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T-Mobile tells reps the Vibrant GPS update is 'coming soon'
No word on what AT&T is communicating to its peeps regarding the similarly-afflicted Captivate, but it looks like T-Mobile fired off a communique to its sales reps in the past few hours letting them know that the Vibrant's update to solve its GPS woes is expected in September, echoing earlier an statement from Samsung. Interestingly, the reps are being told not to refer to the September guidance, but to instead rattle off a variant of Samsung's statement that says "the next few weeks" instead, presumably to give these guys some wiggle room in case it hits in August or -- perish the thought -- later than September. Keep your fingers crossed, folks. [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Samsung says GPS is 'tested and validated' on Epic 4G, our testing agrees
If you own a Galaxy S anywhere in the world or you're thinking of buying one, you're probably well-acquainted at this point with the GPS issues it's been suffering that prevent you from getting anything close to a precise lock on your location -- it might not be a deal-breaker for some, but for anyone planning on using their phone for turn-by-turn nav or fitness tracking (for instance) it's a big deal. Samsung's already committed to updating released versions of the phone in September, but what about the upcoming Epic 4G? Our testing suggests that it's functional -- Google Maps was able to give us extremely precise positions very quickly -- and a statement we've received from Samsung seems to corroborate that: "We have tested and validated both Network Assisted (indoor) and Autonomous (outdoor) GPS on the Epic 4G. With regards to Vibrant and Captivate, we are currently testing software updates which will optimize GPS performance. We expect to be able to make the updates available in September and will communicate more information and download instructions in the next few weeks." In other words, the Captivate and the Vibrant have the bug and will be fixed next month; the Epic, meanwhile, should be good to go when it launches on the 31st. Cheers to that, we say.
Where's the GPS fix for the Samsung Vibrant and Captivate?
Though we admittedly missed it in our initial review -- this is the kind of thing you just expect to work -- we circled back and amended our look at Samsung's Captivate and Vibrant when we discovered that AGPS is completely busted. Not "sort of working," not "flawed," just utterly broken and non-functional; we waited minutes upon minutes without a location lock in our follow-up testing. AGPS is the kind of thing you don't miss until you don't have it, at which point you realize how woefully inadequate straight-up GPS alone is for mobile use when you're frequently (for some of us, nearly always) trying to locate yourself indoors, under a tree, or in the heart of an urban canyon. This isn't a low- or medium-priority fix -- this is something that Samsung, T-Mobile, and AT&T should've been working to get out immediately. Actually, let's step back a bit: this is a problem for which there's no reasonable explanation why it made it all the way to retail devices, and it raises concerns over just how well these products were tested (you might remember from our review just how many egregious examples of weird English we found, for instance). Put simply, all three of these companies should have these phones pulled from shelves until the problem's fixed, should be communicating tirelessly with customers and the press to make sure that everyone knows the status of the issue, and should have a fix available right this second. Android's ecosystem has proven just how important frequent, reliable firmware updates are, and Sammy's already working from a damaged reputation thanks to the Behold II debacle. Let's make this right, guys. [Thanks, Steve] Update: We've just received an official statement from Samsung on the matter: "Samsung Mobile is aware that under certain conditions, the GPS on our U.S. Galaxy S devices may not be meeting performance expectations. We are diligently evaluating the situation and will provide an update as soon as possible." Update 2: Several readers have pointed out that there are workarounds for the problem available -- we've got one linked in the More Coverage section below which points to an Android Central article. It's a good start, but not one that's practical for the average phone buyer, bearing in mind that most folks aren't power users (and, sadly, don't read Engadget Mobile). That still leaves the impetus on Samsung to get an official firmware update pushed out on the double.
