Dirt continues to fly from under the Apple tree: Droid X is latest victim
Author: Antonio Pierce
We all know that the iPhone 4 is a great device, but it makes calls about as good as BP can plug an oil well. Yeah, put on a case and it works better, or update the phone and see your “true” signal. We went through this last week; “it’s not just the iPhone 4, it’s every iPhone and every other mobile out there.” But does that explain the new dead zones we see?
In order to prove that the iPhone isn’t alone at getting bad service, Apple has been dishing out the comparisons to almost every phone out there. For those of you who thought the Droid X was excluded from Antennagate, guess what? It’s not, at least that what Apple says. Eat that Fandroids.
Note to mobile companies: don’t make a phone that loses bars when held or else Apple will tattle to everyone. And they’ll tell them with a fancy video.
What do you think? Has Apple’s control of the mobile market gone to their heads?
Note: Yes, there has been lots of coverage on the iPhone 4. It’s not that we don’t have better things to do. It’s that we hold Apple to the highest standards of excellence. It’s just not like them to produce an expensive product that fails at its basic function. It’s like BMW coming out with a new 5-series that isn’t fun to drive…uh oh.
Props to CrunchGear
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I actually dont hate apple at all. I do not think they are “innovaters” by a long shot, my primary systems are PCs, on-the-go I use my macbook, vaio win7 laptop, iphone and my old htc touch (backup phone). It all boils down to what I am working on.
That being said Apple has a superb Marketing and Research team that push out great streamlined/simplified products, mostly not worth the cost, but the concept of “value” varies from person to person, so i’ll leave that to your perception.
I am not an apple hater, I give them their due credit, they do somethings really well, their pre-iphone 4 PR was awesome.
BUT, I love arguing with almost every Apple fanboy in existence, for the lack of technical knowledge, not knowing facts, not realizing that the Virus issue that keeps getting thrown around is worth less than $100 in an awesome anti-virus, which added to whatever a PC may cost will still make it better value!
Have a problem with malware and spyware, stop using pirated and downloaded software, somehow once you pay twice the amount with Apple, you start paying for that too.
Also, IPhone was not the first touch screen phone, I’ll be surprised if it makes its way into the first 100! My HTC that came out much before the IPhone hand finger/touch gestures, granted the IPhone was better, but it was made with newer technology!
I can go on and on on the baseless, non-factual arguments that are used by Apple fanboys that attract the hate to them, and not necessarily to Apple..
Personally I dont think there is anything evil about Apple, what is evil is the ignorantly blind followers that speak on behalf on the community.
Anyone else notice this guy’s fingers are all over the home/menu buttons? I don’t have a Droid X, but my Droid would certainly have gone to the home screen if I’d been touching the button that long. Bogus?
Shouldn’t that Droid X have a Droid X dialer screen rather than an original Droid Dialing screen? I call complete and utter BS on this video. Fake Droid X in the video. I guess this explains why Apple makes 1 phone a year and still fails on it.
I’m amazed at all the apple haters out there, lol. I’m wondering what apple did to each one of you to hate them so much…
Fact of the matter is– the iPhone 4 has an antenna problem. Yes, it has the ability to lose signal bars by holding it a certain way. And yes, it may even make you drop a call once in awhile by holding it with the “deathgrip”. But honestly, it only happens to me once in a blue moon. I’ve dropped more calls with my 3GS, that’s for sure. Shit, if apple would get off the AT&T network I’m sure they’d be far better off in terms of signal and call quality…
My point here is: have you seen another phone that pulls off a touch interface as smooth as the iPhone 4? This thing is AMAZING when it comes to OS smoothness. There’s virtually no lag when swiping through screens, scrolling through pictures and browsers, opening apps, typing text and even taking pictures/hd video. Ive yet to see another phone pull off the type of smoothness the iPhone 4 has to offer (even the EVO I purchased showed a little lag when swiping through screens and during text input).
And I think that’s where the iPhone is able to hold it’s market– its such a refined product. Its like buying an mid level BMW rather than buying a high end Ford; the Ford may have all the features you want, but the BMW has the ones you need and integrates them well for a seamless experience. If the android can pull off the type of flow the iPhone exhibits, then I’ll dip my hands in that market (I returned my EVO in order to try the iPhone 4. Don’t get me wrong its an amazing phone, but I just prefer the iPhone 4).
Who holds their phone like that? Fingers wrapping around and touching the screen? Really?
Unfortunately Apple’s fake statistic does not work.
