Is the iPhone Death Grip an Issue on Every Phone?

We've all been making fun of the iPhone 4 antenna problems for quite some time now. You know the one, where left-handers loose signal strength when they try to actually talk on their iPhone 4's.

It turns out that the iPhone 4's "unique new antenna design" may not be the cause of the problem after all. The electrical conductance of human skin combined with the signal blocking ability of the human body can combine in a sort of "perfect storm" which can cause a dramatic drop in signal strength. Unfortunately, the iPhone 4's antenna design seems to facilitate the conditions needed for this "perfect storm".

That doesn't mean that other phones are immune. Take, for example, my Nexus One running the latest radio from Korea. As the video illustrates, holding the phone "just right" causes a near-immediate drop of two bars -- half the signal strength!




After some experimentation I was able to figure out just how to hold my Nexus One to cause the bars to drop by one or two at will. This may add some credibility to Steve Job's statement that "you're holding it wrong". Then again, I had to try dozens of different "holding techniques" in both hands -- which took about 20 minutes -- to find out exactly how I needed to hold the phone to replicate the "death grip". (Maybe it doesn't give him that much credibility after all.)

What this does show is that the human body does a good job both conducting and blocking electromagnetic signals. If you're experiencing a drop in bars, using a Bluetooth headset may be your best option -- that way you don't have to touch the phone at all.

Via: (PocketNow)

Video: Sprint Samsung Intercept Unboxing & Hardware Tour

In this video, we take a look at the successor to the Samsung Moment, the Samsung Intercept, for Sprint. The budget Android 2.1 device features a 3.2-inch WQVGA TFT LCD touchscreen display, sliding QWERTY keyboard with great tactile keyboard, and an 800 MHz processor--placing it higher than some mid-range devices like the HTC Aria but lower than the 1 GHz CPU on the HTC EVO 4G. The device comes with a 2 GB microSD memory card, 512 MB ROM/256 MB RAM, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and optical joystick.



The Intercept is an interesting device as it attempts to replace the Moment, which had a devout albeit niche following. In many ways, the Intercept is an improvement over its predecessor--it sports a more modern body that is compact, comfortable, and lightweight. However, there are some things that Samsung had cut out to make the device affordable at just under $100 with contract--a full $80 less than the original price that the Moment debuted at.

Some of those omissions include a lower resolution screen at WQVGA compared to the HVGA on the predecessor, LCD instead of AMOLED screen, and plastic rather than glass for the touchscreen. In use, however, you won't be too bothered with some of these like the plastic instead of glass and LCD may be a better technology for outdoors use and readability under direct sunlight than AMOLED, but keen eyes may notice some pixelation on the screen with the lower resolution screen.

Additionally, rather than supporting the faster Sprint EV-DO Rev. A network, the Samsung Intercept only works on the slower 3G EV-DO Rev. 0 protocol. We'll explore more about browsing speeds in the next video, but for now, budget conscious users have another great 3G-capable Android smartphone to choose. The Intercept packs a lot of punch and if you're willing to compromise a little, the price may be just right for you. Great keyboard, a number of included Sprint apps and services for no additional subscription costs, GPS, good call quality and capable browser, as well as a good 3.2-megapixel camera all help to highlight the value of the device at just $99. The device is available in either steel grey or satin pink colors.

The Intercept ships with Android 2.1, though an upgrade to Android 2.2 should be available at some point in the future.

Via (PocketNow)