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In a very short version of what is going on… Apple just today released a statement that they have been apparently calculating signal strength incorrectly on their devices. That is why the drop in signal is so much more drastic when compared to other phones in a similar “death grip.”

Personally I think it is great they finally just SAID something about it. Basically they admitted there is some sort of problem and are going to try a software fix to address it (so far).

What is retarded though is that the Apple haters continue to spew their garbage. Let’s get one thing clear… I love Apple, but if there’s a problem, I’m patient enough to wait for them to address it in their way before flying off the handle and pretending to be an iPhone engineer on the internet that knows more about their device than they do. Then again, I’m also smart enough to take a product back for a refund (or exchange) if I am not happy with it… go figure.

I’m not saying it’s a hardware issue or a software issue. But if Apple wants to try a software update first, let’s do that. How about we just keep an open mind about what the issue might be? If it turns out people still have as much trouble with it, it just might end up being a hardware problem. But in no way is anyone entitled to say “I told you so” because people DON’T FUCKING KNOW. If you didn’t design the iPhone or haven’t been working with cell phones and antennas and cellular technology all of your life, your opinion in this matter holds absolutely zero value as to what the actual problem is.

I can accept that it might be a hardware problem and Apple may have a large batch of bad products out there (many people don’t have problems, so it can’t be all of them). Why can’t the haters accept that it just might be a software issue? Is that so hard?

I’m not saying there isn’t a problem with the antenna… but I will say it is a bit overblown. It does obviously affect some users more than others (I have no issues but know of a couple people that are affected). But what is the real course of action here? How would people that are unhappy about this send a message to Apple?

RETURN YOUR PHONES.

I don’t understand why people continue to bitch and moan about antenna problems in a device they just bought when they can simply return the device for a full refund. Problem solved. Apple doesn’t get any of your money and you can then get something else that will work better for you.

Whining about it on the internet to all of the news blogs is useless. I’ve even seen a story about a Class Action Lawsuit in the making already… WHY?! Why do people instantly think lawsuit? Have people not learned that the ONLY people that benefit from a Class Action suit are the lawyers? I mean that… as a user, in part of that lawsuit, you would MAYBE end up with $5-$10 worth of Apple Store credit – which they would presumably mean for you to purchase a Bumper with. How much would the lawyers get? MILLIONS. In cash.

What do you do if you’re in the middle ground? Maybe you really like the phone but are just a bit annoyed at the antenna problems you may be having. In that case you should probably just be patient and wait to see what Apple’s real response will be. Not the whole “non-issue” thing from Steve. Wait for the first software update. Wait until they make another statement. If you can be patient enough, there may be a fix.

But if you’re going to piss and moan about it on the internet, no one (myself included) cares or wants to hear about it anymore. Then again, I’m thinking most of the people posting to the news blogs don’t even have an iPhone 4 but would rather just be attention seeking whores…

Really short version: it’s awesome.

The rest…

The 3GS was my first iPhone… so I was bit late to the game in a way. I had owned a first generation iPod Touch a while back and fell in love with the apps (once the App Store opened). I knew I had to be able to get more use out of it on more than just wifi. So as soon as my Helio contract was up in 2009 (ya, I had Helio, an Ocean actually – it was cool for like a month – then the iPhone came out), I upgraded immediately.

I loved the 3GS. It took all of my favorite things about the Touch and made them better. And at the same time it gave me so much more utility than the Touch since I could use it on a cellular network now. A while back when supposed pictures of the newest iPhone leaked (even before the whole Gray Powell thing) I knew I wanted it. The design sold me immediately. I suppose you could say I like the industrial look. One thing I also realized is that there’s not a single Droid device that I really like cosmetically. They’re … OK, but nothing really draws me to them. The iPhone 4 is different.

Getting beyond the aesthetics for a minute, my absolute biggest gripe with the 3GS was its camera. A lot of other people said it was fine, but I guess my expectations were a bit high. I didn’t care for it at all. Rarely used it actually – only when I just wanted to get a quick snap of something and didn’t care about the quality. The iPhone 4 already beats the 3GS in the camera department by leaps and bounds. I really don’t care how many megapixels are in a camera – I just want nice, clear pictures. It could have 20 MP for all I care, but if the pictures turn out like crap, who cares how big they are? So far so good with the 4. Note: I have not yet tried video recording (need something to record first… haha).

