<
The Telecom Digest for July 16, 2010
Volume 29 : Issue 192 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
| Re: Mobile subscriptions hit 5 billion mark | (John Levine) |
| Re: Apple Censors Consumer Report iPhone4 Discussions | (tlvp) |
| Re: Technical description and explanation of iPhone 4 antenna issues | (David Clayton) |
| Motorola Droid X cellphone self-destructs if modded | (Thad Floryan) |
| Engineer Claims Consumer Reports iPhone 4 Reception Problem Study Is Flawed | (Monty Solomon) |
| Re: Engineer Claims Consumer Reports iPhone 4 Reception Problem Study Is Flawed | (Thad Floryan) |
| Consumer Reports faults new iPhone | (Monty Solomon) |
| Re: Are hybrids still used? | (Gilles Ganault) |
| In Apple's iPhone 4 Blunder, Form Trumped Function | (Monty Solomon) |
| Apple Knew of iPhone Antenna Glitch | (Monty Solomon) |
====== 28 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet. All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and
the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other
journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are
included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address-
included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article
herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the
email.
===========================
Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be
sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters,
viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome.
We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we
are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because
we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime. Geoffrey Welsh
===========================
See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer, and other stuff of interest.
Date: 15 Jul 2010 04:37:55 -0000
From: John Levine <johnl@iecc.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Mobile subscriptions hit 5 billion mark
Message-ID: <20100715043755.16699.qmail@joyce.lan>
>Even if you count mobile e-mail access, I seriously doubt that the ongoing
>majority of Internet access will move from wired or Wi-Fi devices any time
>soon.
I wouldn't expect the majority of Internet use to come from phones,
but I would be surprised if the majority of Internet users to be on
phones.
The number of mobile phones is very large, in the billions. Unlike PC
users, mobile users typically get a new handset every couple of years,
and it's increasingly hard to find one that doesn't have some level of
Internet access. So in a couple of years, everyone who has a phone
will de facto be on the net. It'll still be a lot easier to use it
with a real screen and a real keyboard, but once you realize you can
Google something from your mobile and get a tiny screen full of useful
stuff, you do it.
R's,
John
***** Moderator's Note *****
Tiny screen, yes; "full of useful stuff", I doubt. AFAICT, Google's
search algorithm has been perverted to give every fast-buck artist in
the world "Page 1" space. Try doing a search on "Linux RHEL
laptop/battery" and see if you come up with ANYTHING that applies to
the power settings options available under Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
I wonder why "Alta Vista" never became a verb. I wonder if "bing"
will. I digress.
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:39:25 -0400
From: tlvp <tPlOvUpBErLeLsEs@hotmail.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Apple Censors Consumer Report iPhone4 Discussions
Message-ID: <op.vfva7zmtitl47o@acer250.gateway.2wire.net>
On Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:02:42 -0400, Thad Floryan <thad@thadlabs.com> wrote:
> Not too surprisingly, all threads about Consumer Reports'
> iPhone 4 antenna and signal problems have been removed or
> deleted from Apple's Support servers ...
>
> ...
>
> Bing's cache to the rescue:
>
>
<http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=consumer+report+apple+site%3adiscussions.ap
ple.com&d=674577384348&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=6fddb6d,f506f19b>
Oops, Thad: by 12:36 am EDT, on Wed, 14 Jul 2010, that cache link responded:
| Could not find the requested document in the cache.
Bye-bye, threads :-{ . Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP
***** Moderator's Note *****
That link was 404 this AM: I took it out of the online digest, but I
wonder: is it dead because bing prevents "deep linking"?
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:36:08 +1000
From: David Clayton <dcstar@myrealbox.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Technical description and explanation of iPhone 4 antenna issues
Message-ID: <pan.2010.07.15.09.36.05.633000@myrealbox.com>
On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:34:22 -0700, Thad Floryan wrote:
> Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area newspapers are full of
> articles essentially repeating each other and it accomplishes nothing
> citing repetitious after repetitious article.
>
> AnandTech presents an article with some good information: "
.........
> Of course, the result " is that
> anything conductive which bridges the gap in the " bottom left couples
> the antennas together, detuning the " precisely engineered antennas.
> It's a problem of impedance " matching with the body as an antenna, and
> the additional " antenna that becomes part of the equation when you
> touch the " bottom left.
