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(Photo: walkerspace)

Poor iPhone. Or, smartphone-like device that resembles an iPhone. According to Verizon, its 3G coverage means that it has no place in this world except the island of misfit toys.

Other commercials declare that AT&T users will experience a blue Christmas, and that only the naughty will receive AT&T phones as holiday gifts. Ha ha! Sigh.

Verizon Wireless Launches Three More Anti-AT&T 3G Network Commercials [Gizmodo]

Storm8 makes games like Vampires Live and iMobsters, that operate very similar to the popular Facebook game "Mafia Wars," including letting you spend real money to get better weapons and more energy in the game. Many of Storm8's titles are top iPhone game app downloads, probably because each game says that you can get extra points in it if you download one of their other games.

BoingBoing reports that the number harvesting was hidden until the company noted it in August, chalking it up as a bug. However, the lawsuits says that only "very specific and specialized software code" could do that. Storm8 has not returned BoingBoing's requests for comment.

Lawsuit text (PDF)

iPhone game dev accused of stealing players' phone numbers [BoingBoing] (Photo: Cаvin 〄)

Apparently, AT&T is quite concerned that less technically savvy potential customers will look at the maps and think AT&T doesn't work in Montana or something.

Verizon has already changed the commercial to include a disclaimer that voice and data are still available in the white space on AT&T's map, and have removed a reference to AT&T customers being "out of touch." This, however, was not enough for AT&T.

From their lawsuit:

By continuing to use a "3G" coverage map in its advertisements, Verizon is still conveying the message that AT&T has no coverage in the white or blank space included in the map, and thus AT&T customers cannot use their phones in large portions of the United States.

You can read the lawsuit here.

AT&T sues Verizon over 'there's a map for that' ads [Engadget]

(Click chart to view full-size)

"Total Cost of Ownership: Motorola Droid vs iPhone 3GS vs Palm Pre vs MyTouch 3G" [BillShrink]

The ruling may also affect another ASCAP lawsuit that's even more ridiculous, reports Barb Dybwad at Mashable:

That means carriers won't have to pay royalties on ringtone plays. It also has implications for another recent suit we reported on recently, in which the music industry is seeking royalties on 30-second song previews and performance fees for TV show downloads. Part of the language in the judge's ruling also considered a ringtone download as not being a public performance either, which could set a precedent for the other suit in which ASCAP/BMI are seeking royalties on downloads.

Paying good money for a ringtone is stupid anyway. Symbian (i.e. Nokia) and Android phones should let you assign pretty much any common audio format as a ringtone. Here's an info page for Android, and here's how to make your own for an iPhone.

"Judge: No Royalties for Music Industry Each Time a Ringtone Plays" [Mashable via IntoMobile]
(Photo: quinn.anya)

He writes:

I just had AT&T drop my voice package on my iPhone (I asked it to start on my next billing cycle in Nov). I was actually considering the change before they announced they would allow VoIP over their 3G networks, but now it's a no-brainer. It's pretty pointless to pay for voice service if you live in an urban area.

This change is actually very clear if you read the data terms of service found here.

Then click on section 2) WIRELESS DATA SERVICE TERMS AND CONDITIONS (applies to all customers)

Scroll down to the voice section:

Voice: If you have a voice-capable device and do not want voice service, you may request voice blocking or select a data plan that restricts voice access and all voice calling capabilities (except for outgoing calls from the device to 911 or 611) will be blocked, including without limitation, calls from 911 or 611 to the device. If you do want voice service, you may select a qualified voice plan or the default rate for voice calls will apply: 40¢ per minute on the AT&T wireless network; 69¢ per minute for domestic roaming off AT&T's wireless network (rates are subject to change without notice). Additional taxes and surcharges may apply. See AT&T Nation® map at store or att.com/wireless for default wireless voice coverage area.

So it appears that this is theoretically possible, as long as (a) Your contract period is up, or you're willing to eat an ETF, if a prorated one, for ending the voice period of your contract, and (b) you don't mind having regular voice service turned off entirely, or don't mind paying 40 cents per minute to make and receive regular voice calls. That's higher than GoPhone prepaid rates, but without the failsafe of having your phone shut off once you make a few $5.00 phone calls too many.

