There are many things I've fixed with duct tape. But the folks in Consumer Reports' test lab have found yet another application for that ever-useful adhesive: fixing the reception problems of Apple's iPhone 4.
There are a lot of reasons why the iPhone 4 might beckon to boomers. The crystal-clear "Retina" display, that makes it easier on the eyes, for example. The ability to place video calls to friends and family is another plus, using either Apple's own video chat over WiFi to other iPhones, or Fring's iPhone app over 3G to anyone else with Fring.
In fact, Consumer Reports initially gave the iPhone 4 the highest score among smartphones on the market. But after further testing, the non-profit's reviewers have changed their tune, saying they could not recommend the phone.
As reported previously, holding the iPhone 4 in a certain way has been found to cause the phone to lose signal and drop calls. Consumer Reports testers reproduced the problem, and were able to correct the issue simply by covering the antenna gap (a seam on the the lower left hand side of the frame of the phone) with duct tape.
Obviously, that's not exactly a cosmetically pleasing solution. Apple recommends a "bumper" for the same task. But a piece of duct tape doesn't cost $30 more.