by Marguerite Reardon

Updated at 4:09 p.m. PDT with a link to a Boy Genius report and a clarification on when AT&T expects MMS and tethering service to be ready.

iPhone users across the U.S. were disappointed Monday to learn that AT&T, the only operator in the country offering the iPhone, won't immediately support a couple of key new features in Apple's new 3.0 operating system that will be available starting next week. But AT&T says these features are coming.

On Monday, Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco that it plans to finally add data tethering to the iPhone, which will turn the device into a wireless modem to connect laptops to 3G networks. It also announced that the new 3.0 version of the iPhone operating system will support multimedia messaging messaging.

These features have topped iPhone users' wish lists since the phone was launched two years ago. But millions of iPhone users in the U.S. will have to wait a little bit longer. That said, AT&T says the features are coming soon.

"We will be offering a tethering plan and MMS for the iPhone," Mark Siegel, AT&T's spokesman, said by phone. "But we haven't announced a date."

Siegel was short on details about when these features would be offered, which devices they would be offered on, and how much it plans to charge for the services. Siegel confirmed that the MMS functionality will be offered by the end of the summer, but he wouldn't give any indication as to when tethering will be added.

Apple currently supports two versions of the iPhone on its network: the original iPhone, which went on sale in 2007 and operates on AT&T's 2.5G EDGE network, and the iPhone 3G, which was introduced last summer and operates on the faster 3G network.

Starting next week, AT&T will get another version of the phone called the iPhone 3G S. This device will come in two flavors--a 16GB model that will cost $199 with a two year contract and a 32GB model that will cost $299 with a two year contract. AT&T and Apple will also continue to sell the 8GB iPhone 3G announced last year for $99 with a two year contract. Older 16GB iPhone 3Gs will be available for $149 with a two-year contract until stock of that device runs out, Siegel said.

Siegel couldn't say whether MMS and data tethering will be available on older versions of the iPhone. But if Apple is offering the features as part of the software upgrade, and AT&T offers the service for the iPhone 3G S phones, it would make sense for the company to offer the features on all iPhones supporting the upgraded software. But Siegel couldn't say for sure if this was the case.

While a delay of a few weeks or even a month or two might not seem like a big deal to some people, it seems strange given that AT&T already offers MMS and smartphone data tethering on several other devices. MMS is practically a standard feature on many new phones sold today. MMS messages cost 30 cents to send and receive. And MMS is included in the carrier's messaging plans, which iPhone users already subscribing to those plans are actually paying for a service they can't yet use. Those plans start at $5 a month for 200 messages, and an unlimited plan costs $20 a month.

AT&T also already offers data tethering on several devices. In fact, AT&T's Web site lists no fewer than 11 smartphones that can be used to provide wireless Internet service to laptops. Phones that offer this functionality, include the recently launched Nokia E71m, the Samsung Propel, and the Palm Centro. AT&T also supports data tethering for BlackBerry devices, including the Curve, Bold and Pearl.

According to AT&T's Web site, smartphone tethering plans, which offers Web connectivity for a laptop plus personal data usage for a smartphone, cost an additional $65 a month. The BlackBerry tethering plan costs $60 a month. Both services include 5GB of usage per month. Customers who exceed the allotted bucket of data usage are charged for overages on a per kilobyte basis.

It's difficult to understand why AT&T would need additional time to offer these new features on the iPhone, since it's clear that the company already offers the services and has established rate plans for them. Siegel wasn't able to elaborate or offer any explanation as to why AT&T would need more time to activate these services.

But I wonder if AT&T is worried about overloading its network. iPhone users download games, video and other Web data at two to four times the rate of other smatphone users, according to comScore. So if they also send mobile messages and use tethered data connections at much higher rates too, AT&T might feel some pain on its network.

Even though AT&T has made a lot of noise lately about upgrades to its 3G network, poor network performance is one of the biggest complaints from iPhone users (myself included.) At this year's South by Southwest conference in Austin, iPhone users complained of delayed text messages, poor Web access and dropped calls.

I'm not really sure how a few weeks or even a couple of months would help AT&T overcome this problem, but perhaps the company needs a little bit more time to prepare its network for what could be an onslaught of activity.

