College of southern California experts show us a more efficient use of graphene solar panels

Could you imagine people powering their cellular phone or music/video device while jogging on a sunny day?

A University of Southern California team has produced flexible transparent carbon atom films that may have great potential for a brand new variety of solar cells.

In a paper recently published by the journal ACS Nano, researchers stated that organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells have been proposed as a technique to achieve cheap energy due to their ease of manufacture, light weight, and compatibility with flexible substrates.

The new work indicates that graphene, an extremely conductive and highly transparent kind of carbon composed of atoms-thick sheets of carbon atoms, has high possibility to fill this role.

While graphene’s existence has been known for decades, it has only been studied extensively since 2004 because of the impossibility of manufacturing it in high quality and quantity.

The University of southern California team has produced graphene/polymer sheets ranging in sizes approximately 150 square centimeters that in turn can be used to create dense arrays of flexible organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells.

These organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices convert solar radiation to electricity, but not as efficiently as silicon cells.

The power provided by sunlight on a sunny day is approximately 1,000 watts per meter square, for every 1,000 watts of sunlight that hits a square meter part of the standard silicon solar cell, 14 watts of electricity will be generated, Organic solar cells are less efficient; their conversion rate for that same 1,000 watts of sunlight in the graphene-based solar cell would be only 1.3 watts.

But what graphene organic photovoltaic (OPV) lack in efficiency, can potentially be compensated by its lower price and, greater physical flexibility.

Researchers think it can eventually be possible to cover with inexpensive solar cell layers extensive areas like newspapers, magazines or power generating clothing.

In the meanwhile Prof. Ruoff and his colleagues of the mechanical engineering department at the University of Texas at Austin, are studying the basic science in the development of graphene-based ultracapacitors for usage in electronics and other fields.

Prof. Ruoff says batteries are relatively slow, they can store energy but take a while to charge up, and then they distribute energy slowly, over time.

Ultracapacitors can be charged very quickly, in seconds, and discharge quickly, but, today, they can’t store very much electrical energy.

The development of stable and cheaper ultracapacitors could be a key step in using wind or solar-generated power, especially if researchers will find ways to enable capacitors to store energy longer, that is not yet possible.

Even with their current storage capacity, the graphene devices could provide quick energy when needed in certain situations on the environmentally friendly way.

They can be used, as an example, to absorb the heat generated in braking an automobile or train, and store it for a short time, and then use it for the electrical needs of the vehicle (i.e. starting the vehicle or acceleration)

About the Author – Sophia H. Walker writes for the solar powered battery charger blog, her personal hobby blog related to tips to help people save electricity using solar energy for small gadgets.

Both Nokia X6 and X3 have been updated from firmware v20.0.005 to v21.0.004. The S60-powered X6 gets many native apps updated, while the X3 is going with the modest improvement over battery charging notification and ring/alert tones.

The complete changelog for Nokia X6 includes:

• Browser update to 7.2
• Ovi Music
• Ovi Sync 2.0
• Ovi Store 1.5.6
• Ovi Contacts 1.50.8
• Shazam with 30-day trial
• Improved kinetic scrolling in Appshell
• Rihanna service launcher
• Gimlet Touch 2.2
• Flash Video Phase-3 – Flash Lite 3.1.7.x
• Enabled Side Lock Key functionality through Swipe UI
• Windows 7 Device Stage Support
• Updated Video Telephony
• Mail for Exchange v2.9.210
• Stability and speed improvements

As you can see from the list there is nothing groundbreaking here, just the usual application updates within the default application package.

According to Nokia Web Developer’s Library, Symbian Browser 7.2 is multi-touch enabled and is capable of pinch zooming. Still users’ reports contradict to this information and there is no browser pinch zooming coming with the new update despite the capacitive touchscreen.

Nokia X3 update, as we mentioned above, comes with only two updates – the improved battery charging notification and enhanced ring/alert tones.

Firmware v21.0.004 is available now via Ovi services, Nokia Software Update and OTA. Be aware that the new firmware might not be available for all regions just yet.

Source

Much like the just announced BlackBerry Protect, Windows Phone 7 will get you the full suite of services you’ll need in case your phone gets stolen or lost. You get remote wipe so you can protect your valuable private information, plus you can locate your device wirelessly and hopefully get it back. A remotely activated ringer is also available to help you find the phone if you have misplaced it. Maybe Windows Phone 7 isn’t quite as useful when you lose your phone as the recently announced BlackBerry Protect, but it still does a pretty great job at it.

