The Apple Core

Jason D. O'Grady & David Morgenstern

Dudes, put the Bumper on the iPhone 4 and move on

By | July 12, 2010, 11:12pm PDT

Consumer Reports, like many other technology reviewers, is having plenty of trouble with the iPhone 4. On one hand it offers a really great mobile experience, does almost everything that a user would want, sports a fantastic screen, workable video conferencing and a zillion applications. And then there’s this occasional problem with the antenna that can be easily worked around. Obviously, this phone is a failure.

I enjoyed the passive-aggressive quality of the Consumer Reports reviews. (Please note that I’m a supporter of the Consumer Reports Foundation and a subscriber to the print edition.)

In its review section, the reviewer calls it the iPhone 4 “a high-scoring, versatile, and innovative smart phone that performs even better than its 3G S predecessor. A very good choice for multimedia addicts–and even corporate users.”

Here, the iPhone 4’s score of 76 is several points higher than the top-scoring iPhone 3GS, which is tied with the HTC Evo 4G. The new Apple iPhone is the top-rated smart phone. But Consumer Reports can’t recommend the top-rated unit because of its antenna problem. It wants an integrated, free fix.

However, over on the Consumer Reports blog, we read how easy it is to fix the phone. I mean all that you need is a piece of tape.

We did, however, find an affordable solution for suffering iPhone 4 users: Cover the antenna gap with a piece of duct tape or another thick, non-conductive material. It may not be pretty, but it works. We also expect that using a case would remedy the problem. We’ll test a few cases this week and report back.

Do that. But in the mean time, can’t everyone just put a Bumper case on their iPhone 4 and then go out enjoy the best phone on the market? Or a piece of tape. Is this so hard?

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David Morgenstern has covered the Mac market and other technology segments for 20 years.

Disclosure

David Morgenstern

Freelance journalist/blogger David Morgenstern has nothing to disclose.

Biography

David Morgenstern

David Morgenstern has covered the Mac market and other technology segments for 20 years. In the recent past, he founded Ziff-Davis' Storage Supersite, served as news editor for Ziff Davis Internet and held several executive editorial positions at eWEEK. In the 1990s, David was editor of Ziff Davis' award-winning MacWEEK news publication as well as its successor title, eMediaWEEKly, which focused on multiplatform professional content creation. His byline can be found online and in print publications including CreativePro.com, Peachpit Press' Mac Bible and Popular Photography.

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RE: Dudes, put the Bumper on the iPhone 4 and move on
jackson1984-24316069205748857739440257893812 11th Oct
A large number of many thanks for ones personalized possible choices. Which was undoubtedly useful. Let me check out the way in reebok jerseys which it should do the job out.
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Pay hundreds of dollars for a sleek device you have to put duct tape on???? Sorry, but this column reeks of fanboyism.
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DM has problem admitting Apple sux
LBiege 12th Jul 2010
Worse than shipping a lemon is to charge customers 30$ for a fix.

But it's still not the worst until fanboy apologists jump out of woodwork, defending it w/ silly "so what" brain dead lip stick excuses.

iPhone = lemon. Crapple is no better than MSFT. Quit sissy whining and deal with it like a man.
@LBiege

You can t change that fact. But they will get what they deserve JUNK and call it the best phone there is.

Just read the words of this blog and see what technical analysis proves. iPhone 4G barely caught up on specs with Android and actually lags it.

Samsung S is out this week.. it has HDMI via a 3.5mm phone jack. Droid X is as well. The both have a similar or same processor as the iPhone 4G running 25% faster. It has a nicer screen thats larger, more real state = easier to read. Resolution is up to par with 4G. Speed its faster cause it runs Android 2.1 and 2.2 is just behind Samsung promised it this year.

You can surf the web with Android now with a phone that actually works under all circumstances.

Or you can buy a brick phone you can show off, wont surf the net and it has limited capabilities.. though it shines!
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@Uralbas I don't care
ericesque 13th Jul 2010
@LBiege
I want the one with the bigger GEE BEEs.
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Wish you would stop spreading lies...
dave95. Updated - 13th Jul 2010
@Uralbas

Won't surf the net? How did you arrive to that conclusion?

