AT&T

The latest numbers are in. ChangeWave Research has discovered that a whopping 34 percent of smartphone buyers would have purchased an iPhone if their carrier offered the Apple product. Instead, these consumers bought Samsung, HTC, RIM and Motorola devices to avoid switching their phone numbers to the AT&T network. Bad news for Motorola, whose users were almost evenly divided between keeping their smartphone or getting an iPhone instead.

Samsung and HTC led the pack with 50 percent or more users stating they would stick with their devices. Only 28 percent of Samsung respondents claimed they would have purchased an iPhone instead, with 32 percent of HTC users echoing similar sentiments. Non-AT&T customers definitely have some pent-up demand for the iPhone and many would have made different purchasing decisions if their carriers offered the device.

AT&T Mobility contacted iPhone owners via text message to let them know of a pending settlement over taxes charged to subscribers from 2005-2010. Other smartphone data plans, laptop connect cards and pay-per-use services are also affected by the lawsuit. iPhone owners could receive a check in the mail after the settlement is approved in March 2011.

Participants in the settlement have a few options. Doing nothing will result in the settlement benefits being paid by check to the wireless subscriber. If the AT&T customer wants to, they can exclude themselves from the settlement, write feedback to the court about the settlement, or ask to speak in court about the fairness of the agreement.

AT&T beat its previous iPhone sales record by activating 5.2 million iPhone units during the third quarter of 2010. A whopping 3.2 million iPhone were activated in the previous quarter with the launch of the iPhone 4. A full quarter of iPhone buyers this time around were new customers to AT&T.

Overall, the company activated 8 million smartphones including the iPhone. AT&T now has 92.8 million subscribers in the US, but still lags behind leader Verizon Wireless. Over 57 percent of AT&T customers carry a smartphone or other device with a full integrated keyboard.

With all of the hoopla over the white iPhone 4 launch and a possible Verizon Wireless CDMA model it's easy to forget that carriers are frantically working to upgrade their cellular data networks. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution, and its the technology behind next generation 4G wireless networks. AT&T along with Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile have all committed to LTE standards.

AT&T, currently the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the US, plans to begin rolling out its LTE network in mid-2011. Trials of LTE are currently underway in Dallas and Baltimore as the company continues to expand HPSA+ 3G availability across the nation. The implementation of LTE could coincide with Apple's iPhone 5 launch next year.

Rumors have surfaced online that Apple and its partner AT&T Wireless have ceased to offer the iPhone 4 without a two-year service contract. Speculation on the issue has blamed the policy change on everything from an impending Verizon iPhone to AT&T greed. These reports would be informative except for one thing, the rumor is not true.

Both AT&T and Apple offer the iPhone 4 without a contract at no-commitment pricing. However, these deals are not available online. AT&T representatives have verified that the iPhone 4 can be purchased without a contract in person, from either an AT&T Wireless retail store or an Apple Store. To have an iPhone purchased online and shipped to your residence or place of business, a two-year contract is required.

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.

Ever wondered if you could swap out the micro-SIM card in your iPhone 4 to get free data from AT&T on the iPad 3G? Well stop wondering. Turns out a simple change to APN settings on the iPad makes it possible to use the iPhone 4 data plan on Apple's tablet. No jailbreaking or SIM card modifications required.

As the helpful folks over at TUAW explain, the procedure is quite simple but does involve many small parts. Carefully use a SIM removal tool or paper clip to open the SIM trays on your iPhone 4 and iPad 3G. Don't mix up the trays and keep track of which card came from which device! When the iPhone 4 micro-SIM is safely inside the iPad 3G, all you need to do is make a change to the APN settings on the iPad.

Early reviewers were impressed with the improved upload speeds on the iPhone 4 after launch day. Everything has changed starting this weekend, with users around the country complaining that uploads are now having trouble keeping at 100 kilobits per second. Previous reports clocked the new HSUPA chipset uploading at over 15 times this speed.

Sending photos and posting videos becomes difficult with such a slow connection. AT&T has been accused of capping upstream bandwidth without notifying customers, however new information points to a possible software problem. AppleInsider reports that AT&T is working on a fix.

We've received emails from several iPhone customers, panicked over the possible loss of their yet-to-ship pre-ordered iPhone 4. These users have all received an email from Apple indicating that their pre-ordered iPhone 4, which was otherwise ready to ship, is being held by Apple based on instructions from AT&T. The letter instructs that Apple will attempt to reprocess the order daily for 7 days, at which time the order will be cancelled if the customer has not resolved the issue with AT&T.

The letter to customers reads:

Apple claims to have sold over 600,000 iPhone 4 units in just over a day. Customers struggled to pre-order yesterday as online systems failed and eligibility verification was inaccessible for hours at a time. The mad rush for the next generation iPhone has resulted in shipping delays and the complete suspension of AT&T Wireless pre-ordering.

Apple now lists the iPhone 4 as "Shipping by July 14," a full three weeks later than the original June 24 release date. Apple retail stores will open on June 24 at 7:00 am across the country, however it's first come first served and if the online demand is any hint, the lines could rival those of the original iPhone.