My iP4 has 1 bar, my wife's BB has 4...both on ATT

[PsyD4Me]

THis is with both phones just laying down, no toching.
I plan on going to the apple store tomorrow and comparing my phone with 10-20 that they have on display connected to carious music docks and etc...

 

[D1G1T4L]

Can both make and receive calls?

 

[draz]

Which Blackberry does your wife use? Is it one that is operating on 3G such as the 9700? Or one running on Edge?

Edge/GPRS is separate from 3G so there will be differences in the bars. But yea as long as you can make calls and use your data what is the problem?

 

[Sinfire]

The number of bars displayed on the BB could be wrong. When you test it at the apple store, make sure the other phones have the upgraded bios on them.

 

[Knowimagination]

Who cares you have no idea how accurate the display bars are on her bb. You do know that your iphone bars are accurate so if anything the bb is probably being optimistic

 

[Bill Gates]

Which Blackberry does your wife use? Is it one that is operating on 3G such as the 9700? Or one running on Edge?

Edge/GPRS is separate from 3G so there will be differences in the bars. But yea as long as you can make calls and use your data what is the problem?

My question exactly.

 

[pintnight]

Who cares you have no idea how accurate the display bars are on her bb. You do know that your iphone bars are accurate so if anything the bb is probably being optimistic

How would you know iPhone 4 is displaying a accurate display of bars? Apple changed how they display the bars at least 2 times during the life of iOS for the iPhone. What make the latest changes to iOS to display the bars "accurate"? Apple has not released how they are displaying the bars based on the dB value.

Basically, I think it's crapshoot that all of the phone makers is picking a number out of their asses to decided what dB is the value for the bars.

 

[Knowimagination]

How would you know iPhone 4 is displaying a accurate display of bars? Apple changed how they display the bars at least 2 times during the life of iOS for the iPhone. What make the latest changes to iOS to display the bars "accurate"? Apple has not released how they are displaying the bars based on the dB value.

Basically, I think it's crapshoot that all of the phone makers is picking a number out of their asses to decided what dB is the value for the bars.

True but i would imagine at they would be a lot closer to accurate based solely on the fact that they recently updated after consulting AT&T on the issue

 

[ct2k7]

True but i would imagine at they would be a lot closer to accurate based solely on the fact that they recently updated after consulting AT&T on the issue

Apple are using (apparently) the formula that AT&T recommend to all manufacturers. I thought RIM was already using this.

 

[wirelessmacuser]

THis is with both phones just laying down, no toching.
I plan on going to the apple store tomorrow and comparing my phone with 10-20 that they have on display connected to carious music docks and etc...

This is normal.*

I've used AT&T for years, and I have two active lines for my various smartphones. I've also owned each new iPhone model since day one. My two primary phones have been an iPhone for personal use, and mandatory BlackBerry for work. The BlackBerry's have been excellent as phones. Loud & clear with dropped calls being rare, I am completely satisfied. They've always held a signal well and displayed more signal strength.*

Edit:
For clarification, both are on 3G.

Of all the iPhones features, the weak link is the phone. They've all been poor.

 

[PNutts]

Basically, I think it's crapshoot that all of the phone makers is picking a number out of their asses to decided what dB is the value for the bars.

+1 - Steve Jobs said the algorithms were proprietary so nobody knows but the carrier.

FWIW I don't pay attention to the bars. I'd be OK with a clean screen except when the phone needs to display "No Service".

 

[Fisher624]

iP4 vs iP3G

I ran speed test earlier today on my 4 with 2 bars vs my wife's non-updated 3G with 5 bars. The 4 was literally twice as fast on download (upload sucked on both). I know pics or it didn't happen. Sorry.

Bars don't matter.

 

[dallas112678]

Who cares you have no idea how accurate the display bars are on her bb. You do know that your iphone bars are accurate so if anything the bb is probably being optimistic

So the engineers at RIM are to stupid to come up with an accurate algorithm? I think its funny you seem to think only apple has accurate signal strength when they just said they had been calculating bars wrong the whole time...

 

[MisterDisney]

At home I will have 3-4 bars on my iPhone 4 and my wife will have 1 - side by side. Then sometimes, it reverses. Odd.

 

[dccorona]

How would you know iPhone 4 is displaying a accurate display of bars? Apple changed how they display the bars at least 2 times during the life of iOS for the iPhone. What make the latest changes to iOS to display the bars "accurate"? Apple has not released how they are displaying the bars based on the dB value.

Basically, I think it's crapshoot that all of the phone makers is picking a number out of their asses to decided what dB is the value for the bars.

someone made a chart of bars vs dB value with the old and new algorithm

if i remember, the old way, certain bars contained a wider range than others
with the new way, each bar is pretty much an even 1/5 of the dB range

 

[dccorona]

So the engineers at RIM are to stupid to come up with an accurate algorithm? I think its funny you seem to think only apple has accurate signal strength when they just said they had been calculating bars wrong the whole time...

actually, apple is now using an algorithm developed by ATT, not one they made themselves