droidStory

I figured this now warrants an extra post after there’s been much discussion on the Google support forum. It is absurd that Google keeps trying to put the blame on T-Mobile. The video below clearly shows that 3G network connectivity is fine until you firmly hold your phone in your hand.

Here’s an excerpt from my recent forum post.

I’ve been saying all along that this is a RF issue. I noticed this right away when I got my phone and even posted this video on Jan 9 to show how the N1 drops 3G as soon as you hold it in your hand.

The problem occurs only when you are in an area with a weak 3G signal, anything less than -80dBm. (Higher negative numbers mean weaker signal.)

Basically, if you have -90dBM or less signal strength with the phone sitting on your desk, holding it in your hand will push it down to -100dBm or less. At that point all bets are off. Before the update it would switch to Edge around -100dBm, now it seems to hold on until about -105dBm.

The “dBm” (dB-milliwatt) is a logarithmic measurement of signal strength, and dBm values can be easily converted to and from mW values. So a decrease of roughly 3dBm yields a change of roughly HALF in the mW value.

1mW = 0dBm
-96dBm = 0.0000000002511mW

In essence, the difference between a -80dBm signal and a -100dBm signal is HUGE. Check it out yourself here.

So here is my big question: Why is the N1 getting such a weak signal in solid 3G territory, and why does the signal degrade that much more when holding the phone in your hand?

IMHO the recent update just tweaked the switching thresholds, while the actual problem may be rooted deeper in the RF guts of the Nexus One.

I installed the firmware update on my Nexus One last night with high hopes that the 3G connectivity problems would be fixed. After some simple tests I have to say that I did not notice any significant improvements. Although the phone seems to try holding onto a 3G connection a bit longer, the result is the same.

No real improvement after the update. 3G Signal strength -97dBm 8asu on Desk — dropping to -111dBM 1asu while holding in hand, barely holding onto 3G. Ooops it just switched to Edge -83dBm 13asu. #FAIL

How come 3bars of 3G just disappear every time you pick up the phone??? I also had a number of crashes when answering calls. Swiping the green answer button just stopped mid way and the phone hung. Perhaps this is related to temporarily losing network connection when switching to Edge after I pick up the phone. This is infuriating to say the least!

Motorola Droid + Verizon: 1
Nexus One + T-Mobile: 0

Google, now what?

Google announced earlier that the first Over-the-Air Update for the Nexus One will begin later today, with most phones expected to receive the update before the end of this week.

Can’t wait for the OTA-Update? Feeling adventurous? Click here for instructions to install the update in minutes via USB.

Many people have been anxiously waiting for this update, hoping that it will fix the 3G connectivity problems widely reported on Google’s support forum and shown here in a previous post.

Here is Google’s statement regarding 3G connectivity:

3G connectivity: we will provide a general fix to help improve 3G connectivity on some Nexus One phones

Google also added these additional features to the update, with pinch-to-zoom multi-touch probably being the most exciting addition:

Google Goggles: this mobile application will now be available directly on your device by launching it from your All Apps menu. Just use your Nexus One camera to start searching the web

Google Maps: the Maps application with be updated to a new version, Google Maps 3.4, which will include:

• Starred items synchronized with maps.google.com – access your favorite places from your phone or computer
• Search suggestions from your personal maps.google.com history – makes it easy to search for places you’ve searched for before
• Night mode in Google Maps Navigation – automatically changes your screen at night for easier viewing and driving

Pinch-to-zoom functionality: devices will now include a new pinch-to-zoom mechanism in the phone’s Browser, Gallery and Maps applications

A number of web sites report a possible target date for Verizon’s first OTA (Over the Air) update for the Motorola Droid and HTC Eris in early December, followed by a second update in January. This is both good and bad news.

To start with the good news: Both Verizon and Motorola are feverishly working on resolving the problems that have surfaced since the official launch of Droid one week ago.  Perhaps Verizon has learned from the horrendous BB Storm launch experience last year. Most of the early Storm customers (me included) had to endure many months of waiting for much-needed patches, causing a significant return rate of the BB phone. Still, there is no official release date yet and the update could get stuck in Verizon’s approval process the same way we saw with the Storm.

Now to the bad news: There is a growing list of known issues and bugs, which makes you wonder if the phone was released a bit too early.  Many problems have to do with usability quirks that should be easily fixed. Others are more troublesome like the echo problem I’ve experienced on numerous calls. However, the biggest area of complaint by far seems to be Exchange Active Sync (EAS).  Corporate Email support is a must for many of us and Microsoft Exchange is the dominant platform. EAS in its current implementation just doesn’t work for many users because of its inability to support security policies. Unfortunately, I didn’t see anything mentioned in the Verizon documents that is addressing this in the two scheduled updates.

Do you have problems with your Droid? Let us know what you like or dislike in the comments.