topped all the mobile phone sales charts. In fact, it sold a whopping 1.7 million units just this weekend. Unfortunately, the device has also, gotten quite notorious for its signal issues and screen blotches. That being said, it comes as no surprise that a lot of clever lawyers are encouraging people to band together for a class action lawsuit against the mobile industry giant.
Since modern consumers are more savvy about the gadgets they buy, the concept that Apple might have made a very poor design decision has been accepted easily. The antenna seems to have been placed in an unforgiving position for those who are left handed.
While Apple has kept quite mum about the way they designed their iPhone 4 units, they have at least prepped their customer care representatives for the number of incoming complaint calls:
"Keep all of the positioning statements in the BN handy – your tone when delivering this information is important."
It seems that AppleCare representatives are still supposed to push suggestions about changing their customers’ grip in order to improve the iPhone 4’s performance. To solve the reception problem, all the customer has to do is to avoid having skin contact with the black strip attached to the metal band’s lower-left corner.
Or buy a Bumper so they can hold the unit any way they want. No freebies will be offered to customers though and no trouble shooting will be performed unless the problem occurs while the iPhone 4 unit is laying flat on a table.
Because the issue does not seem to have stopped people from buying their products, Apple is not recalling first batch units or even trying to appease anyone. Would this lack of concern be the core argument of impending lawsuits? We will have to wait and see.
Apple iPhone 4 Parts Breakdown: Estimated Cost of 125 GBP
That might seem cheap, but the Apple iPhone 4’s parts practically sum up a total cost of 125 GPB. Of course, that is just the parts alone, while it may seem like Apple is making a killing with every single iPhone they are selling –and with over 1.7 million units sold in a span of just three days of sales, one can only do the math and wonder. Of course, the fact that Apple is pricing every iPhone at a hefty 499 Pounds (for the 16GB version) will make people think that the folks at Cupertino are money hungry evildoers.
In some ways, they are, but no so ruthlessly that they would charge so much for a phone that is cheap to make. The estimated 125 GBP cost for parts simply covers parts and nothing else, but there is so much more to how a smart phone gets designed. First off, the development and design teams spend months and even years working on the technology, prototypes, testing and plenty of work is first done before the phone is finalized and ordered from manufacturers to be produced in bulk.
Of course, the parts will need assembling and you have to consider the packaging cost. End users have to take all of these components into account for the price and not just the cost of the parts.
Still, this study does shows that replacing the iPhone’s touch screen and internal memory will be costly. At the same time, it is surprising to know that the high speed processor actually has a rather cheap price.
According to experts, Apple is still able to make a substantial earning for every iPhone that is sold and that the Cupertino based company is currently one of the companies with the largest income reserves, second only to Microsoft.
The iPhone Gets its Next Big Hit in the Form of Predator
Chillingo, the guys who brought the iPhone gaming community hits such as Monster Mayhem and Pro Zombie Soccer, has gotten lucky when they acquired the rights to release a movie tie-in game title. The highly popular UK publisher has tied up with Fox Digital Entertainment for the first time for this project and they hired Angry Mob to develop the game to perfection.
This title is none other than “Predator” and the game follows the franchise’s latest movie. Since the actual film is set to be shown in theaters this July 9, then it is almost guaranteed that the game will get a lot of attention. Add to the fact that there are very few iPhone titles meant to be played by the older generation and you have got a winning combination.
The unlikely partnership has resulted in quite a bloody game title for the Apple iPhone. Not only is the theme gritty, you will also be able to make use of the Predator’s numerous deadly weapons and skills. These include the sharp and efficient throwing blades, shoulder mounted rocket launcher, capture guns and more. You will be able to experience the world in the eyes of this famous sci-fi creature, viewing things in thermal vision, laser sight and using stealth cloak to surprise your prey.
Since the game play is reminiscent of the movie, you can be sure that it will be bloody. Chasing after helpless humans will often result in a bloody mess, filling up the screen with gore. This is definitely not a title for the young ones, but true Predator fans will have plenty to be pleased about.
The game has a total of 24 levels which gives a significant amount of content for the Apple iPhone or iPhone 4. This will showcase a 3D isometric view mode, virtual stick controls and a whole lot of action to go around.
Nokia’s N8 Handset: Not Quite the Symbian Super Phone
It seems that Nokia is also intent in making a foothold in the high end smart phone market range. For many years, Nokia has stayed on top of the game by dominating the mid to low range markets. While they would also release the occasional super expensive high end smart phone, they were easily outmatched by Apple’s iPhone and the newer Android smart phones.
The release of the Nokia N8 Symbian^3 smart phone is considered to be a defining point for Nokia, as they try to show the industry that they can dominate on all fields, sadly the N8 does not cut the cake as it was supposed to do.
In terms of form factor, Nokia’s got all the futuristic edginess right, except when it comes to the slightly awkward looking back side of the device. The 12 mega pixel camera juts out at a very unattractive bulge that makes it seem that the camera was just jammed into the handset at the last minute.
The 3.5 inch OLED capacitive touch screen display gives gloriously beautiful graphics. While not on the same level as Samsung’s super AMOLED screen, Nokia still manages to push their technological weight around. The biggest thing pulling the phone down is the slow ARM 11 680MHz CPU. While the core is essentially not slow at all, it still pales in comparison to the high speed Snapdragon and ARM Cortex A8 CPUs that are clocked at 1GHz.
In the end, Nokia is successful in making a great mid range handset that brings plenty of value for the cost. As a high end device however, the N8 still lacks plenty in the power department, and the Symbian^3, despite being already open source, still has plenty to go before it can compete with the Android OS.
If Nokia makes more phones like these, then the mid range market will be a three way contest between the Symbian^3, Bada and Android OS.