Now that iOS 5 is out, what do you think?

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

I was very happy to get iOS 5 on my iPhone earlier this week...even if it seemed like it took 4 hours to install. So far, it seems to be a very worthwhile and great update. I was concerned with the speed bump given to the iPhone 4S that my iPhone 4 may suffer, but so far it actually seems like my user experience is faster than it was before. A very good surprise indeed.

A few sure-fire reasons to update:
1) The new notifications system FINALLY replaces the antiquated alert system of the past and is very welcomed. It's very nice to just have a little drop down menu appear while you're using the phone that you can ignore instead of the big blue badge. Going directly to an alert from the home screen is also very nice. Well done, Apple.

Free Samsung Galaxy S for frustrated iPhone 4 users

Samsung in the UK is giving away free Galaxy S smartphones to iPhone 4 users who are frustrated about reception problems. This story was published on CNN (and on WIRED.CO.UK).

An account on Twitter called @samsungukmobile is contacting people who've tweeted about their difficulties with the handset, asking them to submit their contact details to receive a free handset.

The Samsung Galaxy S is a slate smartphone running Google Android and this smartphone has a large 4" screen (AMOLED display). Like other similar Android smartphones, the Galaxy S runs a 1 GHz processor, so you'll see amazingly fast performance on this device. The Galaxy S is going to be branded and sold under different names:

• T-Mobile Vibrant
• Verizon Fascinate
• AT&T's Captivate

From a distance, the Galaxy S may look like an iPhone 3 GS. However, the Galaxy S runs Android, it has a removable battery, and it's made by Samsung, not Apple. So, if the Motorola Droid X is too big for you, then the Samsung Galaxy S may be a great option. 

Is the iPhone 4 antenna issue a real problem?

As you may have heard, the new iPhone 4 wraps the antenna around the side of this super-thin smartphone. In fact, the iPhone 4 is currently branded as the thinnest smartphone in the world.

According to an official Apple statement: "Gripping any phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone."

"If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases,"

Have you been experiencing the antenna issue? I wonder what would happen if you put the iPhone 4 in a case so that you're no longer touching the metal band. Will that solve the problem? Do you think Apple intentionally designed the iPhone 4 this way so that users will be forced to purchase the $29 rubber "Bumper Case" for the iPhone 4?

Who needs to hold a phone anyways? Just use a hands free Bluetooth headset.