iPhone Owners, Beware! (Of Iffy iPhone Studies)

BREAKING NEWS: Your Apple iPhone is bound to break! At least, if you believe a new study by an electronics warranty company that, by pure coincidence, happens to be promoting an iPhone warranty plan on its home page right now. Breaking news? Broken news might be more like it, as far as I'm concerned.

The report, conducted by warranty seller SquareTrade, made its way into the blogosphere this week and has been steadily building buzz on Twitter ever since. It claims that Apple's iPhone is "prone to accidental damage," seemingly implying (though never directly asserting) that the iPhone may be more likely to break than its smartphone competitors.

Don't fall for the attention-grabbing headline, though: There's far more to this "resea
rch" than meets the eye.

When iPhones Fail

The SquareTrade study (PDF) starts, soundly enough, by comparing the iPhone 3G to the BlackBerry and the Palm Treo. The company claims that, over a 22-month period, the iPhones it tracked experienced far fewer hardware failures than the other mobile devices. Only 9.9 percent of iPhones malfunctioned during that initial two-year timeframe, SquareTrade says, while 15.3 percent of BlackBerrys and nearly 20 percent of Palm Treos had hardware issues.

That sets the stage for the remainder of the sales pitch -- er, sorry...study. Brace yourself.

When iPhone Research Fails

SquareTrade goes on to claim that "while the iPhone hardware experienced relatively few malfunctions, the real problem with iPhones [are their] susceptibility to failures from accidents." More than 20 percent of all iPhone users, the company says, experience some sort of accidental damage to their device -- leading to a "projection" of any iPhone owner having a 33 percent chance that their device will die within two years of its purchase.

Oddly, the comparisons to other devices end here; SquareTrade doesn't actually ever say how the BlackBerry or Palm Treo fared when it came to "susceptibility to failures from accidents." Sure, the iPhone is "especially susceptible to dying from drops, whether on hard surfaces or into liquids" -- but is it any more so than any other small, sleek electronic device with a glass screen? Could other phones be dropped or watered without incident?

This omission, I'm sure, has nothing with to do with the fact that the iPhone is the only smartphone prominently featured on SquareTrade's home page for warranty sales. It also, I'd imagine, has no relation to the following highly scientific conclusion of the company's "research":

"As the cost to replace iPhones is high, prospective iPhone owners should consider this potentially hidden cost before they buy, or seek other ways to alleviate the cost of replacement, such as buying an extended warranty that covers drops and water immersion."

SquareTrade, according to its home page, is the only company offering an iPhone warranty that covers handling-related accidents. You know, things like drops and water immersion.

Intel and Nokia to Rattle Mobile Landscape

Plenty of questions linger regarding Intel and Nokia's partnership, but one thing we can count on is the two powerful tech players will rattle the mobile landscape. The Intel and Nokia partnership, announced yesterday, was slim on specifics but brimming with potential as both announced they would collaborate on a mobile-computing partnership.

The duo has the very real potential to shower consumers with dozens of shiny new Nokia and Intel products from super-smart smartphones that transmit voice and data at lightning speed and efficiency or something like a hybrid netbook/notebook that fits in your shirt pocket.

We will have to wait and see what becomes of the partnership because both executives from Intel and Nokia were mum on what type of gizmos we will be seeing and when. While the brunt of the announcement focused on explaining how both would deliver a new mobile platform, such as Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), it's what was not said that may generate the most interest and should have Apple, AMD, and other mobile players interested.

Intel Partners Scratch Heads

While Intel and Nokia skimped on specifics, left dangling in the wind are questions about how this announcement will impact Intel's relationships with other companies it has longstanding relationships with. For example, Intel has made significant inroads with Apple, where many of its Macintosh computers are based upon Intel CPUs - will an Intel powered Nokia iPhone competitor strain Apple's relationship with Intel? Concerns should also surround Intel's relationship with Microsoft - will an Intel powered Nokia MID running Android or Linux impact Microsoft's sales of Windows Mobile?

Nokia, Intel Marriage: Jealous?

One thing is certain: Intel may be taking a big risk with its dive into the mobile wireless device market with Nokia. Intel has to be careful not to upset its current partners, yet still work with Nokia to deliver new and impressive devices to consumers. Perhaps, the biggest winner here will be AMD, which has already made inroads with Gateway into the netbook market and is poised to challenge Intel in the low cost computing arena.

