AT&T

In case you haven't heard, AT&T started officially unlocking out-of-contract iPhones for customers in good standing earlier this month. The only problem is that AT&T recommends a full restore at the end of the unlocking process, which will wipe an existing iPhone jailbreak.

Luckily you can still unlock your iPhone through official channels without losing your jailbreak by following a few extra steps. When your contract with AT&T ends and you're ready to unlock your iPhone for use with other carriers, first follow the steps at this link to contact AT&T and determine your eligibility.

AT&T has started to unlock iPhones for customers who have completed their contract obligations. The process is as simple as contacting AT&T customer support and requesting the unlock on your device. Of course, your account must be in good standing (ie. paid up to date) for AT&T to provide the service.

Once your iPhone is unlocked, you are free to install any replacement micro-SIM card from another compatible GSM carrier. This means you can use your iPhone overseas or with another US carrier such as T-Mobile without resorting to any workarounds or jailbreak unlocking methods.

Beginning Sunday, April 8, qualifying customers will be able to request a carrier unlock from AT&T. iPhone users who wish to unlock their iPhones must have their AT&T accounts in order, and not be associated with a current and active term commitment with the carrier.

Unlocked iPhones allow users to replace AT&T's micro-SIM with other compatible network cards. This is a great option for people who frequently travel, and would like to use international or other local carriers. An AT&T spokeswoman confirmed the news with Engadget. Read on for their official statement.

With the release of the 4G LTE iPad an LTE iPhone seems imminent, and new iPad owners are quickly learning about the pitfalls of fast wireless connections. The Wall Street Journal published a report about the responsibility that comes with 4G connectivity by profiling one man who blew through 2GB of his Verizon data plan while watching March Madness games.

"Two hours of college basketball—which he viewed mounted to his car dashboard and live at tournament games—had burned through his monthly wireless data allotment of two gigabytes. Now, to keep surfing the Web or watch more NCAA hoops over Verizon Wireless's 4G network, Mr. Wells will have to pay an extra $10 for every gigabyte above his current $30 subscription."

AT&T has made changes to its data throttling policies in response to complaints from unlimited plan users. Now instead of slowing down data speeds when a customer reaches 2GB of usage, the company will take this action at the 3GB mark. The policy changes brings data throttling of unlimited customers in line with the revised upper-tier 3G data plan which provides 3GB of usage.

Unlimited plans have been grandfathered in for some time now, with new subscribers required to select from tiered data plans and pay extra fees if they exceed the limit. The actions of AT&T, which slowed down data speeds for the top 5 percent of unlimited data plan users prompted criticism from several quarters, including lawyers.