Consumer Reports nixes iPhone 4

It's thumbs down on the new version Apple's smart phone. The testing service cites the much-reported reception problem when fingers or hands touch a spot on the phone's left side. From the Consumer Reports Web site:

Our findings call into question the recent claim by Apple that the iPhone 4's signal-strength issues were largely an optical illusion caused by faulty software that "mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength." The tests also indicate that AT&T's network might not be the primary suspect in the iPhone 4's much-reported signal woes.

CR suggests covering the area with a piece of duct tape or another thick, non-conductive material ("It may not be pretty," says Mike Gikas, "but it works"). Other features of the iPhone 4 received high ratings.