The Apple iPhone can easily be referred to as the one phone that has changed the entire mobile phone industry and the way we look at mobile phones. Gone are the bar styled phones with a traditional keyboard. Those are now replaced by full touch screens that have largely drawn their inspiration from the original iPhone. The iPhone has seen various versions over the years, and the latest one, the iPhone 4 promises to be the best so far.

The new iPhone 4 features a 3.5 inch touch screen display. Apple claim that the retina display technology employed in this screen is the most advanced yet and it produces such a high resolution that the pixels are not visible for a naked eye. The 960 x 640 resolution is one of the highest for a mobile phone screen. The phone apart from this fantastic screen also features a great camera as well.

The 5 megapixel camera used in the phone is just one of the two cameras in this phone. This along with the Facetime application means that you can do a video chat with your family and friends all for free. The 5 megapixel camera is at the rear and it is used for high quality photography. It can also do 720p HD video recording. The camera comes with LED flash that provides great lightning for better low light photography. The phone has connectivity options like 3G and Wi-Fi that lets you share the photos and videos taken on the social networking sites such as Facebook and so on.

The phone also comes with a powerful battery that offers nearly 7 hours of talk time in the 3G mode. The iPhone 4 retails from £499 for the 16 GB version to £599 for the 32 GB version.

Apple has started the iPhone 4 free bumper program and the Cupertino based company has come up with a very interesting way of distributing the cases; everything will be done through a downloadable application.

According to Apple, the system has been made in order to prevent users from committing fraud. The special iPhone app will connect directly to user’s iTunes accounts and will show if they are eligible for the free iPhone 4 bumper offer. For those who have not taken up Apple’s offer, now is a great time to get the app and sign up for the free casing. Those who have already purchased a bumper from the official iPhone store will be happy to know that the amount has already been returned to their credit cards.

For those wondering why Apple is giving out free bumpers, this is because that is currently the only solution that the company can offer the 1.7 million iPhone 4 owners. Reports indicate that the Apple iPhone 4 is suffering from a design flaw that leaves a portion of the antenna exposed to human touch. When this part is touched by the hand or a finger, the phone completely loses signal strength and calls get cut off. Sadly, the phone was designed in such a way that the exposed portion is most likely to be touched when the user is holding the device close to their ear with the left hand.

Apple, in an attempt to divert attention to the actual problem, gave varying excuses regarding mobile phone technology. Their argument was that other handsets also lose signal strength when the antenna is touch. This was countered by various mobile phone manufacturers, stating that other phones have been designed in a way that the antenna would not be touched automatically, and even if users did, the signal drop would not be so bad as to actually drop calls.

It seems that Apple is incapable of making a simple announcement without getting plenty of people riled up. After all, the only thing substantial that Steve Jobs had to say was that Apple would be giving out free cases for the iPhone 4 and that they would not be able to provide bumpers for everyone so users will be given a choice among a range of cases. Those who have already bought a Bumper will be given a refund.

If Apple left it at that, they would be criticized a little for taking so long to announce such a simple non-solution. But it would have ended with that. Instead, Apple is now taking heavy criticism for taking 22 days just to decide on that, and come up with a large overdrawn presentation on why they are not at fault and that the entire industry is suffering from the same problem.

Fortunately for the tech industry, other companies also have a voice. With the Samsung Omnia 2, BlackBerry Bold 9700 and HTC Droid Eris being directly mentioned in the presentation, it was not surprising that RIM was among the very first companies to speak out.

Canadian based Research in Motion announced that the BlackBerry Bold 9700, and all BB devices did not need to have a casing to run properly. Samsung’s spokesperson also stated that their devices have antennas located in positions where it would not come into contact with the user (which compromises performance).

Last to speak up was HTC, represented by their chief financial officer Hui-Meng Cheng. According to him, “The reception problems are certainly not common among smart phones, (Apple) apparently didn’t give operators enough time to test the phone.”

It will be a while before Apple recovers from this major public blunder, in the meanwhile, all three handsets mentioned above are actually pretty good smart phones to switch to if you plan to refund your iPhone 4. Unfortunately, the HTC Droid Eris isn’t available in the UK, but the HTC Desire or HTC Wildfire are equally good alternatives if you’re interested in trying out an HTC Android device.

Apple has officially announced that they would be giving out free cases to all iPhone 4 users. For those who have already bought a case for their iPhone 4, a refund will be available.