It's probably also not a good idea if you ever intend to make phone calls outside of 3G coverage areas. Conversely, it could also be problematic if you live in an area where the network is congested enough that data service is spotty or slow, and you don't have regular access to wi-fi.

Would you consider carrying a data-only smartphone? We hope to check in with Justin in a few months to see how he likes his new voice plan-free lifestyle.

(Photo: milesdeelite)

AT&T wireless head Ralph de la Vega issued a statement declaring that the shift was a response to customer demand:

IPhone is an innovative device that dramatically changed the game in wireless when it was introduced just two years ago. Today's decision was made after evaluating our customers' expectations and use of the device compared to dozens of others we offer.

Of course, a little prodding from the FCC probably didn't hurt. The decision to allow VOIP apps won't directly affect Google Voice, though the FCC is also looking into Apple's long-running "evaluation" of the service.

AT&T Reverses Policy on iPhone Internet Calls [NYTimes.com]

Last Friday, Matt wrote:

ATT Wireless service on my iPhone has been absolutely terrible today in NYC. I searched Twitter, and other people are definitely having the same problem. Text messages are failing to send, I'm missing calls and getting voicemails 30 minutes late. Really awful.

So I call into AT&T and explain that I simply would like to get 1 prorated day removed from my bill, as my phone was virtually useless all day. The rep asks me questions about the phone, and then puts me on hold for 35 minutes, coming back every few minutes saying it will just be a few more minutes. Finally after the 35 minutes of holding, he has me restart my phone, and then he says he's going to send a test text message. The text message fails to send from his end (big surprise there). He then tells me he will have to transfer me to technical support to further assist me.

I told him that after spending a combined 45 minutes on the phone trying to solve this, that I could not waste any more time, and asked very politely if there was any small credit he could give, even just for 1 day of service. He said he could not until I spoke with technical support. I politely thanked him for his "help" and said goodbye.

This is a completely joke. AT&T would rather spend 45 minutes of a billing rep's time, not to mention the customer's time, than issue a $3 credit? It's just impossible to even fathom what they are thinking. As soon as they lose their iPhone exclusivity, it's over for them. I regretfully switched from Verizon to AT&T, and am considering ditching the iPhone and going back. WORTHLESS!

(Photo: dbrulz123)

After a few tests, the Apple Genius determined that Manoj's phone was dropping 22 percent of its calls, which turns out to actually be "excellent" compared to most iPhone users in the New York area, where a dropped call rate of 30 percent is said to be average — according to the dude at the store, anyhow. The Genius further went on to confirm that the phone was indeed "fully functional," and that the problem is "consistent with the service provided by AT&T."

"Apple Genius says 30 percent iPhone call drop rate is average in New York" [Engadget]
(Photo: DeaPeaJay)

ZipCar turns your iPhone into a virtual keyfob! [IntoMobile]

The story offers up a couple quick fixes:

To be more selective, go to "Settings," then "General" and then "Network." Here you can shut off "Data Roaming" so you won't feast on high-priced data but can still make phone calls.

Also, in your e-mail settings, turn off the "Fetch" option so you won't automatically download e-mail. Do so under "Settings," then "Mail, Contacts, Calendars" and "Fetch New Data."

You should also sign up for a short-term international calling plan, which according to the story can tack on a $5 starting fee and lower your per-minute rate from 99 to 59 cents. The story uses Mexico as an example for such rates.

If you want to go crazy with data, foreign plans start at $25 for 20 megabytes. It's costly, sure, but the up-front expenditures are minimal compared to a fright-night phone bill when you get back from vacation.

Avoid hefty fees: Prepare your iPhone for international travel [AP via Knoxville NewsSentinel]
(Photo: Ninja M.)
(Thanks, Snarkysnake!)

UPDATE: It seems there may have been lag in billing systems. Though it said zero balance when I checked online a few days ago, it has now updated to show this month and duhn duhn last month's unpaid bill. I didn't pay the bill last month because it also said then that I had a zero balance. There must be a definite lag problem that's not just me because otherwise the CSR yesterday would have told me that I had to pay up, instead of suggesting I take advantage of a free upgrade for my iPhone 3GS... Brad the friendly AT&T PR rep says he'll look into it. I declined his help and suggested that he solve the underlying issue for all consumers but not to give my account any special treatment.

