Here’s the quick rundown of HTC’s official statement regarding the antenna issue on their HTC HD7 Windows Phone 7 handset:
“it is inevitable that a phone’s signal strength will weaken a little when covered in its entirety by a user’s palm or fingers. We test all of our phones extensively and are confident that under normal circumstances reception strength and performance will be more than sufficient for the operation of the phone when network coverage is also adequate.”
No buts, not ifs and most importantly, no pointing fingers at other mobile phone makers who are also suffering from the same issue. It would have been all too easy for HTC to say that Apple’s iPhone 4 has the same problem –in fact, Apple has it even worse. But the fact that HTC chose to simply state their side and let us all decide shows the industry that a little class in the face of criticism is not that hard to accomplish.
HTC’s issue is actually over-stated by the media. After all, it is actually quite complicated to make the device lose its signal. When tested, covering the exposed antenna on the bottom of the phone will only knock off a few bars of strength. While it may be an issue for locations with low signal strength, users will have to intentionally touch the vulnerable spot (unlike the iPhone 4’s antenna which is hard to avoid).
The bottom line here is that antenna issues will always exist. While likely not to the same extremity as seen with the iPhone 4, covering up many parts of a handset will certainly affect performance. But as long as the device works properly under normal circumstances –held in the hands, in the pocket, etc, there is no reason to state that the handset has been made wrong. In fact, the device’s antenna functions pretty much how you would expect from a regular smart phone.
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