How to solve the iPhone 4 antenna problem

Make your own bumper. Oliver Nelson of theiphoneguru.com explained how to make an Apple bumper-like wrap-around using a rubber wristband, like the kind popularized by Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong cancer foundation.

Move. The fact that some, but not all, iPhone 4 users are reporting reception issues has lead experts to think that location is a factor, that the reduction in reception tips a phone from usable to unusable when it's at the fringe of coverage.

So move around, head down the block, hold it next to the window. Every cell phone owner has to do this at times. You're no different just because you have an iPhone

The talking points

According to the talking points, AppleCare reps won't have any suggestions other than the ones the company has already issued: Hold the iPhone 4 so your hand doesn't cover the scored slot in the steel band, or buy a cover, case or bumper.

Switch to Skype. If you can't get a signal, but you're in range of Wi-Fi -- not as unusual as you might think when, say, you're in a cell-dead high-rise -- fire up a VoIP app like Skype.

The iTunes App Store

You can download Skype free of charge from the iTunes App Store, either directly from the iPhone 4, or first to a Mac or PC, then later sync with the phone.

If all else fails, take it back. When nothing works, and you're unsatisfied with the iPhone 4's reception, remember that you have 30 days to return it. The calendar starts flipping on the day you purchase the iPhone, or in the case of online orders, the day it's shipped.