iOS 4 will now put an exclamation badge on the Messages app as a way to inform you when an SMS text or MMS multimedia message fails to send.

Previously, the exclamation badge was only present inside the Messages app itself, beside the message that failed to send. Unless you were there and checking, you might not see it, especially not right away.

Now, if and when there's been a failure to send, as long as you pass by the Messages icon on your home screen, there's a good chance you'll see it.

For more on Apple's latest software, see our complete iOS 4 feature walkthrough.

[Thanks Alex!]

9to5Mac is yet again delving deep into the iPhone 3.2 SDK for iPad and this time they've turned up settings for internet tethering, voice mail, and MMS settings, as well as a search option for Wikipedia.

Again, whether or not this is legacy code from the iPad's iPhone heritage, or potential future features we have no way of knowing. Being able to tether to the iPad would be good (at least for international users, since AT&T doesn't even support iPhone tethering yet...) Being able to tether from the iPhone to the iPad would be even better, but we're not holding our breath... Likewise voice mail and MMS are interesting to see on a data-only device.

Wikipedia, however, is a natural extension of the built-in, currently Google-centric search and on the popover-enabled iPad Safari would be especially handy. Can we have that for iPhone as well?

Still no sign of Bing, however, though the current Yahoo! option will soon be powered by Microsoft's search engine anyway...

Video after the break!

YouTube link

Ross Miller of Engadget is giving more credibility to some of the reports of iPhone MMS on AT&T's network being a little wonky. It seems as if some users sending MMS messages are having their pictures delivered, but with the message on the recipients end displaying an incorrect phone number for the sender.

We've done some research on the issue and at the moment there is no viable explanation from AT&T, and no resolution (including the recently released AT&T 5.6 carrier file). Have any of our readers experienced this MMS behavior?

Sound off in the comments!

[Via Engadget]

Along with iPhone 3.1.2, AT&T users received a 5.6 carrier file update, but the reason(s) for it weren't clear. MMS was already enabled, and tethering was nowhere in site, so what was it for? Well, iPhone Savior sat on the phone with Apple support long enough to find out! Turns out, it fixed an MMS bug:

When sending photos or videos in an MMS message, the progress bar would stall at about 90% then result in an error ending with a (!) red exclamation point next to the MMS message. The associated message failed to be properly sent, though standard text messages worked as normal. The 5.6 patch addressed that particular MMS issue.

Anyone out these have that problem prior to Carrier File 5.6? And if so, did it fix it for you? Let us know!

[iPhone Savior via Gizmodo]

So, AT&T iPhone users, you've had MMS for a week now. The initial blush has hopefully faded, and it's either become something you use a lot, a little, or not at all.

So, which is it? Let us know in the poll above, and if then drop a comment below and tell us how it compares to other MMS implementations you've used.

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Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You -- iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

It’s time for some good old forum action. From the Forums is a great way to see what all of the current hot topics are on the TiPb forums. In order to create any new threads of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process that will only take a few minutes out of your day, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now.

If you are a AT&T customer, we are pretty sure you are well aware that MMS has finally been activated on our IPhones. Well... for most of us that is. Some of you are still having issues getting it working. Stop by the official AT&T MMS threadand let us know how your experience has been so far.

This next thread was started by DBlanco and he thinks the iPhone is a perfect device. While many of you would agree with this there's an equal amount of you who would disagree. Stop by the thread for yourself and speak your mind. My feeling is, yes the iPhone is a great device but no single device is 100% perfect. There is always room for improvement.

This thread was a started a while back by Erika78 and she wants to know why you decided to leave your previous phone and make the jump to iPhone? With our forums growing by the day this is one of those threads that will never die. Join in on the conversation and let us know why you left your old device.

Have some iPhone tips and tricks that you'd like to share? Perhaps you are in need of some general help? This is the forum you need to visit. That is the place to find answers to your iPhone questions along with all the tips and tricks you can imagine.

See you on the forums!

AT&T finally launched MMS for the iPhone last Friday, and you've had the whole weekend to use, abuse, or ignore it. So, how is it? Love it, like it, avoid it like the plague? Huge fan, hype fried, frustrated by network issues, or just couldn't care less? Let us know!

Boy Genius is reporting that AT&T MMS seems to be down for some users in some states, and what's more:

a quick call to AT&T’s customer care line revealed that there is a known latency issue with MMS in all states with no estimated time of repair.

So how about it? Are you experiencing any delays in sending or receiving MMS? Any outages? Either way, let us know where you are, and how long you've been having the problem.

The AT&T Carrier Update (v5.5), required to enable MMS on the iPhone is now live and can be installed via iTunes. Just plug in your iPhone and if it doesn't pop up immediately, hit the check for updates button.

