Source: Apple  - Antenna Design and Test Labs

Oh my goodness – this raises my respect for apple a thousand-fold, despite all that antenna talk. Thank goodness i’m on the right bandwagon, at least for the time being.

Yes, we could dismiss all this as pointless PR spin, given how the testing process still produced a faulty product, but still…

I’m sure other handphone manufacturers might have the very same facilities, but when you’re producing tons of different designs a year, i wonder whether each can be tested to such a degree. Besides, companies with many models can spread their risk rather evenly.

More crucially, i’d reckon that Apple’s corporate culture means it doesn’t do what it says, in a good way – it cracks its skull in delivering industry leading products, yet keeps absolutely mum on developments. Above all else, i respect their Apple’s corporate pride, which i doubt every gets close to the arrogance that naysayers seem to enjoy accusing it of. It’s amazing how an entire organisation thinks like one, behaves like one, in a most coherent manner, yet still remains organically creative. That’s some miracle.

If you notice the Stargate-esque ring in the bottom-most photo, i think i’ve seen it before from a company named Satimo.

You can have a look at their products here: Satimo – Fast Antenna Measurement, Radome Test and Scanners Systems

According to Apple:

Advanced facilities.
Apple never releases a product without thoroughly testing it first. To do this, we built our multimillion-dollar antenna design and test labs. These labs feature 17 different antenna characterization chambers (or anechoic chambers) designed to accurately measure antenna and wireless performance.

Testing performance in the lab.
Our anechoic chambers are connected to sophisticated equipment that simulates cellular base stations, Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices — even GPS satellites. These chambers measure performance in free space, in the presence of materials simulating human tissue (“phantom” heads and hands, for example), and in use by human subjects. Over a one- to two-year development cycle, Apple engineers spend thousands of hours performing antenna and wireless testing in the lab.

Testing performance in the field.
Apple engineers tested iPhone 4 in a variety of scenarios, environments, and conditions in order to gauge performance. They spent thousands of hours in cities in the U.S. and throughout the world testing iPhone 4 call quality, dropped-call performance, call origination and termination, and in-service time. They tested iPhone 4 while stationary, at high and low speeds, and in urban, dense urban, and highway environments. In low-coverage areas and good-coverage areas, during peak and off-peak hours — iPhone 4 was field-tested in nearly every possible coverage scenario across different vendor and carrier equipment all over the world.

Apple Antenna Design and Test Labs - Tapered Chamber

Apple Antenna Design and Test Labs - Large Anechoic Chamber

Apple Antenna Design and Test Labs - 'Stargate'

Went down for the second time to Jaben Audio at the Adelphi.

Basically I’m looking to purchase a nice pair of headphones and a suitable amplifier for my university tenure.

Having come from a very decent speaker set up (Bowers and Wilkins 803S), i do not, and probably cannot expect to be able to replicate that familiar musicality and enjoyment in a pair of headphones.

For me, i enjoy having a wide soundstage and neutral presentation, but with a balanced, accurate reproduction, hence my choice of the Bowers and Wilkins. I cannot for the love of God place myself in the shoes of an MRT basshead or a casual listener, knowing full well what i am missing out on.

Anyways, here’s a list of the circumaural headphones i’ve tried out in the first two days i’ve been to Jaben. Included are prices that i have hopefully remembered correctly. However, Jaben offers wonderful bundles that shave a significant portion off the sticker price than if the components were purchased separately. By the way, the staff at Jaben Audio are very friendly, and very accomodating – which headphone shop allows customers to try on in-ear earphones?

• Denon AH-D7000 (approximately $1450)
• Denon AH-D5000 (approximately $900)
• Denon AH-D2000 (approximately $450)
• Alessandro Music Series Pro (approximately $1200)
• Beyerdynamic DT 880 (approximately $430, including EDGE X1 amplifier)
• Sennehiser HD 600 (didn’t enquire about the price)
• Audio Technica Something – can’t recall the model

I didn’t try the Grados as the Alessadros were their less forward sounding sisters and designed with classical music in mind.

And pity Jaben did not have a Sennheiser HD 800 on demo! Had to make do with the intimate yet full-bodied Denon AH-D7000. The latter gave a good performance on everything from Bryan Adam’s Summer of ‘69 to Yo-Yo Ma’s Cellist of Sarajevo.

Don’t quite have the time to review each one, but i’m doing my best to like the Beyerdynamic DT 880. Unlike the high-end speaker market, each audiophile headphone is significantly different from the other. For speakers, their clarity and neutrality converge as price goes up, whereas for headphones, it seems each has a unique character. For almost all headphones i tried, each character was flawed in some way, for example, the Sennheiser HD 600 and Denon AH-D2000 and AH-D5000 were inaccurately, if no messily, bass-y. None of them could elicit the love i have for a proper speaker set up, but for twenty to thirty times less the price, why not?

Anyways, i think the Beyers have the best value for money and are more than a competent challenger for headphones twice or thrice as dear. I just hope to be able to have those hair standing moments in complete isolation that i am familiar with in floorstanders.

Without going into my opinions of each, here are the photos i managed to snap that day. :)

Beyerdynamic DT 880, Alessandro Music Series Pro, Denon AH-D5000, Hifiman EF2A Amplifier, Edge X1 Amplifier @ Jaben Audio

Beyerdynamic DT 880, Alessandro Music Series Pro, Beyerdynamic A1 Amplifier, Hifiman EF2A Second @ Jaben Audio

Hifiman EF2A Tube Amplifier with DAC @ Jaben AudioAlessandro Music Series Pro @ Jaben Audio

Alessandro Music Series Pro @ Jaben Audio

Just had a random thought:

Opportunity knocks.

Karma hunts you down.

(Therefore girlfriends are opportunities and wives, karma)

“Login” is not a verb.

This site graciously explains a grammatical error we commonly encounter nowadays knowingly or not!

Despite what many people –mostly in the computer field– think, “login” is not a verb. It’s simply not. Whether or not “login” is a word at all may spark a debate in some circles, but assuming it is then it may act as many parts of speech, but not as a verb.

I will repeat the important part for clarity: “login” is not a verb. It’s simply not.

This site is dedicated to educating people about the common misuses of words like “login.” It is meant for both non-native speakers who may not know any better, and for native speakers who should know better but don’t. It is in no way a substitute for a real education. Poor grammar is an excellent way to make any presentation sound stupid –or program look sloppy– so if you intend to use this language much then it behooves you to learn it properly.

So please, as we Singaporeans would have it, ‘email to’ all your friends now.

If we only could have a site like the above to cater to each and every one of our grammatical failings!

Engrish - Racist Park in China

I think when people get really really sick, doctors have to really really upsize their medication.

So instead of prescribing tablets, tables are given.

And here’s an adorable picture to illustrate the point.

Cute Baby Nomming The Table

If this truly is an ‘autopay system’, then why do we need to pay at the ‘autopay station’ or ‘payment counter’?

FAIL

One letter is obviously missing, ostensibly lost to the hotpot.

That’s quite some way to get one’s blood going! ^_^

Moral of the story – speak good english! Though not necessarily proper…

How real men drink soy milk – in a jug and with an SOG multitool.

(actually, real men don’t drink soy milk)

Just kidding anyways! :D

As twitted 1705010

‘Lord, bless me with a bucket so that i might learn to bail.’