PREVIOUSLY: AT&T Keeps Calling To Say I Qualify For Free Upgrade From My iPhone 3GS? (Image: Dyna Moe)

When I pick up, a recorded message tells me to call in to talk to them about my account. I finally did today so they would stop calling me. The CSR asked me how they could help me today. I said, you tell me, you're the ones who keep calling me saying I have to call in. After she checked my account she said the only thing might be that AT&T wanted me to know that I qualified for a free phone upgrade. Thanks anyway, I said, but I'll just stick with my iPhone 3GS. I'm not even sure what they think they can "upgrade" you to from an iPhone 3GS.

Any other AT&T customers get calls like this?

(Photo: revertebrate)

Pizza Hut iPhone App [iTunes Store] (Thanks to Dirk!)

This week, Michael Klurfeld wrote at Techgeist about his own experience. He discovered that while the external sensors of his phone indicated water damage, the more accurate one inside the phone did not. The problem for frustrated consumers is finding someone who will listen and open up their phones.

According to an Apple Inc. representative speaking on behalf of its general counsel's office, Apple's protocol when responding to a customer whose iPhone has a triggered external liquid indicator is to say that the warranty is now void and to turn the customer away. The warranty states that it does not apply "to damage caused by… liquid spill or submersion," (from Apple's Warranty) yet, again according to this representative, "Apple's standard protocol" is to not open iPhones and investigate for real signs of liquid damage, such as water damage to the motherboard or corrosion.

In my experience the only way to get Apple to check for water damage is to contact someone high up in the company who will then instruct Apple's in-store technicians to open up the phone. When I went to the store to have this done, the tech reported that he had found no signs of water damage, and the two internal moisture detectors had not been triggered – he even showed me a picture corroborating this. Unfortunately, however, it is Apple's policy that customers are not allowed to have copies of their picture, to be present while the device is opened, or to take their own pictures of the opened iPhone.

We've heard about this problem from a few readers. For example, here's Matt's story:

So I head to my local Apple store and make an appointment to have a Genius look at my phone. He takes one look at the dock connector on the bottom of the phone and immediately says it has water damage. He checks the water damage sensors and confirms that they have been tripped. Well, that's a problem, since no water or liquid of any kind has ever come in contact with my iPhone. He tells me that the dock connector has, "serious corrosion," "this is the most corroded I've seen an iPhone in quite some time," "serious water damage," "no way this could happen without being submerged in water." I asked him if the damage could be due to condensation or humidity and he said there was absolutely no way, the device at one point or another, "was submerged in water or had water poured onto it." I inform him that isn't the case and he tells me that once the water damage sensor is triggered that his hands are tied.

While Matt was eventually compensated for the replacement phone he purchased after hours of talking to Apple representatives, his experience is apparently quite common.

What should iPhone users do? Chat with Apple's executive customer service. Fight to have that internal sensor looked at, if you have to.

Apple iPhone Abuse Detection Sensors: Who Is Abusing Whom? [Techgeist]

Case-Mate does, however, also claim that the case will make you awesome, and we're not so sure about that one. What might really make do the trick is a DIY cardboard iPhone case made out of a recycled juice box. Sure, you'll spend more than 99 cents, and you'll have to do some actual work. But you'll get a sugar high from the juice, and your case may even protect your phone a little. (And, yes, we know Case-Mate is just having some fun, and 99 cents doesn't seem like an unfair price for this thing. But the juice box ones really will make you awesome. Trust us.)

iPhone 3G / 3GS recession case [Case-Mate]
JuiceBox iPod Touch and Camera Cases [Randomly Ross]

Does it matter whether the Zune can play games? In its three years on the market, the Zune has yet to emerge as a viable opposition to the iPod. It will be tough to muscle in on the market dominated by the DS and lagging PSP, especially with the PSP Go due out in a couple weeks. So, portable gamers, is there room in your cargo pants for one more gizmo?