Besides it will offer another valuable feature that should give it an edge against its competitors. Windows Phone 7 will support offer synchronization between all your Microsoft devices (those being your Windows PC, your Xbox and, of course, your smartphone). You can transfer everything from contacts to OneNote entries and images, allowing you to continue where you left off each time you alternate those gadgets. Cool right?

Microsoft are joining the high-end smartphone market with competition at its highest, but they sure as hell won’t give up without a fight.

Source

With BlackBerry protect you can remotely wipe and lock your lost Berry, but it doesn’t end there. You can also wirelessly backup your data and later restore it to another handset in case the first one is never recovered. Contacts, Calendar; Memos and Tasks; Browser Bookmarks and Text Messages can all be protected this way.

Locating your device is the next option that BlackBerry Protect gives you. Even if your device doesn’t have a built-in GPS receiver, it can use the cell tower ID to report its whereabouts.

Next, thanks to BlackBerry Protect, you will be able to send contact info to the homescreen of a previously locked BlackBerry so it can be easily returned if found.

Finally, BlackBerry Protect adds a feature that would help you locate your phone within your own home if you happen to have misplaced it. Activating a loud ringer for one minute it would help your search greatly. Of course you could argue that calling your mobile from your home phone is just as effective but if you have it on silent, BlackBerry Protect is your only option.

BlackBerry Protect is still in the early stages of its development, but it will be available in a limited beta release later this week, before it eventually reaches the open public later this year. If you want to be among the first to have it, you should sign up for a BlackkBerry Beta Zone account and hope that you will be one of lucky members to receive an early invitation.

Source

There’s still no detailed changelog, but what’s known so far is that the new version should deliver a new homescreen, pop-up context menus, fluid graphical transitions, a new WebKit-based HTML5-capable web browser, re-skinned media interface, multi-touch support (pinch-zooming) and all-in-all better thumbability. Universal search feature and heavy social networking integration to messaging are also available as seen from the following new video:

The new BlackBerry 6 OS should be out some time in Q3 this year and some older devices will be capable of upgrade. Still there is no info on the supported devices. Come on, RIM, spill the beans already.

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Robot Unicorn Attack

Price: S$2.99 (US$2.20)
What is it that makes Robot Unicorn Attack so compelling? Is it the flamboyantly rainbow palette? The maddening soundtrack consisting of “Always” by Erasure in infinite loop? The tears of the robot unicorn when you fall to your inevitable fiery demise? We may never know!

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Plants vs. Zombies

Price: S$2.99 (US$2.20)
The zombies are invading and it’s up to you to repel their attack using nothing but green power. This strategy game is cute, inventive and contains hours of play figuring out how to best use the plants in your arsenal against the shambling hordes.

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Doodle Jump

Price: S$0.99 (US$0.73)
Doodle Jump warns you that it is “INSANELY ADDICTIVE”, and it’s not exaggerating. For such a simple concept–a bouncing doodle bug that you have to navigate from platform to platform by moving your iPhone–it seems to provide a crazy amount of fun.

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Angry Birds

Price: S$0.99 (US$0.73)
The birds are angry at the pigs. Why? The pigs nicked their eggs! Clearly, revenge is needed! Using basic physics, you’ll need to catapult your stock of feathered missiles at the pigs’ houses to topple them and destroy the inhabitants, but it’s not as easy as it looks.

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Bejeweled 2

Price: S$2.99 (US$2.20)
PopCap’s classic and ubiquitous gem-matching game comes with four modes for the iPhone, for a leisurely puzzle experience, frantic timed matches or going head-to-head against other players. It’s the perfect way to pass the time in waiting rooms, on the bus, in the grocery store line.

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Rock Band International

Price: A$8.99 (US$7.89)
The port of Rock Band to iPhone is, for the most part, quite smooth. There are four different ways you can play (drums, bass, guitar or vocals), with three difficulty levels, so while the track listing is small (with only a limited number of new tracks to buy), there’s plenty of play there–especially with the Bluetooth multiplayer mode.

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N.O.V.A

Price: S$4.99 (US$3.67)
First-person shooters, regarded as the genre for hardcore gamers, would not, one would suppose, be particularly good on an iPhone.N.O.V.A blows that supposition right out of the water, with a cool single-player campaign, fun sci-fi story and frantic 1-4 player deathmatch mode, all using onscreen touch controls.