Blue Screen of Death amongst issues that plagued Deepwater Horizon
A recent report in the New York Times details a myriad issues that led up to the eventual explosion that started the mess known as the "BP oil spill," but aside from obvious mishandling of warnings and red flags, one particular issue was troubling those working on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig long before April 20th. Mike Williams, the rig's chief electronics technician, has come forward with a multitude of icky details surrounding the negligence that was involved in the catastrophe, with the one most germane to our discussion being the following: "For months, the computer system had been locking up, producing what the crew called the Blue Screen of Death." Williams continued, noting that "it would just turn blue," with "no data coming through." Of course, it's not as if BSODs are totally uncommon out in the working world -- Microsoft's Windows powers the vast majority of systems that corporations rely on daily -- but this one rubs just a wee bit differently. Hit the source link for the full spill. [Image courtesy of Ultrasaurus]
Apple begins iPhone 4 Case Program: apply for your free case or Bumper now
Well, there's nothing like masking bad news with good news, right Apple? Just moments after quietly announcing that the white iPhone 4 is now scheduled to ship sometime between tomorrow and your New Year's Eve party, the company has also fired up its iPhone 4 Case Program. Just as Jobs promised last week at an emergency press event, this program will ensure that anyone who purchases an iPhone 4 prior to September 30th will be able to receive an iPhone 4 Bumper or select third-party case from the company at no charge. 'Course, you need to be located in a country or territory that Apple actually ships to, but if that's all squared away, feel free to hit up the App Store to download the iPhone 4 Case Program app. Once there, you'll need to sign into your iTunes Store account, select your Bumper or case and wait oh-so-patiently (read: "3 to 5 weeks"). Better hurry -- wouldn't want the servers to get overloaded, now would we?Oh, and if you happened to have already purchased a Bumper, the company should be hitting your credit card with a full refund (including any applicable taxes and shipping) momentarily. As for the case / Bumper choices? Every single option is available in any color you like... so long as it's black, of course. There's a black Apple Bumper option, an Incase Snap Case, Belkin Shield Micra, Griffin Motif, Griffin Reveal, Speck Fitted and Speck PixelSkin HD, but again, don't go in hoping to select your favorite hue. Yeah, you're free to bicker about free things -- we won't judge.Update: If you're one of those wise guys who purchased an iPhone 4 right away just to sell it, you can forget about getting a free case for the handset you no longer own. Apple has arranged this so that only one case can be ordered per iPhone 4, so even if you ordered two under your account name, you'll need two phones to place both of those orders. Check out the error message below if you still don't believe us. %Gallery-98074%
Apple delays white iPhone a second time, won't ship until 'later this year'
Man, there's about a zero percent chance that Steve Jobs and company are happy about this. Just days after shocking the market with higher-than-expected profits and revenues, Apple is having to grit its teeth once more with yet another iPhone 4 problem. This time, the elusive white iPhone -- yeah, that one that we toyed with at the WWDC announcement keynote -- is being delayed again. The new due date? Sometime "later this year." Here's the full, and unsurprisingly brief, announcement: "Statement by Apple on White iPhone 4 White models of Apple's new iPhone® 4 have continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected, and as a result they will not be available until later this year. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected."
Slingbox Solo devices no longer streaming for some users?
According to Slingbox's message boards, some Slingbox SOLO owners are experiencing a slew of issues with their devices, the most concerning of which is the failure to stream content after a brief period of use. Understandably, that's more than a bit frustrating for users who purchased the set top box exactly so they could stream TV content remotely. The particular thread in question was started back in May, and as of now has not been universally resolved by Slingbox's engineering team, who claim the problems have yet to be nailed down to a single issue -- despite many owners discovering their issues are related to bloated capacitors. Unfortunately for users, that means Slingbox hasn't announced a blanket replacement program. Instead, Slingbox is asking those affected by the problem to contact their support team: if your device happened to fail within 90 of purchase or you purchased an extended warranty, they'll handle for free. Otherwise, those still within the device's hardware warranty can pay a small fee for service which will be refunded only in the event the problem is found to be hardware related. From a consumer standpoint, this definitely sounds like a raw deal, but we'll avoid taking sides until more details surface... or a last minute press conference is called to claim it's a problem with all streaming boxes.
Apple affirms: no software fix for iPhone 4 antenna issue
In case it wasn't obvious enough from Apple's agitated response to our question during today's iPhone 4 Q&A session in Cupertino, there's no software fix in the pipeline for the antenna issues that are plaguing users today. A prior report in the New York Times seemed fairly confident that the troubles could (and would) be solved in the near term by a simple software update, but the company's own Scott Forstall called said report "patently false." So, there you have it -- the only thing that'll be fixed via software is how big your smallest bar of signal is. Beyond that, you'll need to grab some Duct tape, a free case or a white glove if you're looking to avoid attenuation entirely.
