iPhone 4 as GPSr

my thoughts exactly.

Recently there have been several job posts on Apple website for antenna engineer position. This is one of them:
http://jobs.apple.com/index.ajs?BID=1&method=mExternal.showJ...

Coincidence? Who knows. Perhaps some Apple employees involved with antenna design may have gotten fired already. Why Apple place the cellular antenna in the lower left corner of the phone where most people would hold it is beyond me. This is a big design FAILURE.

During iPhone 4 development and testing, the device was almost always protected by a camouflage plastic case to make it look like iPhone G/GS series. Hence the antenna was always protected from human skin contact.

More info here:
http://gizmodo.com/5520164/this-is-apples-next-iphone

Seems to me that Apple could have learned something from Sony, remember the Beta Max days? Sony didn't want to share technology, so others took the lead and put Sony's Beta Max on the back burner and VHS was born.
For those that think because Apple doesn't want Verizon to service the iphone because of trade secrets makes me laugh loudly, it's been pried open by more reverse engineering companies than probably any product in recent time, which in it's self say's something for the iphone and it's great engineering until the introduction of the iphone 4 model's blunder, which probably will take a recall of sold units to fix the problem, since we are a blob of moisture and create a resistance on the antenna attenuating it's signal.

The iphone is a great device, the newest incarnation has soured a lot of people, and the phone has some really good competition and the phones are just as awesome, competing for it's customers.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/37039/

I think it's more a contractual thing with AT&T and not some paranoia about trade secrets that has prevented Verizon or anyone else providing for the iPhone.

And, I have had no problems with my iPhone even when it's bare, meaning no bumper.

Apple Press Conference result:
- Smartphones aren't perfect
- Other phones have the same signal drop issue
- Less than 1/3 of iPhone 3GS return rate
- We'll give you free condoms (bumpers) and refund to those who already purchased the condoms
- We'll give you full refund if you still don't like iPhone 4

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/16/live-from-apples-iphone-4...

I think it's a smart move. Apple knows a lot of customers won't return it anyway.

I'm keeping mine.

You may as well, you already have yours wrapped up in a condom.
After all, I guess that beautifully styled Apple iPhone 4 is just bruised a little and that condom will cover up the black and blue marks. Since you have been told your holding it wrong and you buy into that, instead of really knowing it's a defective device with poor antenna design. Then be happy with it and I'm happy for you as well, and remember what PT Barnum had to say.

Don't forget Jobs tried to pull the wool over everyone's eyes.

Bob
{Edit}
"We have discovered the cause of this dramatic drop in bars, and it is both simple and surprising.
"Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don't know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place."

Read more if you like:
http://scripting.com/stories/2010/07/14/applesBrewingShitsto...

You can do this...
http://coreygilmore.com/blog/2010/05/03/convert-a-sim-to-mic...

If this were true, I wouldn't think Apple would have offer the iPad on only AT&T.

Since Verizon chose to copy AT&T's LTE path to 4G, they might finally get an iPhone after they launch LTE.

Not too big on using it over my Garmin.

But the Nuvi has better routes. And NEVER tried to get me to turn left onto railroad tracks and drive down them!

Thanks BobDee for being so concerned about what phone I use and whether or not I like it or not.

At the iPad introduction Apple stated that they chose AT&T. I interpreted that as Apple having a choice of providers. Since the engineering had already been done for the GSM chip and the iTunes/AT&T service interface was already in place, it would make sense for the iPad to only be on AT&T. The AT&T service is not a contract and users can leave anytime. The iPhone is heavily subsidized by AT&T. Since the iPad is not a phone I would bet it is not part of the original iPhone exclusivity agreement.