Do you have a death grip on your iPhone and does it cause signal loss? Do you want to be paid for this problem? A California based law firm - Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff - is famous for class action lawsuits and now has Apple in its sights.

No actual lawsuit has been mentioned yet but they are conducting a consumer investigation regarding the drop in reception when you hold your phone in your left hand and cover the band that functions as an antenna. If you read their website they ask you to contact them if you “recently purchase the new iPhone and have experienced poor reception quality, dropped calls and weak signals.”

They are the class action equivalent of the “ambulance chaser” personal injury lawyers on late night television. Combine that with Apple’s pending lawsuits and history of settling and you have a recipe for success and notoriety for the firm.

Last year, Apple settled for $22.5 million about the original iPod and it’s susceptibility to scratching. This summer they are already entrenched in a lawsuit over the promise to provide unlimited data plans for iPad users only to have the terms changed shortly after launch pending the arrival of the iPhone 4.

Now that the iPhone 4 is in hands of users, the crystal clear screen is being trumped by its inability to hold a call when the phone is held in a certain orientation. Apple’s answer to this? Don’t hold it that way.

There has been talk of a software fix but straight from the horse’s mouth, Steve Jobs said in an email “There is no reception issue. Stay Tuned.” Everyone is tuned in, Steve, and waiting for a solution or the opening of a class action lawsuit for a few bucks if you don’t get it together.

If one thing in technology is for sure, it is that Apple knows how to make waves and market products. The disparity among users is staggering. People love them or hate them and rarely fall in between. It is no surprise that the iPad is causing the same kind of upheaval. Leading up to the announcement the speculation ran wild about what an Apple tablet would be and how it would work and what it would do. Then the keynote came on January 27th and immediately emotions ran high. Some people loved it immediately. Others were left wondering what it was all about and of course there were no shortage of jeers as well.

April 3rd was the big day that the iPad landed in the hands of anxious consumers. The overall reaction has been fantastic. We’ve seen videos showcasing its capabilities and durability. Its specifications, internal components and a large percentage of amazing apps. There is still come confusion about its usefulness however.

There are things to consider here. First, it’s not a big iPhone/iPod Touch. It is more. with 9.7” of real estate on the screen you can do more. This doesn’t cause apps just to be upsized but developers can pack more functionality into an app. Ten hours of battery life is something that no other mobile device can claim as well. It is not better than a netbook. It is not better than a laptop. It is not another iPhone. It is an iPad. It is its very own category. This will not replace anything. It is what is now being called a “category creator.” Why do we have notebooks? Because of the price only? No. They are small and portable. But they lack - high end video, optical drives, storage space, usability for graphics or photo work. They don’t replace laptops. They do their own thing. Right now, a smartphone user whips out the phone to look up every last little thing. Can you use an iPhone/Android/Blackberry to really and easily read a whole book? No. Is good for displaying photos? Not really. For large amounts of surfing the small screens get tedious, especially with calls coming in.

So we have a netbook. Now you can pull out a netback and open it, boot it up and run applications (which can be tricky to install sometimes without a CD/DVD drive) or you can use an iPad which is instant on and has a library of nearly a quarter of a million apps ready to be downloaded over the air (OTA) and used immediately. Sometimes you may want to sit and compose a longer email using a real keyboard, but for quick notes, checking email, surfing the web and other on the fly tasks, the iPad gives you instant access. What if you’re on the couch and want a quick reference? Open and boot the netback again or turn on the iPad.

Why is it better than Windows tablet computers? That’s easy. Tablet computers took existing versions of windows and threw them onto a tablet PC. Windows is not designed to work in a mobile touchscreen environment. iPhone OS is meant for EXACTLY that. This device is designed for its purpose. Windows tablet PCs are created with existing items to fit a new purpose. Can Microsoft answer with a mobile platform of their own and be successful? Absolutely. But they need to develop a mobile platform and not just take something and force it to be a mobile platform.

Most of the negative comments about the iPad that I’ve seen are from people who don’t own one and some are from people who don’t own an iPhone or an iPod touch. They see a resemblance and say it’s the same thing. This is uninformed. With some research and an open mind, it is clear that this is so much more.

For the record, I don’t own one. I know a lot about it but I think $499 for WiFi only does not fit my use case. It is a great price for what you get, just not in my particular situation. When the 3G version ships, I may consider that. The usability of this device is huge. My budget is now. For me, it comes down to dollars and cents.

14 March - Weekly Wrap-Up

-iPad
-SXSW
-Facebook
-iPod Giveaway Results 

7 Mar - Weekly Wrap-Up #5

- Ooma Telo
- Magic Mouse
- iPod Giveaway

Apple announced the official release of the iPad this morning. March 12th is the big day. That’s for pre-orders and for WiFi only. April 3rd is when they will be available and in your hands. If you’re waiting for the added 3G capability, then you’ll have to hang on until the end of April for that. You can still order on March 12th, but there’s no telling when at the end of April you’ll receive it.

This staggered release could hurt the sales of the iPad. People want 3G but they want to get it first. Some will jump on the WiFi-only bandwagon just to get a device and realize that 3G made more sense. Having 6 models available just confuses things as well.

Here is the breakdown

WiFi
$499 16GB
$599 32GB
$699 64GB

WiFi + 3G
$629 16GB
$729 32GB
$829 64GB

So do you get the 64GB WiFi or wait a little longer, spend an extra $30 and get the 32GB 3G? Half the room, twice the wait, but you get 3G. This is a dilemma that’s being talked about everywhere.

I ignore my initial impulse to spend the most and get the biggest and best one possible. I was going to get the 32GB WiFi and I realized that was just nonsensical. I need 3G. I have to be able to use it outside my home or it’s a waste. So, 32GB WiFi + 3G was the way to go. $829 was just not defensible.

January 27th was the keynote and by January 28th I had a decision in mind. February 28th came and went. Today, March 5th we are told that in one week, we can start to order them and then in 3 weeks they’ll arrive for pickup at a local Apple store (which is 2 hours from me). So I’ve made a ground-breaking decision. I’m not getting one at all.

I want to be an early adopter and review one immediately. That’s what I do. But WiFi only doesn’t do me any good. By the time I get a 3G to review, the iPad itself will have been talked about a million times. And at $729… it’s not a drop in the bucket. I have a macbook, netbook and 2 iPhones in this house. I was almost windswept by Apple’s magic. At the end of the day… this device, in its current incarnation, is not a game changer. I will let this play out and see what it does. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love one. If there’s a generous reader out there, send one my way. The point is that it’s too much money and too much wait time. The impulse buyer in me has left the building. Senses set in and it’s not important enough to spend that money.

I tell you all of that because I’m sure there are quite a few people out there in the same boat.