Verizon Wireless Launches Droid X

Verizon Wireless now is selling the Droid X, manufactured by Motorola, for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

The Droid X runs Android and features a 4.3-inch screen, an HD camcorder, 8 megapixel camera, 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities, 8 gigabyte of memory onboard and a 16GB memory card. The new 32GB SanDisk "microSDHC" card allows customers to expand Droid X’s memory to 40GB. Verizon Wireless is the only retailer that offers customers the 32GB SanDisk microSDHC card.

Droid X Launched Today by Verizon Wireless

You might be spending so much time following Apple's iPhone 4 fix that this one didn't get the attention it deserves. It happens, sometimes.

Free Bumpers for All iPhone 4 Buyers, Apple Says

Apple CEO Steve Jobs says the signal reception issue "affects a very-small percentage of users," Jobs says. "I have gotten 5,000 emails from users who say they never see the problem and can't figure it out."

The data suggests this (issue) has been blown out of proportion," he says.

What does Apple plan to do? IoS 4 fixed the signal strength display problem. We have bumper cases and will give one for every iPhone 4, through Sept. 30, 2010. Users who bought a bumper will get a refund. "But we can't make enough ourselves, so we'll source some other cases and give you a choice," he says.

Full refunds will be given for any iPhone 4 units returned undamaged within 30 days.

Lack of Cases an Issue, Steve Jobs Suggests

About 80 percent of new iPhones go out of the store with a case," says Steve Jobs, Apple CEO. "Just 20 percent of iPhone 4s left the store with a case." That means many more people were using an iPhone 4 without the case that would prevent the antenna signal strength problem.

iPhone 4 Drops 1 More Call Per 100, AT&T Data Shows

"AT&T has given us call drop information and that shows call drop data and that is proprietary, but the delta from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4 shows that, for every 100 calls made, call drops on the iPhone 4 does drop more calls than the 3GS," says Steve Jobs, Apple CEO. But how many more? "Less than one additional call per 100, compared to the iPhone 3GS."

iPhone 4 Return Rates A Third of iPhone 3GS, Jobs Says

The iPhone 3GS is the best-selling smartphone in history, and return rates were six percent, Jobs said. For the iPhone 4, return rates are 1.7 percent.

Apple: "We're Not Perfect;" Neither is Anybody Else

"We're not perfect," Steve Jobs said at the news conference called to talk about the iPhone 4 antenna problem. "We know that; you know that."

"And phones are not perfect either." Jobs said. Apple started getting reports about the iPhone 4 antenna
problem almost as soon as the device went on sale. But Apple says less than half of one percent of iPhone 4
buyers called to complain about the antenna. He also said the iPhone 4 is the best product Apple ever has
made. "People seem to like it; users seem to love it," he said. After three weeks, it has the highest evaluations
ever."

"We have been working our butts off for the last 22 days" to fix it, he said. "We haven't had our heads in the
sand."

"We want to find out what the real problem is before we start to come up with a real solution," he said. The
data shows that the antenna signal drop-off is not unique to the iPhone 4, but most people haven't looked at this before."

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 also has the same problem the iPhone 4 has. It is identical to the iPhone 4 in that
regard, he says. The HTC Droid Eris also loses bars when gripped. The signal goes down right away but the
algorithm might delay the signal strength indicator to show the new signal strength. The Samsung Omnia II
likewise has the problem, Jobs said.

These problems affect most smartphones in areas of weak signal strength, Jobs said. "This is life in the smartphone world; phones aren't perfect."

Rates of return for the iPhone 4 in fact are lower than for the iPhone 3GS, Jobs said.