reception

Mobile
February 20, 2012
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Settlement reached in iPhone 4 ‘Antennagate’ suit

By on February 20, 2012 at 8:30 PM.

Settlement reached in iPhone 4 ‘Antennagate’ suit

A settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit targeting the iPhone 4’s antenna and reception problems, reports CNET. U.S. residents who bought the handset will be offered either $15 or a free bumper case, however the offer is only valid for those individuals who did not take advantage of Apple’s previous offer. The settlement comes from 18 separate lawsuits that were consolidated into one, all claiming that Apple was “misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4–particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software.” Original buyers will be notified via email before April 30th, or they can visit http://www.iPhone4Settlement.com, although the site is not yet live. After the notifications are sent, the claims period will last for 120 days. More →

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Mobile
August 31, 2011
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T-Mobile may offer free signal boosters to stop subscribers from fleeing

By on August 31, 2011 at 9:00 AM.

T-Mobile may offer free signal boosters to stop subscribers from fleeing

T-Mobile intends to offer cellular signal boosters to customers looking to switch carriers due to poor reception at home, according to T-Mobile watcher TmoNews. The move appears to be part of a new program intended to slow service quality-related cancellations, which are apparently a significant problem for the nation’s No. 4 carrier. Beginning on September 7th, T-Mobile will seemingly begin offering in-home signal boosters “when a customer triggers for cancellation of service due to poor in-home coverage,” according to a purported leaked internal memo to T-Mobile staff. The memo also warns that signal boosters should never be offered to customers as an incentive when closing a sale. In order to take the signal booster, which will be free of charge, customers will need to sign a new 2-year service contract and it is unclear if they will be permitted to test the level of improvement afforded by the booster before signing. More →

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Breaking
July 14, 2010
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Apple holding press conference this Friday

By on July 14, 2010 at 8:42 PM.

Apple holding press conference this Friday

Apple Logo-Black + White

It appears as though Apple will be holding a press conference this Friday, July 16th, at 10AM Pacific Time to finally — officially — address the iPhone 4 antenna circus issue. Invites were sent out this evening to media outlets around the country. What do you think Apple is going to say?

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Apps & Software
July 2, 2010
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Apple nixes 10% restocking fee on iPhone 4 returns

By on July 2, 2010 at 4:57 PM.

Apple nixes 10% restocking fee on iPhone 4 returns

iphone-4-low-signal

Computerworld is reporting that Apple has temporarily suspend their standard 10% restocking fee for returns of the iPhone 4. Computerworld writes:

An AppleCare support representative who gave her name as “Erica” confirmed that the restocking fee had been ditched. The restocking fee is also central to at least one of several lawsuits that consumers have filed this week against Apple, alleging that the company shipped defective iPhone 4s to customers.

Comptuerworld’s report comes hours after Apple released a statement about the iPhone 4’s reception issue. The article writes: “iPhone owners can return their phones to any Apple retail store or to the company’s online store for a full refund within 30 days of their purchase. For online customers, the 30-day calendar starts flipping when the iPhone is shipped, not when they receive it.” And the hits keep on a comin’. More →

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Mobile
June 30, 2010
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Apple looking to hire antenna engineers

By on June 30, 2010 at 11:16 AM.

Apple looking to hire antenna engineers

Apple Logo-Black + White

Lost in all of the buzz surrounding the iPhone 4 antenna fiasco was the fact that Apple has three new job listings for antenna engineers. Well, that is until Engadget unearthed them after sitting unnoticed since June 23rd, or one day before the official launch of the iPhone 4 and the very same day that the now infamous reception issues came to light. Here’s a little snippet from the job description.

“Define and implement antenna system architecture to optimize the radiation performance for wireless portable devices […] The The candidate should be able to design antennas suitable for wireless handheld devices with excellent radiation performance […] Work closely with other RF and antenna design engineers, mechanical and industrial designers, and EMC engineers to integrate the antenna design in our products.”

Irony, we love you so!

Thanks, Zachary! More →

113 Comments
Exclusive
June 29, 2010
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Leaked: Apple's internal iPhone 4 antenna troubleshooting procedures

By on June 29, 2010 at 4:35 PM.

Leaked: Apple's internal iPhone 4 antenna troubleshooting procedures

iPhone-4-1

The antenna issues plaguing the iPhone 4 have infuriated many iPhone users (and rightfully so), but have you ever wondered how Apple is training its employees to deal with the fiasco? Well thanks to one of our Apple connects, we now know the exact procedures AppleCare reps must follow when dealing with any reception complaints regarding the iPhone 4. Hit the jump to check them out. More →

443 Comments
Legal
June 29, 2010
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California firm sizing up iPhone 4 class action suit

By on June 29, 2010 at 8:37 AM.

