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As some of you might recall, AT&T offered a few refurbished iPhones via their online store at significantly reduced prices, but it was somewhat short-lived. Now AT&T is at it again. They're offering refurbished 8GB for $249 and $349 for the 16GB, with free shipping and the standard 1-year warranty (although you'll want to be sure to double-check your coverage in case they mess it up like last time). You can check out the deals at AT&T's website here.
[via TUAW]

After numerous rumors of an iPhone launch in Switzerland, Swisscom has posted a brief confirmation that they will be offering the iPhone some time within the next year. Some are speculating that the confirmation of this part of the rumor might be a sign that the rumors from the same source that stated that the iPhone will feature GPS, 2-way video chats, and mobile TV, could also be valid as well.

On Wednesday, AT&T mobility chief Ralph de la Vaga, speaking at Morgan Stanley's annual Communications Conference, stated that the wireless carrier plans to boost the speed of its 3G wireless network to speeds of 20 megabits per second by 2009. The executive cited that engineers already have a version of its HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) 3G network up and running in the labs at speeds of 7.2 megabits per second, or approximately double the theoretical throughput of its existing network.

Over on the other side of the pond, wireless carrier O2's CEO stated that a 3G iPhone announcement is expected in "the coming weeks". This isn't an exact date, but 3G looks pretty certain and that doesn't hurt things in the least.

[Via guardian.co.uk]

Apple announced today that, as we expected, CEO Steve Jobs will keynote WWDC this year on June 9th at 10AM. A team of Apple executives are said to be tagging along with Steve to help out with demos and whatnot. This is the first year that Apple will be focusing on two platforms; Mac OS X Leopard and OS X iPhone. Although it's basically a given that Steve Jobs will keynote WWDC, official word from Apple is always tends to make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Rumors of iPhone launches are flying in from around the world, but the iPhone launch in India is shaping up to be the biggest thus far. According to "industry sources", the iPhone will be sold in India through 20,000 Vodafone and Airtel retail outlets, dwarfing the U.S.'s 700 stores to get the device.

As long as there are areas in the US with better coverage from other networks than AT&T, there will be unlocking of the iPhone. However, AT&T's network might offer more incentive than you think. In a test conducted by ComputerWorld, AT&T's 3G network beat the 3G networks of Verizon and Sprint based on speed and reliability.

In an interview with Electronic Weekly's David Manners, Luigi Licciardi, executive vice president for technology and operations at Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM), confirmed suspicions that TIM will be offering a 3G iPhone in Italy. Surprisingly, he also offered a time frame for the launch, something that has been left entirely up to speculation until now.

Nakahara Informatics has released version 2.0 of iGet Mobile, their software solution for using your iPhone as a remote control for your Mac via a web interface. The program runs on your Mac and acts as a server for you to access your files from the web.

Cellular company SingTel announced<> yesterday in a brief (and unusual) press release that they would be carrying the iPhone in multiple countries, along with several other wireless carriers. SingTel wrote in the press release: "SingTel, Bharti Airtel, Globe and Optus today announced that they have signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Singapore, India, the Philippines and Australia later this year."
[via MacRumors]

Google has released a new iPhone-optomized version of their beta RSS web app, Google Reader. The new version offers many of the same features available in the normal version while allowing users to quickly and easily view and manage information and updates from various online sources via RSS.

Community art space deviantART has just announced that the web site has recently been optimized for iPhone compatibility. Users can check out the site on their iPhone or iPod touch by clicking over to the web site and enjoying that coded optimized smoothness.

[Via The Unofficial Apple Weblog]

According to sources close to the story, HBO, Time Warner's premium television subsidiary, is reported to have reach an agreement with Apple to make its content available for purchase on the iTunes Store within the next few weeks. The deal reportedly contains a stipulation wherein for the first time, Apple has agree on a separate and distinctive pricing structure for the television show provider within its iTunes Store structure.

Straight out of left field and with little to no warning, wireless carrier AT&T is now offering a second model of the iPhone among its listed devices. The finding was discovered by an AppleInsider reader today and may add credence to rumors that Apple's second-generation, 3G-capable iPhone may feature a black plastic shell as opposed to the traditional aluminum casing.

Most of the rumors out there have pointed to some time in June (probably around WWDC) for the launch of the 3G iPhone, but SwitchToaMac.com thinks otherwise. They believe that Apple will be announcing the handheld in May and launching it the next day, considerably earlier than suspected. Instead of the 3G iPhone at WWDC in June, they claim, Apple will be launching a new portable device.