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iPhone 4 Reviews: iPhone's Still Great, AT&T Still Isn't
Phone arrives. Commence relentless hype and buzzing!

Pre-orders for a little, barely-talked-about device known as the iPhone 4 are showing up at people's doorsteps already -- and Apple's lifted the embargo for reviews, so of course they're arriving in tsunami form. The highest profile review of course as usual comes from Walt Mossberg at the Wall Street Journal, who calls it "a major leap" over the iPhone 3GS. The review praises the device's new design, new iOS 4, improved battery life, and impressive "Retina display." The iPhone's continued Achille's heel? A little company by the name of AT&T, says Mossberg:

quote:
It has some downsides and limitations—most important, the overwhelmed AT&T network in the U.S., which, in my tests, the new phone handled sometimes better and, unfortunately, sometimes worse than its predecessor....network reception was a mixed bag. Compared with the previous model, the new iPhone dropped marginally fewer calls made in my car, both in Washington and in Boston, and was much louder and clearer over my car’s built-in Bluetooth speaker-phone system.

Yet, in some places where the signal was relatively weak, the iPhone 4 showed no bars, or fewer bars than its predecessor. Apple says that this is a bug it plans to fix, and that it has to do with the way the bars are presented, not the actual ability to make a call.
You'll recall we heard this same excuse about AT&T's network with the iPhone 3GS (the bar meter is more sensitive, that's all!). Engadget's review is more technical, and notes that they found fewer dropped calls but continued to experience "connectivity issues." Also see: CNET, USAToday.
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Totti
@qwest.net

Totti

Anon

Stop Blaming AT&T

Stop Blaming att period

Let s be clear here.
Apple can not create a cellphone that make calls with no problems (Call Quality....).
My advice to Mr Steve
Please stick with what you know, and you are good at.
you will be creating something between Mac And Ipod
( sorry Not the Iphone )

1) Ipod: seize and interface
2) Mac Future.: camera, wireless, USB port
3) + 3G capability
4) No sim card interface please
5) just wifi / 3G / 4G capable
6) + allow application from:
Skype : skyple
Magic jack: magic apple
Google voice: apple voice

a333
A hot cup of integrals please
join:2007-06-12
Rego Park, NY

a333

Member

Re: Stop Blaming AT&T

Errr.... for some reason, the iPhone seems to work a lot better in PLENTY of other countries, where providers have actually properly budgeted and built out their 3G networks to handle the anticipated load created by so many iPhone users. It's not as if this is the first issue Apple has had with AT&T. Initially, you might have been right, when the first iPhone 3G's had chronic issues with dropped calls. However, coupled with much-delayed MMS and tethering rollouts (for iPhone users), along with a shift to plans that I'd say represent highway robbery, I'd say that AT&T is the weak link here. In case you haven't noticed, AT&T is currently scrambling to upgrade cell sites after realizing that their smoke and mirror tactics can only get them so far before people start to bail for more robustly-made networks.

-a333

Tweak
Premium Member
join:2002-06-08
Colonial Heights, VA

Tweak to Totti

Premium Member

to Totti
When I took my iphone to Vancouver it didnt drop one call at all. I talk to my neighbor frequently on the phone and hes one building over and it drops calls all the time. Yes its AT&T

SSidlov
Other Things On My Mind
Premium Member
join:2000-03-03
Pompton Lakes, NJ

SSidlov

Premium Member

Re: Stop Blaming AT&T

said by Tweak:

When I took my iphone to Vancouver it didnt drop one call at all. I talk to my neighbor frequently on the phone and hes one building over and it drops calls all the time. Yes its AT&T
Wait, you are one building apart and one of you have lousy signals or blockage from steel infrastructure or the refrigerator, and it's ATT's fault. [Enter your own swear words here]

I have been on ATT/Cingular/ATT since the 90's and the phone was the size of a walkie talkie (GE Flip Phone). I think that they have improved the signals and I get considerably less dropped calls, I can't remember a dropped call in the last couple years at all - locally all *my* dead zones have been covered.

BUT I DON"T HAVE AN IPHONE. I DO HAVE A PHONE that does video/youtube/email etc, and I can even tether it (I've been tethering phones since the late 90's). There have been tons of reports that the old iPhones had inferior components for GSM connection and inferior programming (since they could change the firmware to get better calling at the penalty of battery time) and the new iphone 4 has a inferior design that didn't take into account sweaty hands causing the antennae to bridge and be blocked, and can be 'repaired' with either cellophane tape or a $29 rubber guide/case from Apple. And it's still ATT's fault?

Tweak
Premium Member
join:2002-06-08
Colonial Heights, VA

2 edits

Tweak

Premium Member

Re: Stop Blaming AT&T

Its not the building theres no steel frame. I drop calls all the time even while at work or on the road. AT&T sucks! How come you didn't address the issue I am not dropping calls when I go to Vancouver?

SSidlov
Other Things On My Mind
Premium Member
join:2000-03-03
Pompton Lakes, NJ

1 edit

SSidlov

Premium Member

Re: Stop Blaming AT&T

said by Tweak:

Its not the building theres no steel frame. I drop calls all the time even while at work or on the road. AT&T sucks! How come you didn't address the issue I am not dropping calls when I go to Vancouver?
Because I have ATT (in all it's incarnations since it was ATT/Cingular/ATT for more than 10 years) and I can be in the same room with iPhone users and I don't drop calls. The iPhone, neat as it is, is a bad phone. Get an iTouch instead, and have all the apps without ATT, and get any other device for a phone.
swarto112
Premium Member
join:2004-02-17
El Dorado Hills, CA

swarto112 to Totti

Premium Member

to Totti
I run an iPhone and a Moto RAZR2, I've found that the places I have connectivity issues with the iPhone are fine with RAZR2. It's the antenna folks...always has been.