If They Were Smart . . .

Still more questions remain about WiMax and alternative operating systems (Android and Linux). The smart move for both companies would be to quickly introduce a MID that shouts innovation. That innovation could come in the form of integrating WiMax into an Android based tablet, which can switch between various wireless modes, while providing the features of a Kindle and iPhone combined, add Bluetooth for a headset and viola, the companies would have something that could compete against netbooks, Kindles and iPods.

Together Intel and Nokia have the technology to make this happen. Nokia has already unsuccessfully dabbled with tablets and Intel already has experimented with cellular phone technology, so both companies have the background to make something happen quickly, and to become masters of the wireless market. Unfortunately, both companies may have to tick off some of their existing partners, at least a little, to seize the day and make this new relationship deliver something significant.

Is a $99 Palm 'Eos' in the Works to Challenge Apple?

Here's a blurry rendering of the Palm Eos from the guys over at Engadget
The Palm Pre may have just debuted at $199 (after rebate), but a cheaper, smaller Palm smartphone may be just around the corner. According to Mike Abramsky, an analyst for RBC Capital Markets, Palm will launch its $99 Pixie -- or perhaps it'll be named the Eos -- as early as Q4 2009.

Rumors of the Pixie/EOS have been circulating for months, and some reports predict the phone will resemble the popular Palm Centro with a touchscreen and a physical keyboard. A shrunken version of the Pre is unlikely, however, without some major design changes. In her review of the Pre, PC World's Ginny Miles praised the phone's interface and touchscreen, but was less than thrilled with its physical keyboard:

"Unfortunately, Palm seems to have sacrificed keyboard usability in the interest of compactness. While I appreciated having a physical keyboard, I disliked the design . . .The keys weren't too tiny for my small hands, but some of my colleagues found them quite cramped."

Another option for a future Pre: Palm could ditch the slide-out keyboard and replace it with a touchscreen version, a la the Apple iPhone. (Today's Pre lacks a touch keyboard.) Certainly, the Pre's best feature is its webOS operating system, which Palm will likely port to other Web-enabled devices next year, Abramsky believes.

Whatever Palm has up its sleeve, it definitely needs a webOS-enabled smartphone to compete with the iPhone 3G. Aggressively priced at $99 and featuring Apple's slick iPhone 3.0 software update, the 3G is arguably the best smartphone value on the market today.

Go to jbertolucci.blogspot.com for links to Jeff Bertolucci's PC World blog posts.

Asus and Disney Join Forces on Kid-Friendly Netbooks

Add this to the list of unexpected business partnerships: Asus and Disney have combined their expertise in computers and cartoons to produce a Disney-themed netbook called the Netpal. Available in "Princess Pink" or "Magic Blue," the Netpal will be available in late July.

The Netpal should be perfect for the Disney fans who need a laptop that packs a little more punch than the $30 Vtech Disney Princess Carriage "Laptop" and just aren't feeling the Snow White look of the older Lenovo IdeaPad Y330 Disney Limited Edition.

The Netpal will be sold by Toys ‘R' Us, DisneyStore.com, and Amazon.com for $350, which will get you a 2.6-pound laptop with 1GB of RAM, Windows XP Home, an 8.9-inch display (1024-by-600 resolution), and a 1.6GHz Intel N270 processor.

There will be two models available: one with a 160GB HDD, and one with a 16GB SSD (the latter will be about half a pound lighter), and both will come with SD/MMC card readers, a 3-megapixel camera, a VGA port, and three USB ports.

The Netpal also comes with a handful of preinstalled themes inspired by Disney and Disney/Pixar movies, including Cars and Vintage Mickey Mouse (as well as Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers themes for the more-mature Disney fan). There's also plenty of Disney-specific software that comes with the Netpal, so if you're having a hard time finding Hannah Montana on Pandora, you might have better luck with Disney Radio.

For parents who balk at buying a $350 PC for children on a toy-breaking streak, the Netpal's design may give them some peace of mind: it packs a spill-proof keyboard and is protected against data loss from impact by Asus ShockShield technology.

It also has plenty of parental control options; parents can restrict their children's access to particular sites or programs, limit e-mail correspondence to certain addresses, set different permissions corresponding to different scheduled times (sorry, Junior -- no Internet after 8 p.m.), and even provide statistics on what users are doing online. You can also figure out how much time the kids are spending playing Flash games when they're supposed to be studying.

