Yesterday, only 2 weeks after releasing iOS 4.1 Beta 1, Apple seeded the second iOS 4.1 beta to iPhone developers. The only official iOS update released thus far (iOS 4.0.1) was a fix for signal bar problems widely reported by new iPhone 4 owners. Though the signal bar issue and the related "death grip" fiasco has gotten an incredible amount of press, the issues this latest iOS update is reported to address may have a far greater impact with iPhone owners.

Despite ongoing manufacturing and inventory problems, Apple is forging ahead with its global rollout of the iPhone 4. Friday July 30 will see the introduction of iPhone 4 smart phones in 17 additional markets. Apple first launched the iPhone 4 on June 24 in the US, with cellular service exclusively provided by AT&T Wireless.

Over three million iPhone 4 units have already been sold. Apple recently announced it was not making the white iPhone 4 model available until later in 2010 due to manufacturing difficulties. The white version was previously expected to hit shelves at the end of July. The next batch of countries slated to receive the iPhone 4 include the following:

Apple fans are still waiting for a white iPhone 4 release date as Apple claims to have encountered manufacturing difficulties. The device was delayed twice, even after Steve Jobs announced white iPhone 4 availability would come by the end of this month. It could be that the press conference about the iPhone 4 antenna has more to do with the white iPhone delay than the painting process.

Apple is offering iPhone 4 owners a free case to alleviate antenna reception problems until September 30. Speculation is now rampant that the company will use this time and the already long white iPhone 4 delay to implement improvements to the antenna design. A change would make it unnecessary to offer free iPhone cases to owners of the white model, especially if the white iPhone 4 release is delayed until October 1st.

AT&T is now patching a software bug on Alcatel Lucent 3G network equipment that was slowing upload speeds on the iPhone 4. The device is the only smart phone on AT&T's cellular data network that uses HSUPA (High Speed Uplink Packet Access). Only HSUPA is affected by the problem, meaning download speeds do not suffer.

Laptop Connect cards also use HSUPA, so they are having the same upload speed problems as the iPhone 4. Previous models of the iPhone were not equipped to take advantage of superior HSUPA upload speeds. The AT&T upload speed problem was first reported by iPhone 4 users three weeks ago.

Even though iPhone 4 owners are still waiting for a jailbreak, at least they know when it's released the process will be legal. Thanks to a decision by the US federal government, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has won exemptions for jailbreaking and unlocking under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Rulemaking sessions happen every three years, and exemptions to copyright law based on fair use can be requested by organizations and users of digital devices. The much-awaited ruling brings independent software development and iPhone hacking into the mainstream, and removes its grey-area status. Many developers and hobbyists feared that Apple would succeed in criminalizing unauthorized software that runs on gadgets made by the company.

Those looking to jailbreak and unlock the iPhone 4 won't have to wait much longer. iPhone Dev-Team member Comex has stated he's not waiting for Apple to release iOS 4.1 to launch the latest version of the Spirit jailbreak. The previous version was a one-click solution to jailbreak the iPad running iPhone OS 3.2.

The new jailbreak software will work on all devices running iOS 4, including the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. Comex is working to make sure the free jailbreak utility is up to Dev-Team standards before release, and suggests that users back up their SHSH blobs before jailbreaking.

Finally the Skype update that iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 users have been waiting for. Not only does Skype 2.0.1 make it possible to receive calls at all times, the application allows calls to continue uninterrupted in the background while the iPhone is used for other things. These improvements take advantage of iOS 4 multitasking and make the Skype app much more user friendly.

Skype had announced that calls placed over 3G data networks instead of W-Fi would incur a fee after an introductory period. The company now explains that it has dropped plans to institute a 3G calling charge, keeping Wi-Fi and 3G cellular calling expenses unchanged.

Talks between Apple and T-Mobile on bringing the iPhone 4 to a second carrier in the US are said to be in advanced stages, with an 80 percent chance that the device will be offered by T-Mobile by the end of September. Should this happen, AT&T would no longer be the exclusive carrier for the iPhone 4 in the United States.

The anonymous source told Cult of Mac that T-Mobile's parent company, Deutsche Telekom, was influencing the talks. Deutsche Telekom carries the iPhone on its network in Germany.

Millions of Apple customers who have already purchased an iPhone 4 Bumper case have been promised a refund by Steve Jobs over the antenna problems affecting some users. The company has started automatically sending refunds to those customers who ordered the Bumper online. Email notifications are being sent out as well, detailing the refund processing.

The email reads, “As of today, we have automatically processed your refund. You have also been refunded for any Shipping or VAT charges that may have been applied to your order.” Credit cards are expected to show the refund on accounts within 3-5 days after processing.

A couple of designers took Steve Job's press conference suggestion to make an iPhone 4 antenna band-aid to heart. The product is for sale in an assorted color six-pack for five bucks plus shipping. The two are now struggling to keep up with orders on the web site Etsy.

Reports have suggested that electrical, duct, or even scotch tape applied to the lower left hand side of the iPhone 4 alleviates antenna problems when the area is touched. The idea behind the Antenna-aid is to separate your hand from the exposed external antenna to preserve the best signal possible. It should also garner some laughs, too.