Some iPhone owners who jumped to install the iOS 4.2 firmware update yesterday were greeted with an unwelcome surprise. Media including music, audio books, podcasts and videos disappear after the update is complete. iTunes still displays the storage space occupied by the media files, but they are nowhere to be found on the iPhone.

Opening the iPod app simply says "No Content" and re-syncing with iTunes does not bring back the media library! Apparently something was overlooked by Apple, but lucky for iPhone owners the bug fix is quick and easy. Your music files are hidden but still stored on the device. Don't restore your iPhone or take drastic measures, just follow these simple steps:

Apple officially released the iOS 4.2 update today at 10AM PST. iPhone 4 owners get a special surprise in the latest operating system, free Find My iPhone service. The feature makes it possible to locate your lost iPhone using maps on the web. Previously the service required a paid MobileMe subscription to use.

iPhone 3G owners are anticipating significant increases in speed and performance with the latest fixes and optimizations included in iOS 4.2. This version of iOS is the first to run across all recent iOS devices and will hit the iPad and iPod touch today as well. Several new features will come to the iPhone.

As another holiday descends upon America, the App Store is brimming with iPhone apps to celebrate the occasion. Our simple search for "Thanksgiving" along with some shopping and Black Friday apps brought the total to almost 200. Not as excessive as the Halloween app count but daunting nonetheless.

You're going to have that iPhone with you anyway, so why not use it to help navigate through and enjoy this coming week? Here are ten Thanksgiving and Black Friday apps to try. All of these applications are available through the App Store for $2.99 or less.

Just last month reports indicated that Apple was planning to integrate reprogrammable SIM cards into iPhones, cutting wireless carriers out of the activation process. Turns out that opposition from European carriers has derailed the project. According to a report in the Sunday Telegraph, the wireless companies threatened to stop paying iPhone subsidies for contract subscribers. Currently, carriers pay the subsidy directly to Apple and collect the money from customers during their service subscription period.

An anonymous source at one mobile operator told the paper that Apple has "been sent back to the drawing board with their tails between their legs." The company's work on embedded SIM cards may not be entirely wasted, as the report also explains that future iPads may include the special SIM. The iPad is not subsidized by mobile carriers, and a reprogrammable SIM card would make it possible to activate the device at the point of purchase on a variety of carrier's networks.

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.