New Google Phone Expected Next Week from T-Mobile

What's smaller than the iPhone and thinner than the G1? It's T-Mobile's second Android-powered phone: myTouch 3G. Or at least that's the rumor, anyway. Next week, T-Mobile is expected to announce a summer launch date for another Android-powered phone from HTC called the myTouch 3G, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The myTouch 3G will have a touchscreen but no physical keyboard, as well as a G1-styled trackball and navigation buttons. But that's where the similarities end; overall, the new Android phone will reportedly resemble the HTC Magic, currently available in the

U.K. In fact, the myTouch 3G could simply be a renamed version of the Magic. Earlier this month, PC World's Daniel Ionescu posited this theory after all attendees of Google's I/O conference received an HTC Magic handset to take home and try out. That free giveaway seemed very generous at the time, but it makes more sense from a marketing viewpoint if the Magic is about to be released in the U.S.

The Journal says the myTouch will have a glossy look with a rounded back that is smaller than the iPhone but thinner than the original Android phone to hit the U.S -- the G1. As for new features, the myTouch 3G could come with voice-activated search and video capability.

This is the third time we've heard about a new Android phone from HTC in the coming months. Just a few weeks ago, rumors were circulating about the HTC Hero launching on June 24, with a big bash planned for London. Based on the rumors, however, the Hero and the myTouch don't sound like the same phone. The Hero is rumored to be coming to AT&T and would also be a touchscreen-only device. A second Hero model may also be in the works, possibly renamed the Lancaster or Memphis, that would come with a keyboard. The Hero is supposed to use HTC's TouchFlo 3D user interface, but there's no word on whether the myTouch would use TouchFlo as well. We've also seen reports about a refreshed G1 coming to T-Mobile called the G2, which could be the same phone as the myTouch 3G.

Google has been saying for some time to expect numerous Android models to hit the U.S. market. The Journal said the search giant is looking forward to seeing around 18 different models this year. Despite these announcements and predictions, so far only the G1 has appeared in the U.S.

But here are some other signs that a new Android model could be hitting store shelves soon. The myTouch 3G is rumored to have a $179.99 price tag with a two-year contract. That's the same price as the G1 -- or at least it was. T-Mobile recently slashed the price of the G1 by $30 to $149.99. Is this a sign that a new Google phone is about to hit the market? I guess we'll have to wait until next week to find out.

Verizon, AT&T: Buy a Texting Plan and We Won’t Rip You Off

Artwork: Chip Taylor

If you're not buying a monthly text-message plan from your wireless carrier, you're getting ripped off. This isn't news, I know, but testimony before Congress this week from the nation's top wireless carriers makes this clear to occasional texters like me who don't want a message bundle.

Representatives from Verizon Wireless and AT&T appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust subcommittee in Washington on Tuesday to address allegations that U.S. wireless carriers are colluding to set prices for text messaging.

The collusion claims have been brewing for months now, and for good reason. The nation's top four cellular providers -- AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless -- each charge 20 cents per text message, a rate that's doubled from 10 cents in 2006. However, only users with a pay-per-use (PPU) plan for texting face those steep rates.

Highway robbery? You bet. But apparently the PPU deal is for suckers only. Um, like me.

I did a quick comparison of the lowest-priced text message plans from the four major carriers. They are:

* AT&T: 200 messages for $5 a month (2.5 cents per message)
* Sprint: 300 messages for $5 a month (1.67 cents)
* T-Mobile: 300 messages for $5 a month (1.67 cents)
* Verizon: 250 messages for $5 a month (2 cents)

These estimates assume you're texting up to the monthly limit, of course, which probably isn't the case all the time. But even if you use half your allotted texts, you're still paying a small fraction of the PPU rate.

Am I cheap? Probably. But more importantly, I hate being forced to pay for services I don't want or need, such as 200 to 300 text messages a month. I send and receive maybe 10 to 15 texts a month. So is it fair that my carrier AT&T charges me eight times the bundled rate?

Yes, I know we're talking a few bucks here. So call me cheap. I'm arguing on principle.

According to a prepared statement by AT&T general counsel Wayne Watts, "less than 1% of AT&T's postpaid text messaging volume is handled on a PPU basis. Instead, the vast majority of our customers take advantage of AT&T's multiple messaging pricing plans, including those that provide a package of messages for a flat monthly rate."