And you spec nerds kill me. You say the iPhone 4 barely caught up to Android on specs but yet it scored the highest in CR amoung all other smart phones. It's not all about the number of features or higher the numbers but how well it works (ie - iPhone 4 5mp Camera is already rated the best).
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RE: Dudes, put the Bumper on the iPhone 4 and move on
Pete "athynz" Athens 13th Jul 2010
@LBiege Who's whining? Put a case on that bad boy like you were going to do anyhow and there ya go, problem solved! It's not like you weren't going to buy a case...
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Someone needs to learn how to read
vulpine@... 13th Jul 2010
@Uralbas: Starting with the statement, "iPhone 4G barely caught up on specs with Android and actually lags it." CR put the iPhone 4 (not 4G) at the top, even above your different Android models and the iPhone 3G came in second, above all those same Android models. As has been proven many times over the decades, specs alone do not a product make; it's how they perform together that makes it truly usable.
@LBiege You are such a pathetic critic. Like a man? Like your manhood is measure by the size of your cellphone?

Heh.
@ShowMeGrrl

I agree. Only someone who was absolutely in love with Apple, would pay money for a phone that can't call, without having to "fix" it, and tell everyone to forget about that issue and move on, as if it's not an issue...
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@Mzanzi: STFU. For every 1(one) report of problems, 100(one hundred) anti-Apple zealots cheer in glee that their favorite whipping-boy made a mistake. Why is that?

I happen to agree with David M. and say, "If you don't like it, just shut up and get something else." My bet is that when it comes available on some other provider than AT&T, you'll be swarming all over it just like any other so-called fanboy.
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@Mzanzi - is a lie.

YOU LIE!
@ShowMeGrrl

No kidding. Dudes move on??!!!

What a joke. Nice to see David setting the tech bar so low that any manufacturer can ship whatever crap and the only reaction you'll get from him is "oh well, that's life".

You'll forgive me if I don't accept that, either relating to Apple or anyone else.

The phone was purposely designed with the flaw because it LOOKS NICER. There was Steve Jobs, on stage, making a point of the amazing antenna and the overall design.

There is a big different between "Oops we made an error" and "We designed it this way on purpose even though we knew it degraded the signal, but Marketing saw an opportunity to sell $30 covers".
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Silly Comment
godsfault Updated - 19th Jul 2010
@croberts "The phone was purposely designed with the flaw because it LOOKS NICER." and "...Marketing saw an opportunity to sell $30 covers"

I suggest you think about the above comments and then edit them out. Your logic is silly, even absurd.

What other conspiracy theories do you subscribe to? I'd appreciate the entertainment.
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@ShowMeGrrl
I second that!
Why recommend a phone that has trouble fulfilling its fundamental feature.
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RE: Dudes, put the Bumper on the iPhone 4 and move on
Pete "athynz" Athens 13th Jul 2010
@Linux Geek And yet there are at least 10x more comments from Apple Haters than there have been actual iPhone 4 owners with this issue. Most people cannot replicate the issue at all. most people say the reception is much better than previous models... sure does sound like they are having trouble fulfilling it's fundamental feature to me...
@Linux Geek: Why make it the highest rated phone if it has that trouble?
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@Linux Geek

Because it actually has no trouble fulfilling it's fundamental feature - it only reports it's signal differently to what users expect.

If you car reads near empty when it isn't do you declare it a failure to perform it's fundamental feature?

Most cars are like this - unlike cars this will be rectified by a software update that is free and does not even require taking the phone to a dealer or service centre.

Get real people - the iPhone has a meter issue and it is software.

And as a linux user how can you even think that a minor amount of work required by the user makes the device useless? Did your PC just run linux when you pulled it out of the box? or did that expensive collection of hardware and software require some effort to turn into a working device?

The iPhone 4 does by all accounts work properly.
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@Linux Geek Amen, brother!
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RE: Dudes, put the Bumper on the iPhone 4 and move on
Feldwebel Wolfenstool 14th Jul 2010
@Linux Geek Would anyone buy a car that continually stalls?
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RE: Dudes, put the Bumper on the iPhone 4 and move on
Pete "athynz" Athens 13th Jul 2010
@ShowMeGrrl Sure ANY article that is not bashing the iPhone and Apple is reeking in fanboyism.../sarcasm
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@athynz Hey sarcasm, what if you bought a new HDTV and had a problem with the HD ports on the back and LG, Sony, Sharp or whoever else told you that you needed to buy a brass adapter to enhance the frequency of the signal? Not very happy then are we.
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RE: Dudes, put the Bumper on the iPhone 4 and move on
Pete "athynz" Athens 14th Jul 2010
@MichaelWells - IF ALL of the iPhone 4s were experiencing this same issue then by all means I'd agree but they are not. So your analogy is a fail - thanks for playing.
@ShowMeGrrl

A lot of us Brits thought that most of America was held together with duct tape (fantastic product -- I always keep two full rolls handy), so why should the bloody iphone lose out, eh?
@sip01

See now there's a good point. Don't think of duct tape as some crappy way to fix a crappy antenna... Think of duct tape as an accessory!
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@ShowMeGrrl In reality, it reeks of common sense. Get on with it!!
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@micromac@... common sense means not having to "hack" a brand new product to perform as it should out of the box.