Reminder: we're live from Apple's iPhone 4 press conference tomorrow, 10AM PT / 1PM ET!
Apple's been pretty vague about what's going to go down tomorrow at the press conference it's holding in Cupertino, but we're going to be there live, covering whatever it is they have in store for us. We have a feeling it'll have at least something to do with that antenna issue you may or may not have heard about, so strap yourself into your seat, grab an orange soda, and keep it parked right at Engadget for the best, up-to-the-minute live coverage on the internet. Here's the URL to check in to tomorrow to see the action as it happens, and here's what time you'll need to show up: 07:00AM - Hawaii 10:00AM - Pacific 11:00AM - Mountain 12:00PM - Central 01:00PM - Eastern 06:00PM - London 07:00PM - Paris 09:00PM - Moscow 02:00AM - Tokyo (July 17th)
Laptop's 2010 tech support showdown reveals ugly truth: you're (almost) on your own
Dealing with warranties is one thing -- it's almost always a crap-shoot, and you're continually pressing your luck when trying to get something covered without any out-of-pocket expense. But how's about the tech support that's so whimsically promised with so many laptops these days? Our pals over at Laptop put in an inordinate amount of work in order to find out, pinging a full dozen manufacturers via phone and chat in order to measure hold time, level of support offered and overall satisfaction. Just about every major laptop maker was included (Acer, Apple, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Toshiba and Fujitsu, just to name a few), and an in-depth report of their findings was posted for each one. In general, though, they found that most companies wouldn't hang around long enough to answer those nagging questions that typically end up in forums ("How do I remove bloatware?"), oftentimes pointing the caller to a paid alternative that would actually take the time to address their issues. If you're considering a new machine, and you aren't exactly one of those nerdy go-getters who can troubleshoot everything yourself, you should certainly give the source links below a look. Just try not to get too depressed, cool?
iPhone 4 antenna problems were predicted on June 10 by Danish professor
Well, this must be one of the most epic "I told you so" moments in the history of consumer electronics. Professor Gert Frølund Pedersen, an antenna expert over at Denmark's Aalborg University, managed to get his concerns about the iPhone 4's external antennae on the record a cool two weeks before the phone was even released. In an interview on June 10, the Danish brainbox explained that he wasn't impressed by Steve Jobs' promises of better reception, describing external antennas as "old news," and suggested that contact with fleshlings could result in undesirable consequences to the handset's reception: "The human tissue will in any event have an inhibitory effect on the antenna. Touch means that a larger portion of antenna energy becomes heat and lost." Machine-translated that may be, but you get the point. Researchers at Gert's university have already shown that over 90 percent of any phone's antenna signal can be stifled by holding it in the right place, but he's highlighting the specific exposure to skin contact as a separate issue to be mindful of. Good to know we've got sharp minds out there, and as to his suggested solution, Gert says phones should ideally have two antennae that act in a sort of redundant array, so that when one is blocked, the other can pick up the slack. So, what are we going to do now, Apple? [Thanks, Andrew]
iPhone 4 antenna woes contextualized by dude in the know
It's the ultimate of ironies that Apple's externalized antenna array in the iPhone 4 -- hoped (and hyped up) to finally give us a phone every bit as good the rest of the device -- has become the cause of most rancor in the immediate aftermath of the handset's release. This morning you'll be rubbing both sleep and disbelief out of your eyes as you read that Apple's response to some people's reception problems with the 4 is to hold it differently. But, before we start ostracizing Apple as the singular offender here, let's hear from a man in the know. Spencer Webb runs AntennaSys, a company that designs tailormade RF solutions, and has himself worked on making quad-band transceivers for AT&T. As he tells it, almost all phone makers have now transitioned to locating their antennae at the bottom of the phones. This has been in order to move radio wave emissions away from the head (a shortcoming that a top-mounted aerial would incur), which the FCC has been quite demanding about with its SAR standards -- The iPhone 4, however, moved the antenna action from the back of the phone to the sides. This probably improves the isotropy of the radiation pattern, but only when the phone is suspended magically in air. Another great point made here is that testing done both by the Federales and mobile carriers might include the head, but never accounts for the presence of the person's hand. Thus, although a phone's antenna could test very well, it might suffer from such issues as those experienced with the iPhone 4. Mind you, this still seems like an assembly (rather than design) problem to us, since most of our editors haven't had any reception worries and we in fact saw improved performance on that front while conducting our review testing. Spencer himself has decided to buy the phone knowing full well about this potential limitation, and concludes on the note that "sometimes an antenna that's not great, but good enough, is good enough."