> "
> " The fact of the matter is that cupping the bottom left corner " and
> making skin contact between the two antennas does result " in a
> measurable difference in cellular reception. But as " we'll show, RF is
> a strange beast.
........
I see where this is heading, you will eventually bring your own personal
SWR Meter and a surgeon along to the phone dealer to get bits chopped off
your body to optimise the overall RF performance??
--
Regards, David.
David Clayton
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Knowledge is a measure of how many answers you have, intelligence is a
measure of how many questions you have.
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:25:53 -0700
From: Thad Floryan <thad@thadlabs.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Motorola Droid X cellphone self-destructs if modded
Message-ID: <4C3F1A71.20100@thadlabs.com>
I've heard of paranoia, but this ...
" Droid X actually self-destructs if you try to mod it
" by Devin Coldewey on July 14, 2010
"
" Well, I might have recommended a Droid X for big-phone-lovin' fandroids
" out there ... but now that I've read about Motorola's insane eFuse
" security system, I'm going to have to give this one a big fat DON'T
" BUY on principle. I won't restate all my reasons for supporting the
" modding, hacking, jailbreaking, and so on of your legally-owned products
" here -- if you're interested in a user's manifesto, read this {link}
" but suffice it to say that deliberately bricking a phone if the user
" fiddles with it does not fall under the "reasonable" category of
" precautions taken by manufacturers.
"
" Really. If you want to make it difficult to hack, that's fine. You think
" your software should be enough, that's fine. But once I pay money for
" the item, it's mine, and disabling my device because you don't like
" what I'm doing with it falls under the category of sabotage.
"
" Here's what eFuse does. This information is a couple days old but it's
" worth reading if you're interested in Android, development, or open
" standards in general. Besides, I just found out about it, so you have to
" read my words whether you like it or not. or you could just stop
" reading. Either way. Anyway:
"
" If the eFuse failes to verify this information then the
" eFuse receives a command to "blow the fuse" or "trip the
" fuse". This results in the booting process becoming
" corrupted and resulting in a permanent bricking of the
" Phone. This FailSafe is activated anytime the bootloader is
" tampered with or any of the above three parts of the phone
" has been tampered with.
"
{article continues at the following URL}
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/07/14/droid-x-actually-self-destructs-if-you-try-to-mod-it/
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:36:09 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Engineer Claims Consumer Reports iPhone 4 Reception Problem Study Is Flawed
Message-ID: <p0624083ac864cd4ffb6c@[10.0.1.3]>
Engineer Claims Consumer Reports iPhone 4 Reception Problem Study Is Flawed
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2010/07/radio-engineer-claims-consumer-reports-iphone-4-reception-problem-study-is-flawed.html
Radio engineer: Consumer Reports iPhone 4 testing flawed (u)
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/07/13/radio_engineer_consumer_reports_iphone_4_testing_flawed.html
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:10:16 -0700
From: Thad Floryan <thad@thadlabs.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Engineer Claims Consumer Reports iPhone 4 Reception Problem Study Is Flawed
Message-ID: <4C3FB178.7090609@thadlabs.com>
On 7/15/2010 7:36 AM, Monty Solomon wrote:
>
> Engineer Claims Consumer Reports iPhone 4 Reception Problem Study Is Flawed
> http://www.iphonehacks.com/2010/07/radio-engineer-claims-consumer-reports-iphone-4-reception-problem-study-is-flawed.html
>
>
> Radio engineer: Consumer Reports iPhone 4 testing flawed (u)
> http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/07/13/radio_engineer_consumer_reports_iphone_4_testing_flawed.html
I call BS.
Both the above articles appear biased and have demonstrable
errors (see below re: AnandTech and signal strength).
Regardless of the irrelevant signal strength bars (S/N would be a
better display), the article from AnandTech whose URL I posted
previously rips a new one for Apple by performing correct tests
and confirming Consumer Reports' and 10000s' other experiences with
the iPhone 4. An Apple RF engineer also reported the problem to Jobs
who ignored it per:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/g/a/2010/07/14/bloomberg1376-L5KJO50D9L3501-1M17MJ2SBUT025S8QHKCSSO2HI.DTL
The excellent multi-page AnandTech article can be read here for
those who missed it the first time:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review/2
The AnandTech article also reveals the "Field Test" initiation code
embedded within most cellphones (except those running iOS 4) and also
reveals how to enable an iPhone 4 to display signal strength (among
other things) per:
" Undeterred by the lack of field test on iOS 4, I was determined
" to enable numeric signal strength reporting in the top left where
" bars are normally displayed. If you've ever run a jailbroken iPhone
" and used SBSettings, or changed your carrier string, you've probably
" encountered the fact that iTunes will back up and restore the status
" bar configuration across OS restores. See where I'm going?