Confirmed: Zune HD Will Play Games [Wired, via Destructoid]

Mediaite's Ash Kalb discovered that his iPhone suddenly had MMS after a recent upgrade, and theorizes that AT&T is slowly removing the MMS opt-out codes on iPhone users' accounts.

What states is mms working in with the updated carrier bundle? [HowardForums]
MMS Comes Early To Your iPhone (or, at least, mine) [Mediaite]

RELATED:
AT&T Network Struggling In iPhone-Dense Urban Areas
iPhone 3G Owners, Beware The New 3.1 OS Upgrade
Class Action Suit Against Apple And AT&T For Lack Of MMS On iPhones

(Photo: milesdeelite)

According to this Apple user forum discussion, if your company's Exchange server has encryption enabled on its ActiveSync settings, then anyone with the 3G model running the new 3.1 OS will find that they can no longer connect. Instead they get this error message: "The account '——-' requires encryption which is not supported on this iPhone."

Hopefully Apple will release an update to the update shortly, or your company's IT department will get all "who cares" about security and turn off encryption. In the meantime, clutch your phone dearly and keep away from any OS improvements until at least a few days have passed to reveal any hidden problems.

"iPhone 3.1 Won't Sync w/ Exchange" [Apple Support Discussions] (Thanks to Casey!)
(Photo: thms.nl)

iPhones are amazing, data-gobbling machines, and AT&T is having a hard time keeping up with the demand for delicious data, leading to terrible reception in some areas—not due to concrete walls or distant towers, but because there are so darn many people using their tiny data-gobbling machines at the same time in close proximity. The problem is particularly bad in people- and iPhone-dense major metropolitan areas.

"It's been a challenging year for us," said John Donovan, the chief technology officer of AT&T. "Overnight we're seeing a radical shift in how people are using their phones," he said. "There's just no parallel for the demand."

AT&T says that the majority of the nearly $18 billion it will spend this year on its networks will be diverted into upgrades and expansions to meet the surging demands on the 3G network. The company intends to erect an additional 2,100 cell towers to fill out patchy coverage, upgrade existing cell sites by adding fiber optic connectivity to deliver data faster and add other technology to provide stronger cell signals.

AT&T is planning massive upgrades to their network over the next year, but their exclusive rights to sell the iPhone could also be over by then. Then what?

Customers Angered as iPhones Overload AT&T [NY Times]
Big City, Big Troubles [NY Times]

(Photo: milesdeelite)

The story had a security guard on duty after a previous robbery, but the thieves claimed to be armed. We certainly wish them luck trying to get a SIM installed in those demo iPhones, though.

Jersey Thugs Clear Apple Store in Seconds [PC World]
Smash and grab theft at Apple Store [ABC 6]
Thieves Clean Out an Apple Store in 31 Seconds [YouTube]

Short version of events: It's all Apple's fault. Apple is allegedly not only annoyed at Google's domination of the iPhone platform, but lying outright about what happened to the Google Voice app.

According to Apple's statement to the FCC, the Google Voice application is still being held because it so radically alters the way that regular phone calls are made and text messages composed on the phone.

The application has not been approved because, as submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone's distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone's core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail. Apple spent a lot of time and effort developing this distinct and innovative way to seamlessly deliver core functionality of the iPhone.

Apple also took the opportunity to explain that yes, they do reject some applications at AT&T's request: namely, some VoIP and television applications.

There is a provision in Apple's agreement with AT&T that obligates Apple not to include functionality in any Apple phone that enables a customer to use AT&T's cellular network service to originate or terminate a VoIP session without obtaining AT&T's permission. Apple honors this obligation, in addition to respecting AT&T's customer Terms of Service, which, for example, prohibit an AT&T customer from using AT&T's cellular service to redirect a TV signal to an iPhone. From time to time, AT&T has expressed concerns regarding network efficiency and potential network congestion associated with certain applications, and Apple takes such concerns into consideration.

In AT&T makes a point in their press release to remind consumers that they can still access Google Voice through its web interface:

AT&T does not block consumers from accessing any lawful website on the Internet. Consumers can download or launch a multitude of compatible applications directly from the Internet, including Google Voice, through any web-enabled wireless device. As a result, any AT&T customer may access and use Google Voice on any web-enabled device operating on AT&T's network, including the iPhone, by launching the application through their web browser, without the need to use the Apple App Store.