Note: You need to be running iPhone 3.1, so if you haven't updated your firmware yet, do that first.

Once loaded, reboot your iPhone and then head on over the Messages app and you should see the new (for the USA!) camera icon on the bottom left.

For more info, see Apple's support article on the matter, and TiPb's iPhone MMS Walkthrough from earlier today!

Then let us know how iPhone MMS on AT&T is working for you!

Today's the day everyone on AT&T has been waiting for -- MMS lands now. Well, now-ish, because AT&T is doing a rolling roll-out, and we'll see how the network holds up.

AT&T MMS Update: We know you’ve been eager for this service so we wanted to offer a quick update on the launch plans for MMS on Friday, Sept. 25. Late morning, Pacific Time, on Friday, the new carrier settings update enabling MMS should be live and ready to download through iTunes. We’ll provide the steps and all of the details you need right here at that time.

If you're waiting for MMS to come your way -- whether to use or just to check off your AT&T bucket list -- check out our MMS for iPhone walkthrough after the break so you're ready when yours lights up. And when it does light up, let us know when and where in the comments so we can cheer (and those nearby can lose their minds with anticipointment!)

iPhone 3.0/3.1 MMS Walkthrough

Messages is the new SMS, and is renamed to signify the addition of MMS (multi-media messaging service). It allows, in the case of the new iPhone OS 3.0 software, for you to receive, vCards (contacts), audio, location, and -- for iPhone 3GS only -- video to be sent using the Messages interface to any other smartphone or feature-phone that supports MMS and those file types.

Once you receive an MMS, you can tap the icon in the message bubble to get a better look at it. In the case of a contact, you'll see a page similar to what you get when you call up a contact in Phone, except at the very bottom you'll have extra, saving and sharing related options that we'll cover later in the Phone app section.

Location opens in Google Maps as you'd expect, audio and video in iPod, and images pop up full screen where you can tap the share icon to Save Image -- but strangely not re-share it...

When it comes to sending MMS, only picture sending can be initiated from within the Messages app itself. Everything else starts a "share" function from another app (i.e. Share Contact is in Contacts, Share Location is in Google Maps, Share Audio is in Voice Recorder, etc.)

There are two ways to insert a picture into MMS. The first is to tap the camera icon, bottom right. A requester will ask if you want to Take Photo or Choose Existing. Take Photo will call up an embedded version of the Camera app. Frame your picture, tap the camera icon, look at the preview and either hit Retake to try again or Use to insert the picture into your MMS window. (If you want to erase it later, just backspace over it like you would a text character you want to delete)

Choose Existing will call up an image picker (like the Photo App). Pick an Album, pick a picture, and tap Choose to confirm.

The second way to insert a picture into MMS is to paste it...

The new, system-wide Cut, Copy, and Paste service has also been introduced into Messages. It works in a similar way to the implementation in the Notes app, and we'll cover it more fully there. One difference is that double tapping a previous SMS will give you the Copy popup allowing you to duplicate the entire contents of the SMS to the clipboard. Tapping on an empty entry box will launch the Paste popup, so you can stick the contents back down in an message of your own. If the entry box already contains text, double tapping will select the closest word, and double tapping an holding will select the closet word and popup the loupe.

Again, we'll cover this more fully in the section for the Notes app.

Messages also now includes line-item deletion and forwarding. Tap the Edit button at the top right, select the messages you want -- as many of them as you want -- and then hit the red Delete button at the bottom, or the blue Forward button beside it. Edit still isn't the most elegant name for the combination of deletion and forwarding, mind you, but the functionality is consistent with the Mass Edit feature introduced for Mail in iPhone 2.0.

Lastly, Apple has also answered the call for pervasive landscape-style keyboards, and Messages is one of the text-entry apps that received it. For those who want a Cadillac-wide typing experience, enjoy!

(Note to Apple: a way to "lock" the iPhone in portrait or landscape mode would be appreciated, especially when typing while reclining and every little angle change sends the UI spinning.)

Still no MMS for AT&T users. That's being released on September 25 (though whether it will require an iPhone 3.1.1 update, or just a new carrier file is unknown).

With iPhone 3.1 you can tap the action button at bottom, left to save them to the camera roll, just like you could previously do with pictures under iPhone 3.0.

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Credits

Thanks to the the iPhone Blog Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Our music comes from the following sources:

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When you wake up Friday morning, don't expect to see MMS working on your iPhone immediately as AT&T will be systematically activating groups throughout the day, starting at 10 AM Eastern time. Also don't forget that to enable MMS on your iPhone you must first connect to iTunes and download and install an updated carrier file.

