Apple’s said no background apps on the iPhone forever, citing it destroys stability and system resources. Today, >three >reputable >publications have independently claimed that Apple is having a change of mind. What the heck?

Techcrunch, Gruber and Alley Insider (Alley first) all claim to have sources that say Apple is working on and discussing just how they can run applications in the background. (An example of such an application and a potentially convenient use for background apps is an IM client that would alert you as soon as you got a message; Apple previously claimed their now late push data system could alert dormant applications of new events without needing those apps to be open. Open apps would take up resources.)

Part of this rumor is that Apple would require applications that run in the background to undergo a more thorough application process for the iTunes store. That makes sense and is the most likely scenario. Apps could be vetted (even more stringently than the current approval process) for processor and memory usage, then approved for being a background-capable app.

Why would they change their minds? Well the Palm Pre is certainly the main reason we can think of. Palm has, to many reporters, said that the Pre’s advantages lie in its faster hardware, light operating system designed specifically for a mobile environment, ability to run multiples programs at once—each referred to in the UI as a card—despite the potential battery drain. And the Pre, as we all know, is high up on the list of things we’re all excited for.

But what makes more sense is for all of this to be for the next hardware iteration of the iPhone, one that has more processing power and memory—two things that are in tight supply on the current versions. This would mean Apple could stick to their story of not being able to support background apps now, but still deliver on something just about everybody wants.

We’ll find out more at WWDC 2009, I’m sure. [Gizmodo via >Business Insider via >Daring Fireball via Techcrunch]

We’ve all seen the video quality on the iPhone when using such services as YouTube and Break.com and it’s usually pretty bad. When watching movies however, the quality is great in the opinion of most users we have interviewed. But what about streaming video?  While currently non-existant, sites like MacWorld are reporting that the next March madness you follow may be viewable right on your iPhone even as the action unfolds via streaming video.

Apple representatives have continued to be tight lipped on the subject so we are looking for verification. If you have knowledge of streaming video coming to the iPhone or if you have heard similar rumors feel free to chime in.

It looks like the sorry little amature scammer Jody Sanders is at it again. Once again Jody is stealing the hard work of the Dev Team. This time the crime is being committed through a shady company out of the UK called iPhone Unlock UK (I refuse to link to their website so that they will get no help from me with their Google rankings) and a of course the ever-so-familiar scammer Jody Sanders.

They were selling copies of QuickPWN and PWNAGE (calling the software their own creation) on their site and were called out by iPhone enthusiests around the world. These people have no shame and are already advertising a repackaged version of the latest Dev Team software ‘Yellowsn0w’. They are selling it on their website and as an in-store service. Avoid these creeps at all cost. If you want Yellowsn0w or any of the other software developed by the Dev Team you can get it directly from the Dev Team Blog site here.

Jody I hope you read this and other writings about you on the web. You bring shame upon anyone sorry enough to associate with you and I am positive that the UK justice system will be onto you soon (thanks to the efforts of the iPhone Dev Team and thousands of bloggers like myself.

Please help spread the word that Yellowsn0w is FREE and easy to use and no-one should be charged for it.

OFB is reporting inside knowledge of AT&T plans to downgrade the band that current iPhone 2G/EDGE users are operating on. According to OFB’s Timothy Butler, AT&T is downgrading its EDGE/2G service to the weaker 1900 MHz band. AT&T’s response to his inquiry about what those with now slower phones? Buy a new phone.

In a nutshell, the weaker band means less bars in less places, like inside homes and offices and, out of the way regions — like maybe where you are?

Others are wondering what will happen to iPhone 3G users in 2G-only areas. Will AT&T leave the 850 band for them until 3G rolls in? And what about users switching to 2G to save battery life? Will it now come at the expense of their signal?

It appears that the newer friendlier AT&T may now be a thing of the past. Welcome to the older/meaner AT&T that those of us who have been with them for a while all remember and quickly grew to hate.

Death Star AT&T logo C/O Wired.com

A recently filed application at the U.S. Patent Office acknowledges that the capacitive touchscreens on devices like the iPhone and iPod touch are next to impossible to use in colder weather. The screens depend on the electrical response from a user’s bare fingertips, which in cold weather are usually covered by insulated gloves leaving the user to either take off the glove and expose the digits to the elements or wait until safely indoors.

