Norwegian newspaper quiets iPhone critics

Amid global outcry in the tech world about what has become known as “Antennaegate”, Norway’s largest newspaper claims reported problems with the reception of Apple’s iPhone 4 are a myth. Oslo-based Verdens Gang put the newest Apple handset to the test against Nokia and HTC models in a remote area on the edge of the country’s mobile coverage network, and concluded that the antenna is “just as good and bad as competitors.”

Controversy has plagued the much-anticipated release of the iPhone 4 after users reported problems with reception when the phone is held in a certain way – a phenomenon that has since become known as “deathgrip”. The newspaper, however, found no defects with the model’s antenna when compared to the previous iPhone 3GS, the HTC Wildfire and the Nokia E17.

According to the report, all models lost signal bars when gripped tightly but were able to sustain a conversation, with the two iPhone models receiving the lowest marks for sound quality. However, the iPhone 4 was the only handset said to be able to pull up a webpage on the phone’s data service.

According to AppleInsider.com, both Nokia and HTC have previously claimed that Antennaegate is a problem unique to Apple, despite warning their customers that holding their phones in a certain way would cause signal attenuation. Apple is in the process of issuing free rubber cases for the iPhone 4 in a bid to quell the controversy.