Look, we get it. There’s a problem with the iPhone’s antenna. But was the open letter to Jobs calling for a “clearly written explanation of the cause of the reception problem” and a “public commitment to remedy it free-of-charge” really necessary? What, you don’t have better things to do? The full press release (and the Senator’s letter) is after the break. Read the full story

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Apple may have recently used the built in iOS “kill switch” to remove copies of NDrive from customers devices.

NDrive offered customers 1.8 GB of US map data for only $2.99; however, PhoneNews suggests that they may have not fully licensed the map data used causing Apple to kill the app.

Multiple users, including PhoneNews.com staff, have reported that their copies of NDrive have vanished from both their iOS devices, as well as iTunes Libraries. Apple has stayed silent on the matter, we contacted them before business Monday asking for comment. We have received no response from Apple as of today. To date, no user with a missing copy of NDrive USA has reported an explanation from iTunes Customer Service either.
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Nothing like a little bad press to change corporate policy. Diane Campbell made US national news this week (seriously) when her attempts to purchase an iPad with cash were rejected. Apple’s no-cash policy (credit cards and debit cards only please) was put in place by Apple as a means of ensuring that customers were sticking to the two-device limit — a policy that was originally put in place in October 2007 in order to deal with high demand for the iPhone and, some would say, to keep the devices off the grey market. Well, some members of the US media got so feverish with affect rage that they lashed out at Apple with chants of “anti-American” and “anti-disadvantaged” (Diane is described as disabled and on a fixed income). Apple has reversed the policy: it now accepts cash just as long as customers sign up for an Apple account while in the store at the time of purchase. As for Diane, she got a free iPad and “changed a little piece of the world.” We feel safer already. Check the local news report video after the break if you must.

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There are plenty of ways to measure smartphone marketshare. IDC measures units shipped from manufacturers whereas Gartner measures units sold to consumers. Then there’s comScore, the research firm that conducts monthly surveys in the US to measure the total number of devices (and thus operating systems) currently in use. Its latest data is summarized above for the three-month period ending in October. See those yellow lines? If our kindergarten skills haven’t failed us, then this data shows iPhone usage surpassing the once mighty Windows Mobile OS for the very first time. Unfortunately for Microsoft, Google’s Android OS is set to accelerate significantly by the time the February 2010 data rolls in as is WebOS just as Read the full story

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In retaliation of AT&T and O2’s unwillingness to subsidize the iPhone 3G S for current 3G owners, users on Twitter are forming “twittitions”, a new virtual petition that users can “sign” by posting a tweet. At the time this was written, the Twitition for O2, which was created first, was at 2621 signatures, and the AT&T Twitition at 1858 signatures.

It’s not bad in Twitter terms, but we’re guessing it will take a lot more signatures before either company is compelled to make any changes.

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Boy Genius Report has gotten information from several sources fleshing out the details of the rumored WalMart iPhone launch. According to the anonymous tipsters, the iPhone will launch on December 28 in 2,500 locations. Some stores will also be getting display units like Best Buy. Read the full story

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