Slashdot - News for nerds, stuff that matters Introducing The Death Hug: Only For iPhone 4 On Verizon - PCWorld As initially reported by iLounge, the Verizon iPhone 4 may exhibit the same alleged signal attenuation problems as the original iPhone 4, and then some. According to the video, the infamous “Death Grip” can still affect 3G signal strength on the updated CDMA handset. Additionally, a new two-handed landscape grip, cutely dubbed the “Death Hug,” will cause a similar attenuation to your WiFi signal. No word on if this is unique to the Verizon iPhone or if it was merely discovered on one. You may remember the media frenzy when early reports of the iPhone 4’s “Death Grip” were released. My prediction is that this “problem” will be similar to the last one: a lot of smoke, no fire.
QR Code QR code for the URL of the English Wikipedia Mobile main page, " QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) first designed for the automotive industry in Japan. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that contains information about the item to which it is attached. The QR Code system became popular outside the automotive industry due to its fast readability and greater storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. A QR code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square grid on a white background, which can be read by an imaging device (such as a camera) and processed using Reed–Solomon error correction until the image can be appropriately interpreted. History[edit] The QR code system was invented in 1994 by Denso Wave. Standards[edit] There are several standards that cover the encoding of data as QR codes:[5] Uses[edit] Mobile operating systems[edit] URLs[edit]
** Six Reasons Not to Buy the Verizon iPhone 4 - PCWorld CIO — Today is the big day; the Apple (AAPL) iPhone is finally available in the United States through a wireless carrier other than AT&T. Verizon Wireless's iPhone 4 smartphone can now be purchased in Apple Stores, Best Buys, Walmarts, and Verizon Wireless retail locations...while supplies last, of course. Verizon Wireless Apple iPhone 4 But I have a few things you might want to consider before dashing out to wait in line for a Verizon iPhone 4 of your own. 1) Verizon Apple iPhone 4 is "Old" Apple released the AT&T iPhone 4 on June 24, 2010, almost eight months ago. In other words, Verizon iPhone 4 buyers really aren't getting a "new" device, at least in my opinion. 2) No Simultaneous Voice/Data Transmission for Verizon iPhone 4 The Verizon Apple iPhone 4 is a 3G, CDMA/EV-DO Rev. Continue Reading
iPhone vs. Everybody: Battle of the Smartphone Death Grips - PCWorld Business Center When reports began flooding in that Apple’s new iPhone 4 suffers from a serious antenna problem that disrupts voice and data signals, Apple fired back at its critics and competitors by claiming that all smartphones have the same issue. But do they? To see how common a problem antenna attenuation is, we took the iPhone 4 and five of its top smartphone competitors into the field to put Apple’s claims to the test. Here’s what we found. How We Tested We tested five smartphones that compete with the iPhone 4: the HTC Nexus One (T-Mobile), the HTC EVO 4G (Sprint; not on 4G), the RIM BlackBerry Bold 9650 (Sprint), the Motorola Droid X (Verizon), and the Samsung Captivate (AT&T). Because signal loss has far more severe real-world implications in environments where cellular coverage is already poor, we decided to test in a weak signal environment that we had previously identified in our ongoing testing of 3G network performance. The voice-call tests were more subjective. Signal Loss Results
iOnApple: Apple suspends sale of iPhone 4 slide-on cases due to potential for scratching and cracked glass | Network World Back in October, Ryan Block of GDGT noted that slide-on iPhone cases could sometimes cause iPhone 4's to crack when tiny debris became lodged between the case and the rear of the device, which is made out of glass. Citing sources within Apple, Block explained that Apple was well aware of the "potential design flaw" and that a team of Apple engineers were working dilligently to accurately gauge the seriousness and potential impact of the problem. Whether it was overblown or not, the fiasco that was antennagate was a public relations nightmare for Apple that ultimately forced Steve Jobs to reluctantly get up on stage this past Summer and announce that all iPhone 4 owners would be eligible for free Bumper cases. At least one manufacturer has hundreds of thousands of battery pack cases that have been suspended by Apple’s stores, despite being certified by Apple’s “Made for iPhone” program. Some companies, however, are perplexed by Apple's actions and aren't aware of any problems at all.