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Doodle God

Price: S$0.99 (US$0.73)
Doodle God takes the idea that the creator of the universe is a mad scientist cackling away while randomly combining elements to see what he comes up with and puts you square in the driver’s seat. Combine the wrong ingredients and it could all go belly-up; get it right and watch your world flourish.

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Pac-Man

Price: S$4.99 (US$3.67)
If you don’t know what Pac-Man is, then this game is fun, but it probably won’t mean a lot to you. If, however, you remember standing waiting your turn at the arcade with a coin clutched in your grubby paw, Pac-Man for the iPhone dishes up a serving of sweet, sweet nostalgia with its ghost-dodgin’ and fruit-munchin’.

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Space Ace

Price: S$4.99 (US$3.67)
Anyone familiar with the history of gaming will appreciate Space Ace, a near-perfect port of the 1984 arcade game. It’s notable more for the high quality of the visuals, animated by the renowned Don Bluth Studios, than its gameplay, but it’s worth it on the strength of the storytelling alone.

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Rolando 2

Price: S$4.99 (US$3.67)
Rolandos are round little guys that you roll around the screen as you explore environments and solve puzzles using the touch and motion controls of the iPhone in inventive ways. Some of the round little guys also have moustaches, and it’s hard to argue against a good moustache.

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Zen Bound

Price: S$2.99 (US$2.20)
This isn’t, it claims, so much a game as it is a meditation exercise: Using the touchscreen, you manipulate wooden objects to wrap them entirely in string. There are no scores or timers; when you complete one object, you simply move onto the next. It’s quite strangely mesmerising.

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Unblock Me

Price: S$0.99 (US$0.73)
Unblock Me is based on an old Polish puzzle game called Klotski, in which the player slides wooden blocks around a frame in order to clear a path to the exit for one particular block. There are numerous versions available, but we like this one: The color scheme is quite calming.

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Myst

Price: S$4.99 (US$3.67)
Quite a number of the best games for the iPhone, we’re discovering, are ports of older games taking advantage of better technology than was available at the time of its release. One such is the widely acclaimed point-and-click fantasy adventure Myst, in which the player explores beautiful environments to unravel a mystery.

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Tetris

Price: S$2.99 (US$2.20)
Tetris is possibly the most well-known and -loved electronic puzzle game since the dawn of videogaming, and it has been ported to many devices the world over. The iPhone version takes a little getting used to, but after that, it will feel like you’ve never been lining up those tetrominoes any other way.

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Flight Control

Price: S$0.99 (US$0.73)
As an air traffic controller, your job is to land planes, jets and helicopters safely, getting more complicated the further the game progresses, taking into account the direction of the runway, wind speed and direction, and other aircraft in the sky. Easy-to-see graphics make this a pleasure to play.

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Solitaire City

Price: S$5.99 (US$4.41)
Solitaire City may seem pricey for a card game, but the graphics are slick, the controls responsive, and included in the pack are a number of different card games and the ability to play your own music from iTunes as you play.

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Real Racing

Price: S$4.99 (US$3.67)
From the same dev team behindFlight Control comes Real Racing, a crisp championship car racer that will see you tilting your iPhone to steer your vehicle while touching the screen with your thumbs to control the car’s speed. It’s slick, intuitive, fast-paced fun.

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Robert Rodriguez presents Predators

Price: S$2.99 (US$2.20)
Some sweet graphics and a meteoric rise to become the ultimate Predator make this game endlessly thrilling. Using the Predator’s abilities and crazy technologies, you will stalk and hunt your foes. We particularly like the HUD, which uses interface graphics from the classic film.

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Words With Friends

Price: S$2.99 (US$2.20)
Who doesn’t like Scrabble? That’s what Words With Friends is, a portable Scrabble that you can keep in your pocket and play online wherever and whenever you might be. You can have up to 20 games on the go at once, but unless you’re some sort of Scrabble machine, we probably wouldn’t recommend it.

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This story was originally published at CNET Australia. Image credits are to the individual games. Links are to the games on the Apple App Store in Singapore where available.

Targeted at the youth market, the GT540 comes in a number of different colors. We got the pink version for our review, and this came with a patterned back battery cover. This will probably appeal to a very niche crowd–those who play with dolls well into adulthood, perhaps. There are conventional shades, too, including black and silver.

