Dark Furie - 15 kHz Problem

15 kHz Problem

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 7:15:34 PM

The iPhone 3GS was released last week and already people are finding problems with it, and not just the sort of teething problems people expect from new handsets.

A flood of reports are coming in about an extra tone playing after the phone has played any sound (from music to notification sounds). The sound is in a long whining tone in the 15kHz range, which some people can't actually hear apparently. I'm linking to a sound file here of a 15kHz tone so you can see if you can hear it, and figure out if you could put up with that for the minimum 18 month contract that the 3GS comes with. While some adults are unable to hear this it's the right frequency to enrage animals (which explains why I don't like Apple's phones) and potentially damage young children's physical and mental health. This is a really bad bug that shouldn't have gotten through even the most lax quality control.

The iPhone products rather suspiciously get good reviews across the board, yet not one reviewer managed to find this particular problem. Makes me wonder if any of them even touched the phone before tapping up a review and cashing the cheque from Apple. Still, this shouldn't affect any of my readers. Aren't you glad you listened to Uncle Furie and didn't buy an iPhone?

DP-2 Final ReleaseTits N Ass Phone

Comments

Dacotah # Tuesday, June 23, 2009 7:21:58 PM

Dacotah # Tuesday, June 23, 2009 7:22:36 PM

I thought you are Aunt Furie, not Uncle Furie.

Dark FurieFurie # Tuesday, June 23, 2009 7:25:12 PM

Auntie Furie isn't me. What gave you that idea?

Darkogdare # Tuesday, June 23, 2009 7:32:16 PM

I could hear it and it felt like a needle in my ears

Dacotah # Tuesday, June 23, 2009 7:51:58 PM

Dark FurieFurie # Tuesday, June 23, 2009 8:30:10 PM

Nasty isn't it.

Poor iPhone owners.

Dacotah # Tuesday, June 23, 2009 8:42:47 PM

Did you get my pm's?

Charles SchlossChas4 # Tuesday, June 23, 2009 8:46:38 PM

Originally posted by gdare:

I could hear it and it felt like a needle in my ears

reminds me of the mosquito ring tone
how did they get that in an audio file with out hurting their ears

Mad Scientistqlue # Tuesday, June 23, 2009 11:44:47 PM

The generated it with software, that's how.

.
I can here up to 20khz clearly and up to 22khz although it's less distinct. But someone who's spent twenty years or more touring with a rock band probably can't hear anything above 10khz.

Mad Scientistqlue # Tuesday, June 23, 2009 11:55:17 PM

Here is a page where you can download the full range of 'ringtones' from 8khz to 22khz
http://www.freemosquitoringtones.org/

KittyliciousZaphira # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 8:11:52 AM

I think it is weird if this problem has been there all the time and no one have heard that sound at all.
I still like my navigator too much to replace it just yet - and it's certainly not going to be replaced with an iPhone!

Moesring # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 9:24:15 AM

I heard it but I didn't actually find that irritating.

Could be that I didn't listen to it for long, though. Having said that, I also don't find the noise emitted by Mosquito devices, when running at the anti-youth setting of 17.5-18.5kHz, to be particularly annoying either

defeating their entire purpose.

Even so, it really was dreadful of them to not notice it during testing and - as you say - for not one of the reviewers to notice it either.

Mad Scientistqlue # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 9:29:02 AM

Unless they hand picked all the reviewers by age, say 60yrs and older.

Bad WolfCois # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 10:25:02 AM

MarikeMarike79 # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 5:11:25 PM

I could hardly hear it and the noise irritated my ears, I asked my kids and they say it was quite loud!

-demiphonic # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 5:47:52 PM

ouch that hurt my ears

....well apple may come out with a patch like they always do. With Apple fanboys out there (me included most days) it will take a lot to bring down Apple.
Hate iPhone or not, we should really tell them thanks for stimulating the market like they did. Look how much companies tried to follow them & how many great phones we got from them as a result

Mad Scientistqlue # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 7:03:25 PM

The question is, can this be patched? If it is a hardware problem, it may be hard to solve. If it is a firmware/software problem, then it can be patched. But it could also be a surely electronic problem that is just more prone to being triggered by using certain circuitry relating to the sound generating circuits. One thing that springs to mind is the possibility that it could be originating from an inductor. Possible, a switch-mode voltage booster circuit that doesn't come on untill it's needed. If, after activation, there is no mechanism in place to de-activate it, it may only be sorted out by redesigning the circuitry. As it would then be part of the power supply circuits, it would not be firmware repairable anyway. We'll see what Apple does to resolve it. But if you hear of a mass recall/replace program for the iPhone, then. . .

