The golden master version of iOS 5 is due for release on Friday September 23rd according to a recent report from BGR. The same inside source indicated that iOS 5 beta 8 will kick off on Friday September 16 to developers.

If Apple holds to this schedule, it's likely that the golden master of iOS 5 will be the version of firmware that gets installed onto already completed iPhone 5 hardware sitting at factories in China. Carriers must approve the software for use on their networks, and its possible this deadline would be Wednesday October 5th.

I never get the memos on what's hot or not, and I definitely didn't get the memo about the iPhone not being hip anymore. I'm not going to debate if the iPhone is "cool," but I have a feeling a lot of college kids are not carrying them because of the price, not because their dad owns one.

The acting president of HTC America had some interesting things to say at the Mobile Future Forward conference in downtown Seattle. Martin Fichter talked about Google buying Motorola, patent disputes and why his daughter thinks the iPhone is lame. You can read excerpts from the talk here, and read his quote about the uncool iPhone below!

Apple plans to release iOS 5 sometime this fall, with over 200 new features and improvements. Although an iOS 5 release date has not been announced, several of the upcoming firmware improvements have been described in detail. Many of these features already exist and can be installed on your iPhone now. Why wait to get the most out of your mobile device?

Some of these additions require a jailbroken iPhone, but now thanks to JailbreakMe jailbreaking your iPhone is as simple as visiting a website in Safari. There are many useful apps available that will bring iOS 5 features to your phone for a few dollars or completely free of charge. Here's a list of 15 different iOS 5 features you can get right now using the Apple App Store or Cydia:

The same day Bloomberg announced that Sprint would be offering free unlimited data plans with the iPhone 5 in mid-October, SprintFeed published a screenshot of the carrier's internal systems which revealed they're preparing for a "major phone launch" in October. Sprint's biggest known upcoming release is the Galaxy S ll which is due out next week. The memo states that a blackout is the begin on September 30 through October 15, so we know Sprint isn't canceling vacations for their Galaxy series. The note says "possible" major phone launch, meaning if it's for the iPhone 5, no one is quite sure of an actual release date. So don't believe all those bold predictions from the "unnamed sources" we keep hearing from.

It's safe to assume things are going to get a bit competitive between U.S. wireless carriers if Sprint and T-Mobile are really going to be carrying the iPhone 5 next month. According to Bloomberg, Sprint Nextel Corp. will try to separate itself from the competition by offering unlimited data service plans with the iPhone 5.

An anonymous source said Sprint will begin selling the next generation device in mid-October, and plans to steal customers away from AT&T and Verizon by being the only carrier to offer unlimited data. Both AT&T and Verizon charge for their data services.