The smartphone has dimensions of 109 x 54.5 x 12.7mm, which makes it quite compact. It is kept light with a plastic chassis, tipping the scales at just 116g. Unlike the solidly built midrange handsets we are used to from LG, the GT540 lived up (or down, in this case) to its budget price tag. The side panels on our test unit rattled a little when the phone was shaken and the clear acrylic buttons on the front felt cheap and wobbly. Furthermore, the glossy plastic exterior attracted fingerprint and face smudges readily.

Aesthetically, the design isn’t remarkable, but it isn’t ugly, either. It is rectangular in shape and tapers off to curved oval edges at the top and bottom. The 3-inch HVGA (480 x 320-pixel) screen is made to look small as it occupies the front with lots of excess space on its top and bottom. Above it is the LG logo and below you will find five buttons in a two-three configuration. This includes the touch-sensitive Menu and Back keys above the physical Call, Home and End keys, laid out as a single clear plastic strip.

A 3.5mm audio connector is found on the top of the GT540, while volume controls are on the left edge. The right flank is the most crowded side with a covered micro-USB port for charging and syncing, as well as for the Search and Camera shortcut keys.

For memory expansion, this smartphone comes with a microSDHC slot behind the back battery cover. This is positioned so you do not need to remove the battery to swap cards.

Features

Though inexpensive, the LG didn’t scrimp on the connectivity options for this Optimus. It comes with everything most users will probably need including HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and even A-GPS for satellite navigation. We like that LG modified the notifications pull-down page with toggle buttons for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS, making it convenient to turn these wireless options on/off.

Since the Optimus runs the Android operating system, you get all the standard software features such as Gmail, Maps and the Android Market to find and install third-party apps. LG has added some customizations to the interface, so items such as the Home screen and applications menu looks different from the default Android OS. For example, the LG Home interface puts permanent shortcuts to the dialer and text message apps, something not found in the vanilla version of Android 1.6. But if you prefer Google’s default interface, LG Home can be turned off, unlike the customizations from HTC (Sense) and Samsung (TouchWiz). According to LG, an upgrade to Android 2.1 (Eclair) will be released in the coming months. This is good news because it adds a number of significant user enhancements like an improved contacts list and browser.

The GT540 comes with an HVGA display, a screen resolution that the first Android phones started out with. This is good because third-party developers created most of their apps supporting this resolution. This LG has a slight advantage in this respect compared with other budget Android phones which come with QVGA screens.

However, this same touchscreen uses resistive technology, which is less sensitive than the capacitive technology more commonly found in Android phones. The difference is felt when you use the onscreen keyboard–more pressure is required when thumb typing, which slows down the process. Furthermore, the small 3-inch display and narrow keys on the virtual QWERTY make typing a chore. We ended up using the phone keypad more than the QWERTY.

While we understand that the use of a small resistive screen keeps costs down, we can’t help but feel frustrated by the impaired text input experience. Considering the importance of emails, texting and Web browsing for an Android phone, this is a big downside of the GT540.

The LG Optimus does not come with an ambient light sensor, which means you have to adjust screen brightness manually depending on your surroundings. This is important because lowering the backlight in dark situations will help save battery life and maxing it out is essential when used under direct sunlight. Anyone getting the GT540 should definitely download a brightness setting widget to make this task more convenient.

The GT540 also does not come with a proximity sensor. This means the screen will remain turned on when you put your face to it while taking a call. Though it’s a convenient feature to have, its omission doesn’t affect usage as much as the light sensor.

Photos from the GT540′s 3-megapixel camera have fairly accurate colors, though they may appear a little “soft” to some. The shooting application comes with quite a number of settings, so those who like to tweak options should have some fun with it.

Performance

This is where you really feel the “budget” element of the Optimus. LG’s specifications sheet doesn’t list the type and speed of the CPU, but a third-party system information app identifies it as a 600MHz processor. The device comes with 256MB RAM. These specs aren’t too shabby, but they didn’t translate to good performance. We felt slowdowns when switching between apps and the Home screen. This happened periodically, enough to be annoying.

LG has included an application called TasKiller which lets you close apps manually so they don’t hog the limited memory. The app even has a feature, which automatically kills all applications when the screen is turned off. While this may alleviate some of the sluggishness, it’s not something we suspect most basic users will want to fiddle around with.

Battery life proved decent, giving us about 1.5 days of use on a single charge. This included phone calls, use of social networking apps and Gmail set on autosync. Call quality was good and we didn’t experience any dropped calls. Without a front camera, video calls are not supported.