So not only am I a sucker, I may be the only one.

Watts also points out that U.S. wireless carriers are "competing fiercely on many levels," and offer consumers a variety of voice and messaging plans. When it comes to texting fees, there's no collusion at all, he claims.

Damn. I just got a text message. Another 20 cents down the drain.
True? It's hard to say. The universal adoption of the 20-cent-per-message fee by the Big Four does look suspicious. Then again, when you've got numerous vendors duking it out in a highly competitive wireless market, collusion seems a lot less likely

T-Mobile Launches Dash 3G

T-Mobile today introduced the T-Mobile Dash 3G, a long-awaited refresh of its predecessor, which we first reviewed more than two years ago. The Dash 3G joins this summer's hot parade of new cell phones, which began earlier this month with the launch of the Palm Pre and continues this week with the launch of the Apple iPhone 3G S and next week's launch of the second T-Mobile phone with Android. The Dash 3G will go on sale in stores in July.

The new Dash 3G is similar to the HTC Snap (available on Sprint and Verizon). It is the first 3G phone from T-Mobile to use the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard Edition operating system. The handset has evolved from its previous iteration to look sleeker and more smoothly designed. It replaces the previous model's five-way nav button and cluster of small nav keys beneath the display with a trackball and clearly defined, round nav buttons. The QWERTY keyboard appears roomy as well.

More details, including price, to come when available. What is known is that the Dash 3G has a QVGA (320 by 240 pixel resolution) display, integrated GPS, Exchange server support, microSDHC card slot, Bluetooth 2.0, and a 2-megapixel camera. These features are a boost over the previous version, but fall short of some of the beefier specs of phones like the Palm Pre or the iPhone 3G.

Palm Releases First Update to webOS

While it boasts no new apps, Version 1.0.3 of Palm Pre's Web OS features a myriad of little updates, including enhanced e-mail support and faster Google synching. Palm touts "synergy" as one of Web OS's important elements, so it's not surprising that many of the updates focus on quicker and easier synchronization with Google.

Google calendar events with symbols or accents in the name can now synchronize ("Lunch@1:30 w/Marie-Élise" is no longer a problem), and the sync interval for both events and contacts has been decreased from every few hours to every 15 minutes. Palm also promises better e-mail performance in areas where wireless coverage has been spotty, as well as support for Non-SSL Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) mail servers.

As far as the little tweaks go, Palm has fixed an alarm clock glitch, which caused alarms to go off on weekends, even if they were set for "weekday only." Version 1.0.3 also includes various other updates to e-mail, phone, and other apps.

So, Pre-owner: Download 1.0.3 now, and make some late-afternoon weekend plans with foreign friends.

Few Queue Up Overnight on Apple's Turf for iPhone

In previous years, the Apple iPhone has prompted lines to form a day or more in advance of the phone's release. The first year the iPhone came out, the San Francisco line resembled acarnival, complete with

Peepshow mini-golf. But this year, it appears sanity has prevailed for the third-generation model, the iPhone 3G S -- becoming available today at AT&T and Apple stores nationwide.

While early reports were quick to mention the formation of a line in New York and San Francisco, the San Francisco iLine (thanks to @harrymccracken for that turn of phrase) has turned out to be a nonevent thus far.

By 4:30 a.m., barely a dozen diehards were queued up at the flagship Apple store by Union Square. As of 3:30 a.m., no one was waiting by the AT&T store at Market and Third, which opens at 7 a.m. for customers who pre-ordered a phone, and 10 a.m. for everyone else.

Technologizer's Harry McCracken, tweeting from the line at the Stonestown Mall's Apple Store, notes, "I've seen longer queues and more commotion at Walgreens' pharmacy on a weekend.

Over the past week, we've seen tremendous interest in the iPhone 3G S. And while I imagine the queues will gain traction as we get closer to opening hours (and more sane waking hours), I have to wonder aloud: Is the lack of pre-launch lines a sign that the iPhone is finally coming back into the stratosphere? Could it be this launch is, dare I say it, pedestrian to consumers shopping for a cell phone, as opposed to an event?

That the general consumer would be treating the iPhone 3G S differently doesn't surprise me. The phone looks the same as the current iPhone 3G from the outside; inside, the iPhone 3G S has some component tweaks (faster processor, more memory, more storage), and a few new features unique to the handset (video recording, voice control) but nothing especially groundbreaking.

iPhone Tethering: Do You Really Need it?

