Engadget followed up with Apple regarding the issue of lost bars/reception when iPhone 4 is held with the left hand, connecting the two antenna bands in the lower left corner. Apple's response -- hold different:

Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.

Reports suggest doing either -- switching grips or putting on a case -- will let you avoid the problem, which Engadget reminds us is not isolated to the iPhone 4. But if previous iPhones and other devices like the Nexus One have similar issues, is that just a fact of life or an engineering problem that needs to be fixed?

What do you think?

[Engadget]