AT&T has finally answered the MMS dreams of iPhone users and has announced that September 25 is the day it will flip the switch and allow MMS. I only hope that the extra glut of bandwidth user’s consume using MMS doesn’t mean my connection gets ever worse.

AT&T’s only explanation for the long delay in unveiling the service was, “[we needed to] to give our customers a positive experience from day one. [and we needed] to make sure our network is ready to handle what we expect will be a record volume of MMS traffic.” I’m not sure the network can still handle the volume honestly.

Some iPhone users are tired of waiting for MMS support on their iPhones and have decided to take matters into their own hands and have filed suit against AT&T and Apple. A pair of class action lawsuits has been filed against AT&T and Apple over the lack of MMS support for the iPhone.

The first lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of Illinois by Tim Meeker and he claims that AT&T and Apple misrepresented the facts about iPhone support for MMS. The other suit was filed in the Eastern District of Louisiana and is almost identical to the Meeker suit. AT&T has said that MMS would be coming sometime this summer, which is almost over now.

[Ars Technica]

CNET reports that it thinks MMS for the iPhone may be landing soon. The publication reports that after grabbing the OS 3.0.1 update the MMS commands reappeared. The catch right now is that MMS messages can’t be sent, but since the commands are there we can assume you will be able to send soon.

The new commands are in carrier version 5.0 according to CNET. My carrier version is 4.0 and I have no MMS commands. So check your device, see if you are on 5.0 and let us know if you see MMS commands. Look in the Settings > General > About then carrier field to see.

[via CNET]

Gizmodo wrote:

…here we are with a truly integrated MMS experience courtesy of the all-powerful hacking community. Granted, there have been MMS apps available for ages, but there’s a difference: this is the same action 3G and 3GS owners are getting in conjunction with OS 3.0, which Apple curiously decided to hold back from original iPhone owners.

A member of Hacking0sh forum revealed a tip on how MMS on 2G (OS 3.0) with default SMS/MMS app:

• For install copy mms2g.deb to iphone in folder, for example /var/root
• Then in same folder (/var/root) in terminal input: dpkg -i mms2g.deb
• Reboot

or

• Extract files from Patch.zip to iphone to folders same as arhive. For CommCenter chmod 755.
• Reboot.

In settings, adjust apn, user, password.

it´s now on cydia: ActivateMMS2G

ad rep. in cydia:  http://cydia.alpden.com

[via Gizmodo]

But, no matter you had a tether-plan status or not, here is another way to enjoy tethering – but do it at your own risk, of course.

One thing we know about iPhone users, though, is that if you show them a sign saying “no entry” they’ll work out a hack to enable it, and sure enough there’s now a simple way to turn on iPhone tethering no matter your carrier or tether-plan status.  All you need do, in fact, is visit help.BenM.at on your iPhone and install a new local carrier profile configuration file.

There are files for tethering on multiple carriers – not just the official Apple partner in each company, but rivals for those using their iPhone unlocked – and more apparently being added all the time.  Plus, there are install files for MMS support, including AT&T who have previously said that they won’t be officially enabling it on the iPhone until late summer.

[via SlashGear]

Check-out all screenshoots here

So far, the software only works in Sweden and for TeliaSonera SIM card users. But Mobispine are promising to make it available in other countries, according to their blog.

Like another similar MMS app, IDrewSoftware’s ISend MMS, Mobispine’s app also has no ability of receiving MMS into the app.

We also want to implement the functionality of receiving MMS in iPhone + some other cool features into the app…

To receive MMS in the iPhone seamlessly we need the mobile operator to do some configuration on their side and it would also make lots of sense to use the Apple notification API when released. Before that API comes we can always notify the users with SMS to start with.

[via NetworkWorld]

Mac Rumors cited Boy Genius Report that claims to have heard two most-awaited features: MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and tethering:

MMS would finally offer iPhone users the ability to send photos by way of SMS, and tethering would allow you to share your iPhone’s internet connection with your laptop computer. An alleged Steve Jobs email even confirmed that Apple had been working on a thethering solution, so it certainly seems feasible. BoyGeniusReport’s record, however, has been spotty, so we can’t be entirely confident of the report.

Mac Rumors also mentioned:

…a better app-managing SpringBoard (with categories?), a solution to “push” notifications (background tasks?), and, yes… even copy and paste..

Will 3.0 OS be available for the iPhone 3G? I hope so.

Don’t forget join our live blogging from the event at http://live.slashgear.com, then stick around here on iPhone Buzz and at our sibling-site SlashGear for commentary afterward.

[BGR via Mac Rumors]

Telia is going to offer MMS to Scandinavian iPhone users on their network. A lot of US iPhone owners are going to become extremely envious of those who finally are able to send picture messages without a problem. Telia subscribers will be able to download the homegrown iPhone application in just a few months.

There is still little information that tells just how Telia expects to achieve MMS functionality on the iPhone, but we predict that eventually it will find a way over to the US. With previous MMS “hacks” it is required to add the MMS feature to your AT&T plan in order for it to work. Last time we checked this did not cost any extra per month.

[Via MacWorld]

We already know there are third party “hacks” out there like Swirly MMS that kind of provide a fix for some. All of these methods require the users to jailbreak their handset in order for it to even work. Mobispine believes that the ability to send and receive MMS from any iPhone will give mobile operators the ability to drive sales and improve subscriber retention.

“Mobispine continues its strong track record of innovation and is proud to unveil the first true MMS service for iPhones. We are confident that global operators will find Mobispine’s MMS service for iPhone easy-to-use and profitable,” said Dusyant Patel, CEO, Mobispine. “This new offering will help operators generate revenue and differentiate their offerings in a highly competitive market.”

The big hang-up that Mobispine faces is the need to brand the application to fit each carrier and then convince Apple to allow it in the App Store. There have been plenty of MMS applications that have been turned away in the past. Only time will tell if Mobispine will succeed in bringing much needed MMS to iPhone.

[Via SlashGear]

But Palringo is now offering its “rich messaging service” to iPhone users everywhere. It works by connecting with your existing AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, Windows Live, or Gadu Gadu account. Once you’ve input your account information, you can send both picture and text messages to your friends over your data connection. This way, you don’t rack up extra expenses on SMS. 

The only real drawback here is that the images, when sent, don’t pop up on your friend’s phone like a typical instant message. Instead, your friend will be sent a link where they can view the image. I guess it’s a quicker way to send pictures to people but it seems like once you factor in upload and download time, it’ll be about the same as e-mailing them the pic. 

[via MacWorld]