How many online journalists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Perhaps somebody can come up with a suitably offensive and witty conclusion to that over applied and rather tired old line, for now i’ll simply let it sit and convey my pure distain for what is Engadget, Gizmodo, TechRadar and all the other morally bankrupt technology “news” outlets have become in the recent weeks.
I’ve seen my son have a few paddies in his life, even guilty of throwing more than a handful myself. A well constructed and artful display of ignorance, worthy of an Oscar, Emmy and Golden Razzie all at the same time. However, no matter how hard my son has tried to push my buttons or how eloquently ive put my case across to my parents at the same age many moons ago. I can’t in good conscious claim heir to this kingdom any longer, ive been pipped to the post and well and truly trounced in the stadium of whine.
What has caused this controversy, how could i of been dethroned so easily and forced to live life as a mere mortal once more. Well, it’s a product. A mobile phone called the iPhone 4. A problem has been discovered, one so severe that you’d be forgiven for thinking that it will cause the end of life of earth as we know it. Tin hat up people, alien invasion imminent.
When you place your hand over the left part of the phone, attenuation can occur and cause the signal to drop on your phone. While not eliminating the ability to make calls entirely (in most cases), visually it makes for a pretty display of how mobile phone technology has its limitations. This problem extends to many other handsets, a plethora of videos lay in wait on youtube for you to digest. They emulate the problem seen on the iPhone 4, depicting a world in crisis as we all come to terms with a reality of life which has existed for years. It’s a situation born of that fact manufactures have to meet certain absorption rates (SAR) for the antenna when in close proximity to the brain, it appears that call clarity is a distance second to possible brain damage in this modern world. Suppose in one respect, whats the point in making a phone call if you end up slurring your words as a result of it. 1-0 Regulators.
The easiest way to avoid such catastrophic consequences for your beloved customer is to put the antenna closest to the bottom of the phone as possible, a solution adopted by pretty much every manufacturer in the business.
This is information easily obtainable by people with a keyboard and google at their disposal, i haven’t just leaked internal and secret practise which will land me in as much trouble as Gary McKinnon. Although feel free to extradite to me to Hawiai, providing my cell has a view of the beach and chow time consist of fillet steak and all the five alive i can drink.
Now i didn’t expect other companies such as Nokia, RIM, HTC or Motorola to jump at the chance of setting the record straight. Apple has been a thorn in their side since the inception of the original iPhone, while on a consumer level it’s been fantastic. Leading to more choice, increased competition and an overall better effort by all manufactures to excel rather than stagnate. It’s done very little for their respective share price and marketshare when one company is gobbling up so many customers, they can be forgiven for tight lips and snide remarks. Journalists however, sites like Engadget, Gizmodo and TechRader to name a few, have much more of an obligation to provide us with an impartial and constructive breakdown of the events as they unfold.
I can’t help but think that with half a day’s worth of research and 10 or so of the most current smartphones in the market place that they could have dispelled rumour quite effortlessly.
Myself, i have managed to replicate the issue with an iPhone 3GS, Samsung Galaxy S, Blackberry Bold and Nexus One from colleagues who i was trying to illustrate my point to. It was patently obvious to not only myself but them, that this is an issue surrounding mobile antenna technology as a whole, not indicative of the iPhone 4 itself. It was also conceded that Apples shiney new toy perhaps got more traction on the issue due to advertising the new construction as a positive, less not that the location is clearly indicated by gap within the metal frame. This however does not excuse the blatantly disregard for good journalism and accurate reporting that seems to have been the staple diet of some technology sites. You cannot pick and chose at what moments to be virtuous and balanced, you must stand on both feet and present the readership with the integrity and honestly they expect.
There has been a choice made, quite clearly, by these websites. It was to prioritize a potential profile building and traffic increasing news story, perpetuating the negative to squeeze every last drop of hysteria possible.. Not only have news stories been thick and fast with scathing and villainous editorial, but reviews have been downgraded (TechRadar) and petitions formed (Gizmodo – Free Case) to exacerbate the situation further.
Where is the outrage for other handsets (if not most) that exhibit the same behaviour, where was a fair comparison among those handsets. Almost every week i see this phone vs that one, that camera vs this one.. I’m waiting for one to cover this issue, enlighten us all with a knowledgable and concise approach for which you've built your reputations on.. From my perspective, it seems to have been skated around. After all, you aren’t going to make any money by confidently squashing and alleviating the situation before it had time to take off it the way it has.
It would seem while Fox News has “The War On Terror”, Engadget, Gizmodo and others have “Antennagate”. Bravo fellas, you’ve successfully traded your journalistic integrity to sit along side people of that calibre.
