Related
http://www.informationweek.com/news...html?articleID=225900042&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News
So I read that and it sounds a lot like an Apple iPhone lover trying to find fault in this phone. Anybody who owns the Captivate, can you possibly check this and update us on this ?
I'd read the comments for that article.
and
http://androidforums.com/samsung-ca...vate-death-grip-issue-similar-iphone-4-a.html
The issue can be replicated on almost any phone in certain conditions. Its really not an issue to be concerned about.
I've noticed that my Captivate is hovering around 2-3 bars constantly. It rarely hits 4 or 5 bars unless I'm right near a tower.
I have the body glove case on the phone as well and this is still occurring.
Mine shows 4 bars on the table, in hand it drops to 3 bars. If I press it into the palm of my hand and put an actual "death grip" on it, it goes to 2 bars. Nothing to be concerned about as far as I'm concerned.
Looks like it is an issue, possibly worse than the iphone 4. There's a new test on youtube about it. I can't post links until my account is verified. Search "samsung captivate." Many phones are tested (captivate is around the 5:20 mark):
It dropped from 3 bars to zero. Yikes! Still though, this was a very tight grip test, which no one uses. I would like to see just a casual grip test. According to at least one video I saw, on the iphone, if you put just one finger on that spot on the left side, it will drop.
pjs2004 said:
Looks like it is an issue, possibly worse than the iphone 4. There's a new test on youtube about it. I can't post links until my account is verified. Search "samsung captivate." Many phones are tested (captivate is around the 5:20 mark):
It dropped from 3 bars to zero. Yikes! Still though, this was a very tight grip test, which no one uses. I would like to see just a casual grip test. According to at least one video I saw, on the iphone, if you put just one finger on that spot on the left side, it will drop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it this video? Don't be too concerned with the bars. Bars are just a vague estimate of signal strength (it's probably gamed by the manufacturer). I'm interested in real-world performance. There's another video on here (or maybe androidforums) where a user shows the bar drop during the "death grip" and then runs speedtest.net to show that the downstream performance is almost identical. If the data performance suffers or I drop calls when I hold the phone, it's a problem. If all that happens is the signal meter drops a little, I don't care.
I'd be interested to see if the issue Techno Buffalo had can be replicated on the other Galaxy S devices. IIRC, the Captivate is the only one with a metal back cover.
Yeah, that's the one. Good point about the bars...
Like the iPhone 4 it's not really a big deal. Most people will never replicate the circumstances needed for this to happen in daily usage and the ones that do probably will do it on purpose to make a stupid video......
dsjr2006 said:
Like the iPhone 4 it's not really a big deal. Most people will never replicate the circumstances needed for this to happen in daily usage and the ones that do probably will do it on purpose to make a stupid video......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously. Who holds phones like that? I love how he was dragging all the widgets around on the Evo with his palm. Hulk no get reception on Hulk's iPhone 4. Hulk smash!
I've tried holding my phone in 20 different ways and cannot make the signal go away. The problem with the iphone is NOT the same as just putting the captivate under something so it doesn't receive the towers as well. Captivate is fine.
All phones lose signal in a phone specific "death grip". The difference between a well designed phone and the iphone 4 is how awkwardly you have to hold the phone to lose reception. On the iphone 4 you lose reception holding the phone in a way that is normal for many people. Well designed phones don't lose reception while being held in any natural position.
I held mine the way you naturally would in the left and right hands and saw maybe a 1 bar drop out of 10 tries.
If you completely cover the back with your hand you can make it drop a couple bars (but no **** why wouldn't it you are covering the entire back lol). And by 'a couple' I mean exactly 2. Thats the most I could get it to drop any way I held it.
Also if you grip the bottom nice and tight, and make sure that your palm is making 100% contact with the back you can get it to drop 1-2 bars.
I made 10 test calls with the captivate and the most I can make it drop is 2 bars, and even when I dropped from 2 to zero bars it wouldn't drop the call.
As long as it doesn't drop the call I don't care how many bars it shows. Also I think that they are calculating signal strength based on data (upload and download) and voice. From what I saw I think the bar drop is from data upload speeds decreasing.
I'd like to hear if anyone can actually drop a call from this. I can't but service is okay where I am lowest I hit was 2 bars without the grip.
i get 4 - 5 bars normaly. When i apply the death grip i drop 1 bar... btw the death grip you give an iphone 4 and a regphone is totally diff. The deathgrip for the iphone 4 is casually holding it in your left hand. For normal hands one is required to strangle the phone. With the extreme death grip i got it to drop one bar. I have huge hands too...
I don't think the problem with the iPhone 4 is the normal attenuation problem you have when you put something like your hand over an antenna to attenuate the signal. With the iPhone 4 you are actually physically touching the phone antenna and shorting it with the other antenna using your skin as a bridge. The "death grip" for the iPhone 4 can be as simple as putting your index finger across the black gap between the antennas on the lower left corner. That's why Apple's $30 rubber band works.
I've been in high-signal areas all day so I haven't really had a chance to see how much of a problem the signal drop is when you have your hand over the bottom slider plate. I lose 1-2 bars, but I'm not getting any statistically significant difference using speedtest.net.