Dark FurieFurie # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 7:12:20 PM

Oh Randy, Randy, Randy. I know you think that companies are following them with touchscreens, but touchscreen devices have been out for years. Furthermore I've got a post coming soon about a Nokia concept UI that is remarkably similar to a certain fruit flavoured phone's UI, yet was designed much earlier. Nokia didn't feel the technology was ready so they kept the design waiting, and the technology still isn't there for everything they have planned.

Unfortunately the majority of companies that have followed in Apple's footsteps are releasing under-powered devices that rely on their name and a touchscreen to sell them, fulfilling my lack of innovation prophesy. The big phone companies have kept doing what they're doing, although the OHA pushed it's technology plan forward by a year, releasing Android before it was quite ready (and before they'd secured Android as a name meaning they're in a lawsuit right now).

Mad Scientistqlue # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 7:51:05 PM

Actually, the name 'Android' bothers me.

.
By definition, the original meaning of 'android' is, "shaped like, or in the form of a human".
Thus, the name is completely misplaced as an operating system.

. I assume they were going for the 'cyborg' misidentification that Hollywood has created.

Dark FurieFurie # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 8:01:01 PM

Sort of. It's to get across the ease of mixing human interaction with computing power. The name and the little Android image they use is actually trademarked by someone else, and he refused to let them use it when they asked. Now he's pissed and out for blood. The lawsuit could stop the OHA having the ability to update current Android branded handsets which is one of the reasons I haven't recommended Android devices to anyone yet.

theoddbod # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 10:34:59 PM

Ah, so that's why my iPhone-using colleague is such a crotchety sod

-demiphonic # Wednesday, June 24, 2009 11:16:42 PM

I knew what I said would have gotten a response from you Mik!

... but while touch screens have been around.. no one has gotten the software & hardware to work so slick together. ...it may be old tech... but the way they put it together made it something 'new' & that's what generated the craze (partly).
As for the sound problem... if qlue is right & it turns out to be a Hardware problem it's gonna kick Apple in the nutz

...no iTunes store credit is gonna save them on that one.

well you guys know I can't even use iPhone in this country so I'd have to get something else. Problem is anything using symbian & has full keyboard cost an arm & a leg, so I'm gonna be stuck with my lame Motorola V690 forever

(was cool in the day though

)

Dark FurieFurie # Thursday, June 25, 2009 1:56:14 AM

That's what I'm saying Randy. That interface was ripped off from a Nokia design.

As for the tech, it was there but wasn't affordable to the end user when used in a fully featured phone hence other companies not releasing it. Apple cut the costs by not releasing a fully featured phone and charged premium prices, where other companies had decided not to do that to their customers. That's why the iPhone hardware they released on Friday has finally caught up to my two year old phone, and has some new features that I've been using for over ten years in various phones.

Bet I can find you a good Symbian model with QWERTY for cheaper than you'd expect. You'd have to order online though. Do you want a hardware keyboard or would you be happy with a touchscreen?

Personally I reckon you'd prefer something like the HTC Hero to anything else. It's got the drool factor you need, a powerful if young OS, and personalisation up the wazoo!

-demiphonic # Thursday, June 25, 2009 2:56:08 AM

oh I see what you mean... well if that's the case I'd love to see the Nokia version that they ripped off in action

...I'd love if you found me some good options with full keyboard & Symbian

...like isn't that your official job here?

...anyway before you show me phones, Trinidad uses the GSM 1800 frequency.

I like the sleek look of a full touch screen with touch keyboard but I'm wary of the interface... I hate going through a thousand menus just to send a text message. Phones with actual keys may look uglier but what I want is efficiency without breaking the bank.

I love the 'cool factor' but it's of no use if the phone is troublesome to use

MarikeMarike79 # Thursday, June 25, 2009 4:04:35 AM

r♡serose-marie # Thursday, June 25, 2009 9:06:16 AM

I can't hear it

(and the equalizer doesn't react at all...)

Darkogdare # Thursday, June 25, 2009 9:55:09 AM

Impossible, Rose. It is loud and clear

Mad Scientistqlue # Saturday, June 27, 2009 12:48:29 PM

Some devices have upper frequency limits. A low-pass filter with a cut-off frequency of 20khz is common on digital audio equipment. It is conceivable that some setups may use lower cut-offs.