Perhaps somebody can come up with a suitably offensive and witty conclusion to that over applied and rather tired old line, for now i’ll simply let it sit and convey my pure distain for what is Engadget, Gizmodo, TechRadar and all the other morally bankrupt technology “news” outlets have become in the recent weeks.
I’ve seen my son have a few paddies in his life, even guilty of throwing more than a handful myself. A well constructed and artful display of ignorance, worthy of an Oscar, Emmy and Golden Razzie all at the same time. However, no matter how hard my son has tried to push my buttons or how eloquently ive put my case across to my parents at the same age many moons ago. I can’t in good conscious claim heir to this kingdom any longer, ive been pipped to the post and well and truly trounced in the stadium of whine.
What has caused this controversy, how could i of been dethroned so easily and forced to live life as a mere mortal once more. Well, it’s a product. A mobile phone called the iPhone 4. A problem has been discovered, one so severe that you’d be forgiven for thinking that it will cause the end of life of earth as we know it. Tin hat up people, alien invasion imminent.
When you place your hand over the left part of the phone, attenuation can occur and cause the signal to drop on your phone. While not eliminating the ability to make calls entirely (in most cases), visually it makes for a pretty display of how mobile phone technology has its limitations. This problem extends to many other handsets, a plethora of videos lay in wait on youtube for you to digest. They emulate the problem seen on the iPhone 4, depicting a world in crisis as we all come to terms with a reality of life which has existed for years. It’s a situation born of that fact manufactures have to meet certain absorption rates (SAR) for the antenna when in close proximity to the brain, it appears that call clarity is a distance second to possible brain damage in this modern world. Suppose in one respect, whats the point in making a phone call if you end up slurring your words as a result of it. 1-0 Regulators.
The easiest way to avoid such catastrophic consequences for your beloved customer is to put the antenna closest to the bottom of the phone as possible, a solution adopted by pretty much every manufacturer in the business.
This is information easily obtainable by people with a keyboard and google at their disposal, i haven’t just leaked internal and secret practise which will land me in as much trouble as Gary McKinnon. Although feel free to extradite to me to Hawiai, providing my cell has a view of the beach and chow time consist of fillet steak and all the five alive i can drink.
Now i didn’t expect other companies such as Nokia, RIM, HTC or Motorola to jump at the chance of setting the record straight. Apple has been a thorn in their side since the inception of the original iPhone, while on a consumer level it’s been fantastic. Leading to more choice, increased competition and an overall better effort by all manufactures to excel rather than stagnate. It’s done very little for their respective share price and marketshare when one company is gobbling up so many customers, they can be forgiven for tight lips and snide remarks. Journalists however, sites like Engadget, Gizmodo and TechRader to name a few, have much more of an obligation to provide us with an impartial and constructive breakdown of the events as they unfold.
I can’t help but think that with half a day’s worth of research and 10 or so of the most current smartphones in the market place that they could have dispelled rumour quite effortlessly.
Myself, i have managed to replicate the issue with an iPhone 3GS, Samsung Galaxy S, Blackberry Bold and Nexus One from colleagues who i was trying to illustrate my point to. It was patently obvious to not only myself but them, that this is an issue surrounding mobile antenna technology as a whole, not indicative of the iPhone 4 itself. It was also conceded that Apples shiney new toy perhaps got more traction on the issue due to advertising the new construction as a positive, less not that the location is clearly indicated by gap within the metal frame. This however does not excuse the blatantly disregard for good journalism and accurate reporting that seems to have been the staple diet of some technology sites. You cannot pick and chose at what moments to be virtuous and balanced, you must stand on both feet and present the readership with the integrity and honestly they expect.
There has been a choice made, quite clearly, by these websites. It was to prioritize a potential profile building and traffic increasing news story, perpetuating the negative to squeeze every last drop of hysteria possible.. Not only have news stories been thick and fast with scathing and villainous editorial, but reviews have been downgraded (TechRadar) and petitions formed (Gizmodo – Free Case) to exacerbate the situation further.
Where is the outrage for other handsets (if not most) that exhibit the same behaviour, where was a fair comparison among those handsets. Almost every week i see this phone vs that one, that camera vs this one.. I’m waiting for one to cover this issue, enlighten us all with a knowledgable and concise approach for which you've built your reputations on.. From my perspective, it seems to have been skated around. After all, you aren’t going to make any money by confidently squashing and alleviating the situation before it had time to take off it the way it has.
It would seem while Fox News has “The War On Terror”, Engadget, Gizmodo and others have “Antennagate”. Bravo fellas, you’ve successfully traded your journalistic integrity to sit along side people of that calibre.
