Recently, AT&T has announced that they will allow internet phone calls, such as Skype, to be made over their network. While this is a positive step, it is only from one company and will not extend to other networks, since they don't really have to. And of course this only means that subscribers of this one company will benefit from using anything they want through the internet service they pay for, which should be the norm for every mobile internet user on the planet (not the case right now).

Well done for AT&T, too bad for the rest of us, inside and outside the US. 

A few days after we posted the article about the never-wake-up bug, Apple has released a bug-fixer-only update for the iPhone, namely 3.1.2. Of course we do not claim we had something to do with it, since similar issues have been reported by numerous sites before us. The new version also fixes network and video streaming bugs. It is a hefty 242MB download and should show up if you launch iTunes and check for updates with your iPhone connected.

There are numerous reports from iPhonelands readers, but we have also confirmed that there must be a terrible bug in Apple's 3.1 firmware (at least) for the iPhone 3G. On a stock (as in non-jailbroken) iPhone 3G running the 3.1 firmware, and at random times, the device will refuse to come out of stand by. Most of the times, when this happens, the device will feel unusually hot to the touch, which leads us to believe that this is due to hang processes or memory leaks in the OS. This is definitely not a hardware issue, since it has happened on multiple occasions after upgrading to 3.1. The only solution when this happens is to reset the device by holding down the power and home buttons until you see the Apple logo. The 3.1 has introduced a whole new way of allocating memory, and this addition could be the one to blame for this annoying bug.

Too bad apple, please fix it on 3.1.1 or 3.2, whichever is the next iteration of the OS.

Please.

It's time for the a small competition from iphonelands.com for its loyal visitors - you!

We have discount codes for the following stuff, all you have to do to win is send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , using "Free Discount Codes Competiton" as the subject and choosing the gadget you want the discount code for and you might just get it! All discount codes and sale URL will be sent out via email to you lucky winners!

The competition is open until the expiration date of each offer and is valid for everyone (free shipping is available within the US).

10% Off Charger for BlackBerry Bold 9000 [exp 9/20]
Start Date: 09/14/2009

2nd Coupon: $2.00 off Apple iPhone 3GS Original Earphone + Free Shipping [exp 9/20]
Start Date: 09/14/2009

3rd Coupon: 15% Off AA Battery for Canon PowerShot SX100 IS digital camera [exp 9/20]
Start Date: 09/11/2009

4th coupon: Leather Black Case for iPhone 3G/ iPhone 3G S: $5 + Free Shipping [exp 09/21]
Start Date: 09/14/2009


5th coupon: 30% off LG VU Cu920 Rainbow Zebra Snap-on Cover [exp 09/18]
Start Date: 09/14/2009

The new kid on the block when it comes to communication services in going to be Google Voice. It's a unified service from Google that allows its users to use a single phone number that can be linked with existing landline and cellphone numbers in a number of innovative ways, to improve their communication capabilities. So far so good.

And then Google decides to submit a Google Voice client to the Apple App Store. Communication companies like AT&T, whose interests are traditionally protected by Apple - see the Skype over 3G incident , may not like those kind of apps. And the app got rejected by Apple. The thing is that, as it seemed, this was the last drop when it comes to anti-monopoly, and the FCC decided to step in.

The FCC contacted Google, Apple and AT&T asking about details of their involvement in the case of the rejection of the application, as well as details about the reasons of that rejection.  FCC chairman Julius Genachowski promised to look into the issue, even before his appointment to the FCC became official. The investigation has been ongoing recently, prompting hearings before the Senate Commerce and Science Committee, prompting Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) to say that there are "too many places in this country where wireless call quality is low and service is unreliable—places where wireless broadband is only a pipe dream."

AT&T already denies any involvement in the rejection, but one thing is certain: Apple's decision mechanism when it comes to approvals or rejections of new applications to the app store may very well be on its way to becoming more transparent and fair because of this incident.

More on ArtsTechnica.

It seems like Saurik (the guy behind Cydia, among other things) is preparing something big for all of us. Several sources indicate that the tool will be used to upgrade the firmware of a jailbroken iPhone without the need to re-jailbreak and also allow saving all the data of the phone. Upgrading without going through the activation-rejailbreaking-resyncing and maybe also reinstalling application process sounds like very good news to us.

The application is expected in Cydia within this week.

 "Users of 3.0 who are willing to wait for 3.0.1 may wish to wait a while longer. ;P

(Saurik is working on something that is going to make the upgrade process a lot simpler for people who are already using jailbroken devices. Note that by “a while” I mean “a week”, not “mere hours from now, so check quickly and rapidly” ;P.)

No more details will be given for now”