What’s the problem with smartphones and antenna reception these days? Recently Apple called a press conference to address reception issues on the iPhone where they basically ended up saying that incorrectly gripping the phone leads to signal loss, and it affects the BlackBerry too.
And it did not go down well with people at RIM that Apple was using their name to get out of the soup. So what followed was a sternly worded statement deriding Apple for dragging the BlackBerry into their ‘Antennagate’.
RIM has even gone on to reassure users that ‘death grip’ does not affect their devices and even a new app has been launched to make things clear.
The BlackBerry Death Grip App
‘Death grip’ as you may well know, is a problem caused by the holding your phone in a manner which covers the antenna, thereby leading to signal loss and dropped calls. This new app introduced to the BlackBerry encourages users to hold the phone in various ways and see the resulting impact on signal strength on their screens.
Without any doubt, even though the new app is named ‘Antenna Meter’ it is a ‘Death Grip Meter’ in reality. And quite frankly, there could have been no better way to rebuff Apple’s claims that show customers first-hand that RIM produces better antennas that those which are incapacitated due to a wrong grip.
So, start up the app (download link in this article) and try out various death grips. The signal strength will show in bars as well as the exact figure in dBm. RIM is quite confident that you will not notice significant changes in the signal strength due to the so called grips of death.
Your takeaway from this? Well, two big corporations are at loggerheads and show a show of strength was always in order. RIM has had its ego hurt by Apple’s claims and so, is using this app as a way to put the ball back in their court.
For Apple, this app could be a sucker punch. If indeed, the RIM BlackBerry is not affected by the death grip, Apple’s claims fall flat on their face and will be another PR disaster. Let’s wait and watch, how the events unfold.