That is, if AT&T's network holds up as millions of iPhone users rush to test the new service. That very thought has AT&T feeling extremely nervous right about now, according to MacRumors:

"early testing has been a little rocky, with AT&T seeing a fairly significant test outage yesterday that has them rushing to beef up their MMSC messaging servers. Estimates among those working on the project are that traffic on AT&T's wireless network will be about 40% higher all day on Friday as iPhone users fire pictures and video at one another."

Guess we will know soon enough...

Not that any of you AT&T customers really need the reminder. Regardless, the wait is almost over folks, AT&T is finally flipping the MMS switch for all of their iPhone customers this Friday, September 25th.

Sure, this day marked in your calendars but would any of you like to take bets on whether or not the network will buckle when you have every single iPhone owner sending picture after picture all day long? Don't be too upset when the person you are sending the image to tells you they have not gotten it yet. That's more than likely to happen unless AT&T really used this extra time wisely and beefed up their network like they claimed in preparation for the flood gates they are about to open...

Still, according to some of our readers, it seems as if AT&T is currently sending out text messages reminding you of this day that so many of you cherish.

"Picture &video message(MMS) will be available for iphone on 9/25. While we prepare your account for MMS capability, the current " view my message" experience will be turned off but your ability to send and receive text messages will not be affected."

How many of you have received this message?

[Thanks for the tip Mike!]

Some readers are telling us they can already access MMS on AT&T. This has been happening for a while, of course. Justin was able to use MMS during the 3.1 beta, after all. We figured AT&T was testing the system. Now, AT&T officially has until the promised September 25 drop date to get all iPhone users up and running, however, it appears more and more people are gaining access to MMS and it's not going away (at least yet).

So, in an effort to find out just how widespread this early MMS access is, we're running the poll above, and if you are getting MMS already, asking you to let us know where, and for how long in the comments below.

Welcome to From the Forums. If you are curious as to what all of the hot topics are on the TiPb forums, this is the place to be. In order to create any new threads of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is a simple process that will only take a few minutes out of your day, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now.

Our first thread of the day includes a poll and comes to us from cobra302 - Glass up or down? Are you one of the brave few who actually set their iPhone face down?

Like c0mpguru mentions in the following thread, MMS is finally coming to your iPhone on September 25th. Most of you should be excited judging from the anger and outrage from this long delay but we want to know have your feelings changed what so ever toward AT&T?

So you are having an issue with your iPhone and need some help? Perhaps you have some time to kill and feel like helping others with their iPhone issues? If you answered yes to either of these questions then please stop by and visit our dedicated iPhone Help forum.

See you on the forums!

AT&T is promising MMS on September 25, along with a software update to enable it. Sounds like iPhone 3.1 to us. Show it off at the September 9 Music Event along with the third generation iPod touch, then release it a couple weeks later to coincide with MMS?

WhenWillApple reports that AT&T MMS is already working for them in Florida under iPhone 3.1 Beta 3. and while it might just be another random network test, could it also be a sign of what's to come?

Anyone else rocking AT&T MMS on iPhone 3.1 Beta 3? Say where and when in the comments!

Most AT&T iPhone owners have been waiting for any word from their beloved carrier regarding the activation of MMS and as it turns out, AT&T just notified us personally to make sure we pass on the good word that MMS will be available on the iPhone on September 25th.

The date is September 25th, which does indeed fall a few days past the official end of summer. It was important to give our customers a positive experience from day one. We support more iPhone customers than any other carrier in the world so we took the time necessary to make sure our network is ready to handle what we expect will be a record volume of MMS traffic. We truly appreciate our customers� patience and hope they�ll understand our desire to get it right from the start.

The email went on to also make a point that this indeed will be a software update that iPhone owners will need to download via iTunes. Perhaps the release date for iPhone OS 3.1?

Anyone exited yet?

*Just to be clear, MMS will only be available on iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. No MMS is offered for the original iPhone 2G.

Updated to include AT&T Network 101 & MMS Availability Update (thanks Gregg & sil3ntrid3r11!)

Has AT&T been delaying the US launch of iPhone 3.0's MMS and tethering services due to concerns about their network being able to handle it? Um, yeah, that would have been our guess... The New York Times, however, states it as fact:

[AT&T] has also delayed bandwidth-heavy features like multimedia messaging, or text messages containing pictures, audio or video. It is also postponing �tethering,� which allows the iPhone to share its Internet connection with a computer, a standard feature on many rival smartphones. AT&T says it has no intention of capping how much data iPhone owners use.

How big is the concern? AT&T claims they've diverted $18 billion to upgrade and expand their 3G network to handle the load, but that getting local approval to build towers takes time, as does upgrading existing infrastructure.

Analysts quoted seem to agree with TiPb readers that AT&T may just have been hit first and hardest by the iPhone, but other networks will face the same problem if/when they start to see iPhone class devices hitting their towers in the same numbers.