Some iPhone 4 models dropping calls when held left-handed, including ours (Update: Apple responds)
What's more annoying than spending hours lining up for a shiny new gadget? Learning that your precious phone can't actually connect to the network. Well, depending on how you hold it -- word has it that the iPhone 4's bottom-left corner isn't playing nice with your skin. If you recall from the keynote, that's where the Bluetooth / WiFi / GPS antenna meets its GSM / UMTS counterpart. So we decided to test on two brand new iPhone 4 handsets purchased today in the UK.One iPhone 4 demonstrated the issue everytime it was held in our left hand (as a right-handed person is apt to do) so that our palm was essentially bridging the two antennas. You can see that in the video after the break. Bridging the two with a finger tip, however, didn't cause any issues with the reported reception. If we had to guess, we'd say that our conductive skin was acting to detune the antenna -- in fact, we've already managed to slowly kill two calls that way so it's not just an issue with the software erroneously reporting an incorrect signal strength. That said, we had no issues when Apple's $29 rubber bumper accessory (given to us free for standing in line) was attached, creating a buffer between our palm and the antennas. Our second UK-purchased iPhone 4 was fine, showing none of these handling symptoms. See the video evidence after the break including Insanely Great Mac's version which got us to worrying in the first place.P.S. Don't forget to take our poll and let us know if you're seeing both the yellow spots / stripes and reception issues. Unfortunately, we're suffering from both flaws which is not a good sign for quality control on this first batch of Apple handsets.P.P.S. Since some of you are asking, our review unit showed none of these issues.Update: Apple responds to the issue, and boy, it's a doozy.
Poll: is your iPhone 4 retina display seeing yellow spots? (update: losing bars in the hand?)
Out, damned spot! out, I say! One; two: why, then, 'tis time to do 't. Hell is murky! Fie, my lord, fie! Reports are coming in from some of those lucky early iPhone 4 users that there may exist a not-so-lucky yellow coloration in the bottom right corner of the IPS LCD. We haven't seen this ourselves on any new iPhones, but maybe you've had different experiences. Tell us, is your iPhone 4 seeing yellow? Update: As a number of readers have pointed out, there seems to be an issue with how many bars are displayed on screen -- perhaps even a correlation to how it's being held in the hand. According to Walt Mossberg's review, Apple has acknowledged the issue as something that has to do with "the way the bars are presented, not the actual ability to make a call," and that a fix is forthcoming. Indeed, as noted in our review, we've had "far, far fewer dropped calls than we experienced on our 3GS." We're not seeing very many videos showing more dropped call, but the bar change is interesting. Still, to be sure, we're adding another poll. Update 2: Our iPhone 4 purchased in Japan has a pale yellow bar along then entire bottom edge. Picture after the break.%Poll-48460% %Poll-48475% [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HTC has fix in the works for EVO 4G screen sensitivity; separation problems are minor
We've just been tipped off on a couple feel-good items for EVO 4G owners that should end your Friday on a bright note: The glass separation issues are real, but said to be super minor and have no effect on the usability of the phone apart from a nearly imperceptible "give" to the touch. That said, HTC has made some assembly changes that should reduce or eliminate the problem going forward, and it'll keep an eye on the situation. This is really interesting: the screen sensitivity problems are also real and are apparently far more prevalent in arid climates, but it can be fixed with a software patch alone. That patch will be rolling out to EVOs soon. See? Told you it was feel-good news. More on this stuff as we get it.