The screen. This “retina display.” A lot has already been said about the screen. I don’t need to add much more other than it is incredible. I mean, really… you need to see it for yourself. Even the random comparison shots online don’t do it justice. I’ve never seen anything like it on a mobile device of any kind… Oh and the supposed yellowness on some iPhone 4 screens? Apparently just some adhesive that hadn’t properly dried or evaporated from assembly. No worries there (mine didn’t have this issue anyway).

The device itself feels like a quality piece of hardware. It is very solid feeling. Extremely thin – but not thin enough to feel fragile. I’m sure this thing could break as easily as many other devices, but the feel is there to give you some confidence in handling it. I have not much to say about the other buttons. Nothing really special about them except that now the volume is two separate buttons – but they feel nice and solid as well – an improvement.

iOS 4… Not much to say here yet. I’d really like to see more apps able to take advantage of the fast app switching. But until that happens there’s nothing really mind-blowing about the new OS for me (aside from folders – but that is more of a relief than blowing of the mind).

Even despite the “antenna issues” people are demonstrating on video (not necessarily in real world use, mind you), I still would call this phone a win. Of course the Android fanboys will say what they will and the Apple haters (who really only hate Apple to say they hate Apple) will say what they will – but I couldn’t care less at this point. This was a good investment if you ask me… if anything I’m worried that next year’s model will be just as awesome and I’ll have to upgrade again! Haha!

Can people just agree to disagree? For once? I’m sick of seeing this stupid shit on every site and blog I happen to read.

I like Apple stuff. Some people might even say I’m a “fanboy” … that’s fine. But at least I’m not a total douche about it and can respect another company’s hard work and effort for what it is. Here, watch how easy this is…

Android is great OS that obviously has a myriad of uses. I have absolutely no problem admitting that it is at the least on par with anything Apple is doing. If I were to take some time to compare the two, I’m sure that I would find specific things that Android has done better with than Apple (and likewise I would be able to find specific things that Apple has done better than Android)… in a totally subjective manner anyway.

Thing is they’re both great. And without one or the other – the remaining may not innovate as much as they do together. Why push for new functions and features if there is no competition? That’s just speculation of course, I’m sure they would innovate in some way – but at this pace?

So please… if you want to show your love for Apple or Android, just be a human being about it. Stop being such a fucking douche on every forum and blog you find. Support your favorite but try to show some respect for its competitor.

That is apparently Apple’s response to the claims of signal degradation when holding the iPhone 4 with your left hand and possibly covering some part of the antenna. I can actually live with that… really, no problem just doing what I’ve been doing. OK, so actually their official response was this…

Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.

And Steve’s response was this:

Just avoid holding it in that way.

So to clarify one thing… no one is saying anyone is holding it “wrong” … to imply a “right” or “wrong” scenario. People will have different results and will be holding it differently from everyone else.

Thing is not EVERYONE has to hold it differently. Even if you experienced the same signal issues by testing it… that was a TEST. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would have had no idea I had antenna issues if I didn’t hold it exactly like the people in the videos online. Maybe I don’t naturally hold my phone like that, I don’t know. But it is essentially a “non issue” at this point for me (like Steve said it was).

And I would actually believe that it is more of a non-issue for many other people too… but once a known “problem” is out there – everyone suddenly has it. Even if you didn’t have it before (or didn’t know you did) … you do now!

People are dumb like that. “Hey! If I hold mine exactly like this other guy (which is totally unnatural for me and I would never do when using the phone) I have the same problem that he does in the video! My phone must also be defective!”

Good logic there. Do something out of the ordinary to see an out of the ordinary problem.

Now the fun thing for the news blogs to do is show screenshots of Apple commercials where they’re “holding it wrong.” Wow… you sure got them good. Way to be.

My favorite part though is that most of the commercials people are showing are of them holding the iPhone while using Facetime… which does not use the GSM antenna that everyone is having trouble with. So ya, call Apple out on holding the phone wrong when they’re holding it while doing something totally unrelated to the actual issue. Nice job.

