AT&T SLASHES PRICE OF iPHONE 3GS

AT&T has slashed the price of the Apple iPhone 3GS to just $49, with a 2-year contract of course. This price is for NEW phones, not refurbished ones and starts tomorrow, Friday January 7th.

Is AT&T trying to lock as many people into a 2-year contract with low prices before Verizon gets its own iPhone?

iPHONE 3GS FREE AT BEST BUY TODAY

Only a few days after Radio Shack unveiled the first iPhone sale in recorded history, Best Buy's done one better -- it's offering up the 8GB iPhone 3GS "to qualified customers" without charging a cent for the handset. Yes, that's a free iPhone, not counting the AT&T ball and chain, for the likely-far-less-than-one-day supplies will last, and so we imagine a fair number of you will start queuing up right now to get in on the action. Not a bad way to move surplus inventory and head off perennially rumored CDMA juggernauts at the pass -- promise them the free iPhone, then lock them into those two-year contracts. [Engadget]

RUMOR: iOS 4.3 TO LAUNCH IN DECEMBER

The dust has not even settled on iOS 4.2 and rumors are already floating around the web as to what the next installment will bring to the table.

By the looks of things Apple is looking at a fairly quick turn around with the iOS 4.3 update due as early as mid-December (could even be December 13).

We are not sure if there will be any new features as such, but with AirPrint only working on select printers and other issues such as the reported iPod bug, plus 3G and 3GS users not getting the text tones found on the iPhone 4, iOS 4.3 could just be a simple bug fix exercise to address all these issues. [Geek]

iOS FLAW FOUND IN iPHONES

A flaw in the design of iOS 4.1 allows someone to bypass the passcode entry lock on the iPhone.  On a locked iPhone input a random number in the emergency call field, press call and promptly hit the hardware lock button.  This will take you to the Phone app granting access to the call history, voicemail and address book.  This hack works on iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4.

Additionally, selecting "shared contact" and the camera icon will grant access to the photo album.  If you hold down the menu button you will have access to any music stored on the device as well.  While these aren't major bugs, it could be used to exploit various areas of the device. [Engadget]