As Cellphones Become Cuter, Clarity Suffers
I borrowed a friend’s Nokia mobile phone a few weeks ago to make a phone call. After having problems getting the phone to work properly, my friend pointed out that I can’t hold my hand against the back of the phone, since it blocks the internal antenna. Instead, I cupped my hand around the phone and it worked properly. Suddenly, my plan to give up my three-year old mobile phone with the external antenna doesn’t seem so enticing. The NY Times is reporting that as mobile phones with internal antennas become more popular, the quality of the phones is suffering. The phone makers, of course, deny this, but studies have shown that the newer phones have worse reception ability. Of course, I doubt that matters to most people, who simply want a small phone they can stick in their pocket/purse without having to worry about how to deal with an antenna sticking out.