Now, for those of you who are still hoping to be able use the iPhone 4 without the added bulk of a casing just so a finger does not accidentally touch the unfortunately placed exposed antenna on the edge, there are actually several solutions that are available.

Some users have resorted to applying a small coating of nail polish on the area. Apparently, the solution does not interfere with the signal of the handset. Others opted for more conventional measures and applied a small strip of tape to the edge of the phone –resourceful yes, but most types of tape are not designed to be used in such a way.

This is where the Etsy Antenna-aid comes in. Basically, this is a band-aid for the iPhone 4 antenna. The vinyl sticker is tough, durable and is a suitable material for sticking on the side of the iPhone (it matters a lot when you slide the phone in an out of a pocket –a regular strip of tape might get peeled off slowly). The designs are also pretty nice. Sticking with the band-aid theme, the adhesive vinyl strips look like band aids that fit just right on the iPhone.

Manufacturer Etsy is also having fun with the marketing of this ingenious product as well, poking fun at both Apple and the antenna issue (the ad references the retina display and of course, the use of the term “magical”).

Naturally, Etsy is not making any solid promises; the Antenna-aid as advertised states that it “may improve signal performance”. The iPhone 4 accessory is now available online directly from the Etsy online store.

Well, it is not really over yet. After all, the most that the public got on Friday was that Apple is willing to give out free cases; they also know that the antenna has problems, but they are still not willing to admit that the iPhone 4’s antenna problems are so severe that it needs a real solution.

In short, Apple still wants to get away from this situation with the least possible amount of damage.

What would have been better was for Apple to just admit the situation outright, and present their users with a viable solution options. While it is nice to have a free case (which would, in a way, allow users to use the device with less problems), and the option to have the phone refunded, that still leaves people who want to be able to use the iPhone with no need for a case.

Apple has managed to forget that they have other options to offer as well. The company cannot offer a recall, but they should at least be able to offer a discounted antenna repair program. This will still be a burden on their customers, but at least the problem would be solved directly (as opposed to the free case, which is basically a temporary fix).

Another solution would be to offer a major rebate that would offset the value of having a phone that keeps dropping calls. Because as impressive as apps, multi tasking, FaceTime and other side features can be, the bottom line is that the iPhone is still a phone, and a phone that cannot handle calls properly is a product that is never worth the full price.

One other thing that Apple needs to look at is their PR. Steve admits they do not have a “wall of PR to shield them (Steve and company)”. Steve needs to hire PR, not for themselves, but for their customers.

It is actually misleading to say that the iOS 4.0.1 update is not working, after all, it actually does change some of the colors for the Apple Games center and users will actually see a significant change in the way the signal meter is displayed.

After the update is installed, the handset would rarely ever show a full signal bar, and more often than not, the signal strength would be shown several bars lower than usual. Since the meter is often at the halfway mark, the lower bars (the first two) are not shown is slightly larger images in order to emphasize the new graphic.

In that regard the update works: it does what it is supposed to do. However, Apple also created version 4.0.1 as a means to solve the issue with the antenna –show the world that the signal is low and thus, they are prone to getting a voice call cut off short. This is not something that Apple could ever hope to fix with a software update, not now, not ever. After all, when the problem lies with the hardware itself, it would take something material to change the situation.

It has already been confirmed that the iPhone 4’s antenna problem could be fixed by simply having a protective case. This will ensure that the devices’ exposed antenna does not come in direct contact with human skin and prevent the signal from being lost. At the same time, there are users who would resort to more creative techniques such as applying a covering over the exposed antenna area (some of these include small strips of tape to applying a layer of nail polish on the handset).

Unless Apple gives out free cases or actually recalls all the devices, then it is unlikely that they would ever be able to give a viable solution.

Seriously, the Fring app for the Apple iPhone 4 is the best thing to happen to current users of the FaceTime feature. While the Apple iPhone 4 may actually have the FaceTime app to give users a chance to have fun with the front facing camera, the service is still quite limited and the time to have access to conversational opportunities need to be budgeted.

This is not a concern with the Fring app. Not only is Fring completely free, it also allows users to connect to 3G and WiFi.

For those not familiar with the iPhone 4’s FaceTime feature, the video calling app is restricted only to WiFi. This means it will not eat into your 3G data bandwidth, but at the same time, the App can only be used in areas that have WiFi hotspots. The biggest restriction of FaceTime is that users can only contact other iPhone 4 users (this is pretty much expected of the super xenophobic Apple brand).