Conclusion

If you are on a tight budget, the LG Optimus is a decent choice compared with a feature phone. You get a lot more functions than “dumb” phones in the same price range, thanks to the Android OS. But if you don’t want to live with the small resistive screen, consider instead the Samsung Galaxy Spica I5700, HTC Magic or HTC Hero. Of course, these are older models and may not be available from every operator, but we do feel they are better options with prices similar to the GT540.

By John Chan

Design

As mentioned, one of the most important differentiating factors of the Vivaz pro is the slideout QWERTY keyboard. This is landscape-oriented, revealed when you push the screen toward the right. The sliding mechanism isn’t perfect, and on more than a few occasions, it “jammed” when we gripped the phone too tightly while sliding.

Mechanical faults aside, the keyboard itself is decent. It has well-spaced out keys with a sensible layout. The individual keys are not too flat, a problem that sometimes plagues slideout keypads.

Even with the keyboard, the Vivaz pro is still very compact at 109 x 52 x 15mm and light at 117g. It is only 2.5mm thicker than the original Vivaz and 20g heavier. Aside from the keyboard, the layout of the buttons is similar, with camera controls on the right, edge while USB and a 3.5mm audio jack are found on the left. One slight difference is that the audio port is positioned lower along the left edge, under the micro-USB connector. For the Vivaz, the headphone jack was located at the top corner. Either way, we would rather this was on the top or bottom edges as that would make it easier to keep the phone in the pocket while a pair headphones are connected.

Another slight change in button location is the power/lock key. Instead of being on the top edge, it is now on the back of the phone. We found this extremely awkward–it’s simply not intuitive to reach to the back of a smartphone to turn it on. Furthermore, this button is very small and stiff–a poor design decision from Sony Ericsson.

Like the Vivaz, the 3.2-inch 640 x 360 display on the pro does its job. The phone comes with 75MB of built-in memory and a microSDHC card slot for expansion.

Features

The Vivaz pro has a complete set of connectivity features. This includes HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and A-GPS for satellite navigation. The operating system is Symbian S60 5th Edition. The Home screen has been tweaked so it’s unique to Sony Ericsson. This gives you quick access to favorite contacts, applications and Twitter updates. It’s identical to what’s found on the Vivaz, all the way down to the included third-party apps such as RoadSync (for Exchange support) and Wisepilot (GPS software), so we won’t go into the details.

What we will say is that Symbian is having a very rough time. It’s getting a lot of flak for not innovating as fast as Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Developer support is poor and the outdated-ness of the user interface is evident. If there’s only one reason to avoid the Vivaz pro, this would be it. Furthermore, Sony Ericsson’s implementation of the OS is not great. In certain lists, swipe scrolling in available, but not in others–an annoyance we pointed out in the Vivaz review.

Camera

So, does the lower 5-megapixel camera compared with the 8-megapixel on the Vivaz make the pro less compelling. In short, no. As with the Vivaz, we found the image quality to be great for a smartphone’s camera. The ability to shoot HD-quality clips with active autofocus is still intact and the camera is fast with about a 3-second startup time and very little shutter lag. Our only complaint is that auto white balance didn’t get it right every time when shooting indoors with poor lighting. And as some readers are already aware of, the megapixel count is important only if you are printing large photos. The Vivaz pro’s 5-megapixel sensor will be more than sufficient for most users even if you are printing in A4, so we don’t see any real disadvantage in the reduction of megapixels.

Performance

Battery life was similar to the Vivaz, giving us about two days on a single charge. We had no issues with the quality of the voice calls and reception. Take note that video calls are not supported since the pro has no front-facing camera.

On the matter of interface speed, the Vivaz pro did fine moving between menus and loading programs. It wasn’t fast, but we didn’t pull our hair out waiting for things to happen either. What disappointed was the interface itself, as mentioned earlier, which can be inconsistent at times, making it more laborious to get things done. Expectations change very quickly in the mobile phone world, and what was favored a few months ago can be seen as unacceptable today.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the Vivaz pro will appeal only to those looking for a decent camera in their mobile phone. The Sony Ericsson doesn’t really have much to offer as a smartphone because of the dearth of apps and an inconsistent interface.

The Vivaz pro is now available in Asia Pacific at S$758. It can be had for less with an operator contract, so check with your local telco for details. If you are not on a tight budget, give this device a miss. Other smartphones (that are truly smart) with decent cameras which offer 720p recording include the Android-based Samsung Galaxy S and upcoming iPhone 4. Even Sony Ericsson‘s own Xperia X10 will come with HD-quality video capture after an upcoming update, so it may be a better choice compared with the Vivaz pro.

