The Return Of Antennagate: HD7 Edition

[Nurhisham Hussein]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.geekword.net/htc-hd7-death-grip-antennagate/' target='_blank'>http://www.geekword.net/htc-hd7-dea...ip-antennagate/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"[H]ere's the thing - according to a YouTube video shown below which seems to be a convincing one, HTC HD7 does lose signals when you hold your phone in a natural way or you subject your handset to the death grip as you like to call it."</em></p><p><object width="600" height="360" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/su6R2ei099A&amp;ap=%26fmt=18" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/su6R2ei099A&amp;ap=%26fmt=18" /></object></p><p>And here I am, just having gotten the HD7 - it's hasn't even been unboxed yet! So, has anybody else seen this same issue? And if so, did HTC and Microsoft have to follow Apple's script so closely that they've run into the same problem with the HD7 as the iPhone 4?</p>

[Adan Galvan]

I haven't noticed any problems yet, but then again I've been using a case with my phone.

[Fritzly]

I haven't noticed any problems yet, but then again I've been using a case with my phone.

With the case it does not happen; without it my signal strenght drop from full to half.

I never noted it before but I checked right now and it is true. Said that I guess that it is not so much of an issue if you are in an area with good reception where I usually am; if the same drop happened when the signal strenght is in the midrange it could be a problem.
I verified that It happens with the following carriers: T-Mobile, AT-T and TIM.

It does not happen with my HD2, I wonder if the Focus, even thinner, has the same issue.

[efjay]

Yep, happens every time. Just another reason I'm furious there is only one option for a WP7 device on T-Mobile, and the stupid US carrier situation as a whole which means you cant use the device you want on your carrier.

[Sven Johannsen]

You are holding it wrong ;) Yes, I can make it happen. Yes I can also make it not happen. T-Mobile, naked HD7. BTW, I can make it happen on every single cell phone I have. Some you just have to hold it like you are going to squeeze the juice out of it. Fact is, the human body is an RF attenuator at the frequencies we are dealing with. It is fairly difficult to talk on a cell phone without one side up against your big fat head, and the other side covered by your hand. You can compensate for that by putting super sensitive receiver in there, but the better the receiver the more expensive it is. For other people hearing you a more powerful TX helps. It also flies in the face of the consumer protectionists who are concerned about radiating our brains. I find on the HD7, the signal drops when I cover the bottom half of the unit with my hand. So I hold near the top, and with fingers, not flat palm. Or if all else fails they have these new fangled Bluetooth thingies, or even wired headsets/headphones. The latter makes sense since many folks think their cell phone must also be their media device.

[Fritzly]

Yep, happens every time. Just another reason I'm furious there is only one option for a WP7 device on T-Mobile, and the stupid US carrier situation as a whole which means you cant use the device you want on your carrier.

Right now no you do not; said that the Focus should become widely available in Europe in December; with widely I mean no Carrier branded and SIM free not "unlocked".
I had bought the Focus through Expansys but because it was unlocked there were some functionalities locked and any future update would still be at AT&T mercy;
Yes sure.... "Waiting for Godot"...........

I am not going to pay $600 and still have to deal with Carriers.

My iPhone G3 had MMS enabled because it was Factory SIM free and not related to AT&T; if I remember correctly the units bought in the US did not have the functionality enabled for several months after it was launched.......

[Fritzly]

You are holding it wrong ;) Or if all else fails they have these new fangled Bluetooth thingies, or even wired headsets/headphones. The latter makes sense since many folks think their cell phone must also be their media device.

Personally I am not a big fan of BT devices and prefer wired ones: while the issue is an open debate I prefer to receive as less radiation as possible....... just to be on the safe side.

[Don Tolson]

hmmmm... I have an HD7 Surround from Telus (unlocked and moved to Rogers) and I can't make any difference in the bars no matter how I hold it.