"
" I took my iPhone 3GS, downgraded to 3.1.3, jailbroke, enabled numeric
" WiFi and GSM and backed up. I then took my iPhone 4 and restored with
" iOS 4, but pointed it to the backup of the jailbroken,
" numeric-GSM-reporting iPhone 3GS.
" [...]
Note the AnandTech article spans many pages; the URL cited above is
only for page 2 regarding the antenna design and RF issues along with
signal strength determination.
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:36:26 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Consumer Reports faults new iPhone
Message-ID: <p0624083bc864cd640048@[10.0.1.3]>
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/07/13/consumer_reports_faults_new_iphone/
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2010/07/apple-iphone-4-antenna-issue-iphone4-problems-dropped-calls-lab-test-confirmed-problem-issues-signal-strength-att-network-gsm.html
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:20:14 +0200
From: Gilles Ganault <nospam@nospam.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Are hybrids still used?
Message-ID: <b26u369el90b0pia79nfcb2j3ci83s735n@4ax.com>
On Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:22:34 -0700 (PDT), hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:
>The following is an old technical article, but it may be of interest
>on this topic. It discusses overseas communications and the issues of
>2 vs 4 four wire communication.
>
>http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/technical/western-union-tech-review/21-4/p174.htm
Thanks for the link.
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:36:45 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: In Apple's iPhone 4 Blunder, Form Trumped Function
Message-ID: <p0624083cc8653dd45421@[10.0.1.3]>
In Apple's iPhone 4 Blunder, Form Trumped Function
Did Steve Jobs's pursuit of clever design push him into an engineering blunder?
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/15/in-apple-s-iphone-4-blunder-form-trumped-function.html
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:22:38 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Apple Knew of iPhone Antenna Glitch
Message-ID: <p0624083ec86546a6656a@[10.0.1.3]>
GADGETS & GAMES JULY 15, 2010, 6:40 P.M. ET
Apple Knew of iPhone Antenna Glitch
By YUKARI IWATANI KANE And NIRAJ SHETH
Chief Executive Steve Jobs's insistence on strict control of Apple
Inc.'s product-design process appears to have backfired with his new
iPhone 4, leading the company to overrule internal concerns about
antenna reception and to deny carriers adequate time to test the
phone before selling it.
Apple's iPhone 4 has been dogged by reports of antenna-reception
problems since its launch last month. The company has called a news
conference to discuss the issue Friday. Apple doesn't plan to recall
the phone, a person familar with the matter said.
Apple engineers were aware of the risks associated with the new
antenna design as early as a year ago, but Mr. Jobs liked the design
so much that Apple went ahead with its development, said a person
familiar with the matter.
The electronics giant kept such a shroud of secrecy over the iPhone
4's development that the device didn't get the kind of real-world
testing that would have exposed such problems in phones by other
manufacturers, said people familiar with the matter.
The iPhones Apple sends to its carrier partners for testing are
"stealth" phones that disguise a new device's shape and some of its
functions, people familiar with the matter said. Those test phones
are specifically designed so the phone can't be touched, which made
it hard to catch the iPhone 4's antenna problem.
...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704682604575369311876558240.html
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecom-
munications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in
addition to Usenet, where it appears as the moderated newsgroup
'comp.dcom.telecom'.
TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational
service offered to the Internet by Bill Horne. All the contents
of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in
some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work
and that of the original author.
The Telecom Digest is moderated by Bill Horne.
Contact information: Bill Horne
Telecom Digest
43 Deerfield Road
Sharon MA 02067-2301
781-784-7287
bill at horne dot net
Subscribe: telecom-request@telecom-digest.org?body=subscribe telecom
Unsubscribe: telecom-request@telecom-digest.org?body=unsubscribe telecom
This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm-
unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and
published continuously since then. Our archives are available for
your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list
on the internet in any category!
URL information: http://telecom-digest.org
Copyright (C) 2009 TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved.
Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as
yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help
is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars
per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.
Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing
your name to the mailing list.
All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the
author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only
and messages should not be considered any official expression by the
organization.
End of The Telecom Digest (10 messages)
|
or 