[Apple puts Verizon and Motorola Droid X on blast, shows antenna] ( http://tech.mynucleus.org/story/2010/07/24/apple_puts_verizon_and_motorola_dro )
Apple also needs to be informed that Fandroids represent a very technical fanbase. The Droid X does not have a problem until the Fandroids say otherwise. The Death Grip is Apple’s own invention and they implemented it pretty well on the iPhone.
I also want to point out that I have tried to make my Droid X lose DB by holding, covering squeezing the area that has the antenna and I could not get even +/- 1db using RealSignal app and the method shown in the apple video on 3g, and my 1x signal actually increased +1db holding the area tightly.
I brought this up on another report, but doesn’t that Droid X in the picture look really odd?
I’ve got pretty big hands and my droid X has never looked that small in my hands. Do they have a 7foot NBA Giant holding this device for the video?
I also find it funny that the Droid X is out of stock, yet Apple employees have them.
I’d imagine they have the Droid X on hand to make calls when they can’t figure out the Super Secret Iphone 4 hold-pattern which is Apple’s new security feature to prevent unauthorized calls.
Another hippie trend trying to break down corporate barriers? Steve Jobs was a hippie who was trying to do just that by creating Apple. They were taking on IBM. Trying to give the power to the people.
If facts are only as credible as the person saying them, your facts are useless. You obviously have no idea of the facts. And you admitted as much.
I’m a musician. Not a tech-Nazi. I only know what works. Enjoy your android playing Catch-up. By the way, I thought phones were supposed to be getting smaller and more form fitted? What’s with the huge screens now? Step foward? I think not. And I’m sure those that think it’s cool to hate apple also love stupid Indy music that 3 people like. Oh I’m the only person that knows this band, they’re like so cool and good. No. They suck. Just like your android just like your evo. You guys say I don’t know facts. I don’t. I’m more an emotions guy. Facts are only as credible as the person saying it’s a fact. I only have my opinion. And my opinion says that you apple haters are just another hippie trend trying to break down corporate barriers. It’s cool to hate the man. So hate on my brethren. Hate on. Your breath is wasted while I snack on the beautiful lucious Apple fruits……mmmmmmmmm
You don’t care what they SAY came first? So you’re calling them liars? Or you just don’t care about the truth? It’s interesting that Woz commented on being able to lose signal strength on the IPhone 4. But he didn’t mention it happening with the other phones he has. Do you think Woz is out to get Apple?
Now, I’m not knocking you for liking Apple products. Just your not caring about facts.
Rudy, you are correct. Most people that use Android phones do lack small brains. I assume you were attempting an insult. Before calling others stupid learn how to spell whining. Also, learn the proper uses of your and you’re.
That really makes me concerned about the validity of these tests. It SHOULD have a 3G icon there. Considering the prevalence of 3G, i think its an important problem if they did the test somewhere not representative of the real world use.
I don’t have a problem with the phones being displayed as having problems – if its a fair and even comparison (virtually impossible due to independant network coverage). First off we should be comparing dBm instead of bars (since apple has kindly shown us that those are a very relative measure). Secondly the results should be repeatable and verified by news outlets instead of everyone reporting on this very ambiguous web page.
I do think other phones have the antenna issue, my blackberry storm I notice the dB drop when I hold it in my left hand (in a similar ‘death grip’ fashion as the iphone4 folks report). The question is – what’s the relative drop and is the iphone’s dramatically worse or not?
All you Apple fan boys need to check your facts. Engadget tried to duplicate teh signal loss that Apple claims happens on the Droid X, and guess what? Yeah, they were unable to replicate it. In fact, most tech blogs have been unable to replicate what Apple claims. About the only thing that is true right now, is that the iPhone 4, for all the prettiness it has, does lose signal with its deathgrip…
Yeah the guy doesn’t know his history, but the state of development of that android phone was a far cry from a smart phone at the time.
So motorola droid x and verizon can diss apples iphone 4 in adds saying you can hold it anywhere and not lose signal, but when apple calls them out on it and shows apparently motorola and verizon spoke to soon people say apple is attacking? Apple has the right to defend themselves especially if their droid x has the same issue as apples iPhone. Its just the typical lynch mob that build you up just to knock you down. It’s amazing how the media can manipulate and blow make mountains out of ant hills. People are just bitter because it took apples iphone to force all these other companies to get half decent phones to people.
