Here’s the thing. You know, and I know, that AT&T has not yet enabled tethering in the US, while carriers all across the globe have already given their iPhone customers the ability to use their phones as wireless modems for their laptops. You and I also know that strictly speaking tethering falls outside the normal terms of use for your iPhone data contract — and that there are jailbreak solutions to get around this (hopefully temporary) constraint. Read more…

I don’t want to leave a “blemish” on the tech-centric tone of these forums, but a lot of people are talking about the iPhone these days as a potential treatment for all sorts of medical ailments, including acne. Although the application that started this discussion was released months ago, only recently have media outlets and iPhone users taken a good look at AcneApp, which was created by a Texas dermatologist who apparently thinks the iPhone is the technological equivalent of Clearasil. Read more…

Opera Software says it will launch a version of its Mini browser for the iPhone next week, according to Reuters.

The browser is said to offer consumers up to six times faster download speeds than Apple’s Safari, and cut data traffic by up to 90 percent.

“This is a provocative move by Opera which will result in a tricky and high profile PR exercise for Apple should it decide not to allow Opera mini through Read more…

Two new analysts said Tuesday that the iPad-AT&T deal suggests Apple may extend its exclusive iPhone agreement through 2011, leaving the wireless provider as the sole carrier of the handset in the U.S. this year.

While speculation was rife for months (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) that Apple would partner with Verizon for a new CDMA-compatible iPhone this summer, sentiment has changed in recent weeks, after Apple publicly stood by AT&T and also announced an agreement with the carrier for the iPad’s domestic 3G data plan. Lending its support for that line of thinking Tuesday was Barclays Capital, which issued a new note to investors with the conclusion that Apple and AT&T will likely remain exclusive for the remainder of 2010. Read more…

World’s Fastest IPhone Texter – Funny home videos are a click away

I can type fairly quickly on my iPhone, at least in landscape mode — I average about 30 – 35 words per minute compared to around 77 WPM on a standard keyboard — but the guy in the video above has gone to plaid with his typing speed. Using an app called iTextSpeed [US$0.99, iTunes Link], this anonymous texting speed demon reaches an incredible 56 words per minute on his iPhone in portrait mode. I have no idea how he does it, particularly in portrait mode; I make an average of one mistake every other word unless I’m in landscape, but the guy in the video, whose thumbs look even bigger than mine, only screws up one word during the entire timed sequence.

A few people grouse about the iPhone’s lack of a physical keyboard, but the cyborg-thumbed guy in this video proves that for some of us, it’s not an issue whatsoever.

[Via Tuaw.com]

Apple is now the world’s third largest smartphone producer, coming in behind Nokia and Research in Motion. IDC’s latest report from its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker cites continued interest in the iPhone and Apple starting to offer the device in China as major driving forces behind the growing dominance in the smartphone world.

Apple shipped 25.1 million iPhone units in 2009, 8.7 million of those in the fourth quarter. By comparison, Nokia shipped 67.7 million device units throughout the year with 20.8 million in the fourth quarter alone. Manufacturers Motorola and HTC round out the top five smartphone makers. Read more…

Last week I downloaded (but did not install) the iPhone OS 3.1.3 firmware for my 3GS. I wanted to have a copy of the firmware on hand, but didn’t want to upgrade right away. I checked “Do not ask me again” and clicked Download Only. I thought that was the end of the matter.

Unfortunately, this Sunday, I plugged in my iPhone and left the room to grab some tea. When I returned, the iPhone was 50% of the way through the 3.1.3 firmware upgrade procedure. It did something I had no idea that it would do: it upgraded me without asking. Read more…

Last night MeDevil sent us the latest beta version of its program, iBlueNova. Now it is ready to be released and have to wait only a few days that we can talk Saurik for publication in Cydia Store. Read more…

Game Developer Research has published its 2009/10 survey of video game developers, and the results are pretty impressive for the still relatively fledgling iPhone platform: The number of developers who are working on mobile games increased by 12 percent, and there are actually twice as many developers working on iPhone games as are working on the Nintendo DS and Sony’s PSP handheld consoles. Read more…