Motorola, Verizon take dig at Apple iPhone 4 antenna problem in latest Droid X ad

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Soon after iPhone 4 went on sale, customers began complaining of a glitch relating to its antenna - a thin metal strip that runs on the outside of the smartphone. Customers complained that iPhone 4 offered very poor quality network reception and often calls dropped without warning if they cover the bottom left corner of the device with their palm. In response, Apple has simply recommended customers to "avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band" till the company comes out with a permanent fix.

However, iPhones users were not happy with Apple's response and two Maryland customers have reportedly filed a class action lawsuit, accusing Apple and exclusive iPhone carrier AT&T of negligence, fraud, and deceptive trade practices, among others.

Meanwhile, coming back to Motorola and Verizon, this is not the first time the companies have made a jibe at Apple.

Last year, Motorola and Verizon had teamed up in launching a $100 million promotional ad campaign for iPhone's rival Motorola Droid (or Motorola Milestone as it is known outside of the US). The ad campaign highlighted iPhone's weaknesses, saying "iDon't" doesn't have a real keyboard, a 5 megapixel camera, the ability to take photographs in the dark or the ability to run more than one application at the same time.

It ended the ad by saying "Droid does."

The latest Motorola/Verizon ad is no different. The ad not only ridicules iPhone 4's antenna problem by saying that Droid X has a double antenna design, "the kind that allows you to hold the phone any way you like and use it just about anywhere to make crystal clear calls," but also the ad signs off by saying "You have a voice. And you deserve to be heard."

Incidentally, many iPhone users were peeved because Jobs refused to recognize the antenna problem dogging iPhone 4 as serious and he reportedly told customers to "relax," "calm down" and not get "all worked up over a few days of rumors."

But jibes aside, Droid X is one of the best Android-powered phones to be launched in the market. Droid X has already racked up a bevy of admiring reviews, with people saying it has an "almost-Imax screen" (4.3 inches diagonally, to be exact, or almost an inch bigger than the iPhone's 3.5-inch display) and it performs like a "speed rocket."

The "highly customizable" "impressive, feature-packed" smartphone comes with Flash-supporting 2.2 Android OS (as over-the-air download), a more powerful 8-megapixel camera than iPhone 4 (which has 5-megapixel camera), a Swype onscreen typing technology that promises more accurate and faster typing, HD video recorder, 1Ghz processor and an ability to act as a mobile hotspot for other Wi-Fi devices.

However, whether Droid X will be able to top iPhone 4 sales is another thing. Apple reportedly sold 1.7 million iPhone 4s during the first three days of going on debut, smashing previous sale records. According to UBS analyst Maynard Um, most iPhone buyers said the Facetime feature in iPhone 4 - or a front-facing camera that allows video calls - had prompted them to buy the new device. However, Droid X lacks a front-facing camera. So whether or not Droid X will be able to emulate iPhone 4's success in terms of sales, we have to wait and watch.

Meanwhile, Motorola is not alone in poking fun at Apple. On Monday, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia hosted a mocking "how-to" on its company blog outlining four ways to hold their handsets. "Realistically, you're free to hold your Nokia device any way you like...and you won't suffer any signal loss," the company said.

Motorola is the second largest smartphone maker in the US, after Apple. Verizon is the No.1 mobile phone operator in the US with 92.8 million subscribers, followed by AT&T with 87 million subscribers.

At 2.24PM (EDT), shares of Motorola were trading up 0.46 percent at $6.55. Apple shares were trading down 0.91 percent at $249.24.