I hope nothing happened here, but my Inspire just slid off the back of the couch and feel about 3' onto a lightly carpeted wood floor. No scuffs or screen damage, but suddenly my signal strength seems to be in the crapper. However that could just coincide with AT&T twaddling around with expanding their 4G coverage. So I'm wondering if it's just my imagination, or do I have a problem to worry about?
BillTheCat said:
I hope nothing happened here, but my Inspire just slid off the back of the couch and feel about 3' onto a lightly carpeted wood floor. No scuffs or screen damage, but suddenly my signal strength seems to be in the crapper. However that could just coincide with AT&T twaddling around with expanding their 4G coverage. So I'm wondering if it's just my imagination, or do I have a problem to worry about?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check to see if the SIM cover isn't cracked. If im not mistaken, the antenna is located there and the wifi antenna is located on the battery cover. Try to remove and reinsert the SIM cover to see if that helps.
No worries there, I just dropped my phone to the concrete floor from 4ft...
It landed with its corner, and spun a few times.... (horrible sight to see)
phone still functions, screen didn't crack (although there is a very tiny nick on the screen which I can't really see after I put on a new screen protector, the old one is messed up, of course), and everything works, just that there are some minor scuffs on the phone now
I gotta say, this phone is well built, and if this had happened to my old Touch Pro.... man, the phone will be gone already.
here is a picture to prove that the speed is still great!
Thanks for the replies. Turns out everything is alright. Must have been a problem with the tower that happened to coincide with the drop.
I had ill effects after a slight drop and it turned out to be a bad SIM card. I went to the AT&T store, they pulled it out, put it in their tester, came up with an error, swapped me out and I was out the door in less than 5 minutes.
With all the years we have had AT&T, I still can't see where people have room to complain about "bad customer service". We have yet to see it and have this account with 5 lines for 5+ years.
Oh well...
Talderon said:
I had ill effects after a slight drop and it turned out to be a bad SIM card. I went to the AT&T store, they pulled it out, put it in their tester, came up with an error, swapped me out and I was out the door in less than 5 minutes.
With all the years we have had AT&T, I still can't see where people have room to complain about "bad customer service". We have yet to see it and have this account with 5 lines for 5+ years.
Oh well...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the bad customer service isn't when they exchange you a .003 dollar defective sim card... it is when they sell you a '4G' phone that is 3G............
Roland_D said:
Well the bad customer service isn't when they exchange you a .003 dollar defective sim card... it is when they sell you a '4G' phone that is 3G............
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At least they don't sell you a 4g phone and charge extra every month for it when the nearest 4g is 100 miles away.
They all have their issues.
I've had plenty of drops although my inspire is protected with an Otterbox Commuter. Not a single scratch, only thing is that it unseats my SD card on occasions so I have to pull off the case & cover and push it back in. A minor annoyance but well worth it.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
newter55 said:
At least they don't sell you a 4g phone and charge extra every month for it when the nearest 4g is 100 miles away.
They all have their issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to play devil's advocate, how are they to know where you live? I have been to many different ATT stores that aren't in my town.
As for the address showing up in their system, I'm listed at my house but I currently live 355 miles away at college; they can't just take your word or assume you know?
Nome the less, I would hate to be charged for 4G.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App
Has anyone else noticed the drop in WiFi signal when you cup the phone in your hand? Put the phone in your left hand so your palm is on the left side with your fingers on the right. Watch the WiFi signal tank.
It's not a big deal nor do I know if it affects anything - just a funny observation.
Just confirmed this with WIFI Analyzer. I would lose about ~10 db whenever I cupped the bottom and the second I released it went back to normal. Must mean that the WIFI antenna is on the bottom of the device. Not that it matters much as 10 db is a minimal drop.
Very interesting, when not cupping the device returns to normal. This was with my case off. The second I put my case on my WIFI signal plummeted while not even touching it. I use a silicon case that just wraps around the device. After removing the case the signal shoots back up.
Weird, huh? Mine will drop from four WiFi bars down to one.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
That's crazy. Works everytime without fail. Lucky for me I never hold it like that.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
I experience the same thing, but does not seem to affect performance.
-sent via 1.21 giggawatts of android.
It's not happening for me. Weird.
I know that the antennas on the TB run through the back cover. If you open the Battery/SD/SIM compartment cover, you will notice some contacts that are in different spots and corresponding contacts on the cover. These are antenna extensions. Thusly, covering the back of the phone will drop your signal pretty good. Try holding it in a gapped grip (fingertips only instead of cupping) or hold it at the bottom (near the kickstand) and it will alleviate it.
Why it attenuates so much when you have a silicon cover on boggles my mind. I have a soft interior and hard edge silicone/plastic two piece case on and maybe a small attenuation of WiFi and Cell signal. One bar max, a few DB in stats. Dropping from full bars to one is crazy for just the cover.