So, is AT&T doing the right thing delaying MMS and tethering until, you know, they'll actually work, or do you just want your features and want them now? Or do you just not buy this whole "data usage conspiracy" at all?

The minute our iPhone calendars turned from August 31 to September 1, TiPb's email box started getting many colorful variations of "Summer is over, where's our [redacted redacted redacted... redacted!] MMS and tethering!

While Apple showed off the front-end for MMS and tethering back in March, released it along with iPhone 3.0 in June, and most of the rest of the world has been enjoying it ever since, AT&T is a notable, and increasingly infuriating exception. Late summer (and when is that exactly?), and that it will be no extra charge, is all they've said. And whether you personally would use MMS or not, right now you don't even have that choice.

We've heard all the excuses, from AT&T's network can barely handle the iPhone as-is, and MMS and especially tethering would bring it, crashing and burning, to its knees, to a rumor that AT&T had to manually turn on MMS for every single iPhone account on their system. We've also heard it may be announced as part of Apple's September 9th event. That would be very late summer indeed.

But that's all we've heard. There's been no status update from AT&T that we can find, no attempt to keep their users in the loop, no expression of sympathy for the frustration their users are voicing (or emailing us!). AT&T is being almost Apple-esque in their lack of communications and for a company that's in the communications business -- and is charging high monthly rates to its consumers -- that's just not good enough.

Is it?

Apple and AT&T are being sued in Louisiana over the lack of MMS available for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users running iPhone 3.0 software. Now, it's gotten to the point where TiPb doesn't pay too much attention to Apple lawsuits anymore just because they're so frequent we'd need to get the blog roomier pants, and while we're not lawyers and can't comment as to the merits of this case, it's yet another (painful) reminder that AT&T has dropped the ball when it comes to MMS on the iPhone and especially when it comes to communicating what's happening -- and keeping updated -- their long suffering user base.

Says TG Daily:

Apple, says the filings, has revealed that AT&T has never upgraded its towers so as to support MMS functionality. "The only excuse offered by AT&T and Apple is a mouseprint disclaimer on the website, in barely readable font, which reads 'MMS Support from AT&T coming in late summer'".

That's the part where it kind of falls down for us, however. Now, I'm not on AT&T, but several of our readers are and as part of beta tests and carrier tests, some of them have indeed sent MMS messages on AT&T, and AT&T's website seems to show it working for other phones, so... huh?

Is this once again an absurd claim distracting from the real issue -- that summer grows later and later, and there's still no word on iPhone MMS from AT&T? What are they waiting for, a Special Music Event?!

[Thanks to Gregg for the tip!]

Apple announced that iPhone 3.0 would include MMS functionality way back on March 17 at the Sneak Peak Event. At WWDC 2009 Apple announced MMS would be available by launch day, June 19, to iPhone users all over the world -- except on AT&T.

Since then AT&T, already enjoying the disdain accredited to all modern, oligopolistic carriers, has taken an even worse beaten than usual in the arena of public perception. Either they were incapable of supporting the sheer number of iPhones they exclusively locked down on their network, or they were incompetent in handling the roll out in a timely manner. Even Apple's VP of iPhone Software, Scott Forstall, gave AT&T their equivalent of the stank-eye during his WWDC keynote segment. "Late summer" is all we've heard in terms of schedule, and the summer... it grows late.

But here's the thing we're curious about: let's say AT&T did launch MMS back on June 19 like the rest of the world, or let's say they launched it today even -- would you really use it? How many and how much? What kind of an onslaught is AT&T desperate to delay looking at here?

[Thanks to iPhoneduke for the prompt]

It’s that time again — time for us to pick out some of the hot topics on TiPb’s forums. In order for you to reply to any of the following threads please be sure to register. It’s a painless process that will only take a moment of your time. We promise!

Our first thread today was started by Rene, and he wants your opinion - who's at fault over the latest iTunes update and it's halting communication with the Pre - Apple or Palm? Palm had to see this coming no? Let us know what you think!

This next thread was started by Behshad, and he wants to know when AT&T finally gets around to activating MMS - will you even use it? Personally I've gotten used to using email to send pictures, especially coming over from Windows Mobile and Sprint 2 years ago. But if it's there, I'll use it. How about you?

Every single one of us here at TiPb have come from, or still currently use a Palm device, so this next thread we hold close and dear to our hearts. Scott R wants all the Palm users (or ex-Palm users) to chime in and share his or her dislikes and likes for the iPhone. Help him out and let him know what you think.

