iPhone 4 Runs into Trouble on Day One

                     iPhone unveiling and antennae feature video - Youtube

Apple has released official advice for iPhone 4 owners to overcome the problem of the device losing signal when held by the lower left corner.Steve Jobs responded to a query about the problem from one owner by saying: "Just avoid holding it in that way."The official advice is to "avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band".Alternatively, said Apple, customers could buy a case to shield the antenna.The iPhone 4 went on sale on 24 June, with hundreds of people queuing outside Apple's flagship store in central London for the launch.Many new owners reported that signal strength dropped when the phone was held.In a statement, Apple said: "Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas."Steve Jobs issued his response in a message responding to an e-mail from the Ars Technica news site. Mr Jobs wrote that "All phones have sensitive areas".The problem is thought to be particularly acute for left-handed owners who naturally touch the phone in the sensitive area.The casing of Apple's latest phone is made of stainless steel, which also serves as its antenna.Apple sells a rubber "bumper" that shields the sensitive area as do many other firms.Richard Warner, one of the first to buy an iPhone 4, contacted BBC News, saying that he thought the phone was "useless in its current state"."Apple have created a phone that has an antenna on the bottom left-hand side of the phone.""This means that when you hold it in your left hand, the signal bars slowly fade until there is no signal," he wrote. 'Complaints' A number of videos have been posted on video sharing site YouTube complaining about the reception issue.One video had an American user running a speed test, with hands on and hands free.In it, the user 'awington' says that, while holding the phone "it won't even run the test when I am holding the phone... once I let go, it makes a connection and runs the test."Hold it a second time, and the upload test will not start."Social networking site Twitter was full of chatter, with numerous tweets on the reception problems.The issue might stem from the way the integrated antenna is constructed. One section provides mobile reception, while another is for wi-fi.Some users have speculated that touching the bottom of the phone bridges this gap, affecting signal strength.When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone 4 at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, he described the integrated antenna as "really cool engineering".

 When Steve Jobs announced that the iPhone 4 would solve the signal strength problem by making the outer metal body the antennae for GSM and WiFi signals, he was met with cheers. That same tech is now the cause of embarrassment for Apple on the day of launch. Now if Apple stopped counting its money and spent time testing their product, this would not happen , would it ? 

Courtesy - An Indian Shopper's Dream

"Hello" , "How do you do ?" Strange is'nt it ?? Why is this guy at the store counter greeting me all of a sudden?- If this thought just ran through your mind, I guess you got what i am trying to say. Courtesy is something we have grown up knowing the meaning but not properly recieved. In how many trips to a nearby shop,have you been greeted by a "Hello" ( i am asking for too much here.. i meant .. "vanakkam.. vaanga") by your shop keeper or a "Thank you" when you leave. Even though you get a mechanical version of "hello" and "thank you" from the bill desk at many retail chains, they are more like trained chimps acting out sign language rather than heartfelt ones. I am not saying that its obligatory on the part of the salesperson to be polite,in his point of view,all he needs to do is to say those words because he has been directed to do so in his training. But what does it take to put a smile on his face, a proper greeting, to make you the customer,feel good about shopping with him, that you feel respected. Sadly that does'nt happen. I dont see it happening in the near future either.
    What is to blame? is it the education from our kindergarten which said that we should all have good manners.. mmm.. yes.. good manners .. but it cant see to that we practise them. Maybe its us .. we adults have come to a point where we see such things as trivial matters and dont care about them. Just think, if you are given them, not a big thing, but a small moment where you just need to say "Thank you" and you are left with you and the other person with a smile on the face .
    What could we do? Maybe a one sided expression of courtesy from the part of the customer will ring some bells in the right places. I mean a "Thank you" to the guy who opens the door for you ar supermarkets , and another for the person who helps you in finding things you need, to the person who prepared your bill. Even if you dont get anything in return, you can be rest assured, you've fulfilled your side of the bargain.

    Thank you for reading :)

Express Avenues - The next big thing in Chennai

Express Avenues is the new mall nearing its completion at Royapettah ( Near Sathyam Cinemas). Man !! This thing is huge. This collosus extends from one end to another with nothing but retail heaven. The complex has not opened fully though, only a few stores including Lifestyle have already started operating. Its an exiting prospect for shoppers just owing to the fact that all possible brands are opening stores here. Yes ! every brand possible ( leave out the Paris stuff, designer I mean ).

The place is very big and you can compare it to Spencers in terms of size, but where this trumps Spencers is in terms of intelligent planning and design of the floors. Instead of cramped corridors where you might get mugged, you have long stretches of free corridors interrupted by a central atrium which is spacious and designed to handle the crowds.
Once this place is fully open, it will surely be the next retail hub competing with Spencers in terms of footfall.