My local AT&T store wouldn't even let me test an active iPhone 4 in the store. I went to the iStore and all of their units were decked out in the condom.
Agreed. Just the title of the column reeks. Not a MSFT fanboy (have 1 iPAD, 2 ipod touches, 1 ipod classic, 1 nano, and 2 shuffles to prove it) - but if I had to put tape on my Lexus steering wheel to drive it, I'd just buy a Dodge). Any correctly structured product dev life cycle should have caught and corrected this issue before the phone launched.
@BowTech

All too true!
Why I now hold in my hands a Nexus One and have to say I am really impressed with it!
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Lexus Steering Wheel
Robt. 13th Jul 2010
@BowTech I'd like an iPhone if it were on Verizon, but I'd make sure the antenna thing was resolved first. I'm not sure your Lexus analogy worked, though. I think if I had to put something on a Lexus, it would be a fancy leather steering wheel cover before buying the Dodge instead. Not that I have anything against Dodge, mind you.
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@BowTech

Sorry but there really isn't an issue with the antenna as far as I have been able to tell - it's a meter problem.

Get over yourselves people!!!!
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@ShowMeGrrl You go girl!! You are right. Imagine if Microsoft had a product like that and told it's customers to spend $30 more for a bumper to fix it?? Someone needs to call Dr. House and have his head removed from Mr. Jobs colon, you are suffocating and the lack of oxygen is affecting your judgement and therefore your writing ability for ZDNET. You see Sony, HP, and other companies that are stepping up when they a have a problem with a product and recalling it. This will be Apple's "Vista" if they are not careful. Vista with 2G of RAM and SP1 and SP2 was a good OS; but Microsofts continual insistence that there was no problem created a PR nightmare for that company. For the record I am typing this on MacBook Pro; one of three Macs in my wife's and ours house. Lastly remember the worlds biggest PC maker about 7 or 8 years ago was Dell. Well they consistently put out subpar products and companies that make better products like HP and Sony are leaving them in the dust. While I am a Mac person, I am by no means blind; and have owned HP products in the past and work on a HP desktop at work and have no problems with their products.
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@MichaelWells

Yeah and I've used HP laptops that die after about an hour.

I do use HP products too - but many of them are not so good.

The bumper was bad advice by Mr Jobs - and he really should have thought before speaking.

Can anyone provide any real evidence that the phone actually has a real problem when held across the antenna gap?

Yes - I believe it does lose some signal, so what!!! It is affected slightly by the user's position just like every other RF device is affected by people near the antenna.

The question is does the iPhone 4 lose significant signal?

And what has been established is that the signal bars do not indicate what is significant, and are reporting a small drop as a large drop.

What exactly does 1 bar of signal mean on a phone?

What exactly does 2 bars of signal mean on a phone?

etc.

Unless you know what these mean then you know nothing by reading the bars whilst holding the phone in different positions.

And clearly the user's expectation of the meaning of these arbitrary bars and the iPhone 4's meaning are different.

If anyone who has an iPhone 4 and a real way to judge the signal level can demonstrate a significant drop in signal level caused by the holding of the phone then they had better talk up soon.

PS. Apple hating liars who claim to be users need not post replies making up stories.

None of the 'I have used Apple for years, but...' posts - these are usually like the 'I have voted xxx all my life, but now I will vote yyy...' comments.
@MichaelWells Actually -- that's what MSFT did with Win98 SE.
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What I'd like to know is...
godsfault 19th Jul 2010
@MichaelWells Why do Apple haters even visit this site? I'm an Apple user (macs, ipods, iPhone, etc.) but I don't waste my time going to pc sites to bash their products.

Really, it seems childish or something teenagers do to put down rival high schools.

Besides, Apple is providing free bumpers or cases to resolve any possible antenna problems. So, how do you justify the $30. comment.