The Web site Boy Genius Report referenced an anonymous source who said that AT&T must manually remove all the "Opt Out MMS codes" on each iPhone account to activate MMS. I'm not sure how true this is, since 29 other operators around the world are planning to have the MMS capability ready when the software launches.

Regardless of the reason behind the delay, one thing is certain. AT&T isn't winning any fans among iPhone users for not making these features available when the software is released.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10260012-37.html

This is more than an disappointment, it's an outrage. More than that, perhaps. Of all the new and wonderful features, MMS messaging is the one thing iPhone users have been dreaming about since they found out, to their indescribable disbelief, that their new and shiney smartphone actually didn't have the feature. iPhone's 3.0 OS came out last Wednesday, and knowing every detail about the new upgrade I was horrified when I got that stupid "I sent you a multimedia message. You can view my message via the web at..." message when my brother tried to send me a picture. The feature that I'd waited a year and a half for was finally available, and I still have to wait untill AT&T get's their heads out of their rears to use it! Needless to say, I'm rather upset about this whole deal. Although there are several carriers that the iPhone operates on around the world, it is an AT&T exclusive phone. If AT&T knew that it would take some time to add the feature, why could Apple not have waited until AT&T was ready? And with all the complaints AT&T users are making against poorly working features on a beautifully designed smartphone, maybe Apple should consider unlocking it's masterpiece and sharing it with the world. You can tell me I'm wrong, and you can tell me why, until you're blue in the face, but technical details aside, this is my opinion; it's a nerd vent.

Do you own an iPhone? How do you feel about MMS (and tethering) being delayed?

Check out http://www.youtube.com/user/vwagenjetta

It'll help pass the time!

"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." (NIV)

"Do not misuse my name. I am the LORD your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name." (CEV)

What Exodus 20:7 means by "misuse my name" includes:

1. Breaking promises
2. Telling lies after swearing to tell the truth
3. Using the Lord's name as a curse word

    The definition of a promise is, "a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future." The word "promise" is mentioned over 200 times in the bible, and every time it comes up it is in the context of a statement made before God. Say I promise my wife that I will be faithful to her for the rest of my life. When I promise that to her, what I'm really doing is telling God that I will be faithful to her. If I'm not faithful from that point forward, the statement I made before God would become untrue, and this verse says that I will not go unpunished for lying to God.

    The second point, telling lies after swearing (or promising) to tell the truth, is quite the same as the first. If you promise (swear before God) to tell the truth, and instead tell a lie, you have lied not only to the person you swore to tell the truth to, but also to God; a sin which this verse says you will also be punished for.

    As offensive as it probably should be, I don't even take notice when people say "Oh my God" or even just "God". It's when people come out and say "Jesus Christ" (or "Jesus" or "Christ" alone) that really, sincerely brings me a feeling of tremendous pain meaning both awkwardness and physical discomfort. I hate it, I despise it, and there is nothing that offends me more. I've pondered the reason for my not caring about those who say "God" verses my feelings toward those who say "Jesus" and I've come to the conclusion that "God" is far less specific than "Jesus" is. When I say "oh, god" I honestly feel I'm not taking the lords name in vain. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the word "god" is really just that; a word. When I'm talking to God I say "Father" or "Heavenly Father" or something equally as specific and/or honorable. With all the 'religious diversity' out there, "God" is just to non-specific for me and I think that's a major factor in why it doesn't strike me as offensive when people say it.

    No matter the exact meaning, this commandment has always been a favorite of mine. It really brings into perspective how serious God's rules for man are. Sure, we can all walk around saying "You're going to Hell if...." or "God will punish you for eternity if...", but this message isn't just someone saying God will or might punish you, it's God himself saying I will punish you.

What do you think? Is taking the Lord's name in vain unforgivable?

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

    I've been a dedicated Xanga blogger/reader for a long time now, and I've written/read some pretty darn good blogs. Some people are absolutely meant to blog. These people are fantastic social-style writers and although some of their stories and entries are absolutely worth publishing, most of the time the blogs are better published here on Xanga. There are, however, a few types of people who I think absolutely shouldn't have the privilege of blogging.