HP Envy 15 said to be suffering from blank screen issues, lousy webcam
We can't say we experienced the problem during our time reviewing the HP Envy 15 (though we certainly had some other issues with it), but a sizable number of users have been reporting a persistent problem with the laptop's display randomly going blank. That's apparently so far gone unremedied by any number of driver updates, with the only "fix" being a forced reboot of the computer. Also problematic is an issue some folks are reporting with the laptop's webcam, which apparently has an odd tendency to only work properly under fluorescent lighting -- move under an incandescent light and everything takes on a distinct purple hue. Head on past the break for a vivid example of that problem, and hit up the source link below for all nineteen pages of complaints about the blank screen issue. [Thanks, Kasper]
Apple iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter not accomplishing the simplest of tasks
Look, there's no arguing that Apple charges a boatload for its first-party adapters, and this isn't the first time that one of those overpriced dongles has caused an uproar (Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter, anyone?). But when the company trots out an iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter and promises to enable users to "see their videos and slideshows on the big screen," it should probably make a few clarifications. Instead, more than a handful of consumers are revolting over on Apple's own webstore, noting that any video laced in any type of DRM (iTunes flicks and Netflix streams included) won't output at all. Contrary to popular belief, this adapter doesn't actually mirror the iPad's display, which is fairly absurd in our eyes -- teachers are even stating that Apple's own Pages and Keynote apps won't output via the dongle, making this effectively worthless for blowing up presentations for all to see. We (sort of) get the DRM thing, but not including support in your own presentation app? Unacceptable. A tipster has noted that Apple informed him that "it's up to the app makers to enable the video out function," so we suppose all that's needed to solve a lot of controversy is for some switch to be flipped in some direction. Any other hang-ups with this thing that the world should know about? Drop 'em in comments below. [Thanks, Tony] Update: A few tipsters have noted that Keynote does in fact work here. Here's a growing list of what does and doesn't work with the adapter.
Google 'no longer investigating' fix for Nexus One 3G issues, advises 'changing your location'
Looking back through our archives, you'll find plenty of user dissatisfaction with the 3G reception on Google's Nexus One. Blamed alternately on T-Mobile's inferior 3G coverage and on software bugs, the problem was expected to be banished with an over-the-air update in early February. The update came, but the trouble also stayed. It might now be time to finally lay those last lingering hopes for rectification to rest, as Google has directly responded to calls for a bigger and better OTA patch by explaining that it's no longer working on "further engineering improvements." That's a pretty conclusive sign that the problem is in the hardware, particularly when you peruse the support thread in question and the reception comparisons users have been doing with other handsets. Well, at least you know for sure now. [Thanks, Ryan]
Apple iPad charging woes: USB hubs, non-Macs and weak ports not rejuvenating
Heads-up, iPad owners (or to-be owners, as it were) -- the same devices you currently use to juice up your iPod touch or iPhone may not work on your fancy new tablet. Consumer Reports, TUAW and our own Chris Ziegler have confirmed that their powered USB hubs wouldn't charge the iPad, and we're even seeing reports that some Wintel rigs won't either. The only sure bets right now are Apple computers and your nearby AC outlet, leaving iPad owners with fewer options when it comes to topping off that battery when away from your abode. We're pretty certain this all boils down to the iPad requiring more power than most powered USB ports are designed to give, but it's still something to keep in mind. So, any of you early adopters finding that your own powered USB hub or non-Mac does rejuvenate the iPad? Let us know in comments below. Update: Macworld has a nice explaination of the whole situation. Looks like tablets just require more power to charge than smartphones -- who woulda thunk it? Update 2: And now Apple has come right out with a support article -- head on over to see what it recommends.
Nexus One losing finish, innocence?
There'd been stories dating back a couple months about removable black splotches appearing along the bottom of the Nexus One when used in the included neoprene case, but this looks like a different situation here. Basically, a gentleman has noticed peeling finish on the side and around the dock connectors on the phone's darker finish at the bottom -- the same area affected by the splotching, coincidentally -- after about one weeks' use. We're hoping this can be chalked up to a single defective unit or unusually rough use, but it's kind of interesting that this is the second issue we've seen with that troublesome dark finish, isn't it? [Thanks, Damien]