Lastly, we'd like to point out a newer forum you can find on our forums - iPhone App Announcements. This is a great place for you to check out to see what new applications developers have to offer and you may even find some free promo codes in there as well! And if you are a developer, feel free to post about your new application and chat with some of our forum members to get some feedback!

See you on the forums!

TiPb is constantly receiving the big question regarding AT&T and MMS - will there be an extra charge for it? The answer is a simple no. The better question would be - when will we actually see it?

Later this summer, as part of the 3.0 software, AT&T will make multimedia messaging (MMS) available at no extra cost to customers with a text messaging bundle.

Now "later this summer" can literally mean June 19th for all we know. TiPb thinks AT&T faithful will see MMS sooner than you may think.

More AT&T related questions can be answered via this AT&T FAQ.

We'll just pass then the mic and let you tell us what you think in the comments!

Regarding MMS:

We absolutely will offer MMS on iPhone 3G S in late summer once we complete some system upgrades that will ensure our customers have the best experience with MMS.  These upgrades are unrelated to our 3G network.  When MMS is ready, we will let customers know.

Regarding offering a tethering plan:

We plan to offer one but we don’t have an announcement to make at this time.

Joe Chandler
Executive Director
AT&T Corporate Communications

[Thanks to Phil for bringing this one home!]

Although humorous for the crowd attending the WWDC Keynote today, when Apple VP of iPhone Software, Scott Forstall, announced MMS and Tethering, AT&T being deferred until later this summer on the first count, and totally glossed over on the second count, likely won't be as amusing for US iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S owners who will miss out on fairly standard functionality other carriers and regions may get on 3.0 launch come June 17.

To learn more about iPhone tethering, visit Apple's iPhone feature page. To learn more about AT&T's support for these features--

Apple why must you hurt us like this? Ever since the announcement of the iPhone OS 3.0 software you've left first generation iPhone owners with a bad taste in their mouths by claiming MMS -- Multimedia Messaging Service -- would not work on their devices due to "hardware limitations". Well MacLife went on a mission to find the truth:

We decided to get to the root of the problem by calling up the makers of the chip--Infineon. We contacted an Infineon representative in Milpitas, CA to uncover the details. The gentleman that answered the phone kindly explained that there is no way the Infineon chip inside the original iPhone is incapable of receiving MMS since that function relies on software rather than hardware.

None of the above should shock any of you, in fact TiPb thought this was the case from the moment it was announced during the 3.0 keynote. If developers of Jailbreak apps, such as Swirly MMS, can figure out a way to send a picture via MMS then there must be a genius at Apple who can surely do it, if not better!

MacLife also went ahead and contacted Apple to see what they had to say about this and we are sure all of you can pretty much guess what their response was. If not, here you go:

"Now the hardware has changed enough between these two devices that not all the features will be available on the original iPhone. For instance, MMS and stereo Bluetooth will not be available on the original iPhone."

If you own a first generation iPhone and don't plan on upgrading it anytime soon, how do you feel about this? TiPb is curious...

[Via Maclife]

Along with iPhone 3.0 Beta 5, which appears to hide away MMS functionality for AT&T, Apple also seeded the second pre-release version of iTunes 8.2, which looks like it blocks editing of the iPhone carrier file. In previous beta releases, developers were able to use the carrier file to enable tethering, something built into iPhone 3.0 by Apple but entirely dependent on as-yet-not-given carrier approval.

Did AT&T ask for the new lockdown? Perhaps the MMS stripping as well? Nothing but speculation so far...

(Thanks Andrew for the tip!)

UPDATE 3: Pretty much confirmed now. No more MMS for AT&T. Also, iTunes 8.2 Pre-Release 2 blocks editing of the carrier file. No more tethering.

UPDATE 2: Received this: "eems as if they stopped people from being able to tether and get mms by altering the carrier settings... people who changed theirs at the start can no longer access it.." Let us know what you're experiencing with MMS on Beta 5.

UPDATE 1: This may only happen for those doing clean installs (not restoring from a previous backup) so if MMS is vital to your iPhone 3.0 dev work, that may be the route you want to go for now.

We're getting some early reports that iPhone 3.0 Beta 5 now hides MMS functionality from AT&T users (see Beta 4 and 5 comparison pics, above). Previously, buttons and settings for MMS were present, though not enabled by default, though hacks allowed MMS to be turned on for AT&). Now, however, all visible signs appear to be gone, and it's too early to tell if hacks may still re-surface and re-enable them.

Anyone else seeing this?

Note: iPhone 3.0, MMS was never surfaced on some carriers like Rogers (Canada).

No sooner has iPhone 3.0 Beta 4 been released, then our tip-lines have been filling up with finds. So far the big news looks to be that that mysterious "Store" tap, icon-less and empty in previous betas, now sports user info.