I understand that you present yourself as a "non-zealot" mac user, but then you equate Apple with Dell and Microsoft and their problems. Why, then, does Apple enjoy such success with customer satisfaction and service??not to mention the financial side?
@ShowMeGrrl
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@athynz: What are you talking about? I "never" said all iPhones are experiencing this problem. Just like not all Toyotas experience the acceleration problem, or all Sony VAIOs have a battery problem. I am actually going to buy an iPhone when it comes out with 64G. You miss the point that the overwhelming amount of people posting here are making; and that is this article and Apple's attitude towards this issue offensive to consumers, especially given the news of their continued increase in value and capital as a company. I had my MacBook Pro at an Apple Store last year to have some warranty work done. The store fried my Mac by pinching the wires while trying to put the screen back on. Instead of further repairs, Apple gave me a brand new MacBook Pro; and since my system was a CTO with a 7200 RPM HD, they went ahead and also bumped me up to a 2.93 Core2Duo. That is how they should take care of all of their customers.
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@godsfault A few problems with your post. First ZDNET is not a Mac site. It is a "technology" site. I like to keep up to date on everything going on. I work in a Windows environment and therefore have a need for information on Windows and other appropriate subject matter. As far as why is Apple doing so well; well there are a few reasons. One they generally make a great product. Two they have the highest gross profit percentage of any of the companies that you named. So while HP is the unchallenged leader in terms of sales, it's gross profit is much lower than Apple's. Also HP does not make iPods, and just recently got into the smart phone game. Lastly, no one is even sure if the bumpers and software fix will actually fix the problem. The problems themselves will not stop me from buying an iPhone 4 the day that it comes out in a 64G model (similar to the iPod Touch); and your analysis of high school type behavior is not only wrong but pretty funny since you attacked me and not my argument.
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On the contrary...
godsfault 20th Jul 2010
@MichaelWells You do make personal attacks. Want an example? "Someone needs to call Dr. House and have his head removed from Mr. Jobs colon, you are suffocating and the lack of oxygen is affecting your judgement and therefore your writing ability for ZDNET."

Putting one's head into another's colon is personal is it not?

This web page is Apple specific and your antipathy towards Apple is clear, so, I ask again, why waste your time here other than to bash Apple?

I wonder if you own, and use, any Apple products?even though you claim to be a future iPhone customer. Sorry but this claim is doubtful given your Apple attitude.

(I seem to recall that HP did issue an iPodish device a few years ago. Correct?)

I have no beef with any pc centric company; I just love Apple's products. They've always worked well for me and when I've had a problem I've been more than satisfied with their service.

In fact, years ago when I found that my "Lombard" model laptop wouldn't run the beta OS X, I wrote Steve Jobs a letter lamenting this fact. A few days later I received a phone call from an Apple "executive assistant" who arranged for me to ship my computer to them to have a new logic board installed...at no cost to me (including shipping.)

So, if I seem to be an Apple loyalist, or "fanboy" if you will, I have good reason.

Besides, Apple's products are by and large the coolest stuff out there from desktop to laptop to iPod to iPhone to software. Techie and/or Apple hater criticism aside, the general public knows this and agrees with me.
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@godsfault I did not attack you personally like you did me. The some what lame attempt at a joke that I made, was meant in a "broader" and "general" context. The fact the you think anyone that is not an Apple zealot is an Apple hater, clouds your thinking. I love Apple, I just believe that Apple initially handled this issue rather bush league and amateurish. First a little background about myself, I am a parts manager and part time IT person for a Nissan and Hyundai dealership; so I have experience in recalls. My wife and I own 2 MacBook Pros, 1 White MacBook, 2 iPods, 1 Time Capsule, and at some point a 64G iPhone4. Just like you I had a marvelous/disappointing experience with Apple. I had to drive from Lexington to Louisville (no Apple store in Lexington yet, but one opening this weekend!) to have my MacBook Pro have some warranty work done on it. After spending 6 hours at the mall where the Apple store is, to wait for my Mac; the manager informs me that they had fried the motherboard and therefore my Mac. Instead of fixing the old unit, which was a CTO (2.53 Core2Duo, 4G Ram, Nividia Duo graphics cards and a 320G 7200 RPM HD); they shipped me a brand new one, upgraded it to a 2.93 Core2Duo (previously not available on my 15" only on 17"), and also moved my Apple Care Protection Plan to the new MacBook Pro. So I was still mad that I drove to Louisville to have my Mac fried by Apple and wait six hours to do that. But, I was also very happy with the results. So for you to say I do not like Apple is just not true. My main complaint with 90% of my fellow MacHeads (and I do not know if this includes you or not), is that they are arrogant, condescending, and appear to base their own self worth on their OS. Would I prefer that my work network be all Mac, well of course. But, I am content and rather happy to be in a Windows 7 environment; it is a also a fine OS. Lastly for the others here that are piling on Apple that may not even own an Apple product, well that is their right. I would also add that I see many Apple fanboys piling on Windows and Linux articles as well.
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Yes, because it is perfectly alright for a phone to come out of the box with an antenna issue that adversely affects usage.

