grip

Another pass at the FlyGrip: Yes, it's better

Two weeks ago I told you about the FlyGrip, a unique smartphone accessory that's designed to let you navigate your handset with one hand.

Shaped like a plastic H, it attaches to the back of your phone and gives you a place to rest your index and middle fingers. You then can text like mad on a crowded train and not have to worry about someone bumping your device out of your grasp.

Indeed, I saw how it could be useful for some people, but I wasn't into it. I didn't like how the FlyGrip caught on my clothing when I removed it from my pocket and I loathed the idea of sticking something to the back of my pretty phone with adhesive.… Read more

Consumer Reports reignites 'Antennagate,' cites Apple's Verizon iPhone 4 issues

Renewing an issue that just does not seem to want to die, Consumer Reports says Apple's Verizon iPhone 4 suffers from the same "death grip" antenna issues as the original device, released last summer amid widespread controversy.

The Verizon iPhone 4 has a problem that could cause the phone to drop calls, or be unable to place calls, in weak signal conditions, Consumer Reports engineers have found in lab tests.

The "death grip" occurs when users hold the iPhone in a way that covers the antenna band, located on the bottom of the left side of the phone. As with the AT&T version of the iPhone 4, any case (or cottage industry "band-aid" product) would alleviate the problem, which is caused by the conductivity of human skin interfering with the cell phone signal.

Consumer Reports tested the new Verizon iPhone 4, along with several other popular Verizon smartphones.… Read more

Clasp a camera to your hips with b-grip

We've reported on several types of waist-type camera grips here on Crave. One of them is the Spider Holster, which attaches to the tripod mount of the shooter and slides into a base that's fixed to your belt. The b-grip does the same thing, except it can hold up to 17.5 pounds of weight and doesn't swing around when you move.

The unique feature of the b-grip is that it can be attached to virtually any strap. So if your backpack has a chest strap, you can fix the holster to that, too. Also, it allows users to affix the shooter either lens down or facing outward. A supplied rain cover protects the camera if you're using it in wet environments. … Read more

NASA launching mission to study hurricanes

A new NASA mission aims to come to grips with the way nature whips up hurricanes.

Set to begin Sunday, the agency's six-week Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) mission will see a series of planes outfitted with sophisticated instruments take to the skies in an attempt to understand the birth of a hurricane, in order to give people a better chance to prepare for them.

This is NASA's first domestic hurricane project since 2001 and its largest ever. Three NASA planes, several satellites, and four planes from research partners will team up to measure tropical storms as … Read more

Stop-motion movies and racing on water: iPhone apps of the week

It's probably not a good sign that the first thing people ask me when they notice I'm holding an iPhone 4 is always something about how I deal with the reception issues. I've said here before that I have yet to experience dropped calls or any other issues related to "Antennagate" (yeesh, will we--as a society--ever get over the whole "Whatevergate" meme?), but that's probably largely just luck; maybe I'm fortunate that where I go in my daily life is covered pretty well by AT&T. I suspect I could be a rare exception.

The interesting thing to me is that the reception issues and "Death Grip" have been all over the news here in the U.S., but reports trickling in from other countries are quite the opposite. An Australian publication, The Daily Telegraph, gave a very positive review to Apple's iPhone 4 today saying finally about the reception issues, "Is the antenna an issue? No it's not. Have I dropped calls? No, I have not." Another story out of Norway (via AppleInsider) had similar results, with the writer concluding that the issues are more about weak U.S. mobile networks than they are about the iPhone 4 itself.

So my question is, even though the "Death Grip" might reduce your signal by a bar or two, if Apple had announced a deal with Verizon (or some other carrier) at launch, would we even be talking about "Antennagate?" I think I know what Steve Jobs would say if he thought nobody else was listening.

This week's iPhone AppsGate includes a fun tool to make stop-motion movies and a water-racing game sequel that is a huge improvement over the original.… Read more

Apple attacks Droid X antenna

This is turning into one of those charming cage matches in which wrestlers desperately try to maim each other with chains and chairs and blows to very private regions.

In a new video, posted to both its own Web site and to YouTube, Apple attempts to show that the dazzling new Motorola Droid X, which many seem to rather appreciate, also has something of an issue when it comes to being held in the Death Grip.

You know, the grip where you wrap your fingers round your cell phone, and the onscreen signal bars drop like a swooning '50s starlet?… Read more

Time for an iPhone 4 recall?

The mountain of damning evidence is incontrovertible: Apple's iPhone 4 antenna design is flawed. Consumer Reports is only the latest publication to complete a battery of testing and declare what other reviewers have discovered as well: holding the phone a certain way causes repeatable reception problems that, in weaker signal areas, can lead to dropped calls.

Those lucky folks who live in areas with rock-solid AT&T reception likely won't run into the problem. Those less fortunate can reproduce it virtually at will. Here at CNET, Kent German demonstrated in video how dramatically a hand over the … Read more

iPhone 4 antenna issues: Software or hardware?

A few reports are surfacing that claim the current reception problem with the iPhone 4 could be an issue with the phone's OS software instead of the phone's construction.

Similar to the recent videos showing the grip on the iPhone 4 resulting in signal loss, others have released videos showing the same things happening on older models after having upgraded to iOS 4. This indicates the problem is in the operating system instead of the phone's hardware, which is promising for people who have been impacted by the reception issue.… Read more

Good Grips Cord Catch is simple, genius

Awhile back, a package arrived at my desk containing two unassuming little boxes that contained what I presumed on first glance were brushed-metal paperweights. I set them aside to attend to more pressing matters and didn't give them much thought until I was sorting through some drawers a couple weeks ago and one finally made its way out of its compact packaging and onto my desk. I then promptly kicked myself for not using the OXO Good Grips Cord Catch from the moment it arrived.

The Cord Catch is an exceedingly simple device--actually, it is quite similar to a … Read more