Also, the camera is now polite enough to ask if you like the photo you just took and want to save it, or if you don't and want a chance to re-take it. Note: we're not sure about this change yet, it may only be implemented for MMS, and may have been around in previous betas (lots of maybes, we know, we're trying to sort through everything as efficiently as possible.) If it is system wide, some of us will lament the loss of our ability to rapidly snap photo after photo without the interruption of requesters...

(Thanks Andrew and anons!)

BGR, prompted by a forum post on MacRumors, has tested out some iPhone 3.0 functionality and...:

We’re happy to report that you can receive and play videos over MMS just fine

Sure to be a hit with the MMS lovers, though also likely to once again inflame the "no-video-recording-on-iPhone" frustraterati!

[Thanks to Gabriel for the tip!]

Whew! The feature announcements in the iPhone 3.0 event came fast and furious. One of the most-wanted features, MMS, will be supported when 3.0 is released to consumer this summer. That's the good news. The bad news: Apple claims that the radio on the original iPhone 2G can't support MMS, so that feature will not make it to 1st gen iPhones.

MMS on the iPhone 3G looks to be almost full-featured. You will be able to send and receive photos, audio, vCard (contact cards), and 'location.' One thing that won't be supported on MMS: Video. The iPhone 3G still can't record video and therefore, one assumes, receiving video MMS will be difficult.

Still - it's lovely to see the iPhone finally support a feature that's common not only on other smartphones, but on nearly every feature phone made. iPhone 3.0 can't come soon enough!

Prior to Macworld 2009, Daring Fireball mused openly about how neat it would be for the iPod Shuffle to get voice functionality, and on Wednesday last it did. Now Gruber is reminding us that his "wish-list" for iPhone OS 3.0 includes:

a new home screen app (a.k.a. SpringBoard), designed from the ground up for a system where users have a few dozen or more extra apps installed. Managing dozens of apps on the iPhone today is simply a pain in the ass. Second, maybe an answer to the question of where the background notification API is — you know, the one we were told at WWDC to expect a few months ago, but which we haven’t heard a word about since. And maybe — pretty please, Mr. Forstall, with sugar on top — copy and paste.

But is this really a wish-list, or a (somewhat disingenuous?) way of passing along actual, leaked information on the new OS? MacRumors seems to think the latter, saying they have reason to believe a new SpringBoard, Push Notification (or Background Tasks), and Cut/Copy and Paste will indeed be on the iPhone OS 3.0 feature list. For good measure, they're also tossing in magnetometer support (i.e. compass functionality like the Android G1 enjoys).

Added to yesterday's rumors from Boy Genius about MMS and Tethering, however, and we're afraid things are lining up just a little too much like a 3.0 panacea for iPhone's previous OS "greatest misses". And if that's the case, it might be expectations -- rather than notifications -- that get "pushed" for next Tuesday's iPhone OS 3.0 Sneak Peak. (We're nothing if not fickle audiences, after all).

So, are these really inside information on what we'll be seeing come March 17? Or are these truly more wish-lists than feature-lists?

(And are we waiting on Kevin Rose to add Mobile iChat to the 3.0 mix?)

We have a few good topics being discussed on the forums today, so lets get right to it.

First up, What is the most over-rated missing iPhone feature? MMS? Copy and Paste perhaps? Something else? Check that thread out and cast your vote!

Back in December we told you that AT&T started selling refurbished iPhones. Well that brings us to our next thread, started by Madscotsman. He is wondering about the quality of the refurbished iPhones that AT&T is currently selling. If you have bought one, how is it holding up? Is everything grand or have you had issues?

This next thread was started by xintelinsanex, it's all about the new iPhone. What do you expect from Apple? Better camera, more storage, how about a higher resolution screen? Describe what your ideal next generation iPhone should be!

New to iPhone and need some protection to make sure it stays in perfect condition? Well you are going to need a case and what a better thread to see what other forum members are using than the iPhone 3G Case Options thread. If you bought a case that you loved or hated... be sure to give your opinion!

Before posting in our forums be sure to be a registered member, it's free and will only take a minute or two of you time. Registration can be done right here.

See you on the forums!

Reader Jose wrote in to tell us that MMS has finally come to the iPhone! Er... Sorta:

since yesterday, vodafone Portugal has a MMS app for the iPhone! It looks like the mail app and it works very well! It's awesome, you can send and recieve MMS.. but it only works on iPhones from vodafone Portugal! It's called iMMS!

We've heard about European-localized iPhone MMS apps before, but this appears to be the first on to actually become officially available [iTunes Portugal App Store Link].

Full screenshot gallery after the break, but we gotta ask: anyone here want a version for their country?