So that's what the companies say. It's all quite understandable and innocuous. Too bad it isn't actually true. Techcrunch's sources claim that most of the responses are lies, half-truths, or at best, misleading.The part of Google's statement that deals with this subject is, tellingly, redacted in the version released to the public.

Multiple sources at Google tell us that in informal discussions with Apple over the last few months Apple expressed dismay at the number of core iPhone apps that are powered by Google. Search, maps, YouTube, and other key popular apps are powered by Google. Other than the browser, Apple has little else to call its own other than the core phone, contacts and calendar features. The Google Voice App takes things one step further, by giving users an incentive to abandon their iPhone phone number and use their Google Voice phone number instead (transcription of voicemails is reason enough alone). Apple was afraid, say our sources, that Google was gaining too much power on the iPhone, and that's why they rejected the application.

The Truth: What's Really Going On With Apple, Google, AT&T And The FCC [Techcrunch]
Apple Answers The FCC's Questions [Apple]
ATT Response to FCC iPhone Letter [Scribd]
Google Response to FCC [Scribd]

PREVIOUSLY:
FCC Asks Apple, AT&T To Explain Why They Rejected Google Voice App
Three Ways To Use Google Voice On Your iPhone
Who Killed The Google Voice iPhone Application?

(Photo: dcwriterdawn)

A class action started in a Louisana district court alleging that Apple and AT&T touted the iPhone as supporting MMS (multimedia messaging service) but have not as yet provided the service.

The plaintiffs allege that Apple "advertised heavily that the new version of iPhone, the 3G, as well as the even newer version the 3G-S would allow MMS. Apple's print and video advertisements in and on television, the internet, the radio, newspapers and direct mailers all touted the availability of MMS." AT&T advertised the same functionality, the filing says.

Earlier this year AT&T stated vehemently that the only delay in getting MMS functionality up and running was that they had to manually switch over everyone's accounts in order to avoid billing mistakes. That's right: there's no MMS yet, here in the final days of August, beacause AT&T has a room of temps furiously going through and adjusting the billing settings on customer account records.

But TD Daily notes, "Apple, says the filings, has revealed that AT&T has never upgraded its towers so as to support MMS functionality."

According to TG Daily, the suit "will consist of at least 10,000 individuals."

"Apple, AT&T sued for lack of MMS capability" [TG Daily]
(Photo: roland)

UPDATE: Our reader sumocat figured out that you can do the same thing that we suggest in #1 below without needing to install the Card Caller app at all. See this comment below for how to do it.

1. Set up Card Caller to dial using GV

This free app is designed to let you manage calling cards, what with their long access numbers and PINs and button pushing requirements. That means it also work with Google Voice—you simply set up a "card" that dials your GV number, include your PIN if you've got one (see here for PIN details if this sounds new to you), and customize the dialing pauses. Making a call this way is slooowwwww, but because it's an app it pulls in your contact list to make things slightly easier.

This guy has put together a step-by-step tutorial on how to set up Card Caller on your iDevice.

(Thanks to Fidel!)

2. Create speed-dial bookmarks for your contacts

The smart and funny photographer David Friedman at Ironic Sans—a blog you should already be following just for its entertainment factor—figured out a way to go through your contacts list and generate a series of bookmarks, one for each phone number, that you can store in a subdirectory in your iPhone's Safari bookmarks. One of his readers one-upped him with a Python script that makes it even easier, provided you know how to use a Python script. (Don't worry, the script comes with instructions and is quite easy for newbies to use as long as you're on a Mac.)

"The Google Voice Speed Dial Bookmarklet Generator" [Ironic Sans]

3. Just visit the mobile version of the site on your phone

(Photo: leoncillo)

"We're essentially taking an image of the check, and once you hit the send button, that image is going into our deposit-taking system as any other check would," said Wayne Peacock, a USAA executive vice president.

