Are you sure about that? From what I read, as long as the team developing the firmware isn't distributing Apple code, then they are protected too. And if they choose to house their operation in a country other than the US then none of this applies in any case.

If I purchase an Apple computer and an Apple operating system, I can do whatever I want with the code on my computer. And if I write my own software to manipulate the code on my Apple computer, that is completely legal too. This is a pretty well established fact and commonly used with all operating systems on all computer types.

I also noticed that using the bumper helps the problem quite noticeably but I didn't buy the iPhone 4 to use that ugly bumper. It just emphasize that the antenna is badly designed.

Friends here can repeat the problem easily on other networks as well, all using the same 2100 Mhz frequency though (900 Mhz is only the rural areas and I haven't met friends there ;-). They are keeping the phones as they use cases anyway.

A friend said "I'm scared now. This is just is not right. It's like one of the angels in the Book of Revelations have just blown on his trumpet." when I ditched the iPhone 4. I was the last person anyone thought to do so..

I'm surprised if Apple keeps to offer the free cases forever. I hope not -- so that I can return with the iPhone 4+.

Quite the drama queen.

Probably learned it from watching Apple keynote speeches.

Can you get them to work on my iPad?

Putting a case on it is a deal breaker? Really?

I've had a case on since Day 1, which for me is a necessity since I actually drop my phone from time to time. To me, the bumper is pretty worthless, since it seems to offer minimal protection. I'm using a Speck case and I'm glad it was on when I dropped my phone off my elliptical machine last week.

Perhaps not a deal breaker, but when you buy a phone with so much emphasis on its design, being told to use a case to make it work is a bit of a downer...

True. But, the thing scratches so easily that u have to buy a case anyway. My first week of ownership i was so incredibly careful not to scratch it until i got a case. I had my wife put it in her purse while i went kayaking one day, and when she took it out of her purse 3 hours later it had a scratch on the back. So much for the marketing hype about the new super strong glass it is made out of.

I used Sena's ultra slim leather pouch with the 3GS and it survived without any noticeable scratches. I had the iPhone 4 for a month in the same pouch and it was like a new. Unfortunately the pouch doesn't help with the antenna.

I want to enjoy Apple's design as they were meant to be enjoyed.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9650/5.0.0.732 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

I want to enjoy the design of a weekend of drunken debauchery with 3 or 4 strippers the cumulative age of any two of whom is less than mine. I would be happy if could make calls with my phone with or without a case.

I really feel like the iphone 4 has some bugs that need to be worked out. I understand that the case does some job in preventing the reception from decreasing but it seems like too big an issue for me to overlook really! I have the 3GS with the IOS4 upgrade which allows me to multitask, and i absolutely love it!

There is a new Cydia app called Signal which plots all the GSM radios near you on Maps. So you can see exactly where the cell towers are. I'm in Amsterdam at the moment and there are 4 GSM sites within range of me. I'm so far convinced this is why I have no iPhone 4 problems, but I will try this app out when I get to the US.

After 6 weeks of use I can report about 5x more dropped calls than I had with sprint. I have used a case almost since day one. Therefore I must attribute this problem to a design defect within the iPhone4 (i.e. beyond the reported antenna issue) or in combination with AT&T's shoddy network (though strangely I don't have the same problem with my 2-year old AT&T blackberry).

However in all other respects the software and apps are superb. I love being able to google a local business, touch the telephone number in the results and the call is placed. or touch the listing and add it to contacts. take a photo and MMS or email with a few touches. The other apps are pretty seamless as well. Yes some of these things work well on other smartphones but Apple just makes it easy and intuitive.

There is no way I would go back to sprint even with the shoddy ATT voice service, though it is tempting to get one of those wifi Microcells or perhaps a magicjack to use at home as we don't have a landline.

Absent dramatic service improvement, I predict a mass exodus to the next US wireless carrier that sells this phone. You wonder if Apple even cares, they get paid either way. AT&T should care but 3 years of inertia suggest otherwise (or simply incompetence). Their landline business model seems to ignore the customer attrition in favor of keeping rates jacked up for the remaining customers, maybe that's the plan for wireless too. Not a very good long term strategy.

Sprint is exactly the opposite - great voice service but mediocre phone selection (EVO exluded) and crappy customer service.

Its got to be the network, as AT&T is notorious for having one of the worst overall networks and dropped calls are quite frequent.