The solution proposed by the engineers at Apple is to give gloves a second, inner layer beyond the surface that would simulate the electrical feedback of human fingers. Small apertures at each fingertip would allow device users peel back the outer, more weatherproof layer to expose the inner layer that would be capable of using touchscreen devices with the same approximate responsiveness as bare skin.

The patent filed by Apple is in no way unique as clothiers like ‘Dots’ have already developed gloves that do a pretty good job of generating conductivity.

Apparently the iPhone Dev-Team works pretty quickly. Of course the unlock for the iPhone 3G took much longer than anyone expected that it would but at least it is here and after some initial problems our loyal friend Moniker 9 tells us that the new release of Yellowsn0w v0.9.4 (which is still beta) is working great. Once again we have to give it to the dev team for their quick work. Download and discuss here.

Another holiday, another major release from the iPhone dev team. This time it’s the long awaited unlock for the iphone 3G. They’re calling it “Yellowsn0w” and while usually we would have a download and instructions for use already posted here we have been unable to get it to work properly. This release really is living up to it’s beta moniker for us. Instead, we will provide the link to the dev team blog where you can download and contribute to the ongoing beta testing conversation.

Good Luck! and Happy 2009!

After 2 years o wanting one (but thinking they were a bit too expensive) I finally recieved an Apple Bluetooth earbud for my iPhone (Christmas gift!). I couldn’t wait to get it unboxed and put it to use. The packaging was very Apple (similar to an iPod Nano’s box) and the earbud came with a special cable that allows both the phone and earbud to charge at the same time.

The cable also automatically pairs the devices so setup is a snap (although I would have liked to have had the option of setting it up manually). The earbud took about 45 minutes to fully charge and then it was time to give it a test run. The first thing that I noticed was how perfectly it fit my ear and how light it was (so light that it would be easy to forget that one was wearing it). I eagerly dialed up a buddy and awaited the connection. That was when the device’s true nature became evident. Before the connection was even made I began hearing a loud static from the earbud. The static continued through the entire conversation which was actually much shorter than expected due to the static. I reset both the headset and the iPhone and tried again and again heard the static. My buddy and I had agreed that we would just deal with the static while I messed with settings i.e. volume, distance from device, etc… After adjusting the volume to a more reasonable yet still staticy setting I began testing the distance that I could get away from the phone while still maintaining a connection. I set the phone down on my desk and began to step away and the call dropped. Just like that less than 6 feet from the phone. I thought that I must have accidentally done something that caused the call to drop so I tried it again. Sure enough, everytime that I would get further from the phone than the distance from my hip to the earbud the static would increase exponentially and quickly the call would be dropped. I could not believe this. Bluetooth is supposed to give you a bit over 30 feet of distance between the devices and I was not even getting 6. I decided to just do some phone in pocket tests and put up with the static. On my 6th call (total) my phone indicated that the earbud’s battery was dying. My 6 calls were short (due to the static) and should not have killed the battery. I placed the headset back on the charger and left it until it indicated that it was fully charged and tried my tests again. Same results. It’s going back to the AT&T store. I’m done messing with it.

Evaluation: Nice looking, staticy, short distance between devices, extremely short battery life.

Readers from the North Eastern and Mid-Western United States are reporting that AT&T is down. No cell, no data. Are you experiencing the same thing? We in North Texas are experiencing no problems at all. No issues are reported from our friends in the Western states either.  But others are reporting that there are troubles nationwide. We have contacted the AT&T home office in San Antonio for an official statement, but have yet to recieve a response. We will update as soon as we hear back from them. in the meantime let us know if things are working for you wherever you are.

OK, so this might not be attractive to everyone but we think that this iPhone 3G gut showing clear case is da bomb! This custom clear replacement case shows all of the gory details of your iPhone 3G leaving nothing to the imagination. Some of our readers have stated that this is the most horrible case yet to be introduced while others just love it. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Read more: icustom

Tom Dickson of ‘Will It Blend’ fame gained a massive audience when he used his blender to turn an iPhone into dust much to the shock of all who did’nt have one already. Now, Mr. Dickson has brought his videos to the App Store in an app called (surprise surprise) “Will It Blend?”.