California firm sizing up iPhone 4 class action suit

iPhone 4

Recently, California law firm Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff, LLP placed an ad on their website looking for users who “recently purchased the new iPhone and have experienced poor reception quality, dropped calls and weak signals.” The firm, who as Gawker points out, “sued Facebook and Zynga over scammy gaming ads” looks to be sizing up the Cupertino company for a class action suit. We’re sure there will be more on this one as it develops.

[Via Gawker] More →

121 Comments
Mobile
June 28, 2010
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Nokia reaffirms the fact that its devices can be held any way

By on June 28, 2010 at 2:52 PM.

Nokia reaffirms the fact that its devices can be held any way

Screen shot 2010-06-28 at 10.55.16 AM

Ah yes, we love when companies throw PR digs at each other. Today, Nokia has taken the opportunity to throw a proverbial chair at Apple by reminding Nokia users of all the different ways there are to hold a Nokia cell phone. Nokia Conversations — the official Nokia blog — has posted an illustrated guide that recommends several grips you can use to grasp your Nokia device. It is in the last few sentences of the post where Nokia ditches the subtlety and cuts to the chase: “…feel free to ignore all of the above because realistically, you’re free to hold your Nokia device any way you like. And you won’t suffer any signal loss. Cool, huh?” Well-played Nokia, although, in light of recent events, it might not be wise to throw stones from a glass house.

[Via MobileBurn] More →

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General
June 24, 2010
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That iOS 4 reception issue is looking more and more like a software bug

By on June 24, 2010 at 1:23 PM.

That iOS 4 reception issue is looking more and more like a software bug

ios-4-reception-issue

Much fuss has been made about the iPhone 4’s reception woes, but the evidence continues to mount that suggests the problem is purely the result of a bug in the current build of iOS 4. As proof, a YouTube user has posted a video of his iPhone 3G, held in a similar fashion as the iPhone 4s in the YouTube videos we showed you yesterday, losing signal strength as soon as it is clutched. As this did not happen with iOS 3.0, this suggests a software bug which affects the signal meter the user sees. Even more interesting is the fact that despite displaying a weak signal — and in some cases no signal at all — many users report that the iPhone 4 is still able to make calls as if nothing were wrong. Hit the jump to check out the video then give us your thoughts! More →

255 Comments
General
June 7, 2010
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Is the EVO 4G plagued by poor Wi-Fi reception?

By on June 7, 2010 at 6:01 AM.

Is the EVO 4G plagued by poor Wi-Fi reception?

htc-evo-4g

It certainly seems that way. All across the interwebz, proud new EVO owners are saying they’re having a horrible time when it comes to Wi-Fi signal strength. Some users claim to only have 1 bar of signal regardless of their proximity to a router, while others say that you need only be a few feet from a router to have the signal bottom out. It is not clear whether or not the issue is hardware or software related, although it appears that transmission speeds via Wi-Fi are relatively good when in range of a router. We’ve reached out to Sprint for comment, but so far all we’ve been told is that they’ll have their team investigate the matter and get back to us. In the meantime, how has your EVO been fairing in the Wi-Fi department?

Thanks, TJ! More →

70 Comments
General
August 4, 2008
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Nokia E71-2 reception issues? Mmm

By on August 4, 2008 at 12:38 PM.

Nokia E71-2 reception issues? Mmm

There’s word on the big bad Internets that the E71-2 is having a bit of reception problems. If you’re a Nokia fan, you know that’s pretty hard to believe. But, we can tell you that the E71 does in fact suffer from a horrible reception problem. While our Bold and iPhone 3G are constantly on 3G, our E71 has never even picked up a 3G signal. Additionally, we’re only getting 1 bar on EDGE sometimes! What’s the quick fix? Well, as dumb as this may seem (though the out of place bright red power button is pretty damn dumb), the only place to integate the cellular radio antenna was on the bottom back. It’s pretty much the only roomy place on the device where there is no metal. If you’re suffering from reception issues with the E71, try this… first, completely cover the bottom back plastic piece with your hand, and check out the number of bars you have. Then, grab the phone just at the very top by the ear piece, and hold it for a couple seconds. Did your reception just skyrocket? Yeah, ours too. There’s only one issue with this… most people, you know, hold the phone in their hand because they want to… uh… use it. Anyone out there finding the same thing? Hit us up!

146 Comments