Customers will not have to mail the check to the bank later; the deposit will be handled entirely electronically, and the bank suggests voiding the check and filing or discarding it. But to reduce the potential for fraud, only customers who are eligible for credit and have some type of insurance through USAA will be permitted to use the deposit feature. Mr. Peacock said that about 60 percent of the bank's customers qualify.

Well isn't that convenient. We'd use this in an instant if we had an iPhone and a qualifying USAA account.

Bank Will Allow Customers to Deposit Checks by iPhone [The New York Times]

Why number portability, when the app at the center of the investigation was about far more than that? Because the "telephony experience" has changed so much in recent years that preserving consumer independence involves more than just protecting a phone number—now it extends to things like determining how you route calls to that number, or what level of information you display to specific recipients, and so on.

Dave Rosenberg, a CNET blogger who wrote about this theory, points out that whether it's behind the FCC's investigation or not it's going to be an increasingly important issue for consumers:

For users to ultimately be in control of their telephony experience and to encourage the next wave of telephony innovation, the concept of portability will need to extend beyond just numbers to the telephony user experience.

"Apple, Google Voice, and number portability" [CNET News]
(Photo: mightyohm)

The apps were all from Khalid Shaikh. Several were rip-offs or news aggregators that didn't work properly. MobileCrunch has the story:

Khalid's apps were of questionable value and quality. He has told us over the phone that he is not concerned about creating particularly valuable apps. Instead, he says, he's going for "less product value" and "more monetization." So, instead of developing one or two apps and charging $0.99, Khalid prefers to create hundreds of apps and charge $4.99. The vast majority of his apps simply provide topic-specific news on a given subject. Apps such as "US Army News" and "Skin Care Updates" cost $5, and aggregate articles from various internet sources. He has mastered SEO on the App Store, and uses the App Store's search as a way to target users (or victims, depending on how you look at it). Many have questioned the value of the apps he produces, and there's a small contingent of developers who are absolutely furious about his business. Rightfully so, it seems: a review of an app titled "WWE Updates" reveals that the user isn't just getting updates of World Wrestling Entertainment; he's also getting breaking news about Michael Jackson.

Those who yearned to have Michael Jackson news interspersed with their John Cena exploits must be devastated by the news.

Apple bans App Store's 3rd-most prolific developerMobileCrunch, via [via IntoMobile]
(Photo: Scott_Wallace)

Here are the questions from their letter to AT&T:

1. What role, if any, did AT&T play in Apple's consideration of the Google Voice and related applications? What role, if any, does AT&T play in consideration of iPhone applications generally? What roles are specified in the contractual provisions between Apple and AT&T (or in any non-contractual understanding between the companies) regarding the consideration of particular iPhone applications?

2. Did Apple consult with AT&T in the process of deciding to reject the Google Voice application? If so, please describe any communications between AT&T and Apple or Google on this topic, including the parties involved and a summary of any meetings or discussions.

3. Please explain AT&T's understanding of any differences between the Google Voice iPhone application and any Voice over Internet Protocol applications that are currently used on the AT&T network, either via the iPhone or via handsets other than the iPhone.

4. To AT&T's knowledge, what other applications have been rejected for use on the iPhone? Which of these applications were designed to operate on AT&T's 3G network? What was AT&T's role in considering whether such applications would be approved or rejected?

5. Please detail any conditions included in AT&T's agreements or contracts with Apple for the iPhone related to the certification of applications or any particular application's ability to use AT&T's 3G network.

6. Are there any terms in AT&T's customer agreements that limit customer usage of certain third-party applications? If so, please indicate how consumers are informed of such limitations and whether such limitations are posted on the iTunes website as well. In general, what is AT&T's role in certifying applications on devices that run over AT&T's 3G network? What, if any, applications require AT&T's approval to be added to a device? Are there any differences between AT&T's treatment of the iPhone and other devices used on its 3G network?

7. Please list the services/applications that AT&T provides for the iPhone, and whether there any similar, competing iPhone applications offered by other providers in Apple's App Store.

8. Do any devices that operate on AT&T's network allow use of the Google Voice application? Do any devices that operate on AT&T's network allow use of other applications that have been rejected for the iPhone?