So you've mastered iPhone 101: How to Email a Photo from your iPhone, but you still have friends and family on other phones and they want MMS. One of the biggest gripes against the iPhone, of course, is the lack of MMS. But there is a work around.

Chances are if you are a member of the TiPb forums you may already know it. Either way, read on after the break and we'll show you how!

To email a photo to another cell phone is a pretty easy, except the casual iPhone user or someone who just got their iPhone may have no idea it is even possible! Here's how it works: instead of emailing a picture to a normal email address all you have to do is send it to the a cell phone MMS address. For example, 6305551234@pm.sprint.com. That's all there is to it. The person receiving the picture will get it as a normal MMS message.

Not every carrier has the same MMS email address, so below I have supplied you with all of the major carriers addresses.

• Alltel - xxxxxxxxxx@message.alltel.com

• AT&T - xxxxxxxxxx@mms.att.net

• Boost Mobile - xxxxxxxxxx@myboostmobile.com

• Einstein PCS - xxxxxxxxxx@einsteinmms.com

• Sprint - xxxxxxxxxx@pm.sprint.com

• T-Mobile - xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net

• US Cellular - xxxxxxxxxx@mms.uscc.net

• Verizon Wireless - xxxxxxxxxx@vzwpix.com

• Virgin Mobile - xxxxxxxxxx@vmobl.com

• Nextel - xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.nextel.com

Bonus tip: To make it easier on yourself, be sure to add these email addresses to your contacts so you don't always have to remember them. You can also let your friends know that if they want to get you an MMS message they can simply send it to the normal email address that you currently have set up on your iPhone and not your mobile phone number.

Enjoy!

Welcome to iPhone 101, our help and how-to series for brand new and beginner iPhone users. If you're moving up from a feature phone, you may be surprised to discover one feature the iPhone is missing: MMS. Whether it's still coming, inexplicably omitted, or a callous way to force users into platform and device independent protocols, currently the only way to send a photo from your iPhone is via good old Email. After the break, we'll show you how!

To send a photo, you need to be in either the Photo application or the Camera Roll inside the Camera application.

If you're in the Photo app, first choose the album that contains your photo. If you're in the Camera Roll, you're already good to go.

Either tap the photo you want to send, or swipe sideway to browse through the album and find it. Once you have your photo, if you don't see the menu bar already, tap the screen once to bring it up. On the bottom left, tap the Send Photo icon to slide up your options.

Choose the Email Photo. (If you have MobileMe, you'll see you can also send your Photo directly to your web gallery -- more on that in a future post).

Your photo will shrink a bit and a blank email message will slide up behind it.

Tap on the To: field and start typing to bring up email addresses from your contacts. As as many as you like. You can also tap on the CC/BCC field to copy additional contacts or add blind copies, and to change your Sent From: address if you have more than one email account set up on your iPhone.

Tap Subject to give your email a title, and tap above the photo in the body of the email to add any descriptions or messages you want to go along with your Photo.

When you're happy with your email, hit Send and presto! your email is on its way.

Note: Presently you can only send one photo via email at a time, so you'll have to wait until it finishes sending the email to repeat the process (how long this takes depends on the speed of your connection: fast for WiFi, fast-ish for 3G/HSPA, and slooooow for 2G/EDGE). The email option will be ghosted out while your iPhone is busy, so if you see it available, you'll know you're good to go to send the next Photo.

Let us know how it works for you, and if have any extra tips for new users, please drop them in the comments!

Remember that rumor from MacWorld Sweden about iPhone MMS? That Telia was going to launch their own App for the iPhone? Turns out there is an MMS App launching and Telia will offer it, though it actually originates with Mobispine.

Mobispine AB (MOBS) the market leader in delivering mobile solutions to operators announced the availability of the world’s first true Multimedia Messaging (MMS) for iPhone. Mobispine is now offering a “white label” MMS service for iPhone to global operators. This new and innovative service will increase revenue per user (ARPU) and generate profits for operators.

So will there be an AT&T branded MMS App in the US? Rogers in Canada? O2 in the UK? Etc.? Will some carriers opt not to get involved? If so, do we then hate on them rather than Apple? Or should things like MMS not depend on carriers or 3rd parties, but be baked right into the OS? (Or should MMS just be left to die so Email can inherit the mobile future as well?)

(Thanks to Tobbe for the tip!)

Daring Fireball links to a translation of a Swedish MacWorld rumor (Google translation) that quotes Telia as saying as MMS app would soon be available for the iPhone. Phew! Broken telephone much? Tries to clarify Gruber:

Not sure if this means Telia is writing their own MMS iPhone app, or if they’re suggesting that Apple is adding MMS support to the system software. I haven’t seen any reports of MMS support in the iPhone OS 2.2 betas.