[Sven Johannsen]

hmmmm... I have an HD7 Surround from Telus (unlocked and moved to Rogers) and I can't make any difference in the bars no matter how I hold it.People are different too. I'm one of those that can walk across a wood floor in bare feet and still conjure up a static charge to zap a doorknob with. May speak to my particular dielectric constant. You may have less water content. You one of those skinny guys with 1% body fat? :)

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Okay I've tried it on mine - the drop in bars is real, but it hasn't affected my calls yet. I'm not going to panic just yet, as I always wrap my babies up in a case. But do keep the responses coming, if only to give feedback to HTC that they might want to rethink their antenna placement in future designs.

[Fritzly]

People are different too. I'm one of those that can walk across a wood floor in bare feet and still conjure up a static charge to zap a doorknob with. May speak to my particular dielectric constant. You may have less water content. You one of those skinny guys with 1% body fat? :)

I wish I was; at 53 I struggle to keep it at 11%..... :-)

[Fritzly]

Yep, happens every time. Just another reason I'm furious there is only one option for a WP7 device on T-Mobile, and the stupid US carrier situation as a whole which means you cant use the device you want on your carrier.

Btw it is confirmed that even an unlocked Focus is still crippled by AT&T:

http://twitter.com/#!/Samsungservice/status/9640029705998337

I did the right thing returning mine: I will wait for unbranded/not crippled units......

[Sven Johannsen]

Btw it is confirmed that even an unlocked Focus is still crippled by AT&T:

http://twitter.com/#!/Samsungservice/status/9640029705998337

I did the right thing returning mine: I will wait for unbranded/not crippled units......
Not meaning to defend AT&T per se, but the issue is that the MMS settings aren't exposed. There isn't a menu option, or registry you can hack to change them, even if you knew what they were....which we do. That is more of an OS decision on how much to dumb down for the average consumer. Can't get to those settings on my T-Mobile HD7 either. BUT, HTC has created an app that will set all those software parameters for you based on a carrier you select. They did this for their Win Mo phones too. The app is available in an HTC app store, available in the Marketplace. Samsung may be able to supply a similar app. Keep in mind that that isn't the end of carrier incompatabilities. T-Mo and AT&T use different bands for data, so even an unlocked phone isn't going to be fully functional on another carrier, unless it is built with support for multiple bands.

BTW, a case shouldn't help much with the HD7, or most cell phones. The issue with the iPhone, as it was reported, was that the metal band around the edge was part of the antenna structure. A case insulating the body from the metal helps there. That doesn't solve the issue of the RF having to fly through tissue, blood and bone, when you are holding the device normally, even if you have material between your hand and the phone.

[Fritzly]

Not meaning to defend AT&T per se, but the issue is that the MMS settings aren't exposed. There isn't a menu option, or registry you can hack to change them, even if you knew what they were....which we do. That is more of an OS decision on how much to dumb down for the average consumer. Can't get to those settings on my T-Mobile HD7 either. BUT, HTC has created an app that will set all those software parameters for you based on a carrier you select. They did this for their Win Mo phones too. The app is available in an HTC app store, available in the Marketplace. Samsung may be able to supply a similar app.

Never underestimate the power Carriers are able to exercise in this Country thanks to the minions they put in Capitol Hill........ to represent our interests.....

http://twitter.com/#!/Samsungservice/status/9722804865863680

Obviously the statement is completely misleading and apply to the US alone; in many European Countries would be illegal to sell only devices locked to a specific carrier....... as Apple learnt when they tried to do it.

[Sven Johannsen]

Not disputing that at all, just that we have allowed more 'differentiation' than just hiding some settings. Competition is good, monopolies are bad, sayeth the consumer advocate. Standards though, can sometimes stifle innovation. It's a two, three, maybe four sided coin.

[mas98110]

This issue will happen with most any phone when you hold it in your hand. The solution is keep it in a case and use a headset after you dial out. Pain in the...

[Janak Parekh]

I don't think this is a solvable problem, especially as phones incorporate more bands and technologies -- they need more antenna space. I learned years ago to hold my phones with my fingers, not to palm them, and I don't see an exception here. :)

--janak