AT&T

No joke. AT&T Mobility has begun to offer "refurb cosmetic blemish" 8GB iPhone 3GS models on its website for $0.01 with a two-year contract. Those who aren't comfortable with scratch and dent products can get a normal refurbished iPhone 3GS for only nine bucks. Nine dollars! Pricing on a brand new iPhone 3GS remains $49.

All of these deals as shown above on the AT&T website require a two-year commitment. The pricing changes have fueled speculation that Apple could be stopping production of the 3GS in preparation for an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 launch as early as this fall.

Starting today (July 18), CNN and HLN (made famous by Casey Anthony) will be the first news networks to stream 24-hours live on iOS devices and online. The online service and CNN app for the iPhone, iPod and iPad are available to cable subscribers with AT&T, Comcast, Cox, DISH Network, Suddenlink or Verizon.

Online viewers can go to the CNN video page and access the stream by selecting the "Live" tab. Apple users can download the iPad app or the iPhone/iPod app to add CNN Live to their devices.

Those "well placed and anonymous sources" are at it again. The tech blogs Chip Hazard and West Coast Gadgets have kicked off a whole new set of rumors by claiming that the iPhone 5 is in the hands of AT&T and Sprint beta testers. Chip Hazard's "well places sources" in AT&T mobility revealed that beta testers have been testing the iPhone 5 since July 6. Citing no sources, West Coast Gadgets announced that Sprint beta testers will be spotted in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, New York City, and Chicago starting this Monday.

Why is Apple purportedly using 3rd party testers? According to another tech blog, AT&T and Sprint are ensuring another Antennagate doesn't happen by checking for reception and connectivity. The author also points to Apple's own internal testers losing an iPhone last year, but wouldn't giving out more devices to 3rd parties increase the chances of a repeat, and more leaks? With all the so-called "inside sources" releasing so much information, it seems like Apple is having a hard enough time keeping their own people quiet these days.

Starting July 17 new iPhones or upgraded iPhones will be eligible for AT&T's standard mobile insurance plan.

The company replaced its previous iPhone insurance plan with the regular $4.99 monthly Mobile Insurance program which covers loss, theft, accidental damage and mechanical or electrical failure.

All model iPhones can enroll within 30 days of a new activation or upgrade after July 17.

AT&T's new plan is much cheaper than Verizon Wireless who offers a $10.99 monthly plan for iPhone devices. The Verizon deductible runs $169 for the 16GB model and $199 for the 32GB model. AT&T's non-refundable deductible is only $50 or $125 per approved claim, but only two claims are allowed every 12-months.

The AT&T app Mark the Spot has been around for a while, but it continues to get new features that should help customers pinpoint problems they encounter on the carrier's network. First launched in December 2009, Mark the Spot makes it possible to report dropped calls or other network issues when they happen or after the fact. The latest update has been highlighted by AppShopper and adds spam text message reporting to the list.

Spam text messages or SMS are really irritating and can come in on your iPhone at any time. With the latest version 2.0.5 of Mark the Spot, you can report these messages by selecting Report Spam SMS. First you forward the offending text to SPAM (7726). When AT&T replies they will ask for the phone number of the sender.

So much for the Verizon iPhone 4 launch causing a bloodbath at AT&T Mobility. Post-exclusivity numbers are in, and AT&T reports a 38 percent growth in iPhone activations last quarter over the same time period last year. A total of 3.6 million iPhone activations were logged, with almost a quarter of these subscribers new customers to AT&T.

The company was expected to lose subscribers thanks to the Verizon iPhone 4 launch, however AT&T ended the first quarter with a net gain of long term contracts. Almost half of AT&T customers already own a smartphone, and 60 percent of smartphones sold in the first quarter were iPhones.

ChangeWave Research contacted 4,068 iPhone 4 users to get a detailed comparison of Verizon Wireless vs. AT&T Mobility services. According to the survey results, AT&T customers experienced dropped calls almost three times as often in the past 90 days as those with a Verizon iPhone 4. Whereas Verizon subscribers reported a dropped call rate of 1.8 percent, AT&T clocked in at 4.8 percent for the same question.

You might think these numbers would pose a problem for the AT&T customer service department. Actually, when looking at overall customer satisfaction with their iPhone 4, both companies came out even. Very satisfied and somewhat satisfied customers together made up 98 percent of respondents from both AT&T and Verizon.

Rumors of an iPhone on T-Mobile are nothing new. The recent agreement between AT&T and parent company Deutsche Telekom may have excited some T-Mobile customers looking to score an iPhone 4. After all, the $39 billion acquisition would form the largest wireless carrier in the US.

Not so fast. Assuming the deal is approved by regulators, the merger would take 12 months. Until the merger is complete T-Mobile will operate as an independent company and has expressly stated it has no plans to offer the iPhone. So what will happen after the merger is complete?

Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told AppleInsider that Apple is getting ready to ship the mysterious white iPhone 4 to AT&T customers starting no later than April. Apple finally solved manufacturing problems plaguing the device and with the help of a Japanese company has developed a new paint material.

Problems with paint thickness and the white iPhone 4 not meeting quality standards resulted in many defective units, although some iPhone users have acquired the white version. Customization kits and modifications that violate the Apple warranty have also appeared on the market to simulate the white iPhone 4 look with replacement parts.

AT&T will charge $20 per month for iPhone 4 users to take advantage of the iOS 4.3 Personal Hotspot feature. The carrier has confirmed that full support for the Personal Hotspot will debut when Apple released iOS 4.3 firmware on March 11, 2011.

The native Wi-Fi hotspot has been available on Verizon iPhone 4 models since launch in early February. The feature allows up to three devices to simultaneously connect to the iPhone's cellular data connection via Wi-Fi. Additional devices can use the connection via Bluetooth and USB for a total of five at once.