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…because mine have been causing me all sorts of problems! 

I am still loving my iPhone 4 but my adoration is becoming somewhat dimmed by a stange phenomenon: 

During a call my ear inadvertently touches the screen and either mutes the call or cuts the caller off completely!
Occasionally I will even start a Facetime session spontaneously! 

The iPhone uses something known as a proximity sensor to deactivate the screen when close to your ear; or, at least, it’s supposed to. 

iPhone 4 Ear Problem

My colleagues weren’t experiencing it so I thought maybe the problem is more pronounced with left handers or that I simply had a duff one. 

The forum suggestions ranged from resetting the iPhone to opening an App mid-call to something like the Calculator to prevent you from ‘earing’  the wrong button! 

It now looks like Apple has come clean and admitted this is now a problem and say the next release (4.1) due for release next week should resolve it (ears crossed!). 

To my mind this has been a much larger issue than the antenna problem which in my opinion was a storm in a teacup and simply a badly handled media issue. 

4.1 should also address other bugs such as the Nokia Bluetooth problem (also experienced with my hands free Nokia car kit), and provide some performance boosts. 

Extra features also include Online Gaming and HD YouTube video uploads. (I can take or leave these). 

I would be interested to hear from anyone else with same issue – left handed or otherwise. 

Watch Apple’s official video of yesterday’s event – which covers new retail stores, iOS 4.1, and the new iPods and Apple TV – here.

Well, we joined the masses this morning and pre-ordered our iPads and are currently camped out and salivating near our letterboxes!

The New iPad

I am already a convert to the iPad having neither held one nor seen one in the flesh.

So why do I want one? Well I do love my gadgets but I have also become increasingly choosy with age. I partly blame Apple for this – in my younger days I would change my mobile every few months;  since the iPhone, I haven’t even considered another as they all seem so plain  and drab by comparison. Having said that I am not an Apple evangelist – I still love my Windows 7 PC as well.

If I am going to add to my gadget collection, it has to either simplify or add something to my life. To this extent,  the iPad for me has so many things going for it, particularly the 3G model: the ability from anywhere to read and compose my e-mails , update my diary, browse websites with ease, read a newspaper or an e-book, watch a video, listen to some music, browse my photos, play games, the list goes on.

I am also hoping to use the LogMeIn App to support my customer’s PCs and Macs – I’ll let you know how this goes. If it is a smooth experience, it will mean that my heavier Macbook can stay at home, whilst I travel to London with my iPad.

However, not everyone is as enamoured by the new iPad as I am. Looking at lots of blogs on the subject, many people are complaining it doesn’t have the same features as a notebook, such as HDMI or usb ports, multitasking, or a huge disk capacity. (There were even some complaints that it won’t run Windows products!) I think they’re all missing the point. The iPad was never meant as a replacement for your notebook, rather a supplement.  Of course there will always be times when only a PC or Mac will do, but after reading the blogs I do wonder at some people’s thought processes!

And no, a stylus would not be a good idea!

By the way, I hate marmite…