Datasheet

39
Chapter 1: Utilities and Security
Signal Strength
Free
You may have heard of a computer company named after a large red
(not black) fruit and of their misadventures with one of their latest
cellphones. According to most experts (except for Apple) if you held
it like a normal human being, your hand blocked the path the antenna
needed to pick up a strong cell signal. Or perhaps you’ve suspected
that there are certain places in your home or office, or in your neigh-
borhood, where your BlackBerry seems to play dead.
SignalStrength is as simple as simple can be. It displays a continually
updating reading of the connection quality your BlackBerry is receiv-
ing. Put in on your screen and walk a few feet and see how it changes.
Put your hand in any possible position and see if you can replicate
Apple’s headache; I couldn’t find a way to block the connection.
As you use this app, you will have a better understanding of how a
structure’s design, construction, or contents affect the transmission of
radio signals. Large pieces of metal — the sheathing of the exterior of
a building or a large filing cabinet or even a refrigerator — may block
or distort a signal in a particular spot.
The screen shows the information in two ways: a large version of the
five-bar icon (the more green bars the better the signal) along with a
numerical reading on the decibel (dB) scale (the closer to zero, the
less signal loss, and so a –75 is better than a –98).
Go forth and test.
How to get it
Available from third-party sites such as Crackberry and the developer.
Kurlu. http://kurlu.com. Price: Free.
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