antenna

Consumer Reports reignites 'Antennagate,' cites Apple's Verizon iPhone 4 issues

Renewing an issue that just does not seem to want to die, Consumer Reports says Apple's Verizon iPhone 4 suffers from the same "death grip" antenna issues as the original device, released last summer amid widespread controversy.

The Verizon iPhone 4 has a problem that could cause the phone to drop calls, or be unable to place calls, in weak signal conditions, Consumer Reports engineers have found in lab tests.

The "death grip" occurs when users hold the iPhone in a way that covers the antenna band, located on the bottom of the left side of the phone. As with the AT&T version of the iPhone 4, any case (or cottage industry "band-aid" product) would alleviate the problem, which is caused by the conductivity of human skin interfering with the cell phone signal.

Consumer Reports tested the new Verizon iPhone 4, along with several other popular Verizon smartphones.… Read more

Recap: Diary of a cable TV cord cutter

My wife, eBeth, and I decided to disable our Verizon Fios TV service to save roughly $100 per month, and I chronicled the good, the bad, and the ugly in the diary entries indexed below.

At the end, I reconnected TV for what amounts to $35 per month (and $50/month the following year) for the TV portion of my new Fios bill. After a few days back on the cable TV pipe, including an amazing Knicks almost-win versus the Celtics for me and lots of "Watch What Happens" for eBeth, we're both happier, albeit somewhat poorer, … Read more

Australia begins test of Wi-Fi via TV antenna

Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization has started testing its wireless broadband technology, which uses existing TV antennas, at the first National Broadband Network roll-out site of Smithton in Tasmania.

The system, named Ngara, works by installing antennas on existing TV broadcasting towers that transmit wireless broadband to households through their existing TV antennas, although slightly modified as some components in existing antennas don't allow them to be used as transmitters.

While the uplink test was a success, getting data downloaded was still a work in progress. "The team is only able to beam form to … Read more

Diary of a cable cord cutter: Final entry

Last Saturday night, after a few sleepless hours thinking over alternatives and scenarios for how to continue my cable-cutting adventure, I came to the conclusion that I should probably just give up and reconnect Verizon Fios TV. The next afternoon, I did just that.

My household is now back on the pipe, dumb as it may be, and I'm back to being able to watch Knicks games legally. More importantly, my wife eBeth can watch CBS daytime shows and Bravo prime time without having to deal with streaming video from TV.com, a wind-tossed rooftop antenna, or paying for … Read more

Diary of a Cable TV cord cutter: Week 2

It's been two weeks since my wife, eBeth, and I decided to ditch full Fios TV service--complete with a whole-home DVR, local sports channels, HBO/Showtime/etc., and a $100-per-month bill--for "free" TV supplied by a rooftop antenna and the Internet. Check out previous diary entries, from Day 1 and Week 1, if you want to catch up.

Being away from home for most of the recent Thanksgiving weekend provided a bit of perspective. On one hand I experienced a warm, tryptophan-aided fuzzy knowing I wasn't "wasting" three days of pay TV service (a whole $10!) by not being home to watch it. On the other, returning home to our own less-than-stable Internet TV solution--supplied by PlayOn connected to my PlayStation 3--persuaded me to try something else.

Here's the day-by-day.… Read more

Diary of a cable TV cord cutter: Week 1

A week has passed since we decided to stop paying for Verizon Fios TV in my household, and the world hasn't imploded. At least, not yet.

Check out my original Day 1 entry to get up to speed. Here's what happened next.

Dear Diary... Tuesday, November 16: Arrived home to my wife, Elizabeth, describing how CBS.com, accessed on our TV via PlayOn, was cutting out in the middle of her show. While over-the-air staples like "Sesame Street"--a morning tradition for our 16-month-old--and "Oprah" were a success, she told me in no uncertain terms she wanted cable back. In the ensuing discussion I promised I'd try adjusting the antenna next weekend to get the currently unavailable CBS. She appeared mollified, for now, and we watched a catch-up episode of "The Amazing Race" together via PlayOn with no problems, my fingers crossed the whole time.

Wednesday, November 17: More issues, this time with over-the-air, where wind caused interruptions during "Law & Order: SVU." It basically made the show unwatchable, causing audio stutter, video breakup and extreme annoyance from eBeth ("That's crappy, does it do that every time it's windy?"). She created a CBS account just to leave comments on my original article in protest (one of which received the most "like" votes of any comment so far).

I understand I should have installed "guy wires" on my elaborate rooftop antenna to prevent wind-caused interruptions, but frankly I'm just happy the thing didn't blow down completely in the 40+ mph gusts. I also checked Hulu Plus, but that night's episode wasn't available yet.

Thursday, November 18: No major issues. I also figured out that TV.com was much more reliable than CBS.com via PlayOn, so eBeth was able to catch up on her daytime TV. … Read more

Diary of a cable TV cord cutter: Day 1

As the credits rolled over the DVR recording of the latest episode of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" yesterday, I picked up the phone and dialed customer service at Verizon.

"Yes, I'd like to modify my plan to remove the television portion and subscribe to the least-expensive Internet and phone bundle you have," I told the representative.

She cheerfully complied, and didn't even try to convince me to simply downgrade my current TV subscription--which included pretty much every available HD channel on Fios, the Home Media DVR, and a second box--to something more basic. It … Read more

Cisco hires iPhone 'antenna-gate' exec

Cisco Systems has hired the former Apple executive in charge of design and engineering for the iPhone 4--the gadget that sparked a PR headache for Steve Jobs and Co. when its supposedly innovative antenna design proved problematic.

Mark Papermaster, 49, will oversee the creation of chips for Cisco's networking switches, an area of the company's business that accounted for a third of its total revenue in the third quarter, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The iPhone "antenna-gate" debacle eventually led to a high-profile press conference at which Apple announced it would provide free "bumper cases" … Read more

Kia pits its 2011 Sportage against itself

Today at the 2010 SEMA Show, Kia unveiled a pair of vehicles that, despite being cut from the same cloth, couldn't be more different. These two 2011 Kia Sportages--both customized by Antenna Magazine--pit work against play, Android against Apple, matte against glossy, and red against blue.

The matte red Antenna Play concept is designed for an active and playful lifestyle with a roof rack for extreme sports equipment. A working barbecue grill shares the rear hatch with a Mac Mini, a storage locker, and a flat-screen television. Molded into the center console is a cradle for an Apple iPod … Read more