Apple iPhone fans may not have to wait too much longer to get Multimedia Messaging and tethering services from AT&T. A confidential source within AT&T says the carrier will offer MMS by mid-July with tethering to follow about two weeks later, according to Appmodo. But here's the catch: the tethering will run you $55 per month. Previous estimates around the Web had put AT&T's iPhone tethering cost around $70.

If the rumor is correct, it means you could be paying as much as $85 for your data connectivity on the iPhone -- $30 for AT&T's compulsory data charge plus an extra $55. John Gruber over at Daring Fireball believes this is an outrageous price and has his doubts about the rumor's accuracy. Gruber wonders if this price could mean $55 total, with a more reasonable tethering charge of $25. If the rumored U.S. tethering plan is an extra $25, then it would be similar to what iPhone users are paying in Canada and the U.K. That's still incredibly high, though, when you consider iPhone users in Finland, Sweden and Norway are paying $20 a month for unlimited data plans that include tethering; and Australia and New Zealand users aren't charged at all for iPhone tethering.

But is it worth it to tether the iPhone at any cost? I mean, the whole point of the iPhone is to have a device that can view the "actual Web" and not the dumbed-down mobile Internet. Sure, Apple's claim of having "the real Internet" on the iPhone is not entirely accurate, but the fact is you still get a better Web experience on Apple's device compared to other smart phones. So if most of your basic computing can be done on the iPhone, why do you need to tether at all?

Tethering can be a clumsy and annoying way to connect to the Internet, as Computerworld's Mike Elgan pointed out last year. "For most users, who would like to connect from anywhere," Elgan wrote. ". . . tethering is a ridiculous, burdensome kludge created artificially by carrier greed." Elgan goes on to argue that mobile broadband is a far better option, but mobile broadband will cost you on average about $30 to $60 monthly. Oddly enough, that's a similar cost to the rumored tethering options from AT&T.

A better option then, could be to pony up the dough for the MiFi 2200 offered by Sprint and Verizon. The MiFi costs the same on both carriers, which is about $100 after rebates. Of course, you also have to sign up for two years of data service at $59.99 per month for 5GB of data.

Over the life of your MiFi contract, you'd end up paying almost $1500 before surcharges and taxes. That's a hefty chunk of change, but if AT&T really does want to charge you $55 per month for tethering, then the cost of the MiFi makes more sense. Sure, tethering the iPhone is still cheaper at $1320 (plus the cost of your device), but the value of MiFi's service is far superior.

With the MiFi you get to connect five Wi-Fi-capable devices at a time at mobile broadband speeds. The iPhone, on the other hand, delivers the Internet to one device over a deathly slow Bluetooth connection or via USB.

If you can't be bothered with another two-year commitment, Verizon also offers a month-to-month option for the MiFi. The upfront cost is $400 for the device, and then you can choose a lighter monthly plan of $39.99 a month for 250MB of data. Verizon was also supposed to offer a MiFi connectivity day pass at $15 a shot, but at the time of this writing I couldn't find an official reference to the day pass on Verizon's Website.

Whether you can get a day pass or not, the fact is mobile broadband is going to cost you no matter what service you pick. So you have to
ask yourself, is this something you really need? Unless you travel a lot, I would guess you can probably live without mobile access. But if you absolutely need to have broadband anywhere, you may want to consider the superior service of a MiFi or other mobile broadband card instead of tethering on the iPhone.

iPhone World Tour: Smaller Lines but Smiling Buyers

The new iPhone 3G S is still a comparatively popular device, but it has not unleashed a worldwide wave of enthusiasm like its predecessor, the iPhone 3G. Despite long lines in Tokyo, eager early buyers in Paris, and some dedicated enthusiasts in Auckland, New Zealand, we're not seeing the same iPhone mania as we have in previous years.

Here's a quick trip around the world in pursuit of the iPhone 3GS:

Auckland

Despite the promise of free tethering and the honor of being the first iPhone 3G S owners in the world, the iPhone lines in Auckland were lackluster at best. Only ten hours before launch, just five people were line for the 3G S. To put that in perspective, the Kiwi iPhone fans rivaled early line-ups in New York and San Francisco.
Tokyo

The Japanese Website +D Mobile estimates about 200 people were waiting in line this morning at the Softbank flagship store in Tokyo's Omotesando shopping district. It looks like a worldwide recession can't stop Japan's gadget love, but it has slowed it down.

