This could -- at least temporarily -- put an end the nightmarish scenario involving you, lack of sleep, and some freakish chatty Cathy plopped next to you by the airline. Lead co-sponsor Rep. Peter DeFazio, hopes the "Hang Up" -- madly clever name here -- bill will stop Airlines from finding yet another avenue to gouge you and maintaining peace and harmony by banning any in-flight calling. Of course, the door will remain wide open for SMS, mail, IM, and other types of electronic conversation, but we're hoping Skype and friends are on the muzzle list, too.

For those only interested in fielding VoIP calls on an iPhone, we're pretty sure Cisco could hook you up, but if you've been wondering how to utilize Skype on your Apple iPhone, this here workaround spills the beans. Admittedly, this method is far from seamless, but by installing the famed SoonR Talk application on your home PC and logging into the AJAX-enabled SoonR website on your handset, a new way of calling instantly emerges. As with other handsets that support AJAX interfaces, you can reportedly view and call Skype buddies through your iPhone, but you should be aware that SkypeOut credits will be used due to the PSTN leg needed to dial your mobile. Inelegant as it may be, VoIP has now invaded the (non-Cisco) iPhone.

Earlier this month we saw JetBlue and AirCell snap up the 1MHz swath of spectrum required for Verizon's Airfone service to operate over US territories, so it shouldn't really come as any surprise to anyone that the 140 person Verizon subsidiary is shutting down commercial airline phone service this year. It's goin to be a lot of work ripping those godawful ugly and rarely used seat-back phones from from 1,000+ Continental, Delta, United Airlines and US Airways jetliners nation wide, but lose not all hope until 2010; Airfone will apparently still continue overpriced in-flight calling service in the other 3,400 corporate and government planes they operate out of (which are all typically far smaller vessels, of course, unless you're talking about Air Force One). Still, it is a little disappointing that a wireless phone company with a 21 year track record in the market is going to be shuttered because the FCC sold their license in a bid to some other, more well-heeled companies; guess that's the way you play the game though, eh? And really, while we mourn the loss of any company, we won't mourn the loss of thse damned phones, nor will we be sorry about not having to wait any longer than necessary to get our in-flight internet access on.

A recent study by the Queensland University in Australia discovered what we've already pretty much known from several years of smartphone ownership, which is that people's reliance on their cellphones can often take the form of an addiction. Diana James and her colleagues analyzed the behavior of mobile owners 45-and-under in situations where they were separated from their phones, and found that many displayed the same withdrawal symptoms common to smoking, gambling, or eating addictions: lower self esteem, nervousness, and in some cases, even deep agitation. Besides emotional problems, excessive calling and texting can lead to steep cellphone bills and even the occasional repetitive stress injury, warns James, who says that if you're using your phone to make yourself feel better at the expense of your job or your health, then you may have a problem. Don't worry, though, you're not alone...

[Via textually]