iPhone 'death grip' cure? Try that yellow LiveStrong bracelet.
iPhone 'death' grip is a problem. And here's one possible solution: Take that yellow LiveStrong bracelet from around your wrist, and wrap it around your iPhone. 'Death grip,' begone!
Newscom
iPhone 'death grip' mania has – ahem – gripped the Web in recent days, as scores of iPhone 4 owners shake, prod, and rattle their handset in an effort to raise a few bars of reception. Looking for an iPhone death grip cure? Well, you could do worse than taking the yellow LiveStrong bracelet off your wrist, and wrapping it around your iPhone. That's the innovative solution being offered up by a handful of blogs this afternoon – and apparently, it works.
LiveStrong bracelets, of course, were originally sold to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. In recent years, dozens of charities and organizations have gotten in on the act, producing plastic, stretchy bracelets in various colors. According to CrunchGear, when you stretch one of those plastic bracelets around the iPhone, it works just like the expensive cases sold at Apple outlets, adding a layer of dampening to the iPhone 4s finicky external antenna.
As we reported yesterday, Apple recently issued a memo to its employees, offering instructions on how to deal with folks infuriated by troubles. Apple said employees should patiently explain that "gripping almost any mobile phone in certain places will reduce its reception," and encourage consumers to invest in a plastic case.
But a plastic case could cost as much as $30.
A plastic bracelet won't cost more than a couple bucks.
Then again, maybe you'd just be better off waiting for that Verizon iPhone that's always rumored to be coming around. Yesterday, Bloomberg News reported that two people "familiar with the plans" have confirmed that Verizon Wireless will break AT&T's stranglehold on the Apple iPhone in January of 2011. No word yet on how many LiveStrong bracelets you'll need to operate the Verizon version of the iPhone.
Related links:
iPhone 4 vs. Droid X: How do they compare?
iPhone 'death grip' cripples iPhone 4. Could a patch help?