Anyway… I’m loving my iPhone 4 and have zero issues with it. It should be even nicer when my orange Bumper gets here (that I ordered with the preorder before I heard about any antenna problems).

There are currently a lot of news stories and videos floating around the internet and Youtube about possible reception issues with the iPhone 4 (and display problems – but that’s another issue entirely).

The gist of the reception problem is that if you hold the iPhone 4 on the sides (as if you were on a call) the radio reception drops like a rock to minimal or no service. If you hold it by the front and back, it returns to normal. Very odd indeed.

I have an iPhone 4 and while at first I didn’t think I had any problems, I watched a couple videos and tried the same method – uh oh, same problem! What to do?! What to do?!

Well let’s slow down a bit… is this software or hardware? Many people are instantly looking at Apple’s new outside antenna to blame – you know, the one that goes around the outside band of the phone? A fair assumption – your hand is possibly completing some sort of circuit then when you hold it? Don’t know.

Anyway, after reading some news sites, I saw one thing that caught my eye… a few people reporting the 3G and 3GS do the same thing. Well… I just happen to have a 3GS (my g/f’s, since mine is “restored” already for sale). I took her case off and tested in the same manner in which I saw in the video (and tested on my iPhone 4)… wait a sec, it’s doing the same thing!

OK, so my ONE test with a 3GS isn’t solid evidence… but I have seen reports of other people seeing the same results. A few comments on Mashable and Engadget (that I’ve noticed off the top of my head). Not scientific, no… but I think there’s more going on here than just the stainless steel band around the iPhone 4.

One thing I will say is that the results with the 3GS were not as severe. With the iPhone 4, you can easily lose all 5 bars (some people even saw “no service” messages). With the 3GS, I usually only lost 3, maybe 4 bars max. So who knows. A known resolution so far is to install one of Apple’s available “Bumpers” around the outside. Isn’t that convenient.

In a related issue note… those of you seeing the yellowing of the screen on the iPhone 4 can apparently breath a little easier today as it has now come to light that the yellowish tint may just be from one of the adhesives used on the glass that hasn’t completely dried/evaporated. Some users are already reporting the discoloration has subsided or completely went away after normal usage. Yay!

I feel bad for those of you heading out to try and pick up an iPhone in the morning. I certainly wouldn’t want to brave those crowds. I couldn’t be happier with my preorder.

This phone really is phenomenal too. The screen. The speed. The design. It’s all there.

Let’s be honest though, you know that already. That’s probably why you’re going to get one. Even if you’re not going to get one (I’m sure you have your reasons) you have to respect the fact that this is an awesome device.

One thing I didn’t really think about until today when I was activating mine was what a potential nightmare tomorrow might be for AT&T to activate these tons and tons of new phones people will still be buying. One would guess that was part of the reasoning behind them not holding pre order deliveries for launch day (and why I’m using mine this very evening).

I hope the rest of you are able to enjoy your new toy as much as I am tomorrow without the potential nightmares that may be in store with activation. Good luck and Steve bless you! Hah!

So there’s this iPad thing… I just bought one.

I’ve been throwing around the idea since they came out. In my head it could just be another cool toy to occasionally play with but I’m hoping I can find more value in it than that. I knew I couldn’t just go buy one randomly and be like “wow, I have an iPad… now what?”

I needed to at least make an attempt to justify it to myself. The best I could come up with is to use it to replace my laptop (currently a late 2007 Macbook). I really only use the Macbook when I’m on the couch – checking email, tweeting, some occasional video editing with iMovie. And that’s about it. I do take it with me when I have personal travel (I take my work laptop any other time). But it mainly just sits there on the couch, doing not much of anything. If I have any graphics or photo work to do, I still have a Windows 7 desktop that I use. And that certainly is not going anywhere.

Well with this recent surplus of overtime and other potential bits of income, I figured it was time to look into this iPad thing. I started reading around the internet and a lot of people swore up and down it would not be a laptop replacement. There’s just no way.