Fring, on the other hand, provides more allowance for users. Not only can iPhone 4 users contact Android and Symbian handset owners, but they also have the freedom of choosing whether to use 3G or WiFi connections. This is particularly important for people on the go who would want to make the most out of the video chat feature. The Fring app is already available on the iTunes App Store and it not only provides video chat options, but also has some social networking features as well.

Speaking of the Apple iPhone 4, it seems that Apple is not going to make any further moves regarding the handset’s antenna issues. With the open letter already finalizing Apple’s stand on the matter, it seems that people will have to contend with possibility that calls can be dropped if the handset is held in a certain way.

If Apple thinks that lowering the signal meter by a couple of bars changes things, they are quite wrong.

The whole point of the complaint is that Apple should do something about the exposed antenna. There is a part of the Apple iPhone 4 that when touched with the hand, drains the signal from the handset. Now, it has been proven with other smart phones that a touch of a bare hand has the potential to lower the signal. In fact, when held in certain ways, it is possible to make some phones drop several signal meter bars instantly.

The problem with the iPhone is not with the signal meter, it is the fact that holding the device in a certain way will make the phone lose all reception. This means that the signal does not only get weaker, but becomes completely cut off. Sadly, the exposed part is easy to touch when using the handset to make calls –which is why there are plenty of people complaining about the dropped call issue.

Apple’s response to all this is to create a new software update that would show a lower signal meter. That’s fine, considering how they explained that the meter was not behaving properly in the first place. But that does not solve the antenna problem. After all, having a weak signal is just one thing, but completely being unable to connect is an entirely different problem.

In some ways, it is disappointing to see that Apple seems to not take the issue seriously. They may be avoiding the fact that a hardware issue of this scale is difficult to fix, but unless they finally start addressing the problem directly, they will only prolong the situation.

For those who have yet to “fix” the signal meter on their handsets, it is reported that the update for the meter is already available.

The new Apple iPhone 4 is making plenty of sales. In just three days alone, the handset sold over 1.7 million units. But if this level of success is supposed to indicate the wisdom of Apple in choosing parts for their mobile phone, many would beg to disagree.

Apple could have chosen to release a smart phone running the iPhone 4.0 OS with specs that resemble any other high end handset on the market and they would still make plenty of sales –such is the power of the iPhone brand. The iPhone 4 handset itself is nothing particularly special, and industry experts have various concerns regarding the device.

Take 3 Mobile’s CEO, Kevin Russell. The man has been at the forefront of 3G technology for years, as well as playing an important role in setting the prices and rates for data transfer and communication services. According to him, Apple’s new FaceTime is not as good as it sounds.

While a front facing camera has been considered to be one of the forbidden fruits of the Apple iPhone (due to the lack of front facing video camera in the earlier handsets), the function is not as crucial as the other features that users have originally longed for (such as cut and paste as well as multitasking). A front facing camera is great for having video chat over the internet, but it is not being sought after for the voice call technology.

It is true that there is a small niche of people who would find the video calling feature as a great idea –particularly those with friends and family who live quite apart from each other; or business users who would benefit from easy to set up video conferences. General users on the other hand, have very little use for the technology.

“Smooth sailing” is a term that just cannot be used to refer to the iPhone 4G’s release. First, there was the yellow smudges appearing on the Retina Displays and now, reports say that reception is poor on their out of the box iPhone 4Gs. Well for left-handed users anyway.

The reception problem that has been occurring recently can be attributed to covering the mobile phone’s bottom left corner. Bridging the gap with your finger keeps the iPhone 4G’s antenna from getting the signal properly and thus cuts your conversation short. While this is surprising, it is still good news, mainly because it does not involve anyone sending back their beloved units for a replacement.

Well, at least not yet. Simply move your hand out of the way and Apple’s mobile phone should work fine. Actually, going for a case that prevents your flesh from ever touching that part of the iPhone 4G will help keep the reception clear. Here is the advice:

“This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.”

It may sound weird to you but Apple insists that this is a normal thing for mobile phones and some have it worse than others. This is basically dependent on where the antenna is located on the mobile phone’s chassis. Since the past models of the iPhone had it and the Nexus One has it, then this must be a fact.

But really, what would it have taken to just move the internal parts of the iPhone around to allow for normal phone operations for left-handed users? If Apple is not going to fix this slight miscalculation issue in their production, maybe they should give out some pro bono slip cases to keep the fans happy.