Could this be a surprise feature? Personally, I never use it. I prefer device independent protocols like email and IM to handle my communications, but I know many of my fellow TiPbsters are still dying to get their multi-touch on this baby, so what do you think?

Apple bringing it? Telia? And if so, would other carriers like AT&T follow suit with MMS apps of their own? Do we want that kind of fragmentation, after it's taken so long to get even the little interoperability that currently exists?

Back in August AT&T sent out a customer satisfaction survey to all iPhone owners. Well now it seems a new survey is being sent out to all of us on the AT&T network asking how the 2.1 firmware is working for us and what we want to see next on your iPhone 3G.

Now don't get too excited yet! Just because they are asking what we want does not necessarily mean we will get it. Keep in mind Apple has stated before that certain features such as copy/paste and directional GPS take a back seat to other issues that need addressing so on and so forth. But it is better than AT&T and Apple flat out ignoring us right? So at least it is a start.

Apple Insider states:

The questionnaire asks owners to pick the top five hardware or software add-ons they'd like to see and include many of the most prominent requests made in the community, including cutting and pasting text, built-in instant messaging, Flash/Java support and MMS messaging.

So when and if you get this survey, be sure to speak your mind and let AT&T what know what you want. This is our chance... they seem to be listening. (Or at least they are pretending to be!)

[Via Appleinsider]

Let me just start off by saying, no this will not take the place of a real MMS app. I think that ball is in Apple's court. But Fliq will come in handy if you have a few friends with iPhones and are connected to the same WiFi network.

What is Fliq? Fliq was created by Mark/Space and is a "social networking application that allows iPhone and iPod touch users to instantly send, or "beam", photos and contacts to one another".

Now this is all fine and dandy but one thing I wish this app allowed you to do to is send data via a 3G or EDGE signal. Because lets face it, how often do you share a WiFi signal with a bunch of friends with iPhones? None the less, this app is worth trying out and for the low price of free at the App Store you really have nothing to lose. Give it a go and let us know what you think in the comments!

One of the biggest complaints I hear regarding the iPhone? You guessed it! Where is the picture mail (MMS)?! A while back I started a forum thread that told readers how to send a picture with a email attached to any cell phone, to any network, from the iPhone. But the truth of the matter is, MMS is really not all that it is cracked up to be. (it is convenient though, I will give it that). I'm used to not having MMS on my Sprint Windows Mobile devices so when I made the switch to an iPhone it was never a big deal. But for some, it's a major deal.

Well now there is a nice little MMS alternative called Flutter, available on the App Store. It allows you to send pictures to any cell phone number in your contacts app. And it's free, which is always a bonus.

For more information and pictures head on over to The Boy Genius Report or visit Flutter's home page.

While Flutter does have some potential in it, email is still the way to go. I will however, be paying close attention to future updates... like the ability to receive pictures maybe?

Have you checked out our forums lately? The community is growing and the commentary is getting better and better each day. Unconvinced? I’ll bring out a thread, a post, a topic, or a comment directly from the forums and post it on TiPb’s front page every week to prove it to you. We here at TiPb love the interplay, quid pro quo, repartee with our readers, so step up your creativity and tighten up your diction, you could be next!

This week we have a great tip from our moderator extraordinaire Bad Ash! We all obviously know that MMS is missing in the iPhone and even though we may have differences in opinion about MMS (it being a limited technology, for one) but the fact of the matter is that MMS has become the pseudo-standard for sending pictures on cell phones.

So, how can we send MMS pictures if we're using the iPhone? Well you'll have to check out Bad Ash's post won't ya! Hint: It involves attaching the phone number to a carrier specific e-mail address. E-mailing that address will send the picture via MMS. It's easy as pie!

Go check out Bad Ash's tip on how to send MMS to other cell phones!

The webs are a blogger over (some awesomely sarcastic) reports originating from iPhone Atlas that -- wait for it -- an internal AT&T memo has revealed that MMS (Multimedia Messaging Services) will be among the new features revealed with the immanent iPhone 2.0 firmware release.

MMS -- a crusty old mobile-to-mobile technology that, once competing networks and technologies learned to play nice, let handset owners send photos, videos, and music to each other in the days when underpowered units were incapable -- or diliberately walled-off from -- established cross-platform file transfer standards -- has been one of the top most griped about features "missing" from the original iPhone 1.x firmware.

Is it for realzy realz this time? No idea. AT&T has been silent on iPhone 3G SMS plans to data (which some take to mean there won't be any other than the plans already available to every other smartphone), and yet Apple wouldn't really be Apple unless they were deliberately leaving off some obvious feature or another for no apparent reason, now would they?

With more rumors saying 2.0 has gone Gold Master, we should find out one way or another soon enough!