I care not of what you tech nazis say about what came first. I’ll be the first to say that I am a Apple fan boy. I love apple. I think you guys are just like these kids who like Led Zepplin because it’s cool to like old shit. It’s cool to be Indy. It’s cool to hate apple because it’s successful. As soon as apple makes just a couple more billion $, you kids find more reasons to hate. Tsk tsk. I may not be the most tech savvy person but that is my saving grace because that means that I only will buy what WORKS. Not what some paper says it’s capable of. I’ve been to the PC world. We all did. Then Mac OSX came out and made my life easier. So I say to you Apple haters, that go ahead and hate. Enjoy your souped up over powered hardware because it’s just as good as the next virus that hits it. I’ll be enjoying safe surfing on my safari for the next couple years. Oh what’s that? Your Internet explorer froze again? Dude I’m Norton Anti Virus has a App for that.
you totally know shiet about tech man you better shut up…….
You are a blind fanboy……
You need to double check your history. The iPhone was not the first (or even second or third) touchscreen phone. It might have been the best upon release, but not the first. Android was actually in development BEFORE the first iPhone. I owned 3 MP3 players BEFORE i owned my first iPod (from iRiver and Creative), all very capable an in some ways more advanced than the iPod- just not as pretty. Tablets were out for years before the iPad- the one credit I will give Apple in the tablet space is they were smart enough to not cram a desktop OS on a form factor that requires a different UI, but shame on them for using a phone OS instead.
You can argue the Mac vs. PC any number of ways. I find OSX too limiting. I don’t want to be told how to work. You maybe like that. There is a cost for the flexibility to work my way but I am happy to pay it.
As for iOS, I do not see it as an innovation. I see it as a step backwards in functionality. It is VERY pretty. It LOOKS very futuristic, but in use it is 3 steps backwards in OS technology. Simplicity is surely valuable in some regards and accounts for the device’s popularity, but by itself not particularly innovative. Give me an intuitive and flexible OS that allows for some complexity. Android is a step up. WebOS perhaps even better. Windows Phone 7 might be the first actually innovative mobile OS- we’ll have to see.
Apple excels at taking the old and polishing it to look very new. They make gorgeous looking products. Certainly they have innovated in some regards- marketing and attention to spit ‘n’ polish detail- but in terms of technology, not nearly so much as they would have you believe.
“Before the iPhone did you ever see a phone with a touchscreen besides Palm Pilots? No.”. Wrong. I had a Windows Mobile phone in 2006, an HTC with a wonderful touch screen. It multitasked, had a great camera, streaming media, IM client, a better email program, and a simple app-store type site. I’ve had an iPhone now for over 2 years and yes, it’s ok as a multimedia device, as a phone it’s terrible.
“They created the iPod. Something we all use.” “iTunes made us all sigh in relief when we could organize our music and burn CDs with comfort and easiness.”. There were better MP3 players long before the iPod; I was quite fond of a little Phillips MP3 player I stumbled on in the store in 2003 and I still think that it is better than the iPod. I bought a Zune when they first came out and I am still using it 4 years later, with not a single problem. The iTunes store is nothing but a headache, plain and simple, and putting media on an iAnything is nothing short of pulling fingernails.
I’ll give you that the iPad works well; it should, it’s just an oversized iTouch. They had years to get it somewhat right and then make it bigger. Wait for the Notion Ink Adam. Then we’ll see what a real tablet is, not some dumbed down, locked down, childs toy.
“And lastly, we have to understand and agree that a Mac computer is superior to a PC.” “Viruses started showing up everywhere.” Wrong. Again. Mac has never and won’t ever be better than PC. Plain and simple. A Mac will run twice as much as an equivalent PC. Why anyone would spend 2,000$ on a laptop from Apple just as a status symbol when they can get an even better machine for less than 1,000$ is beyond me. And the reason that there are no viruses for Mac is because no one gave a shit about Mac before the iPod; as a company they were going down the drain. From 1994 to 1997 they had one losing quarter after another. If it weren’t for Microsoft, Apple would have gone under in 1997, but Microsoft gave Apple 150$ million dollars. 3 years later you have the iPod.
One last thing – “One word. Innovation. They innovate. With computers, tablets , phones and music.”. Apple doesn’t innovate anything. They steal better ideas from less well-known smaller companies and then claim them as their own. If the smaller company tries to sue, Apple has a legal team bigger than some towns, so it’ll be tied up in litigation for years and in the mean time the smaller company goes under. Or they steal from companies over seas with even worse results. Or they just buy software and hardware and brand it as their own. Most of the iPod’s software was not made by Apple, check out PortablePlayer. The user interface was created by another company called Pixo. So now all you’re left with is Apple created the hardware, and hell, Apple stole the entire idea of the iPod from another man who thought of it in the ’70′s. Apple created nothing, they just stole better people’s ideas.
Apple is a terrible company that has been built on the backs of people who want to look “in” and “cool”, when they’re really just buying dumbed down, far over priced products.