The app contains 20 of his most popular blending videos, and yes it includes the famous iPhone and iPhone 3G blends. Also included in the app is glowsticks, marbles, and Chuck Norris. Mr. Dickson wanted the app videos to be a bit different from those currently available on YouTube so these were filmed in very high quality and with a RED camera which lets you see all of the resulting dust and carnage better than ever. The “Will It Blend?” app is available now on app store for only $0.99 and will reportedly only be available at this price through the end of the year. It is not clear whether the app will then be removed from the app store or if the price will go up on the first so we will have to wait and see about that. If you are a blend fan and need more than what YouTube can offer this app just might be for you. You can download it here (This link opens iTunes).

From what we can tell from the patent application, commands like delete and space will be input with simple back and forward-swipe motions …

… the patent describes customizable functions, which could lead to multitouch gestures that trigger the deletion of entire words, switching of keyboards, or quick input of specific characters.

Our friends at Gizmodo beat us to the punch on this newly discovered Apple patent. According to Gizmodo, the patent outlines several ways in which an increased number of multitouch gestures would the user work with the iPhone keyboard. 

We are really looking forward to seeing if this is actually released and if so getting our hands on it. It is our opinion that the iPhone’s current keyboard is one of the easiest to use on the market and think that this could only make the keyboard even easier to work with.  The question is would you use these new features?

With next month’s Macworld right around the corner those anxiously awaiting the release of a smaller iPhone should beware. AppleInsider has reported that a slew of tiny clones are introducing confusion as they reach store shelves and while silicone case molds have surfaced that allegedly hint at a smaller iPhone in the works, a rash of similarly-sized dupes made by anonymous southeast Asian firms have added to the confusion.

The devices, spotted here by an AppleInsider reader in Thailand, are almost always designed to mimic Apple’s products as closely as possible and share not only the basic design but the branding as well, in some cases directly copying the logo and the “iPhone” labeling on the back.

Their software is also at times familiar and carries a similar layout, down to icons ripped directly from Apple’s interface.

Aside from obvious color changes such as splashes of gold or pink, these clones are (when switched off) close enough to the original that they may pass for an iPhone nano to the untrained eye. As such, readers should be on the lookout for such claims in the run-up to January’s Macworld Expo.

However fake the Thai examples may be, though, it should be noted that the alleged XSKN case shares a noticeably different design than many of the clones in shops today — particularly a home button which sits directly on the edge of the touchscreen.

Did you just pay full retail for an iPhone 3G for yourself or someone else for Christmas? Everyone says that the best deals come after Christmas but we never do really learn do we?  For those of you who didn’t run out and buy one already you can get a great deal today. AT&T is now offering refurbished 8GB iPhone 3G’s for just $99 with a two-year contract. They also have the 16GB refurb for $199 on contract in either black or white. These supplies are not going to last very long so visit the AT&T site’s sales area ASAP to get in on these while they are still available!

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. confirmed today that it will start selling the iPhone 3G on Sunday.

About 2,500 of its stores will carry a black 8GB model for $197 and a 16GB iPhone in black and white for $297, with a new two-year service agreement from AT&T or qualified upgrade, Wal-Mart said Friday.

There had been rumors that the discount behemoth would sell a 4GB model for $99, a price point that would create a bigger swath of demand for iPhones.

The smart phone’s prices have been falling ever since it hit the market, but Wal-Mart’s $2 discount on a $200 and $300 purchase isn’t likely to get shoppers too excited. However, Wal-Mart stores, with their 130 million customers a week, have the potential to introduce more people to iPhones than Apple’s own stores.

If anyone does lower prices, Wal-Mart said the phones are covered by its price match policy: Stores match the price of any local competitor’s advertised store price on the same item within the same promotional period.

Store associates “have been preparing for many weeks” for the arrival of iPhone 3G, and are ready to assist customers with purchase questions, demonstrations and activation, said Gary Severson, senior vice president entertainment at Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart is setting up Apple iPhone 3G kiosks in its consumer electronics department. The world’s largest retailer has been gaining market share in the past couple of years in the electronics category by steadily adding desired brands including Dell computers and Sony TVs.

Best Buy Co. has only been carrying the iPhone 3G since September in its free-standing Best Buy Mobile stores and expanded mobile shops inside its stores. It launched the phones at $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB model. It also requires a new two-year contract with provider AT&T for qualifying customers.

Apple first introduced the phones at whopping $599 but the price has been dropping and the last decline came when it hooked up with AT&T providing wireless service