Signal strength?

[jefmcg]

I've just received an Active, which I am returning because it has obviously a return.   The bigger problem is the call signal strength.   Sitting at my desk, my old phone (HTC Wildfire) gets 3 or 4 bars (out of 4).  The new phone would barely connect, briefly getting one bar then disconnecting again.  If I walked to the window, I could get one bar.

So, is it a faulty phone?  That would explain why it was returned.  Or is this a problem with Actives?

I need to know whether to ask for a new phone or my money back.

thanks

[Johan]

I would suggest that you try another (preferable) a new SIM card in your active to see if it still gets poor signal. If so, you should definitely update the phone to the latest version of the software.

You can do that using PC Companion.

www.sonyericsson.com/pccompanion

I have not noticed any general problems with signal in active.

Keep me updated.

[jefmcg]

Thanks for the quick reply.

The sim is fine: it works in my other phone.

I'm afraid I do not own a windows machine - is that required for Sony phones?  If so, this is going straight back.  I've been using an Android for 18 months without ever needing to connect to a computer. 

Anyway, the phone reports it has the latest software.

But you've answered my question:  the phone does not have known signal issues, then I have a faulty phone.

[Johan]

Unfortunately we have no Mac or Linux supported update software.

[jefmcg]

Thanks again for coming back so quickly.

HTC phones do not require a PC to update the software on them.   That's not true for SE phones?

I would expect to be able to use an android phone without access to any sort of computer.  I regard them as computers in their own right, I'd certainly expect I could replace my computer with an android tablet. 

[Johan]

All updates for active can be installed over the air (directly via phone) using 3G or Wi-Fi connection, but in situations when something is wrong with the phone, a software reinstall or repair is strongly recommended. And this can unfortunately only be done using a Windows PC computer.

[jefmcg]

Thanks again.

I'll request a new phone.

(to be clear, I do not want a water resistant phone that has been opened and returned.  If the water proofness has been damaged, there is only one way to find out)

[jefmcg]

ps the responseness here speaks well of the company

and

pps if anyone else has signal problems, please reply here ... otherwise I am happy with Johan's answer