Droid X ad pokes fun at iPhone 4 antenna troubles
By Vlad Savov 
posted June 30th 2010 5:31PM
posted June 30th 2010 5:31PM
Glad we got that established -- next Moto will be telling us the alarm clock on its phones works just fine too. Skip past the break for the untrimmed ad."It comes with a double antenna design. The kind that allows you to hold the phone any way you like and use it just about anywhere to make crystal clear calls."
I can't believe people are upset by this!
It's like they don't remember the DOZENS of Mac vs. PC ads. Hell, at least the insinuations in this ad are true. Unlike Apple flat out saying that PCs come from the store with viruses.
Someone in the latest "iPhone to Verizon" post said to look at Verizon's adds this summer. If they make fun of AT&T's network then its a sign that the iPhone will be going to Verizon. If they make fun of the iPhone directly its a sign that its just another rumor. Not that this is validation or anything.
Anyway, personally I like the (alarm) clock app on the iPhone better than the android one.
@krisken That was my first thought. This does not sound like the marketing of a wireless carrier that expects to have an iphone in the near future.
I believe this is a great ad. Apple has done this so many years to Windows and every laughed at it. Now, that apple screwed up everyone is getting back.
No i am not a fanboy to apple or windows but, i believe Apple has gone from a great Company who cares for their customers to a great dictator (telling what to do with my phone? How to use it? Where to use it? (No unlock after 2 years really?) How to hold it?) to their customers.
Thanks
@vemulasri Yea. They're always saying something about other company's, but now I guess its everyone else's turn with the flaws of the iPhone.
Easy to poke fun at the iPhone but it could be bad karma. Droid is untested by the general public.
Zing!
yeah really with the alarm clock?
@HahaHaha321
Apple can't sue because of this for one simple reason, among others: they would have to admit there is a problem with the phone. And that makes the class action lawsuits that are piling up even more powerful.
@techee44
Sorry about this, dunno why it happened.
King of the smartphone kingdom? Where the fuck journalism went?
@wakeup
Deny it all you want, but Engadget is correct
@wakeup just to give you a little advise... "real" journalism is not free. Btw, Engadget is a free blog, it kills journalism every day, if you understand what I mean.
Another wannabe iPhone killer. Keep dreaming suckas!
I like how Engadget has an annoyed tone through out this article. Lol. Droid X pwned Apple!
This was also in the Wall Street Journal today (page B5), and in USA Today.
Plus that twitter thing is kinda weird considering that you can't get data while on a call. Maybe it's like some kinda thing where if someone calls the last thing they twittered gets shown before you pick up?
@aldo
Twitter/facebook are already synced, so u click on a contact, it has their status from those.
@aldo since 3g was introduced years ago, data and calls can go on at the same time. hspa+ does it quite easily, i get 2mbps comfortably while a call is in progress.
you could fill a whole newspaper with droid problems, so yeah bright move :)
@shizzledmg
How so?
"Cheap"? Awww c'mon, this thing is class! They didn't even mention the competition like those childish "I'm a Mac..." commercials - or are those not cheap?
@shishi good point. those commercials have been praised as the high class of the art of advertisement. apple's really got the midas touch when it comes to corporate cheap shots, ya know?
@dima1109
yeah, because they do it in a kind of funny any light-hearted way
motorola's cheap shot here is just dumb and predictable, much like nokias.
This is so funny.. I have the Iphone 4. with or without my case on the phone I can make calls and I have no loss of signal. My co-workers which have old Iphones and droids on all carriers have been razzing me since I got the new phone. I simply put the phone in their hands and they dont get signal degradation either. I am not an apple fanboy and I dont care for any other apple products. I'm just saying... Maybe poor quality control? or maybe i'm just lucky.
@Phil702 You're not lucky, you're just in an area with good reception. If you read http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/30/iphone-4s-antenna-problem-looks-worse-than-it-is-but-its-stil/ at least passingly you'd understand that while holding the phone "wrong" will attenuate your signal 20 to 24dB regardless of what the signal indicator shows. And if you're in an area that has -70dB of signal strength, and hold it "wrong" and get -90dB, your phone will still show 5 bars. You should find a coverage area where you have 3 or so bars and try the same thing. As good as ATT's coverage is, you should be able to find one of these areas deep in the bowels of your home or apartment and try it out.
@longcat
I actually did use the phone in San Diego with no issues and I live in Vegas. I pretty much know where every dead spot and drop area there is. My home reception sucked with my 3GS and the microcell blows too. This phone has had no issues other than lack of coverage.