The Verizon iPhone: Seven key facts you need to know Network World - Here are seven key facts you should know about the Verizon iPhone 4 before you decide to buy it. NEWS: But wait, there's more: Verizon iPhone available February 10, starting at $199 Fact #1: This is NOT a 4G LTE device Verizon launched its 4G LTE network commercially in 38 markets late last year. Instead, Verizon's iPhone 4 will run on its CDMA-based EV-DO Rev. SLIDESHOW: Apple iPhoneys: the iPhone 5 edition Fact #2: The iPhone on CDMA faces the same limitations as other CDMA phones CDMA phones face two key limitations that don't affect GSM phones. Fact #3: The Verizon iPhone 4 will cost the same as the AT&T iPhone 4 While there had been some speculation that the CDMA iPhone could cost around $50 more than the GSM iPhone, that has turned out not to be the case. Fact #4: We still don't know what Verizon iPhone 4 data plans look like Fact #5: Verizon says there will be no antenna issues
iPhone 4 Newbies: 10 Essential Tips and Tricks - PCWorld CIO — You soon-to-be Verizon (VZ) iPhone 4 customers can learn from the experiences of others. Take it from iPhone old-timers, you're about to enter a magical world of awesome apps running on the most simplistic, addictive device on the planet. Sure, the possibilities are endless. Now here's the kicker: The iPhone, dear readers, isn't perfect. 1. Quick, what's the first thing most new iPhone owners do? Most iPhone owners will tell you, though, that they've deleted more apps than they have on their phones. Remember, a game folder (or any folder) can only hold 12 apps, although you can have multiple game folders. Another problem with having too many apps on your iPhone is when you do a routine update on the App Store. [ Don't miss CIO.com's list of 15 must-have iPhone apps for newbies. | An iPhone translator app travels to Japan, reports CIO.com's Tom Kaneshige. ] That's not to say that there aren't some very important apps that you should download immediately. Continue Reading
Verizon IPhone Can Suffer Signal Loss If Held in 'Death Grip' - PCWorld Business Center Network World - An online report says that the Verizon iPhone 4 can experience the same kind of weakened signal when the antenna is gripped as some AT&T users experienced last year. The alleged "death grip" detunes and reduces (or attenuates) the signal, potentially dropping a call or slows a data download. It's not clear how common or serious either problem is. Detuning and signal attenuation are common to all smartphones to varying degrees, and don't always result in a dropped connection or a notably slow data download. A report on iLounge.com claims there is also now some evidence of what's now being dubbed a "death hug" for the phone's Wi-Fi link. FAQ: iPhone 4 antenna issue (Word of the possible antenna issues comes as Verizon is making the iPhone 4 available for ordering by the public this week.) After viewing the iLounge video of the death grip in action on a Verizon iPhone, antenna design expert Spencer Webb was not surprised.
Is iOS4, iPhone's new OS, a Battery Hog? CIO CIO — Does iOS 4 draw more juice than iOS 3? Short answer: yes, says Aaron Vronko, CEO of Rapid Repair, an iPhone and iPod repair shop. Since most people don't have a new iPhone 4, which comes with a bigger battery, most iOS 4 users are running it on an iPhone 3GS or 3G. This means you're probably experiencing less battery life if you upgraded operating systems to iOS 4. Keep in mind that an iPhone's main battery drain comes from the 3G radio and broadband chip, LCD screen, CPU cycles and, to a lesser extent, main memory (also called Mobile DDR). Here's the problem: Background apps are loaded into main memory where they're restricted to a couple of APIs for background processing. [ Find out if your iPhone battery is on death row, reports CIO.com. How much battery drain? Compare this with the iOS 3, where only a few proprietary Apple (AAPL) apps ran in the background. Multi-tasking apps also require extra processing. Continue Reading
How to Know if Your iPhone Battery is on Death Row CIO CIO — Apple posted details of its iPad battery replacement service earlier this week. Mind you,the iPad isn't even expected to hit the stores until April 3rd. Perhaps Apple has learned something from the battery life backlash that continues to plague its iconic iPhone. "The iPad's typical use scenario is sans power cord, whereas the power cord travels with the laptop," says Aaron Vronko, CEO of Raid Repair, which services broken iPods and iPhones and replaces worn-out batteries. "It's the biggest device to be used off the power cord most of the time. That makes the battery a huge factor in the success of this device and how it's received by its audience." Apple's iPad $99 battery replacement service is a bit of a misnomer; Apple will replace the entire iPad, not the battery. Already, the iPad battery has come under fire. Bad News: Your iPhone Battery Is Dying (A charge cycle covers the entire capacity of the battery. Continue Reading
iPhone Battery Life: Three Tips for Getting More Juice CIO CIO — The new iPhone's battery life, or lack thereof, has been a growing concern for users in recent weeks, leading to a smorgasbord of "tips" on how to breathe more life into the misbehaving battery. Sure, most of the tips will save juice—but some solutions don't prove too convenient. [ Anecdotal evidence suggests there are iPhone lemons in the market, reports CIO.com. | Apple secrets send one customer on a wild goose chase. ] Here are the upsides and downsides to the three most popular tips circulating now: Tip No. 1: Disable Power-Hungry Features The tip: Turning off power-sapping features such as Wi-Fi, Notifications and Location Services will save iPhone battery life. A more drastic measure:put the iPhone on Airplane Mode to disable all wireless features. The trouble: Turning off features or using them infrequently (such as checking e-mail hourly) saves power, but it doesn't make sense for most people. Tip No. 2: Don't Forget Your Battery Pack The Juice PackAir charges the iPhone.
Verizon IPhone Could Have Supported GSM, IFixit Says - PCWorld Business Center While the Verizon iPhone is a CDMA-only device, it actually has a chipset capable of supporting both CDMA and GSM.According to the team at iFixit, the CDMA Verizon iPhone uses a Qualcomm MDM6600 chip, the same chip used by the Motorola Droid Pro to connect to both CDMA and GSM networks. iFixit says that the chip supports 3G HSPA+ data rates that max out at over 14Mbps. Kyle Wiens, the cofounder of iFixit, speculates that the new iPhone doesn’t support GSM because it might have been “easier to design antennas for a CDMA-only phone” while also noting that “this phone supports two cellular frequency bands while Apple supports five bands in the GSM version.” Wiens says this is particular significant because it is “a sign that Apple may be considering unifying the CDMA and GSM iPhones in the future.” The Verizon iPhone: Seven key facts you need to know To continue reading, register here to become an Insider It's FREE to join The Verizon iPhone: Seven key facts you need to know