We're not exactly sure what was going on with that whole on-again / off-again love affair with iPhones having gratis access to AT&T WiFi hotspots, but we're content with letting bygones be bygones. On the slightly tweaked iPhone "Plans" page, the carrier now lists "Access to AT&T WiFi hotspots" as an included feature along with call forwarding, 3-way calling and Caller ID. Sure, it's not a bona fide press release, but same difference, right?

[Via MacRumors]

Update: Oh, ha, it's gone again. We have a feeling it'll be back soon enough though.

New plans being lauded by Vodafone in the UK are going to run mobile internet fiends £7.50 (about $14.80) less than they otherwise would've thanks to the inclusion of unlimited data right in the bundle. The packages start at £25, and those over £40 also get their pick of unlimited texts, unlimited landline calls, or unlimited Vodafone-to-Vodafone calls. As any skeptic could've easily guessed, there's some critical fine print attached to the deal: the "unlimited" isn't so unlimited, getting capped at 500MB as part of Voda's fair use policy. For a sub-$15 plan that's not intended for tethering, that doesn't seem to be a problem -- but seriously, why even throw the word "unlimited" out there then?

Simmer down, we're not talking about yet another homegrown 3G standard from China here. Oh no -- Vodafone, Softbank and China Mobile are teaming up to establish a Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) that will "promote the development of new mobile technologies, applications and services." More specifically, the trio is aiming to accelerate the "commercial deployment of mobile internet services" such as mobile widgets. For starters, the initiative hopes to conjure up a platform for said widgets that can leverage the unique capabilities of mobile operators, and it's most certainly keeping the door to the party wide open for anyone who wants to get in on the action. As expected, we're not clearly told what to expect from this little tie-up, but we'll be keeping an ear to ground for any developments.

Considering the plethora of facilities that have opened just in the past few years to deal solely with individuals that have become undoubtedly addicted to video games, the internet and all things Hello Kitty (we jest, we jest), we're not surprised one iota to hear that uncontrollably texting / e-mailing could soon become "classified as an official brain illness." According to a writeup in the latest American Journal of Psychiatry, internet addiction is a common ailment "that should be added to psychiatry's official guidebook of mental disorders." More specifically, Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, even goes so far as to argue that said phenomenon (neglecting basic drives to spend more time online) be "included in the [next edition of] Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, psychiatry's official dictionary of mental illnesses." Until then, we wish you the best of luck convincing that creature living in your basement with a dedicated T1 line that he / she isn't alright.

[Via textually]

It still hasn't been conclusively proven that Ovi's going to fly with carriers -- well, maybe it has, since the Vodafone juggernaut has jumped in head first -- but either way, it's looking like Samsung wants a little piece of that action. It's unclear at this point just how far-reaching Samsung's initiative will be, but the company announced its intention at MWC to develop unified internet services for its handsets, which we figure is pretty much code for "we want to continue to make money from our devices after they're in customers' hands." As RCR points out, features like its blogging client and navigation are currently outsourced to ShoZu and Navigon, respectively, and moving forward, all that stuff will be rolled up and maintained in-house. Whether doing so is going risk stepping on carriers' revenue models the way Ovi has done, though, remains to be seen.

Okay, so the totally nifty Pocket IR Modem actually works with a few devices other than the antiquated Palm III, but it's clear these two were made for each other. Put simply, this device connects with any Pocket PC / Palm OS unit via IrDA and enables it to hop on the intarwebs in blazing fashion, but truthfully, it was designed to allow folks in the field to upload data more so than check your favorite gadget blog. Reportedly, ENR Technologies is hoping to loose these for $80 apiece if purchased in bulk, but it'll take $149 to snag one for personal use. All of a sudden, EDGE doesn't seem so bad, now does it?

It's not like we haven't seen truckloads of portable WiFi routers before, but iBox2Go seems pretty jazzed up about its iteration. The dubiously named HotSpot in a Box arrives in a relatively large case that's sure to make avid travelers scratch their heads, and looks to include Sprint's Novatel U727 EV-DO card along with all the required cabling. Consumers can select from a trio of routers: the iB100 features USB only and a single Ethernet port, the iB300 adds PCMCIA and the iB500 tacks on an ExpressCard slot, 802.11n support and three more RJ-45 ports. Reportedly, each unit can handle up to ten simultaneous connections, and you can grab one now for $249.99, $199.99 and $349.99, respectively. Oh, and click on through for a video chock full of enthusiasm about this thing.

Good news for those in Pakistan hungry for another link to the 'net: Wateen Telecom has officially launched its WiMAX / HFC services for the consumer market. Reportedly, Motorola played a huge role in deploying the "first 802.16e commercial WiMAX network in Pakistan," and according to Wateen, it's the largest WiMAX network "ever installed." In case you hadn't already guessed, Wateen Telecom is indeed a Abu Dhabi venture, and the service will initially be made available in 22 cities. For more details on exact coverage and rate plans, be sure and check out Wateen's website.

