4:00 PM Others try and get their hands around Apple's antenna issue

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

July 20, 2010

1 Min Read
iFail: Mixed Signals

4:00 PM -- Antenna makers and other smartphone vendors are starting to weigh in on the signal fade issue surrounding the iPhone 4.

Antenna designer SkyCross Inc. says that it knows how Apple could mitigate the problem of signal fade with the new phone. The vendor notes, in a release, that the antenna in the casing on the iPhone 4 is "exposed to the user’s touch," so the possibility of a tight grip affecting the signal strengh "is magnified due to the conductive nature of human skin on these metal antenna elements."

SkyCross claims that there is a relatively simple fix that could be applied when the phones are made: "A non-conductive coating could have been applied on the metal ring around the iPhone 4 to protect the exposed antennas from unintended signal attenuation when the user’s hand crosses the so-called 'antenna gap.' "

The fix for all the phones already out there is still a piece of tape over the exposed antenna gap or a case. I'm still holding out for an Apple-branded roll of duck tape, myself.

Meanwhile, other smartphone makers are getting annoyed by Apple's claims that their phones also experience signal fade when gripped the wrong way. You can read Sarah Ready's story on the separate responses from Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), BlackBerry , and Samsung Corp. to the Apple claims here.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile

About the Author(s)

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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