Until the Self-Driving Car for All, What Is Tech Doing Now to Drive Us to Non-Distraction?

Before we get autonomous cars, apps like voice news readers and context-dependent personal assistants might help drivers be a little more safe.

News Byte

iPhone 4 Antennagate “Victims” Can Claim Their $15 Settlement

The Web site allowing iPhone 4 owners to claim a $15 settlement payment went live today. To be eligible, iPhone 4 owners must have experienced antenna-related issues but not taken advantage of Apple’s offer of a free case.

Consumer Reports Says iPhone 4S Fixes Antenna Woes, Can Finally Recommend

The magazine says the new model solves the antenna-related issues that caused it to withhold its recommendation of the iPhone 4.

Consumer Reports Continues Its Love-to-Hate Relationship With the iPhone 4

The publication warned on Friday that the Verizon iPhone is also susceptible to the so-called “death grip,” in which signal strength drops when the device is held a certain way. As it did with the AT&T version, Consumer Reports is leaving the phone off its recommended list because of the antenna issue.

Voices

Verizon iPhone Has New Antenna Design

Apple Inc.’s iPhone for the Verizon Wireless network contains a newly designed version of the antenna that was associated with dropped calls on the original device, according to a company that disassembled the handset.

How Might the Verizon iPhone Differ From the iPhone 4 (Besides Being Able to Make Calls)?

Most people expect the Verizon iPhone to be pretty similar to the current iPhone 4 sold by AT&T–but, even if that is the case, it may differ in some important ways. In addition to a better antenna, you could see it come in colors or even perform tricks its AT&T cousin cannot.

A Schmidtstorm and More: 2010 in Pictures Photoshops

Looking back, 2010 “the year of” a lot of things–the tablet, the smartphone, the tweet and location. But it was also a year of complete silliness in tech. Because if you can’t laugh at Eric Schmidt telling critics of Google Street View to “just move,” Apple telling people that their grip–not the iPhone 4’s antenna–is faulty or Oracle’s “samurai CEO” Larry Ellison in a kimono, then, really, what’s the point?

Mossberg’s Best and Worst Products of 2010

Walt shares the best and worst products he reviewed in 2010 on WSJ Digits.

Motorola Sues Apple Over…Everything

Motorola has filed a patent complaint against Apple that covers…a lot–18 patents that range from MobileMe to the App store to antenna design.

Consumer Reports: Hey! Look at Us! We’re Not Recommending the iPhone 4 Again!

Just when Apple thought it had closed antennagate, Consumer Reports has thrown it wide open. The company’s discontinuation of its iPhone 4 case program has prompted the publication to once again deny the device its endorsement.