[Via Metroblogging Karachi, thanks Zainuddin Z.]

Merely months after cranking out the CTR-350, CradlePoint has upped the ante with the even more portable PHS300. This bugger enables a selection of handsets and USB cellular modems to create a "personal WiFi hotspot," and unlike its sibling, this one sports a built-in Li-ion to keep the connection alive (for a few hours, anyway) where there's no AC outlet in sight. Furthermore, you'll find WEP / WPA security features, an integrated firewall and the ability to charge up your phone via USB if necessary. Sound like just the thing you need? If so, you can drop your pre-order in now for $179.99 and patiently await the December 20th ship date.

[Via The Boy Genius Report]

Although we're sure some of you are dead set on using one carrier, Qualcomm is making sure the indecisive (or well-traveled) ones out there are covered, too. The firm's Gobi chip promises to play nice with both EV-DO and HSPA (but not WiMAX) networks, which should mean that a number of laptops will soon boast multi-carrier WWAN support right out of the box. The introduction of the two-faced device gives users the ability to switch operators or choose the one with the best coverage in a given area without having to lug around two laptops or laptop-connect cards. You'll also appreciate the fact that these things are actually immediately available, and according to Qualcomm, they should appear in various lappies in mid-2008.

Regrettably, Verizon Wireless isn't the only carrier out there that once (or still does) recognized a mighty skewed definition of "unlimited" when it came to data plans, but for those still jaded from being cut off for "excessive use" earlier this year, justice has finally been served. The company has recently agreed to "reimburse the terminated subscribers for the cost of the laptop cards or laptop-connected cellphones" they purchased in order to surf the mobile broadband highway, and moreover, it'll be shelling out $150,000 in "penalties and costs" to New York state. Of course, the firm now makes clear that BroadbandAccess customers can be snubbed if they continuously stream audio / video content, enable P2P sharing or exceed 5GB of data usage per month, but it sounds like reimbursement is on the way for those disconnected when terms were more ambiguous.

We've been hearing that Telstra had the means to deliver some pretty impressive numbers via its Next G HSDPA network, and sure enough, the carrier seems to have finally activated it. According to its website and an independent report, users can now see download speeds ranging from 3Mbps to upwards of 6Mbps, while clocking upload rates between 300Kbps and 1.3Mbps. Telstra claims that users can see peak speeds of 7.2Mbps / 1.9Mbps, but of course, that's under "ideal conditions." So, if you're a Telstra user looking to get in on the high-speed fun, head on out and pick up a 7.2Mbps-class data card, and for those who already own a firmware upgradeable 3.6Mbps-class card, you should be receiving instructions to update shortly.

[Via ITWire, thanks Simon]

Following up on today's Xohm demonstration, Sprint has announced that its mobile WiMAX initiative is really gaining steam. Aside from stating that it was expecting a "commercial launch" in select cities by Q2 of next year, the outfit also noted that "Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Panasonic and Toshiba have expressed intent to embed WiMAX into their next generation laptops and UMPCs, so these devices can connect with the Xohm WiMAX network." Additionally, the firm stated that there have been "a number of encouraging developments with carriers around the globe," pointing out Korea Telecom in particular. Of course, there's lots more gloating (and tidbits of useful information, too) where this came from, so be sure and hit the read link for the full skinny if you're interested.

It's no secret that Google's quite interested in getting intermingled with the mobile internet crowd, and shortly after Sprint wrapped up a deal with Clearwire, the carrier has now inked yet another pact with a search giant. The deal, hailed as a "milestone" in Sprint's mobile internet strategy, will purportedly seek to "establish an internet destination for user-generated content and multimedia offerings." More specifically, Barry West (president of 4G Mobile Broadband for Sprint) noted that "Google and Sprint will optimize the internet experience for the digital lifestyle," and suggested that the agreement would wed the "best mobile internet network with the leading internet search company." Unfortunately, the nitty gritty we crave seems to be absent at the moment, but until the two start putting their heads together, we'll just have to believe Google when it promises a "rich and compelling broadband experience for WiMAX customers."

[Via The New Zealand Herald]

While the Blue Devils may have their basketball program running like a well-oiled machine, apparently its wireless LAN structure is in dire need of an upgrade. Reportedly, so many Dukies have snatched up iPhones and began using the campus WiFi network to surf on the go that the hordes of requests have been "temporarily knocking out anywhere from a dozen to 30 wireless access points at a time." Cisco, the university's main WLAN provider, has been called in to find out exactly why the overload has brought the network to its proverbial knees, and we'd say they better resolve the problem pronto -- after all, this issue could be magnified immensely with the commencement of the fall semester.

[Via Fox News]