Apple is reportedly about to launch a ‘nano’ version of the hugely successful iPhone. It is expected to be in the shops in time for Christmas. The new slimmed-down version of the iPhone is expected to outstrip sales even of the original.

While Telstra remains the most expensive Australian mobile carrier, the mobile broadband price cut is the most significant change since it activated the Next G network almost 22 months ago. Telstra has previously defended its lofty costs on the basis of a “premium” product, because Next G was faster and offered bigger coverage.

Optus has experienced a fresh set of problems for 3G mobile users, with many customers simply unable to make calls or access the 3G Internet. The 8 hour outage, which affected NSW, Victoria and Queensland, was compounded by bad advice from customer service staff, who issued annoyed consumers with incorrect instructions for reconnecting to the network.

Optus spokeswoman Elizabeth Greene confirmed that there were issues with the network in Sydney and Melbourne, but did not know what the cause of the issues was. Customers in Melbourne said the 3G network had been down for several hours, while the GSM network appeared to be intact.

Mobile phones, and most modern laptops, have signal strength and battery life displays. One or both of these displays has probably been the focus of all of your attention at one time or another. Neither display is actually telling you what you think it’s telling you.