Captivate reception problem?

[Jofaba]

With calls, admittedly, this is "looking for a problem when there probably isn't one", as in; I have to really work to get zero bars and "prove my point" by dropping a call or failing to make one.

But when it comes to browsing the web, holding the phone in portrait in my right hand, or in landscape with my right hand touching the back, I see a real hit in speed and connectivity.

To be honest, if this is a general hardware failure, I'll suck it up because I'm stuck with ATT. My credit sucks and I can't afford the $400 security deposit that Verizon wants, and besides the antenna issue this is the best Android on ATT.

I can learn to change my holding habits if I have to. I think it's ridiculous, but I can do it. Everything else about the phone is pretty amazing. If you're techie enough to work through the initial un-user-friendliness of even the most simplest of tasks, then once you get the phone setup as you want it, it's pretty damn slick.

[gTen]

Originally Posted by Jofaba

With calls, admittedly, this is "looking for a problem when there probably isn't one", as in; I have to really work to get zero bars and "prove my point" by dropping a call or failing to make one.

But when it comes to browsing the web, holding the phone in portrait in my right hand, or in landscape with my right hand touching the back, I see a real hit in speed and connectivity.

To be honest, if this is a general hardware failure, I'll suck it up because I'm stuck with ATT. My credit sucks and I can't afford the $400 security deposit that Verizon wants, and besides the antenna issue this is the best Android on ATT.

I can learn to change my holding habits if I have to. I think it's ridiculous, but I can do it. Everything else about the phone is pretty amazing. If you're techie enough to work through the initial un-user-friendliness of even the most simplest of tasks, then once you get the phone setup as you want it, it's pretty damn slick.

Hmm...best way to tell is visit a T-mobile store and hold it the same way you do know...and even if bars disappear try to surf the net and see how it is...

There is no question you will loose signal when you touch it due to FCC requiring the antenna to be on the bottom..but it shouldn't be that significant...so it may just mean crappy signals from AT&T...

[Jofaba]

I made a newer/better video example here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwoyRvr71kQ

[gTen]

Originally Posted by Jofaba

I made a newer/better video example here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwoyRvr71kQ

There is no question that when antenna is places on the bottom of the phone the signal drops, in the example you had 2-3 bars and when holding it, it turns into 0-1 bars...

The problem with the iphone 4 is when that happens..signal is completely dead..so its not about the bars as it is about having dropped calls.

[Jofaba]

Originally Posted by gTen

There is no question that when antenna is places on the bottom of the phone the signal drops, in the example you had 2-3 bars and when holding it, it turns into 0-1 bars...

The problem with the iphone 4 is when that happens..signal is completely dead..so its not about the bars as it is about having dropped calls.

And the problem with the Captivate is that signal is completely dropped. Did you actually watch the video? I can replace a data ping with a cellular ping and get the same results.

[gTen]

Originally Posted by Jofaba

And the problem with the Captivate is that signal is completely dropped. Did you actually watch the video? I can replace a data ping with a cellular ping and get the same results.

Yes I saw the video..but I do not see where you meant the signal was completely dropped..do you mean when it turned 0 bars?

[Jofaba]

No I mean when my 3g signal for download speed goes from 1.56mbps to 0.04mbps when I pick it up. btw if that sounded rude it wasn't meant to!

[gTen]

Originally Posted by Jofaba

No I mean when my 3g signal for download speed goes from 1.56mbps to 0.04mbps when I pick it up. btw if that sounded rude it wasn't meant to!

ok but 0.04mb is not signal dead..on iphone 4 it would have been a complete timeout..or 0.00mb

[Jofaba]

Okay, well I think you're really splitting hairs here. Would you enjoy having a 0.04mbps connection?

Let me put it this way: in other videos that I've seen, people are cupping and holding the phone every which way, sometimes using two hands, to try and drop the signal a tiny bit just to prove that the antenna is being affected. All I had to do was put my hand over the back and I dropped to zero. Then I gripped the phone, admittedly tighter than usual, and tanked the reception again.

My question to you is "can YOU tank your reception twice in 12 seconds? And if not, wouldn't you say that's a problem for the Captivate?"

[gTen]

Originally Posted by Jofaba

Okay, well I think you're really splitting hairs here. Would you enjoy having a 0.04mbps connection?

Let me put it this way: in other videos that I've seen, people are cupping and holding the phone every which way, sometimes using two hands, to try and drop the signal a tiny bit just to prove that the antenna is being affected. All I had to do was put my hand over the back and I dropped to zero. Then I gripped the phone, admittedly tighter than usual, and tanked the reception again.

My question to you is "can YOU tank your reception twice in 12 seconds? And if not, wouldn't you say that's a problem for the Captivate?"

Well lets look at it this way..the FCC passed a REGULATION required all the latest phones to have an antenna on the bottom..when an Antenna is on the bottom..signal loss prevention is not possible...

But the point here is that 0 would still not drop your phone calls like it does on an iphone 4...In the end you were on a 2-3 bars on the test...that means you had a weak connection to begin with and added more interference..people on the iphone 4 had 5 bars drop to 0 and lost calls...

As you said you don't hold the captivate that tight normally..now for the iphone 4 all you have to do is place your finger on the antenna and it tanks...so you have to be careful how you hold it..this is because the antenna is on the outside instead of the inside...

Apple makes those commercial to confuse people into thinking it is an issue with loosing bars..but the real issue is not the loosing of the bars as is it going completely dead...it is a related but different issue