holding the right side of phone loses bars?

[madchyers]

I could have sworn I saw this issue somewhere, has this happened to anyone? Any fixes/suggestions?

[kepster]

I read somewhere that it is normal to slightly disrupt the network signal strength as the N1 antenna is located there. It also makes your phone use more power. Don't quote me on this though

[davidalow44]

Every cell phone I've ever used will change bar count depending on orientation, the way it's held, and whether the sap is running in the local trees.

[Bishop6]

....whether the sap is running in the local trees.[/QUOTE]

agreed!!

[madchyers]

Alright. Just making sure. I've also noticed that I only lose bars in my house. But I don't lose them when I'm out, maybe its the walls

[Syntax323]

No. It's not supposed to happen as bad is it does on the Nexus. Yes given on some occasions, but the nexus one has multiple antennas. It's what they are doing with smart phones now.

Many people do get the issue, holding the phone like normal drops signal substantially. Including me, I should have full 3G were I am, but as soon as I pick it up, bam down to EDGE full bars. Talked to Google support, HTC, and T-Mobile. Google, and HTC said that isn't supposed to happen. Google more specifically said, yes an update is in the works and it will fix the issue. They also said, if it just so happens do be a hardware issue, a recall will be issued, and they will fix it free of charge once they pinpoint the exact issue.

T-mobile although very helpful and supportive, it's not their problem. Apparantly an update will be really soon.

I've come to the conclusion that they are telling everyone that they are just out of signal and whatnot to avoid mass calls.

From all the info I got over the last two days from multiple calls to each, all saying a software update is in the works.

So, lets all sit tight, and keep our fingers crossed!!!!

[YXB]

Let us hope this is true from TMO. I hope this is true when we get cover with the new cloud here the West Coast.



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ME: very good, thanks, U?
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^Zenobia J: I see that you have a question about the 3G enhancement is that correct?
ME: i want to know if HSPA+ will bring stronger 3g signal / i know it will bring faster speed. i am concern with the signal strenght
^Zenobia J: I understand how important it is to have the fastest network possible; I will take a look into this for you today.
ME: not only faster, but strong signal is very important
ME: specially when you move a couple of feet and your phone goes from 3g to edge
^Zenobia J: Yes, I know that can be annoying when trying to download something and then it stalls. That has happen to me a on several occasions.
ME: so, what's the answer?
^Zenobia J: With the HSPA+ it is set to deliver faster speeds and better performance.the trial HSPA+ network currently available in Philadelphia, T-Mobile will integrate HSPA+ into its 3G network with broad national deployment anticipated for mid-2010.
^Zenobia J: Most 3G devices are set to automatically run faster with the HSPA+.
ME: better performance = stronger signal or faster download speed?
ME: or both?
^Zenobia J: Both.
ME: for the my phone right now is on hspa at 1meg download is great. My main problem is so. california is the signal power. specially inside houses.
^Zenobia J: With the signal it can be impacted by a number of things such as the Network traffic volume,Time of day, Signal strength and the Terrain, structures.
ME: but hspa+ will increase the signal strength
^Zenobia J: Yes, HSPA+ delivers faster speeds and better performance.
^Zenobia J: The full launch of the HSPA+ will not be available until mid 2010.
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[davidalow44]

There are limits on radio transmitter power, so a "stronger signal" probably translates to "more towers", increasing the probability of being closer to a transmitter.

But then, increasing the number of towers only makes economic sense if the customer density warrants it. Which means more contention for bandwidth.

The frequencies we're interested in are very close to that of a microwave oven (~2 GHz). So you see strong attenuation by anything that contains water (concrete, rain, people, trees) and multipath interference that can result in a strong signal only inches away from a weak signal.

Add all this to the fact that 2G and 3G use different frequencies, transmitters, and often different towers, and it's amazing that it works as well as it does!

[okcoolthnx]

Regarding that convo about HSPA+, this doesn't even apply to us because the N1 doesn't have a radio compatible with HSPA+, am I correct? Unless there's a firmware update that can somehow enable it.....

[webby]

If you all are talking about 3G signal strength, this is a known problem of the N1. An OTA update was issued for the problem, but reports I have read seem mostly to be that it wasn't effective. It appears that the problem may be hardware-related, as in the physical location of the antenna(s).

This has been all over the tech mobile sites and Android sites. Here is a link to a very-linked to video showing very clearly how placement of the hand on the back of the N1 causes loss of 3G signal, and this is after the OTA update that attempted to address the problem.

YouTube - Nexus One 3G Problem Part 2 - After the OTA Update

YouTube - Nexus One 3G Problem Part 2 - After the OTA Update

I have been following the Nexus One very closely, as I am a Droid owner from Day One (and was a G1 owner from Day One), and would upgrade to the Nexus when it comes to Verizon, if there are no issues with the CDMA N1.