iPhone More iPhone 4 release woes!

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by scottjl

well. i had the reception problem. i took one of those silicone bracelets, you can wrap it around the iphone. it blocks the buttons but doesn't depress them. and my signal issue is resolved. cheaper than a "bumper" from apple. but disappointing they didn't resolve this before the phone was released. going to give it a few weeks for the various cases to be released then find one i like. i have to remove the band to plug it in and charge it, but not a big deal. on an up-note there are plenty of colors available. lol.

You have the problem (sorry ) but the poster above does not.... Poster says that they feel some kind of "film" on the metal band.... Crazy I know, but has anyone tried "painting" clear fingernail polish over the band? Or at least in the problem areas? I think it might be worth a try if there are any brave souls out there.......

[HarryT]

I'm pretty sure that ALL iPhone 4s have this issue. Whether or not you actually see it depends how you hold the phone.

[JWLaRue]

...and likely the natural capacitance of your hand......

-Jeff

[varase]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Got my iPhone 4 today after queuing for over 6h at the local Apple Store (I hadn't pre-ordered). Happy to say that mine appears not to have either the screen defect or the reception issue.

Ditto ... though I've ordered Apple's $30 rubber band to insure I don't have issues when my palms are sweaty.

[scottjl]

well.. according to this article some 3gs models are also having an issue. apparently it's a software problem related to the updated baseband. what doesn't make sense though is that the 3gs has a different cellular modem than the 4g. so they can't both be running the same firmware.

i'm giving it until thursday, and if i'm still not satisfied, the phone is going back. my silicone bracelet trick is fixing the problem for me. but still annoying. i could get one of those cheap cases, but apple should have noticed/addressed this problem in engineering. that or gave cases out with the phone for free.

there is no "film" over the metal band as far as i can tell. a friend of mine applied black electrical tape to the band on his phone and says his problem is resolved, and that it looks good. i've already ordered a skin from bestskinsever.com which should hopefully be here in a day or two. if it doesn't resolve my problem without the need for the case the phone will probably go back.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by scottjl

if it doesn't resolve my problem without the need for the case the phone will probably go back.

Might it not be better to wait for a week or two and see what solution Apple come up with? It's such a great device overall, it seems a pity to lose it for the sake of a relatively minor inconvenience.

[Kolenka]

Originally Posted by scottjl

well.. according to this article some 3gs models are also having an issue. apparently it's a software problem related to the updated baseband. what doesn't make sense though is that the 3gs has a different cellular modem than the 4g. so they can't both be running the same firmware.

i'm giving it until thursday, and if i'm still not satisfied, the phone is going back. my silicone bracelet trick is fixing the problem for me. but still annoying. i could get one of those cheap cases, but apple should have noticed/addressed this problem in engineering. that or gave cases out with the phone for free.

there is no "film" over the metal band as far as i can tell. a friend of mine applied black electrical tape to the band on his phone and says his problem is resolved, and that it looks good. i've already ordered a skin from bestskinsever.com which should hopefully be here in a day or two. if it doesn't resolve my problem without the need for the case the phone will probably go back.

Yeah, I've gotten a chance to play with one that does have the problem, and the metal band feels the same as mine. So there probably isn't a film. What I'm noticing though that is the tape trick only mostly fixes it. Your upload speed is still impaired, but not nearly as much as with nothing there. It feels more like a capacitance effect, not a conduction one. The tape gives your finger or hand just enough extra distance to eliminate most of the effect, but you really need about 3 layers of electrical tape to eliminate it. Reception isn't the problem either, that is mostly unimpaired when covering that part of the phone. But your upload is what gets horked, causing the signal loss and failed calls.

I've even found a location where my phone will reproduce it, and it won't in other locations, so there is definitely something involved with the frequency used on the towers nearby, or the signal strength.

[drofgnal]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

You have the problem (sorry ) but the poster above does not.... Poster says that they feel some kind of "film" on the metal band.... Crazy I know, but has anyone tried "painting" clear fingernail polish over the band? Or at least in the problem areas? I think it might be worth a try if there are any brave souls out there.......

Not sure I'd do that. The solvent base of fingernail polish could also attack any plastic that it may come in contact with. You'd need to be extra careful not to get any on the plastic parts.

[Kolenka]

Originally Posted by drofgnal

Not sure I'd do that. The solvent base of fingernail polish could also attack any plastic that it may come in contact with. You'd need to be extra careful not to get any on the plastic parts.

The only external plastic I'm aware of is the small bands around the glass I think. Those might even be hardened rubber though.

Apple's been phasing out plastic in a lot of their product casings. The white MacBook is really the only product they still ship that has any large amount of plastic left in the case. They are using more rubber in places they would have previously used plastics.

[Mark_C]

I have one of these: iPhone case

At £3.99 (UK) free delivery, I can't see why I would buy a "Bumper" from Apple. It's a good fit, quite grippy, offers full coverage for the back of the phone, and comes in several colours for those who wanted something different from the ubiquitous black, and crucially perhaps, covers the sensitive parts of the antennae.

[HarryT]

Yes, there are loads of iPhone cases available for under £5 on eBay. I've got a couple of different ones on order myself, which are due to arrive today. One is a "skin", similar to the one that Mark's illustrated above, and the other one's a leather case. I'll try both and see which one suits me best.

eBay prices do make Apple's £30 bumper look a little crazy.

[junkyardwillie]

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by HarryT

There are lots and lots of very cheap iPhone 4 cases on eBay. I've ordered a couple of different ones to see what works best.

Originally Posted by varase

Ditto ... though I've ordered Apple's $30 rubber band to insure I don't have issues when my palms are sweaty.

Originally Posted by Mark_C

I have one of these: iPhone case

At £3.99 (UK) free delivery, I can't see why I would buy a "Bumper" from Apple. It's a good fit, quite grippy, offers full coverage for the back of the phone, and comes in several colours for those who wanted something different from the ubiquitous black, and crucially perhaps, covers the sensitive parts of the antennae.

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, there are loads of iPhone cases available for under £5 on eBay. I've got a couple of different ones on order myself, which are due to arrive today. One is a "skin", similar to the one that Mark's illustrated above, and the other one's a leather case. I'll try both and see which one suits me best.

eBay prices do make Apple's £30 bumper look a little crazy.

with this particular problem, surely the solution is one that Apple should be finding and paying for ....

why, after paying for this mobile phone, are you paying for your own solutions ?

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

with this particular problem, surely the solution is one that Apple should be finding and paying for ....

why, after paying for this mobile phone, are you paying for your own solutions ?

I agree. I do think folks are simply doing stop-gap measures so they can continue to use it. But, at some point Apple is going to need to step up to the plate and deal with it. I am sure there is turmoil behind the scenes (is design to blame? Vendor?....etc) but there needs to be a real statement soon, not just hearsay.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by GeoffC

with this particular problem, surely the solution is one that Apple should be finding and paying for ....

why, after paying for this mobile phone, are you paying for your own solutions ?

Because, even though Apple are sending me a free bumper, I don't like the bumper. It provides no protection for the screen whatsoever. I always like to have nice cases for my devices.

I've just received my £4 black leather flip case from eBay and it's great. Provides good protection for the phone, looks good - and solves the reception issue.