By John Chan

Earlier on Friday, Apple issued a statement blaming iPhone reception issues on a software miscalculation rather than on hardware design. Since the iPhone 4 launched last week, thousands of consumers have complained that when gripping the phone around the lower left-hand corner of the device, the signal degrades or calls are dropped.

Apple acknowledged the problem, and explained that customers were simply covering up the antenna with their hand. Now the company says its engineers have made a “stunning” discovery.

People may be finding that their reception is poor and that calls are being dropped not only because they’re holding the phone wrong, but also because they think they have a better signal than they actually do. In the statement, Apple says that it had made a mistake in the formula that calculates the number of bars that display the signal strength on all of its iPhones.

But experts say that the bars that one sees displayed on any cell phone can be misleading. CNET talked to Ron Dicklin, co-founder of Root Wireless, a company that tests and provides accurate data on wireless network and consumer phone performance, to get some answers. Based on that conversation and some additional research, CNET put together this FAQ.

What do the wireless signal bars that appear on the upper left corner of my phone mean?

They are supposed to represent the handset’s ability to connect to the cellular network based on how powerful the carrier’s radio signal is being received. The five bars measure the decibels of power that is being received from the cell phone tower.

What does it mean if I have fewer bars versus if I have more bars?

The closer you are to a cell tower and the more powerful signal you receive from the cell tower, the more bars you’re likely have. If the signal strength is too low, you may have trouble completing a call or receiving data. And if you can make a call, the likelihood that a call may drop or a data connection is interrupted is higher.

Is it different if I have fewer bars on a GSM phone versus using a CDMA phone?

Yes. With GSM, the technology that AT&T and T-Mobile USA use, the probability of having an issue with the cellular network at the lower bar range is going to be higher than with CDMA. CDMA, which is the technology used by Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel, is more efficient in how it manages its connection with the network. So even at the lower signal range with CDMA, as long as there’s not a high level of noise due to network congestion, you can maintain a connection just fine.

In raw numbers, what is the range in decibels of what’s considered a good strong signal and one that is weak?

As a rule of thumb around -113 decibels is on the low end of the signal bar range, and around -50 decibels is on the high end (more signal bars). The closer the decibel measurement is to zero, the stronger the signal.

Apple said it was “stunned” to discover the formula it used to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. What does this mean?

While one might assume that each bar represented on the iPhone signal strength icon represents the same number of decibels, apparently that’s not the case. According to testing by the Web site AnandTech, the fifth bar on the iPhone represents about 40dB, but the fourth bar only represents about 10dB. The third bar represents a change of only about 2dB. The second bar represents 4dB, and the first bar represents a difference of 6dB.

Why doesn’t Apple just measure the bars in a linear fashion so that each bar represents an equal share of decibels?

Because the range is so big, it’s harder to diagnose problems at lower signal strengths. Signal strength measurement doesn’t need to be very granular at the top end of the scale because performance is only affected when it drops off considerably. But more granularity is needed in the lower part of the scale.

Is there a standard way that cell phone manufacturers use to measure the signal strength?

Unfortunately, there is no standard way to measure signal strength. One of the steps Root Wireless performs to properly validate that its on-device metering software is working correctly, is to put each of the supported handsets in a lab which measures a known decibel rating against what the handset reads and displays in signal bars. Through its tests, Dicklin said, the company has seen rather large differences in how handset manufactures relate decibels to bars.

Is there a more precise way of measuring signal strength other than the five-bar graphic?

Smartphones, such as those using the Android software and RIM’s BlackBerry, can also display reception in terms of numeric decibels instead of just as a five-bar graphic. But AnandTech points out that Apple has removed the tool.

Should I even care about these wireless bar signals?

Yes. If the phone is working correctly you probably wouldn’t reference it much, but if you are having an issue it’s a good tool to help isolate what the problem may be. It’s like a gas gauge on a car. If you were driving down the road and your car suddenly stopped and the gas gauge reads empty, you’d conclude that the reason your car stopped is because you ran out of gas. If you are having problems with a call and the signal bars are low, you’re probably not able to make the call due to poor signal strength.

So if I have all five bars of service my phone should work perfectly?

Not necessarily. You can have full signal bars and if the network is heavily congested you will still have problems maintaining a good connection. This condition happens more in heavily populated areas where many people are using the network at the same time, like in big cities and at sporting events for example.

By Marguerite Reardon