I'm going to use the same analogy that I used on another website here...

You're looking at a car, a fancy upmarket model. You test drive it, it works wonderfully, and you decide to shell out a large sum of your hard earned cash for it. You take delivery of it, and notice something funny about it: there's no front wheels on it. You attempt to drive it off the lot. Obviously, it's an epic fail: it's not going to do what you want it to do (that is, get you from point A to point B) well. So you ask the dealer why this is so. You are then promptly told that this is normal and you need to buy the front wheels yourself to guarantee perfect operation.

Same thing here with the iPhone 4: you are being asked to shell out money that you shouldn't have to to ensure that it works properly.
@douglasac10 Its more like having half tread on the tires. Been using the phone for weeks now and no dropped calls. I can however duplicate the death grip. Agreed it should be fixed but your comment is pure hyperbole.
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@douglasac10
So you test drive the car...then you realize it has no wheels. That's some skillz, right there.
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Test drive? I don't think so
Timpraetor 13th Jul 2010
@stebidri - as I mentioned in another post, my local AT&T store won't let you test drive a live iPhone 4 and all of the units at the Chandler iStore have the condoms on them so you can't see what happens. When asked, the iStore "genius" did say that the condom was a $29 extra that was not supplied with the phone.
@douglasac10 I bought the iPhone 4, turned it on and made calls. Have every day since. No drops. So while your analogy is colorful, it's not related to the current issue -- my "car" apparently has its wheels. In fact, reception with my iPhone 4 is at least as good as that I experienced with my previous four cell phones (including 3 HTCs).

CR is using its soapbox as a well-intentioned consumer advocate should, pressuring a vendor to "do the right thing." Interesting to see if it works, maybe I'll get a free bumper. Go CR go! happy
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@vulcan666
If you say you have an iPhone that never drops calls I sir will very politely call you an Alternate Fact Manufacturer (aka liar).

My family, my friend, business peers, clients - there are a number of iphone device users; versions 2 - 4; and ALL of them have experienced call issues.
This is accros the US in multiple states and cities (I rack up the frequent flyer miles).

You sir, are firmly stuck in denial.

Good day.
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User experience may vary
vulpine@... 13th Jul 2010
@zenwalker: For the exact same reason that you call vulcan666 an AFM, I have to call you one; I have not yet had my iPhone 3G (not S) drop a single call that I didn't cause myself. Every other brand of cell phone I've owned has given me issues at least after the first year if not sooner. Of course, I apparently don't live where you do, because AT&T/Cingular has given me the best service both in connection and in customer service of any company I've tried.
@zenwalker That wasn't very Zen. happy

I don't dispute your report or those of others. I simply state, accurately, that my own personal experience in Redmond WA is that I've not experienced dropped calls.
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RE: Dudes, put the Bumper on the iPhone 4 and move on
Feldwebel Wolfenstool 14th Jul 2010
@vulcan666 WOW! Call Steve! Engineering Dept. would LOVE to study one that actually works as advertised.
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@douglasac10

agreed. it may have intermittent wipers, leather, navigation and seat heaters but if it is called a car, you should be able to find some wheels on the front. what good it is if you can just sit in it and enjoy the beautiful interiors if it is not going to take you anywhere?
@douglasac10: This also demonstrates that you really don't understand the issue, here. It's not that the tires are missing or even on half tread, but rather more like stepping on the gas pedal and the throttle linkage squeezing the fuel line closed; the harder you stomp, the less fuel gets through. Make sense?

Oddly enough, not everybody stomps the gas, do they?
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RE: Dudes, put the Bumper on the iPhone 4 and move on
jackson1984-24316069205748857739440257893812 11th Oct
A large number of many thanks for ones personalized possible choices. Which was undoubtedly useful. Let me check out the way in reebok jerseys which it should do the job out.

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