#1: The Teenage Attention Psycho

    There are some bloggers here on Xanga, and elsewhere as well, who post only for controversial attention they feel they deserve. Most of the time these bloggers are teenage girls who have no friends and hate their parents. They have countless pictures of themselves, taken by themselves, usually in their room or in a bathroom. Their blog entries rarely include punctuation, except maybe a string of exclamation points or question marks, and the word "but" or the phrase, "the fact that" comes up far more often than it rightfully should.  A blog of theirs would go something like this:

"....well i figured i would write something on here cause i haven't posted anything in well pretty much forever. as we all know life doesn't always go the way we want or plan and some people just have horrible abusive stepdads who yell when you try to see a movie because of the fact that he feels is not good for someone under 17..whats up with that?!?!?!?..but well im learning that you just have to go with the flow and live it out even if you don't want to...but some days i wonder if this is really how i want my life to go or just the fact that i can't control what happens... ill post on here again sometime.....unless i need to "stop the pain"....."

    Ok. For one, shut up. If you honestly think you're the only person on this planet who's parents could possibly be so terrible as to deny your request to see an R-rated movie, you might want to consider leaving your bedroom to venture out into the real world every now and again. For two, learn the rules of grammar before you consider writing something and putting it out in public. Finally, the reason you don't have any friends is because you assume everybody hates you. And for that, everybody does hate you. Either quit your bitchin' or just kill yourself, as you so cleverly alluded to.

#2: The Science-positive Atheist

    I'm sure you've all come across some of these people. They're every post is a no-holds-barred blasphemy fest about how stupid people are for believing that homo-sapiens might have been created by God rather than by chance. These people post videos, blogs, and pictures that are sure to offend any and all religious people who may happen upon their site, and they join religiously entitled blogrings so that religious people will come across their site when looking for each other and end up leaving nasty comments. I tell you what, if you're doing everything you can to get yourself nasty comments from offended religious people, guess what? You'll get them. These bloggers are absolutely close-minded, but claim to have an open mind about God (only to get creationists to argue the topic with them, in all their infinite, scientologist brilliance). I'm not even sure what these people have come up with these days, but I can offer an example of the way they choose to word their comments:

Blog: Question: If you were forced to kill someone, perhaps in order to save you own life, could you do it?

Atheist comment: I wouldn't mind killing a monotheistic god...

   Where on earth are these people dug up? Here is a question that doesn't even have anything to do with religion or science, and you have to come out and sincerely offend a large number of the blog poster's readers!? Why? Are you such a jerk that you have to blatantly offend people just to get your fix of return offense attempts? These people certainly do not deserve the privilege of blogging, nor do they deserve the privilege of commenting.

#3: The Christian SPAM Artist

    We've all seen it. People claiming to be Christian, claiming they're far better than you are because you're not a Christian, and leaving the same "I'm a Christian blogger who posts about God every now and again....blah blah blah" comment on every featured post, picture and video, as well as every post they can possibly get to. It's terribly annoying, and it absolutely ruins the credibility, honesty, and integrity of real Christians. I can't stand these people, and, although their intentions are good, they should definitely not get the privilege of blogging and should be banned from commenting as it is.

    There's a great deal more people out there who really aggravate me (and others as well). What do you think? What other types of people absolutely should not have the privilege to blog?

from BadWithMoney (<--that's me)

These are terrible times. We've reached a point that, it seems, no news is good news. You'll find the word "layoffs" in the business section of just about every newspaper in every city in the United States, and I think it's safe to say that if you still have a job you should consider yourself lucky, if not blessed. But if you have been, or were to be laid off, what would your course of action be? Do you even know what needs to happen before and after you've been laid off? When my boss called me into his office and asked me to shut the door behind me, I didn't know what to think. Sure one of our facilities was closing, and a good chunk of people were being laid off, but my department wasn't even involved in this "transition", or so I thought. But when he handed me a paper that said my employment was going to be terminated, I had no idea what to say or think, and after a little research I must say I'm glad I took the time to find out exactly what was happening and what I needed to do about it.

The first thing I learned is that employers aren't required by law to provide severance packages. This valuable information brought new meaning to my boss' words, "keep up the good work until your time here is out." Since layoffs and facility closings are signs that a company is desperately trying to save money, their keeping a close eye on the employees scheduled to receive severance packages makes a lot of sense. Why layoff an employee and give him a severance package if they can just fire them without expense instead? If you've been notified about your upcoming termination, now would not be a good time to start (or continue) robbing the office supplies cabinet. Instead, work twice as hard and prove to the company that you're worth what they'll be paying you. I also learned that withholding federal taxes from your severance package, if you're getting one, is a must if you don't want to be hurting come tax day.

