iPhone owners are reporting that the latest software update for their smart device has significantly boosted its wireless reception.

The second update issued this month went live Tuesday via iTunes, the usual update mechanism for iPhone owners. Although Apple Inc. only said 1.0.2 included unspecified "bug fixes," owners on several popular message forums, including those on the MacRumors site, have come forward with claims that the iPhone now connects to wireless access points once written off as out of range. "My wifi reception is definitely better," a user identified as schulzmc said Tuesday. "While in my office I have never been able to connect to the wifi hub in the conference room down the hall [but after the update] I was surprised that the Edge connection seemed faster, until I realized I was connected to the wifi hub with two bars. For me, this is a huge issue, as I was preparing to try to deal with whatever hassle it would take to get the wifi connection extended to my office area."

"Wifi reception and connection is much improved," seconded snowboarder on the same thread Tuesday. "The phone works better. Some places I had problems with before now work like a charm."

Reports of other changes were more mixed. Some who applied the 3.7MB update, for example, swore that speakerphone volume -- a long-standing issue for users who complain it's too low -- was boosted by the new software. Others, however, said it was as low as ever.

Problems with the update appeared to be centered on those who had changed, or "modded" their iPhones with unsanctioned hacks to, among other things, let them add their own ringtones. Applying the 1.0.2 update meant owners of modded iPhones had to restore the device from scratch. That wasn't unexpected, however, since Apple's 1.0.1 update did the same thing.

iPhone users can wait out the update interval -- iTunes automatically checks Apple's update servers once a week -- or retrieve 1.0.2 manually by selecting "Check for Update" under the iTunes Help menu and then docking the iPhone to the PC or Mac.

I found this at

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136296-c,iphone/article.html

UBS analyst Benjamin Reitzes said in a research note on Tuesday that Apple may sell more than 800,000 iPhones in the fourth quarter. That would top Apple's own estimates of 730,000 units for the quarter.

Citing continued strong demand for the iPhone at Apple and AT&T retail stores, Reitzes said his estimates are conservative.

"Our checks continue to indicate solid demand for the iPhone despite typical moderation in excitement from launch and extremely high expectations," wrote Reitzes.

Apple reported selling 270,000 iPhones during the first weekend it was available, which was also the last two days of the third quarter. Apple CEO Steve Jobs predicted during the third quarter earnings conference call that the company would sell its one-millionth iPhone by the end of the fourth quarter.

Apple's goal is to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008.

iPhone sales will get a boost from deals Apple has reportedly made with mobile phone operators in three of Europe's largest markets. Germany's T-Mobile Deutschland, France's Orange SA and Britain's O2 (UK) are reported to have signed exclusive deals to sell the iPhone in their respective markets.

Reitzes positive outlook for Apple doesn't stop with the iPhone. He is also expecting good things from the company's computer line in the future.

"In addition, we believe the Mac story is exciting as demand is strong for notebooks and recently introduced iMacs," he said.

Enthusiasm for Apple's notebooks seems to be well founded as market research firm NPD yesterday put Apple's U.S. retail notebook market share for June 2007 at 17.6 percent. That is an increase of 2.2 percentage points over the same period last year when Apple posted a 15.4 percent market share.

According to data from research firm IDC, Apple's continued rise in computer sales puts it in third place overall among all computer makers in the U.S. This is the first time since 1996 that Apple finds itself this high on the list of top selling manufacturers.

Investors reacted positively to the news boosting Apple's stock to $130.95, up $3.38 or 2.65 percent.

I found this at

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136278-c,researchreports/article.html

In a video up on the Finding Jtab on the iPhone blog, a shaggy-haired young hacker holds up an iPhone and proclaims "This is the world's first unlocked iPhone."

By unlocked, he means he's gotten around having to use the iPhone with AT&T. In the video, he holds the phone up to the camera to show the T-Mobile connection indicator on the screen, makes a phone call, and then removes a T-Mobile SIM card.

He says he and his team had to take the phone apart and perform some complicated soldering, but they hope to have a software unlock figured out when they post details of their hardware unlock in a week.

Ars Technica also has a blog post up with a few guesses about how the team pulled it off.

I found this at

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/005210.html