Regent Street, London

Photo: Richard Lai

Like many other locations around the world last year, Apple's beautiful Regent Street Store in London was overwhelmed with customers waiting in line for the 3G. But today, well, not so much.

Blogger Richard Lai posted a play-by-play of his pursuit of the iPhone 3GS. Lai arrived around 5:20 a.m. and was about the fifth person in line. By the time he got in to get his iPhone, there were only about fifty people pursuing the iPhone 3GS.

New York

Apple's Store on Fifth Avenue has been the scene of previous iPhone mayhem, but don't expect similar scenes today. Just before dawn very few people were lining up at Apple's famous glass cube, according to numerous reports. But by the time the store was ready to open at 7 a.m. Eastern Time, the crowd had grown to several hundred. But will it last through the day and the weekend as it did last year? Not likely.

Boston

East Coast buyers in Boston queued up in a drizzle to pick up their iPhones early.

My Boston-based colleage Brennon Slattery reports that the scene lacked the party atmosphere of the past.

San Francisco

Technologizer and former PC World Editor-in-Chief Harry McCracken re

San Francisco iPhone buyer. Photo: Heather Kelly, Macworld
ports on a non-event at his local Apple Store at San Francisco's Stonestown mall. McCracken was the first one in line at 3:15 a.m. Pacific Time. By 6 a.m., McCracken says, the line had grown to eight, way down from iPhone 3G levels.

Downtown San Francisco is about the same as New York, says roaming PC World Senior Editor Melissa Perenson. Here's a Macworld slide show of iPhone buyers at the San Francisco Union Square Apple Store.

However, things got livelier when the doors opened and the first happy buyers burst in to claim their new phones.
iPhone App-athy?

With all the relatively short lines at Apple stores around the world, you might be tempted to believe this is the end of iPhone frenzy. Not so fast, though. Remember, the iPhone 3G S is only a mild improvement over the iPhone 3G. Sure the 3G S is faster and has double the storage, but as far as features go this phone is not a huge jump over the 3G.

The real advancement, according to critics and iPhone users, is the new iPhone OS 3.0 software, and not the new hardware. I've heard from several people who've said upgrading to 3.0 is like getting a brand new phone.

So it's not surprising that not too many people are willing to camp out for days on end to get their hands on the 3G S. But if Apple should introduce a revolutionary iPhone next year, or even the oft-rumored Apple Tablet, we just might see iMadness all over again.

iPhone Tethering: Do You Really Need it?

Early iPhone 3G S adopters are reporting difficulty activating their iPhones, reports AppleInsider and MacRumors. In what is practically a carbon copy of last year’s iPhone 3G launch issues, it appears that Apple’s iPhone service activation servers were unprepared to deal with the influx of new registrations from today’s iPhone 3G S launch, leaving the zero-day adopters with a potential two day wait.

Would-be iPhone users are instead being confronted with the message, “Your activation requires additional time to complete. Due to the current activation volumes, it may take up to 48 hours to resolve your issue. We will send a confirmation to (email address) once your activation is complete.” Of course, the iPhone’s functions that don’t require 3G network access still work, so new users can begin to sync up their contacts, music, photos, and so on – they just might have to stick to a landline or a pay phone until their activation goes through. In this respect, they’re doing better than their counterparts from last year’s iPhone 3G release, where users reported that incomplete activations left them able to make calls but nothing else.

Photo: Heather Kelly, Macworld

Thankfully, it seems that those who were lucky enough to purchase them in the early morning hours – or dedicated enough to wait in line overnight, like one Macworld intern – have been able to activate their new iPhones without incident. Other users are experiencing initial activation hiccups that can be solved by restarting the phone or taking the SIM card out and putting it back in. (No word yet on whether blowing on the iPhone like an Nintendo game cartridge helps anything.) Everyone else may have to wait for the servers to process the backlog. Ironically, some AT&T customer service representatives have been able to help out with activations, but that doesn’t help those who were relying on their new iPhones for telephone service.

Looking for something to do while you wait for your iPhone to be activated? Check out the rest of our iPhone 3G S launch coverage, including unboxing pictures, our iPhone Teardown, and our first look at the iPhone 3G S. And if you still aren't iPhoned-out after that, follow us on Twitter @pcworld.