This ad is clearly targeted at the Android community who have been depressed recently with the success of the iPhone 4 and iPad.
Not to mention even the month of May as per ad mobs most recent data the gap between iPhones and all Androids increased compared to April! It's a good thing they said they won't report for June sine that would have to factor in iPhone 4 sales. AdMob is a google company.
So iPhone 3GS in it's last month sold more than the top 11 Android phones combined on all four US network! How depressing is that? Very.
This ad by Moto is to cheer you folks up a bit.
In the real world you're being spanked left right and center.
@jaffreywali Or maybe its advertising a serious flaw the a competing phone has that it doesnt? but that would be making sense instead of your fanboy dribble
@jaffreywali At least those people are completing all of their phone calls. Why people need to make phone calls every other second of their lives is another story but at least Android and their partners can help them do that!!! At good prices as well.
@jaffreywali I know I certainly don't care about sales, just because some thing sells doesn't mean its the best. I'll take functionality over having the most popular phone because my phone works and I know for a fact it works better than my previous iphone 3g s. Keep tooting about your stupid sales though, I'll take my evo any day over the iphone 4, I saw one today and it looked cheap as hell.
@Bshaw1090
You can't assume your choice is more informed than mine and vise versa.
Let's not forget that android phones cost less or equal to the iPhone. Usually cheaper products sell more if they offer the same features/quality. The fact that the iPhone cost more and sells more means more people value it's features compared to android phones. It's logic 101.
Also most of the complaints about iPhone antenna issues are not from iPhone owners but android owners. Go figure that one out!
burn
All the iphone 4 needs now are cases shaped like bicycle helmets or short yellow school buses
Droids are more for tech geeks, iphones are more for your casual users that want to have a simple yet classy looking device. That's why they sold 2 million so far even with these poor reception issues, they are just cool! Put a case on it and you have the best reception of any phone out because of that new antenna design according to the recent test. Apple prob had this all planned to make up for AT&Ts weak service! The good out weighs the bad in this case!
@B1 weird tech geeks that like making calls on their phones
@B1 I love how the "dumbing down of America" has been transformed into "casual use". Sounds great.
@B1 Dude read your own post and think about what you just wrote. America has become style over substance and it is so sad.
@ChiWax the iphone received all the best reviews, just because a few geeks like to death grip their phone to cause fuss doesn't mean you cant make calls. Put it in a case like most people and you have the best reception of any phone because of this new antenna design, or just dont hold that one corner so tight. I dont get why people hate on Apple when they started this whole touch screen, app phone thing, if it wasn't for them there would be no droid X or droid anything! You all are some fair weather mofos fo sure!
@B1
Android phones are outselling iPhones period. 2 million iPhones since June 16th, 2.4 millions Android phones. What's your point again?
Not gonna buy it... Doesn't come in white...and i wanna put bumpers on it...
Where is that 4.0.1 OS update Apple? maybe it's time to release it, fix this antenna issue and move on? so we can shut up all these iPhone haters and this ridiculous media frenzy? this is just getting worse everyday.
@deepen03 Update coming summer 2011 with iphone 5 launch
@Suspiro They all know it and yet they say otherwise. Everyone who has these antenna problems know they are stuck with those problems until they can upgrade again. It's gotta suck knowing that people who buy their new iPhones in September will have working phones without bumpers when they do not. Sometimes life sux in the land of the fruit.
@Suspiro
lol yup, next year fellas... imagine if you have a 2 year contract too... ouch. better hope they accelerate those upgrades even more next time..
geez engadget, can anyone point out apple's flaws without you all throwing a hissy fit? your iphone 4 worship routine dulled your sense of humor this much? "corporate cheap shots" my tail, everything jobs almighty says is a cheap shot.
@dima1109 They could have went further and said the phone didn't work while being overpriced. I like how that fact is reported as "Antenna Problems" when in reality it's a huge mistake for such a prestigious company with such a high-priced product. Not just an "Antenna Problem".
@dima1109
Can you let Engadget post articles without throwing a "hissy fit?"
Yawn. THis is just the beginning.
On a side note, can someone tell me why the...add your comments area shows on my phone but not my laptop when I'm signed in under the same account?
okay, but when Kristine Kelley says "so what time is that movie playing"... you can't hop over to a showtimes app and find out with Big V, right?
this whole no-simultaneous-voice-and-data thing is still a huge downer.