9. Please explain whether, on AT&T's network, consumers' access to and usage of Google Voice is disabled on the iPhone but permitted on other handsets, including Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices.

These are the questions from their letter to Apple:

1. Why did Apple reject the Google Voice application for iPhone and remove related third-party applications from its App Store? In addition to Google Voice, which related third-party applications were removed or have been rejected? Please provide the specific name of each application and the contact information for the developer.

2. Did Apple act alone, or in consultation with AT&T, in deciding to reject the Google Voice application and related applications? If the latter, please describe the communications between Apple and AT&T in connection with the decision to reject Google Voice. Are there any contractual conditions or non-contractual understandings with AT&T that affected Apple's decision in this matter?

3. Does AT&T have any role in the approval of iPhone applications generally (or in certain cases)? If so, under what circumstances, and what role does it play? What roles are specified in the contractual provisions between Apple and AT&T (or any non-contractual understandings) regarding the consideration of particular iPhone applications?

4. Please explain any differences between the Google Voice iPhone application and any Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications that Apple has approved for the iPhone. Are any of the approved VoIP applications allowed to operate on AT&T's 3G network?

5. What other applications have been rejected for use on the iPhone and for what reasons? Is there a list of prohibited applications or of categories of applications that is provided to potential vendors/developers? If so, is this posted on the iTunes website or otherwise disclosed to consumers?

6. What are the standards for considering and approving iPhone applications? What is the approval process for such applications (timing, reasons for rejection, appeal process, etc.)? What is the percentage of applications that are rejected? What are the major reasons for rejecting an application?

They also sent a letter to Google asking questions about the incident (you can read it at the source article linked below), but really we're just curious to see the responses from Apple and AT&T—how do you spin "because the only way we can make money off of our subscribers is if we keep out disruptive innovation that offers great value"? Also, maybe the FCC can finally solve the mystery of how Apple approves or rejects apps, since nobody else can.

"AT&T & Apple Being Investigated By FCC On Google Voice App; FCC Letters" [mocoNews]

They don't clarify whether the iPhones don't play well with AT&T's network because jailbreaking did something bad to them, or whether AT&T and/or Apple shut jailbroken phones out of the service. They just say,

Services such as Visual Voicemail, YouTube, Weather, and Stocks have been disrupted or no longer work on the device. Additionally, third-party apps that use the Apple Push Notification Service have had difficulty receiving notifications or received notifications that were intended for a different hacked device. Other push-based services such as MobileMe and Exchange have experienced problems synchronizing data with their respective servers.

If you were one of those who recently didn't receive Visual Voicemail messages for a day or more, can you chime in and let us know whether your iPhone is jailbroken? On IntoMobile, a commenter notes that so far he's received "7 voicemails from all over the US intended for other people and no, my iphone isn't jailbroken."

"Unauthorized modification of iPhone OS has been a major source of instability, disruption of services, and other issues" [Apple Support via IntoMobile]
(Photo: respres)

Wired's blog Threat Level reports,

The company's filing explained that jailbreaking could allow hackers to altering the iPhone's BBP - the "baseband processor" software, which enables a connection to cell phone towers.

By tinkering with this code, "a local or international hacker could potentially initiate commands (such as a denial of service attack) that could crash the tower software, rendering the tower entirely inoperable to process calls or transmit data," Apple wrote the government. "Taking control of the BBP software would be much the equivalent of getting inside the firewall of a corporate computer - to potentially catastrophic result.

The EFF points out that other phones—like the Android-powered G1 offered by T-Mobile—are also capable of being turned into weapons, and we all know that the Palm Pre can be used to attack cheese. Perhaps we should actually license these things before someone gets hurt.

"iPhone Jailbreaking Could Crash Cellphone Towers, Apple Claims" [Threat Level]

Jason Kincaid over at TechCrunch sees this as only the most recent symptom of ongoing issues with Apple's App Store:

Back when the App Store first launched there were some warnings about its walled garden approach - could developers trust Apple to maintain a fair marketplace? Until recently, Apple has managed the store in a generally benevolent, if not somewhat incompetent manner. But now things are taking a turn for the worse. From a handicapped Sling app to blocked apps from Qik and Google Voice, it's becoming clear that Apple is doing its best to keep many of the iPhone's most game-changing apps away from users. Palm, if you're looking for marketing material - take note.

