dropouts
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Woz having reception problems, too
For all of his exceptional qualities, part of Woz' popularity these days lies in the fact that he is really the prototypical Apple fan -- he stands in line like everyone else, he postulates about Steve Jobs' condition, and he loves the products just as much as we do. So when even Woz admits to having reception issues with his iPhone 4, then you know it's a real problem. In an interview with a Dutch journalist, Woz says that he's been experimenting with the death grip and reception along with the rest of us. "I concluded that the effect only occurs in some places," he says, "It's like the AT&T dead zone has been extended with this new phone." Of course, unlike most of us, Woz usually always carries a backup phone or, you know, three. And even though he's experiencing the dropouts and the issues, he's still impressed enough with the hardware that the device in general "is worth the care in holding it." Still, Woz is the prototype for most of us Apple fans, and if even he is having the same issues that we all are, it must be time to hold a press conference. I'm sure Woz will be waiting and watching along with the rest of us tomorrow morning. [via TechCrunch]
Cisco set-top-boxes to solve U-verse audio dropouts?
Looks like one of those "souped-up" set-top-boxes could be just what the doctor ordered for ailing U-verse users. It's no secret (not even to AT&T) that many customers have been experiencing intermittent audio dropouts using optical audio connections on the current Motorola STBs. Typically, the glitches occur every 30 seconds to a minute, and the problem seems to reside within the box itself. Reportedly, Tier 2 technical support has advised some subscribers that Cisco boxes are now being dispatched for those dealing with the issue, and of course, AT&T asserts that these units will solve the problem. The latest word on end-user availability is "within [a few] weeks," so hopefully a bona fide fix isn't too far out.[Thanks, Ryan]
Shaw cable customers still facing quality issues?
We had heard that some Shaw customers up north (that's Canada, to be precise) were having some serious quality issues with their HD programming towards the end of 2007, and according to a recent writeup by Digital Home, the problems haven't gone away -- entirely, at least. Apparently, the audio dropouts and macroblocking that seemed to be present on nearly every HD channel were finally brought to the attention of management, and while the bigwigs did proclaim that they were taking the complaints "very seriously," nothing had been done as of early January. After a six-week effort that consisted of gathering data from 38 volunteers experiencing the problems, users say that the audio issues have improved somewhat, yet visual quirks are persisting. Any problem that hangs around for months on end can't be good, but we're curious to see if Shaw's done anything since to improve matters. So, dear Canadians, has it?[Image courtesy of Vidiot]
