You know how rumors are. They circulate like a virus and they are twice as hard to kill. This one has been around for a bit. Rumors have been flying regarding the 32GB iPhone. AT&T is playing it’s part, by adding some fuel to the fire, by offering 8GB refurbished iPhones for $99. Then there is Macblogz, who received an anonymous tip which points to the release of the 32 GB iPhone.

Theoretically, to sell a less-expensive iPhone, priced at about $99, Apple would need to introduce a new model with less storage. The current models would get bumped in specs, and a cheaper iPhone would be introduced and outfitted with less storage than it’s bigger brothers. The current 8GB iPhone would be left out in this line up, and will probably be discontinued.

A PhD student at Carleton University in Canada, Atif Shamin, has out-thought Apple by inventing a ‘transmitter system on-package’ that significantly extends the battery life of mobile devices. It all has to do with the connection between the circuit board and the antenna.

Instead of using wire, he designed a high frequency micro-transmitter and receiver that avoids the usual loss of power through a wire. That’s a significant breakthrough in energy efficiency in mobile devices. He created a module that replaces all of the wires connecting a phone’s electrical circuits and the antennae, making them all communicate wirelessly.

I have tried on a few occasions to take pictures with my iPhone. It seems that no matter how brightly lit the room is, the camera simply can’t take a shot that’s not dark and grainy. Many other high-end camera phones offer a built-in flash, but so far, Apple has not added that feature.

Snapture offers editing software designed to run on the iPhone and it has now announced a new polycarbonate case that not only protects the iPhone from damage, but also adds a bright Xenon powered flash.

With the massive popularity of the iPod and the iPhone chances are that there are many homes around the country that have both devices vying for the precious outlet space on the wall. Walk into the average gadget hounds home and you are likely to find cables and devices charging in several places.

If you (or your wife) are looking for a cleaner and more attractive way to charge your iPhone and iPod at the same time, this may be the device for you. i.Sound has a new gadget called the i.Sound Twin charger that lets you charge any two Apple 30-pin connector devices at the same time from one outlet.

Apple’s iPhone isn’t exactly a console, but it might do better if it had some actual physical inputs and stuff like this just doesn’t make it a gamer’s best friend. Sure, it has the touchscreen and tilt sensors, but without some buttons and a D-pad, the average gamer finds it hard.

Well, gamers have something to celebrate as the iControlPad case for the iPhone is heading to production. This is the final prototype. When released, it will be in black and those holes will have buttons for mashing. No word on any ship dates or even a price.

It seems like every time I go to a party or an event where people are taking pictures more and more folks are taking pictures with their mobile phones. The iPhone is one of the most popular devices on the market and as such, many of these mobile phone photos are taken on the iPhone.

HP has announced a new app for the iPhone that is available now on the App Store for free. The app is called HP iPrint Photo and allows users to print images directly from their iPhone to Wi-Fi equipped HP printers.

An iPhone with integrated solar cells may be quite a ways off, so in the meantime Solar Arcadia’s solar-powered cases are your best option. The cases are available in SideFlip and Leather Flip models and offer a bit of extra protection for your handset.

They feature a solar panel so that your phone can enjoy at least a few more minutes of life while you’re out in the sunlight. Each case is constructed from ABS sheepskin and comes in a trio of colors. Red, white or black (The Leather Flip is only available in black).

Wazabee will be introducing several ‘autostereoscopic’ products at Macworld that add no-glasses 3D technology to regular LCDs, including the iPhone. The 3DeeShell hugs the iPhone like a protective case, and features a clear “3D” lens that you can remove when you’re not using it.

Of course the case can’t magically convert 2D to 3D, but the company is offering a trio of apps to create and view media for the display, named 3DeeVUsion, 3Dee!oadr and 3DeeCamera. The Wazabee 3DeeShell is scheduled to ship in early Q2 2009.

Great news for MGS fans. Konami has decided to port several games, apparently lured by the 70% revenue share that developers get from the iPhone App Store.

The games are Metal Gear solid, Silent hill, Dance Dance Revolution and Frogger. I think it’s safe to say that they will sell well and generate a ton of revenue for Konami, so we expect others to follow their lead.

We probably shouldn’t be basing predictions for important new Apple products on protective case mockups from China. Even so, things like this have revealed the truth in the past. iDealsChina is reporting that XSKN is working on a silicone skin for the upcoming “Nano iPhone” a shorter, chubbier version of the iPhone 3G.

According to iDealsChina sources, the phone will feature EDGE data, but otherwise is pretty identical in specs to its predecessors. Well, it has a smaller screen. According to them, Apple plans to sell tons of these for low prices in places like Walmart, and that the company will be unveiling the new handset in January during Macworld.

It was bound to happen sooner or later, given the iPhone’s popularity. Yesterday, Microsoft quietly added the photo displaying app SeaDragon Mobile, its first-ever iPhone application, to the App Store. Some think that Microsoft Office for iPhone can’t be far behind.

SeaDragon Mobile is basically a demo of Microsoft Live Labs’ photo display platform. Users can use the app to do such things as zoom in on photos with incredible resolution. The app does this by storing different resolutions, and shows you only the portions requested at a given time.

Yes, you can now get an iPhone from the comfort of your livingroom, wearing only your underwear. Just purchase the phone online, receive it at home and activate the handset via iTunes. That was easy wasn’t it?

Only new accounts and new line activations apply. Those who want to upgrade from where they are at the moment will still have to put some clothes on and head toward a store. But this does make things a whole lot more convenient for everyone. Especially nudists, WoW players and shut-ins.

Diamond jewellers De Vere’s of London have unveiled the all black Apple iPhone 3G. The ‘Midnight’ iPhone 3G features a deep black bezel surrounding the front screen to match the rear case. The Midnight iPhone is exclusive to De Vere’s for £799 (USD$1199) or as a bezel fitted to an existing iPhone for £299 (USD$449).

The black Midnight iPhone was originally created by De Vere’s to show off the effect of diamonds set into its luxury De Vere Diamond iPhones. Then they realized how good the all black iPhone looked without the diamonds.

My iPhone came with a junky pair of Apple earphones that were not only uncomfortable, but didn’t sound very good to boot. This is true of most all earphones included with music phones and MP3 players, which is why the aftermarket for earphones is rather large.

Typically I think earphones are expensive if they push into the $50 price range, though I have tried sets that run into the hundred dollar range before. Ultimate Ears has announced a new set of earphones called the TripleFi 10vi that carries a price more expensive than your iPhone.

How cool would it be to dock your iPhone in a rotary telephone while running this app. This hack turns your old rotary phone into a cool iPhone docking station. It’s sure to sound great since it has 16 Watts of speaker power hidden in the device.

It sports one speaker behind the dial on the front of the phone and two speakers in the handset itself. The IR sensor and controls are on the side of the phone and the docking port is hidden under the receiver when the hand set is off. This is a pretty awesome mod if you have a 1940′s phone laying around. Video below.