Don't forget the restrictions on Skype on the iPhone, too—the application is limited to wi-fi use, and can't access the mobile network.

Apple pulling Google Voice-enabled iPhone apps [Apple Insider]
Apple Is Growing Rotten To The Core: Official Google Voice App Blocked From App Store

(Photo: Randy Stewart)

The floor is yours, Richard the wise:

I recently went away on vacation for two months, which meant that when it came to my wireless service I had two choices:

1. Pay the absurd roaming rates
2. Not use my phone and pay the monthly bill

Obviously dissatisfied with both choices, I called up AT&T to see what they could do regarding my iPhone plan. I was told the following things:

Richard

1. I could set myself up for a Reduced Rate Suspend, which is a voluntary phone suspension plan at $10/month and no other charges would apply.
2. Since I was a week into my current billing cycle, I'd have to pay a prorated rate for that one week of cellular usage.

So I thought "Sure, it's better than paying the $80 for my iPhone!" Guess how I felt this morning when I received an email from AT&T asking me to pay my bill online, and then finding out that I owed $77.38?

I haven't called AT&T customer support yet, but I've gone ahead and emailed them as well as emailed MaryMichelle Timbang who is, last I checked, the contact for Executive Customer Service. I'm hoping this will clear up, because I'm both tired of the deception here as well as paying such a high amount for my phone bill every month and receiving this
kind of service.

At that point, Richard was perturbed that AT&T hasn't made the situation right, but lo and behold, patience paid off and AT&T has now corrected the issue, and even admitted its own mistake:

I received a response from AT&T letting me know that they had incorrectly applied a "normal" suspension code onto my account rather than the Reduced Rate Suspension that should have been implemented. As of this writing, my account has been quickly fixed to reflect a $10 bill.

(Photo: The Ninja Monkey)

According to a Fox News story, the Seattle TV station KIRO-TV — which apparently no longer has the story up on its site — ferreted out federal documents that underline the hotness:

In a report posted on its Web site Tuesday, KIRO-TV says it used the Freedom of Information Act to get more than 800 pages of Consumer Product Safety Commission documents regarding iPod-related injuries and property damage.

Within the documents were details of at least 15 separate incidents where iPods overheated, sparked, smoked, caused burns or caught fire, KIRO-TV said.

The story says one iPod flamed a bedside chair, one burned a teen girl's hand and another went flame-on while aboard a ship. Hot stuff, baby.

Report: Federal Documents Detail iPods Overheating, Catching Fire [Fox News]
(Photo: yoshiffles)

Created by "Activists Justifying the Natural Agriculture of Ganja" (aka Ajnag — sooo crafty, right?!) the application allows users to locate clinics/doctors/pharmacies that can get you your legally prescribed medical marijuana. And if you're not in one of the 13 states that allow such things, the app kindly provides contact info for local pot-promoting organizations so you can start a discussion group in your dad's basement.

Totally dope.

Apple's iPhone and Cannabis [The Week]
(Photo: ASHCROFT54)

On the sidewalks of midtown NYC—what should be one of the most "connected" places in the world—I can't even get dial-up speeds when going online, and that's assuming I can go online at all.

An AT&T suit said yesterday that the e-ink device, which is made by Plastic Logic, "will really deliver that ubiquitous connectivity that customers have asked for." We hope he used air quotes and winked when he said that.

"AT&T to Power Upcoming E-Reader" [WSJ via mocoNews]
(Photo: Annie Mole)

Verizon Says It Will Limit New Handset Deals [Reuters] (Photo)

Part of the problem is that AT&T and Apple's systems are not hooked up. The other part is fraud prevention, I suppose. That this helps suppress the number of successful cancellation is probably just like an unexpected bonus for AT&T. It wasn't a big deal, though, as I was able to push past this—mocking them for previously telling me I would get an automatic email letting me know my service was cancelled after Apple got the phone I mailed back to them did the trick somehow—and get them to just let me fax in the return receipt without ever having to leave my blog cave (thank you, faxzero.com).