Thing is, the iPad is to be used for what you need it for. If all I do with my Macbook is surf the internet, read some news, check email, tweet a bit… then those are things the iPad can handle quite well – and did I mention the games? Ya, it can do those too.

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I don’t remember having this much trouble last year when I bought my 3GS but this was certainly what I would label an “ordeal” … if there ever were such a thing.

It’s just a preorder, right? How bad could it be? That bad.

It seems the iPhone 4 went live in the Apple.com store around 4am ET this morning and apparently from then on, Apple’s and AT&T’s servers both just bent over and gave up. Both sites were up and down most of the morning. So much so that when I woke up at 7am and tried to order (unaware they were already up 3 hours earlier), I got the usual “Apple store is down” post-it note. I assumed they just hadn’t gone live yet (most people were expecting 8am ET).

A little bit after I got to work I had been periodically checking apple.com and the store finally opened again around 8:30am. Now was my chance.

Go all the way through with the order to the Add to Cart button… fail. “Oops, there was an error.” WTF do you mean “oops” … I’m trying to buy your shit, let me have it. No “oops” necessary.

This happened a couple times actually – never actually going through. Eventually it just got worse. I was lucky if I was able to enter my AT&T account info on the Apple.com store. Usually got some sort of session error after that.

I had read that a lot of people had better luck ordering through AT&T… thought maybe I’d give it a try – if even hesitantly. My biggest reason to order directly through Apple is that I know you can “pre-sign” for their FedEx deliveries so you don’t have to be home to sign for it. A risk, I know… but I am NEVER home during the day when these things deliver – so that is a nice option for people like me.

Anyway, logged into my AT&T page and was able to get to the upgrade page. Selected the 32GB model for preorder and was even able to get to a checkout page. Then it just hung there. I think it was the absolute last page that I had to click on and it did nothing. I don’t mean for 20-30 seconds… I’m talking 10-15 minutes. I eventually gave up and closed it – having not seen a confirmation number or confirmation email or anything from them. Safely assuming (so far) that my order did not complete.

I continued to try through the morning always with the same shitty results (both at&t and apple.com). I even went through our Employee Purchase Program link and it failed there too – though I did end up ordering the dock and an orange “bumper” for it without any issue (though they are not set to deliver until after 7/3 – which will probably be when I’m in Salt Lake City).

Eventually I logged into my account on apple.com to check my order history and cart. Maybe I was missing something… and bam! Two iPhones in my cart waiting to check out. While my first thought was definitely “WTF?!” … my next one was “CHECK OUT!”

Of course I had to remove one of them from my cart (1 phone limit per available line) but was then able to complete checkout and have my 32GB iPhone 4 preordered. Again… what an ordeal.

Now I just have to wait another week + to get it. Then I can even sell my 16GB 3GS. Hopefully still being able to get $200+ for it.

I use Foursquare a lot. But you would not know it by looking at my Twitter feed. I rarely publish my checkins to Twitter… because frankly I can see how it would get very annoying after a while seeing everyone’s Foursquare updates… especially if you don’t use the service.

Up until now, there was literally no way to stop Foursquare updates from your friends from showing up in your timeline. Facebook has the “hide” option for the Foursquare application but nothing for Twitter. Tweetdeck changed this.

There’s just one little hitch… this would only be on your computer. Currently the Tweetdeck mobile app (at least for iPhone) does not support this. I’m guessing in the future it might, but who knows. I haven’t looked into that part yet.

Anyway, if you use Twitter on your computer a lot (Windows or Mac), head over to TweetDeck.com and download the client. Follow the setup steps and link your Twitter account (and whatever other account you want to add). The nice thing is that you do not need to have a Foursquare account to block the Foursquare feed.

Once you’re setup and running… click the little wrench icon in the upper right to go to Settings. Click Global Filter at the bottom on the left. Now on the Filter Updates window, just type “foursquare” into the From Sources box (without the quotes anyway). This should filter all Foursquare updates from your timeline in TweetDeck. Pretty handy.

Also worth mentioning that if you add your existing Foursquare account to TweetDeck, it will ask if you want to do this automatically. But the above steps are helpful if you just don’t want to see them and don’t have an account.

There you go. No more Foursquare in your timeline.