iPhone 3G reception problems are real!!

It’s been a while.  I’ve been messing with CakePHP instead of writing . . . but I need to do both.  Anyway, an iPhone rant.

The iPhone 3G reception problem is bad news.  While we were in DC a few weeks ago I was trying to look up maps and stuff and the iPhone was sucky so I switched off 3G thinking DC just wasn’t a good coverage area.  When we got back, I never switched it back (it is Sarah’s phone after all).  Then on Monday (several weeks later) I read that “Tris” (the Tetris clone) was being pulled from the App Store on Wednesday.  I grabbed up the iPhone and downloaded it.  (It’s pretty sweet by the way.)   The download took a while and I remembered about how I switched off 3G weeks ago so I switched it back on and put the phone on the dryer (that’s where we put our phones and keys).  Later that night Sarah does some laundry and I notice the iPhone is pretty hot sitting on the dryer . . . so I put it on the washer.  Next day, all calls are dropped after less than a minute.  At first I thought it was the heat from the dryer . . . but then Sarah said “It’s that Tris you installed!” and then it dawned on me . . . it was because of 3G!!!  I switched off 3G and all is well . . . sorta, I mean, it’s not “twice as fast” and it certainly wasn’t “half the price”.

That said it’s still a cool phone and I wish I had one.  It just sucks that it is advertized as better . . . and it’s certainly one of the most expensive options when it comes to the TCO (total cost of ownership) for a phone.

Sheldon