Some Droid X users seem to be experiencing defective displays. In one video (tc9918: New Droid X Screen/Display Problem) there are grey bars, which is likely the result of defective driver ICs. The other video (raverk7: Day 4 with my new Droid X) seems to have a problem with the timing controller (TCON).
Discussions:
FYI: After dealing with quality issues on two Motorola Motoroi Android smartphones I returned it. I’m glad I did. Read my review of the Motoroi for all the details.
The Apple and AT&T marriage has been a series of ups and downs. Wired’s Fred Vogelstein looks into it and provides some fascinating tidbits, like this one regarding the original iPhone:
They say — and Apple sources confirm — that the software running the iPhone’s main radio, known as the baseband, was full of bugs and contributed to the much-decried dropped calls. What’s more, Apple had chosen to source the radio from Infineon, whose hardware was used widely in Europe but rarely in the US, where cell towers are placed farther apart and reception is therefore less forgiving.
The full article at Wired.
Research In Motion (RIM) co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie as quoted in CrackBerry:
RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity.
Here are just a few YouTube videos that test the BlackBerry Bold 9700 for signal attenuation:
- TheBerryFix: Couldn’t duplicate signal degradation.
- ajstonet: Video is very blurry but four bars stays at four.
- tompson16: Signal remains strong at five, drops to four when gripping tightly.
- babanoury: Four bars shrink to two.
- craigsmobileuniverse: At the 3:27 mark. Signal drops from five to three.
- SmartphoneNation: Drops from four to one.
- 1timmahh: Five down to zero.
- TheAlSacco: Five down to four using a tight grip with the right hand. Drops to three while gripping with two hands, stays around four.
- StickyGeko: Five down to zero when cradled with two hands.
Twenty years of antenna design…
If ‘Consumer Reports’ had existed in ancient Greece:…
Click through to Doghouse Diaries. It’s hilarious.
What is really holding back the availability of the white iPhone 4? Apple did announce back on June 23rd that there was some type of manufacturing difficulty:
White models of Apple’s new iPhone 4 have proven more challenging to manufacture than expected, and as a result they will not be available until the second half of July.
What exactly is that challenge? According to 21st Century Business Herald via Engadget the source of the problem is Lens Technology, a China-based company responsible for the custom hardened glass that covers the front and back of the iPhone 4. The factory is still in the process of determining the right mixture of paint thickness and opacity. I wonder why that’s so much more difficult than black.
Lens Technology’s CNC machines have the capacity to cut three iPhone 4 glass covers every hour. Even at full capacity I think we can reasonably expect the white iPhone 4 will be in short supply based on current demand. Steve Jobs announced that the white iPhone 4 will available at the end of July during the antennagate press event that was held on July 16th.