Consumer Reports gives thumbs down to iPhone 4 reception woes

At first, Apple said there was a simple fix for the iPhone 4's reception problems -- hold the phone differently. Then it said it was working on a software fix to make it better.

Now the venerableConsumer Reports says that because of the reception issues, it can't recommend the iPhone.

"Our findings call into question the recent claim by Apple that the iPhone 4's signal-strength issues were largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software that 'mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength'," writes Consumer Reports in a blog post. "The tests also indicate that AT&T's network might not be the primary suspect in the iPhone 4's much-reported signal woes."

The issue: touch the new antennas on the side of the iPhone and the signal can easily get either lost or weakened.

Consumer Reports said it tested three iPhone 4s in the New York area, and compared it to the earlier iPhone 3GS model and the Palm Pre, neither of which had signal loss issues.

Apple initially recommended that consumers buy cases for the iPhone to cover the antenna and shield it from your hands. Consumer Reports also suggests duct tape "may not be pretty, but it works."

Despite its qualms, Consumer Reports still loves the iPhone, saying it has the "sharpest display and best video camera we've seen on any phone," and beats previous models with better battery life.

"But Apple needs to come up with a permanent -- and free -- fix for the antenna problem before we can recommend the iPhone 4."

ALSO: Judge OKs iPhone class action against Apple, AT&T
APPLE RESPONSE: Company "surprised" by reception issues

By Jefferson Graham

courtesy of USAToday

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A plot summary is done well here if you are interested.

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