Hasta La Gadget!

There appears to be a very good reason why the iPhone 4’s new FaceTime video-calling app only work on Wi-Fi: On a cellular network, it sucks.

Mike Prospero of Laptop Magazine used the HTC EVO to turn a 3G (not 4G) connection into a Wi-Fi hotspot, tricking the iPhone into making a FaceTime call over the cellular network. The second iPhone was on regular Wi-Fi. The result, as you’ll see if you check the non-embeddable video that accompanies the post, is painful. If you have ever had a bad, stuttering Skype call you’ll know what to expect: audio breaks up, and calling the choppy images “video” is charitable to say the least.

“Audio came through only in patches, and video was like a slideshow at best,” says Prospero. Poor video performance over 3G isn’t limited to FaceTime, either. Tests of Qik and Fring show similar problems. Clearly, cellular networks aren’t up to the task just yet.

So what of FaceTime’s future? I have a feeling that the iPod Touch will be getting an iPhone 4-style makeover at the usual September iPod event this year, and will incorporate FaceTime. Thanks to the Wi-Fi limitations, this feature will be at parity with the iPhone. And then, surely, it will come to the iPad, too.

You know how everyone is on Skype and FaceBook because everybody else is on Skype and FaceBook? The same thing will happen for iOS devices as soon as people get a little bit of FaceTime. When the cellular networks finally catch up, they’ll realize that they have become nothing but dumb pipes for shifting data.

We Use iPhone 4’s FaceTime over 3G (Sorta) [Laptop Mag]

See Also:

• Video: iPhone 4 Looks Gorgeous, But FaceTime Face Plants
• Surprise: Wi-Fi Only FaceTime Doesn't Use Cellular Minutes …
• Apple Unveils High-Resolution, Videoconferencing iPhone 4
• Showdown: iPhone 4 vs. HTC Evo 4G

Screen capture from Laptop Mag’s Video

Three Apple job postings for iPhone / iPad antenna engineers to “Define and implement antenna system architecture to optimize the radiation performance for wireless portable devices.” All three were posted on June 23rd, the same day that we started seeing widespread reporting of the left-handed reception issues. Coincidence?

[Thanks, Abe]

Apple hiring iPhone antenna engineers for some reason originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ever since Apple decided to do little about the iPhone 4’s pronounced reception issues except suggest that users hold the thing differently and / or buy a nice case, the voodoo engineering remedies have been flying in full force — sure, we’ll admit we tried sticking some tape over the side of our phone (no dice), but we stopped short when people suggested we try a couple coats of nail polish (insanity). Even we have limits, after all. But the latest snake oil fix is definitely the craziest we’ve heard so far: according to a 13-page (and growing) thread at MacRumors, the iPhone 4’s reception issue can be fixed by adjusting or even trimming the micro SIM so the contacts don’t touch the metal tray. The popular belief is that touching the side of the phone somehow shorts across the micro SIM, causing (mumble mumble) and leading to dropped signal. Making things more interesting, Apple and AT&T are apparently using several different types of micro SIMs, including one with a significantly larger contact area — you can check a shot of two of our iPhone 4 micro SIMs side-by-side after the break.

So does all this hocus pocus actually work? In a word, no. We tried it on a few of our particularly bad iPhone 4s — the ones that consistently demonstrate the issue — and achieved no meaningful results. We even went so far as to line the edge of one of our trimmed micro SIMs in electrical tape (pictured above) to ensure that no contact was being made, and we were still able to flatline the phone using the “death grip.” Sorry folks — we wanted this to work too, but it looks like people are just being hopefully optimistic. We’d say the real fix is going to have to come from Apple — and given the growing discontent over this relatively severe issue, the sooner the better.

Continue reading Does adjusting or trimming the iPhone 4’s micro SIM fix the antenna issue? Probably not.

Does adjusting or trimming the iPhone 4’s micro SIM fix the antenna issue? Probably not. originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Following the The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg reports that Verizon is launching an iPhone early next year.

Bloomberg cites multiple anonymous sources who claim Verizon will begin carrying the iPhone in January 2011, ending AT&T’s exclusive partnership with Apple.

Bloomberg’s report follows The Wall Street Journal’s article in May, which claimed that Apple is scheduled to produce CDMA iPhones this September. CDMA is the standard used by Verizon iPhones.

Technology publications and analysts have speculated about a Verizon iPhone for years, but the stipulations of Apple’s exclusive contract with AT&T remain unconfirmed. However, it’s notable that two mainstream news outlets are now claiming a Verizon iPhone is due soon.

In response to Verizon iPhone rumors in May, AT&T said during an investor conference that the company was not intimidated by a Verizon iPhone because discounted family and business plans would make it difficult for subscribers to transition multiple devices to a new carrier.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

See Also:

• AT&T Sees No Threat in a Verizon iPhone
• Apple’s Contract With AT&T Does Not Quash Verizon Rumor
• Big Chunk of Verizon Customers Would Switch to an iPhone
• Verizon iPhone ‘Unlikely’ in 2010, Says Analyst

Photo of an AT&T iPhone 4: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

The iPhone 4‘s massive launch hasn’t been blemish free, with reports of spotty displays (which seem to have disappeared) and antenna woes being rather widely reported. Well — it looks like it’s possible there’s another issue too — this time with the proximity sensor. Now, we’re no strangers to spontaneously turning on speakerphone with our faces (though admittedly our cheeks are pretty round), so it’s hard to say if this is an iPhone 4-specific issue, but the mounting reports would suggest that it’s possible the new handsets sensor is a little bit… over sensitive. Reported issues include accidentally disconnecting calls, throwing the speakerphone switch, and putting people on hold accidentally. What about you? Are you having problems with your iPhone 4’s proximity sensor? Let us know in the comments.

Is the iPhone 4 having proximity sensor troubles? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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