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.

What if you could just plug your iPhone directly into a router with a USB cable and share the 3G data connection with every Wi-Fi device within 200 feet? Now you can, with Nexaira's Business Class 2 tethering-ready router. The router is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

Of course, if your iPhone is not jailbroken, you'll need to enable official tethering with your cellular carrier. AT&T offers iPhone owners tethering for $20 per month. With tethering, simply plug in the Nexaira BC2 router, connect the iPhone via the rear USB port and you're all set. Anywhere with power and a 3G signal becomes a Wi-Fi hotspot.

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.

Smartphone and electronics warranty provider SquareTrade recently shared its smartphone data in a report comparing the iPhone 4 to other mobile devices. Included in the study were four months of data on the iPhone 4, eight months of data on Motorola and HTC Android devices, and one year of RIM BlackBerry data. The iPhone 4 led the group in reliability, with only 2.1 percent projected to have a non-accident malfunction in the first year of ownership.

Motorola is hot on the iPhone's heels, with only a 2.3 percent non-accident malfunction rate. HTC took third place in the reliability contest, while BlackBerry devices had the highest rate of spontaneous problems at 6.3 percent. Remarkably, 77 percent of smartphone failures from devices made by these four companies are due to accidental damage. When it comes to accidents, the numbers paint a different picture.