HappyBunny9
Hi. Cram It.
Premium Member
join:2001-06-23
Long Beach, CA

HappyBunny9 to Totti

Premium Member

to Totti
@totti

I have a jailbroken iPhone that works wonderfully on T-Mobile. Excellent call quality (much better than AT&T) and rarely a dropped call. It is *not the phone*! I used to have AT&T/Cingular and all I had were one-way calls, dropped calls, garbled voice--horrible horrible horrible! The phone is only as good as the network it is on. Funny how you never see T-Mobile iPhone owners complaining and there are over half a million of them.

attuserpah
@comcast.net

attuserpah

Anon

att network

20 days left on my contract with ATT. Had Verizon prior 6 years. Going back if no 3G upgrade here. Verizon's 3G has been here since Nov 2007 (west KY). ATT 3G, all well and good if you live in a city. If you're traveling (outside of the megalopolis), forget it.

HappyBunny9
Hi. Cram It.
Premium Member
join:2001-06-23
Long Beach, CA

HappyBunny9

Premium Member

Re: att network

No it isnt, sadly. AT&T is horrible in Los Angeles and all of Southern California. Their network here is a patchwork of old cell networks where the towers are spaced wrong and they run everything on AMR half rate, which gives terrible voice quality. It is the worst network in the LA area and has been for years. Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint all have good networks here, not sure why AT&T cant get its act together.

NappyD
@eyewonder.com

NappyD

Anon

Well yeah it's iPhone's fault for not having coverage...

Always fun to see the iPhone lose signal on the drive from I-75 onto the Florida turnpike. There's a LONG stretch where it gets nothing out there.

Totti
@qwest.net

Totti

Anon

iPhone 4 Struggles To Make Calls -- Simply By Holding It

iPhone 4 Struggles To Make Calls -- Simply By Holding It

I think that is not AT&T Fault

Cheese
Premium Member
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL

Cheese

Premium Member

The Iphone 4 is great?

Um...yea....ok......
brad152
join:2006-07-27
Chicago, IL

brad152

Member

Why does T-Mobile perform so much better then?

it seriously is AT&T's network, i had loads of dropped calls everytime i had any phone on their network (in both AZ and OH, including driving inbetween the states)

Ever since i unlocked my iPhone 3G(s) and put it on T-Mobile i've had maybe 2-3 dropped calls in the last year and 2 of those were in the western half of Texas where i was roaming on Alltel's GSM network.

The network does tend to make a difference.
mekaleka
join:2003-01-15
Palm Beach Gardens, FL

mekaleka

Member

Not convinced it is the network...

I have an iPhone 3GS and have had no issues with it. Never had any issues with my two previous smartphones on the AT&T network either. It seems that you only hear about problems with the iPhone...why doesn't this affect any of the other smartphones? The network is not selective. My hunch is the way the iPhone connects/disconnects/reconnects in the name of saving the battery. The iPhone 4 issue is clearly with the phone.

btw - I've always experienced poor call/voice quality on Verizon. Just saying.

Tweak
Premium Member
join:2002-06-08
Colonial Heights, VA

1 edit

Tweak

Premium Member

Re: Not convinced it is the network...

My dad does not have an iphone and he gets dropped calls all the time with ATT lately in fact we got 180$ credit for the horrible service. ATT is has capacity issues and took a store manager to admit it. I have a 3gs iphone and I can't wait until we can get the iphone on other carriers.

Shadow
@comcast.net

Shadow

Anon

The Phone has problems but its the network.

Ok to sum this all up, the phone and the network are like a chain. Together, they are only as strong as the weakest link. I have had/currently have phones through Verizon, Ntelos (a local carrier here), and my Iphone on AT&T.

Without a doubt, there are some issues with the Iphone 4 and its antenna. I'll also say there are some issues with Iphone's software concerning call interaction, but the major issue is AT&T's network.

Time and time again, I am places with the other phones and get calls out fine, but not with the Iphone 3G (even though it had bars of service). Iphone 4 has problems those same places. Even when I am in areas where I Have 4 or 5 bars, sometimes, the call just doesn't send unless I end and try again and again. Got stuck in an airport with 5 bars of service for a 1/2 hour trying to get a call out to get a rental car with the new Iphone 4. It simply wouldn't connect.

In addition to all that, in my local area we are still on the edge network, not the 3g. There is 3g 15 minutes to the east and 15 minutes to the north of us but we are still on edge. I asked an AT&T manager (whom I know) when the 3G was getting turned on and he was told by AT&T that the system simply couldn't handle any faster speed here at this time..it was maxed. I believe it because in the AT&T store, my new 4G wouldn't even connect to the internet at all until we walked outside and I had 4 bars.

Couple that to the garbled digital voice crash when on phone calls and clearly its the network that is the weakest link.

Oh I pray that Verizon comes to an understanding with Apple and picks up the Iphone in January. I'd gladly pay the early termination fee to get rid of AT&T