You think cell phone manufacturers would have learned from Apple....
the desire s has this issue really bad. my nexus one does it too. i've been able to cup my phone and drop cellular AND wifi bars on pretty much every phone i've owned, nokia n95, n97, etc. some just have it worse than others so you may not notice it on certain devices. but its always existed.
if you are standing next to your router, than the signal will over power any attenuation you try to impose on the device. so in the same room you wont notice, but far away with weaker signal and you will attenuate for sure.
Breezer23 said:
You think cell phone manufacturers would have learned from Apple....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple wasnt the first and wont be the last...
moosez3 said:
Apple wasnt the first and wont be the last...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Though they did make one of the biggest errors.
That's true but Apple made Antennuation a household term.... Kinda lol.
Apple had a problem with signal? AT&T, aka A Fee & Fee, had users too dumb to know they were using too much data? It was an iBlame issue. My daily rant quota.
Seriously, though, with internal antennas, this can be an issue. I have not verified if my signal attenuated or not, nor has it affected call quality or data transmission that I am aware of.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
ryocoon said:
Why it attenuates so much when you have a silicon cover on boggles my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Silicone cover made in china and full of lead????
kendive said:
Silicone cover made in china and full of lead????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol. But do not make too much fun of them, they may cash in our country's debt..real trouble then.
Now granted this is something that I'm not greatly concerned but as I have been able to replicate it over and over with my phone...
If you hold the phone sideways so the hard-keys are towards your right hand. Now I say the following because people have different grips for their phonez but to emphasize my point that it is possible (the way I held the phone did) to actively see wifi drop. So just as a demonstration while holding the phone in your right hand when you have full wifi bars and 'palm' the 3.5mm jack side in your left hand emphasizing pressure on corner with the audio jack. (Make sure you have full bars when testing)
Now I understand the easy solution would be to flip the phone horizontally the other way. But I'm just curious if someone else had noticed this already?
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
lol made me lose two full bars. Good find. It is happening as I type in landscape right now.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
Never fear. It's called attenuation and happens on all phones. They have to put the antennas somewhere, and your body attenuates antenna reception.
strung said:
Never fear. It's called attenuation and happens on all phones. They have to put the antennas somewhere, and your body attenuates antenna reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pfffft I knew that
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
...
strung said:
Never fear. It's called attenuation and happens on all phones. They have to put the antennas somewhere, and your body attenuates antenna reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea... I figured that it had to go somewhere lol, but I realized this after getting so damn comfortable with how I held the phone that way. Even which hand the hard-key side of the phone settled in, haha. =X
Agree, it doesn't happen close to the wifi but the weaker the signal yes it will..
But that's expected and happens on all devices and imo doesn't need a thread.
smashpunks said:
Agree, it doesn't happen close to the wifi but the weaker the signal yes it will..
But that's expected and happens on all devices and imo doesn't need a thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You learn a little at a time, I guess. Sorry for the apparent redundancy of this thread...
I received my replacement back cover today in hopes that it would resolve my signal strength issues.
It doesn't. My sensation loses signal if I hold it normally. It gets reduced signal from using any case/cover as well. I get 1-2 bars and if I leave it in my pocket at my house, I lose signal all togther.
My father has one and the same issues as well, and my cousin has the same issues.
With other phones, MyTouch 4g, Motorola Cliq, etc, We have 3-4 bars all the time, no matter what.
The antenna on these is poorly designed, and it could be complicated by software/radio configuration.
Just wanted to let people know that getting them to send you a back cover may not solve your issue.
I think I'm going to send it back for service/testing, but I'll bet it passes and they send the phone back. If it only works 10% as well as you think it should, but 10% is 100% of their spec's, then 10% it will be... HTC may have lost a customer..
Have minimal WiFi antenna attenuation, and it hasn't affected my usage, at all. And I mean :::zero::: You will be okay. None of the Sensation handsets have 'better' casings than others. Honest.
you're pretty lucky. considering I haven't had this issue ever since I got my sensation. but its the unbranded one.
Id guess something is wrong with your hardware, inside the phone. I hold my phone funny and still have great reception. Heck, I even put thick lead sheet in the way of the antennas and still had good reception!
Id do an exchange.
Matt
It's not the back. I had a sensation with dust under the screen. Got a warrant replacement (just the front), and now I have the death grip issue.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Maybe.
I think I'm going to send it out, but if it's all 3 (purchased at different times from different places) then what is the issue? It drops some bars if you hold the phone. Even when you don't it is lower bars than my Motorola cliq)
I'm pissed. If they tell me nothing is wrong, it will be my last HTC.
Uhmm daaa.. Do you read instruction mannual? Dosent read shh... and posting dumb things.. EVERYTHING about anntena is written there.. the operator antenna is at the bottom of the phone! (there are little holes at the back cover) so avoid covering the holes and it should be fine! - Because as you probably noticed the wifi & operator antenna is the little gold plates on inside of the cover... and thats why you get 'death grip' when you cover them... - Basicly 1/3 of the cover WORKS AS AN ANTENNA! So no replacements will fix this.. it is just the way it is!
When I cover the antennas one bar dropes for me, but thats it... Of course when i pull the cover out i almost have no coverage(because no antenna is connected)