Although employers aren't required by law to provide severance packages, employers with 100 or more employees are required by the WARN Act of 1989 to to provide a sixty calendar-day advance notification of plant closings and mass layoffs. The WARN act does not, however, require employers to provide an exact date of termination to any employees laid off. I was a bit worried when I received my first "you're being laid off" letter from my boss, which said nothing about an exact date. I did, however, receive another letter about a week later which listed the exact date I was to be laid off. If you've been laid off and you don't know the exact date, try and find out. Applications for employment most often ask for your available start date, and knowing the exact date you're being cut can help you put a date on the applications you will be filling out until, and perhaps after, your time comes.

Whether you're receiving a severance package from your employer or not, you are still entitled to unemployment benefits. However, there is most often a few weeks time between the day you file for benefits and the day the first check arrives, so file for benefits as soon as possible. And despite any stereotypes, the "long line of scumbags" at the unemployment office doesn't actually exist. Make an appointment, go in, fill out some paperwork, and your good to go. You can also apply online or over the phone. The long lines of frustratingly incompetent peoples are located at the welfare office, a place which you could, but definitely don't want to, end up in.

Then there's the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986. Since that's a serious mouthful of words, some of which most people have never seen before, we'll call it COBRA. COBRA requires the continuation of health benefit coverage to be offered to covered employees, their spouses, their former spouses, and their dependent children when group health coverage would otherwise be lost due to a layoff. COBRA allows for coverage for up to 18 months in most cases, but if you're deemed disabled by the Social Security Administration, coverage may continue for up to 29 months. If you're divorced, coverage may continue for up to 36 months. COBRA is both simple and complex. If you try and read the entire text of the act as it was signed by President Reagan, you might pass out. If you've been laid off, all you need to know about COBRA is that unless you plan on using your health care benefits between the time you've been laid off and the time you get a new job, you should not enact COBRA right away. COBRA can be enacted retroactively within 60 days of your being laid off. That means that if you don't enact COBRA, and you break your leg a month after you've been laid off, you can choose to enact COBRA and you'll be covered. Break you leg on day 61, however, and you're out of luck.

With every article, document, letter and blog I read about layoffs, I always came across the phrase, "Ask your HR representative about..." and have deduced that the most important thing to do when laid off is get a solid list of questions you need answered about what your layoff entails, what your getting, how it's calculated, when your being let go, etc, and find someone who can answer them. Negotiate if you can, and make sure you're getting everything you're entitled to. You're life is about to change drastically, and I'm sure you don't want to take on that challenge unprepared.

WARN Act on Wikipedia
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worker_Adjustment_and_Retraining_Notification_Act
Description: This link will lead you to the Wikipedia page which describes the WARN Act of 1989.

Employee's Guide to COBRA [PDF]
Link: http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/cobraemployee.pdf
Description: This link leads to the Department of Labors brochure entitled, "An Employee's Guide to Health Benefits Under COBRA". It explains what COBRA is, how it works, and provides a solid 20 pages of information that you might need to know when being laid off.

Economic Policy Institute
Benefits Calculator
Link: http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/datazone_uicalc_index
Description: The purpose of this online benefits calculator is twofold. First, the calculator demonstrates the great disparities in benefit generosity from one state to the next. Second, the calculator gives a general idea of the benefits a typical part-time or full-time, full-year worker might expect to receive should he or she become unemployed.

Career One Stop
Service Locator
Link: http://www.servicelocator.org/OWSLinks.asp
Description: CareerOneStop.org's online service locator provides links to general information about your state's unemployment insurance program, how to file an Unemployment Initial (UI) claim online, and how to file a claim by phone.

U.S. department of Labor
Employment & Training Administration
TAA & ATAA Petitions
Link: http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/petitions.cfm#1
Description: The US Department of Labor's website provides details on the process of applying for TAA and ATAA in order to help workers successfully obtain TAA/ATAA eligibility. Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Alternative Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) help trade-affected workers who have lost their jobs as a result of increased imports or shifts in production out of the United States. TAA program services and benefits are designed to facilitate workers in getting back to work quickly.