When I heard that Apple was coming out with the iPhone 4, I maintained my sense of skepticism, and decided to wait and see what happens. Sure enough, first was the fiasco of the missing iPhone which apparently was left in a bar only to be discovered by someone who handed it over to engadget.com providing the world with a sneak preview of this machine. My sense of skepticism told me that that was all a ploy by Apple to start the buzz about the coming phone. Sure enough, there was buzz, enhanced by Stephen Jobs previewing the phone and all the cool things it would have. The high definition screen, the ability to multi-task, the metal body, the ability to make video calls . . . all made this phone the one to have and true to its fan-base, people were again lining up to get their device. I looked at the commercial they had online and was sold. I was going to get mine as well.  Then came some fuss about the phone having a problem. People were complaining about its reception fluctuating when held by hand. This became known as the “death grip”.  I’m still thinking about getting the phone and went to my account on att.com to see how I could do so with a little trepidation. What I remember doing is looking at the blow up of the phone that Apple showed of the phone. They showed where the antenna was and how it fit into the body. I saw that the antenna was actually part of the frame of the phone. It dawned on me that if there was a problem with the reception of the phone, this had to be a very big problem. I was disturbed when Apple came out and said the problem was a software problem and all that was needed was an update to it. Think of a car with a tire pressure sensor. If you get a flat, no amount of adjusting the electronic systems would lead to a different result. You have to fix the flat. It was no surprise to me then to hear that Consumer Reports said that they wouldn’t recommend the phone as it has a design flaw. Read the full story

In 2004 I got what was then the new trend in phones, those with Bluetooth technology that enabled phones to wirelessly connect to headsets and other devices. My wife actually got into this trend before I did but hers had to have a Bluetooth adapter for the phone to work. This was back in 2002 and I remember having to take a deep breath when she told me of her purchase. Her business requires her to be in touch all the time so I had no choice but to agree with her purchase.

Anyway, Verizon, always late to the party, offered the Motorola V710 phone which had bluetooth. Now I’m old school and still remember having to pay 2.00 per minute for cell phone calls. So for me, having a cell phone was a business decision and was really for important calls. I still marvel at how some people can almost have a cell phone built into their heads with the way they’re constantly chatting on a cell phone. For me, its all about the message you can send.

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