AT&T

The AT&T app Mark the Spot has been around for a while, but it continues to get new features that should help customers pinpoint problems they encounter on the carrier's network. First launched in December 2009, Mark the Spot makes it possible to report dropped calls or other network issues when they happen or after the fact. The latest update has been highlighted by AppShopper and adds spam text message reporting to the list.

Spam text messages or SMS are really irritating and can come in on your iPhone at any time. With the latest version 2.0.5 of Mark the Spot, you can report these messages by selecting Report Spam SMS. First you forward the offending text to SPAM (7726). When AT&T replies they will ask for the phone number of the sender.

So much for the Verizon iPhone 4 launch causing a bloodbath at AT&T Mobility. Post-exclusivity numbers are in, and AT&T reports a 38 percent growth in iPhone activations last quarter over the same time period last year. A total of 3.6 million iPhone activations were logged, with almost a quarter of these subscribers new customers to AT&T.

The company was expected to lose subscribers thanks to the Verizon iPhone 4 launch, however AT&T ended the first quarter with a net gain of long term contracts. Almost half of AT&T customers already own a smartphone, and 60 percent of smartphones sold in the first quarter were iPhones.

ChangeWave Research contacted 4,068 iPhone 4 users to get a detailed comparison of Verizon Wireless vs. AT&T Mobility services. According to the survey results, AT&T customers experienced dropped calls almost three times as often in the past 90 days as those with a Verizon iPhone 4. Whereas Verizon subscribers reported a dropped call rate of 1.8 percent, AT&T clocked in at 4.8 percent for the same question.

You might think these numbers would pose a problem for the AT&T customer service department. Actually, when looking at overall customer satisfaction with their iPhone 4, both companies came out even. Very satisfied and somewhat satisfied customers together made up 98 percent of respondents from both AT&T and Verizon.

Rumors of an iPhone on T-Mobile are nothing new. The recent agreement between AT&T and parent company Deutsche Telekom may have excited some T-Mobile customers looking to score an iPhone 4. After all, the $39 billion acquisition would form the largest wireless carrier in the US.

Not so fast. Assuming the deal is approved by regulators, the merger would take 12 months. Until the merger is complete T-Mobile will operate as an independent company and has expressly stated it has no plans to offer the iPhone. So what will happen after the merger is complete?

Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told AppleInsider that Apple is getting ready to ship the mysterious white iPhone 4 to AT&T customers starting no later than April. Apple finally solved manufacturing problems plaguing the device and with the help of a Japanese company has developed a new paint material.

Problems with paint thickness and the white iPhone 4 not meeting quality standards resulted in many defective units, although some iPhone users have acquired the white version. Customization kits and modifications that violate the Apple warranty have also appeared on the market to simulate the white iPhone 4 look with replacement parts.