Lots of chatter on the Internet around AT&T laying off between 10,000 and 15,000 employees or about 4 percent of its workforce. Of course, this is not surprising as everybody is laying off people right now. Unlike previous times, this is a real layoff, not a voluntary buyout.

I’d imagine, though, that with 160,000 plus workers, AT&T is bloated just like many government and private companies. It’s always sad to hear when someone / anyone loses their job. It’s especially discouraging when it happens during the Christmas holiday season.

This layoff is particularly interesting because of how it might affect iPhone sales and service. However, it appears that the layoffs are targeted toward employees who are primarily on the voice side of the business. The traditional voice business has been steadily losing customers to wireless / cell phone service for the last several years. AT&T also said that they would be hiring employees on their more profitable cell phone business.

These layoffs AND hiring come on the heels of consumers moving rapidly to adopt cell phones as their primary communication method.

Times are a-changing indeed in this industry. There so many cell phone / pda options for people now that consumers will likely see some real benefits from these slow economic times. For example, one of the latest rumors is that Walmart will start selling a $99 iPhone. The rumor continues that this will be a 4G version which was very popular, especially when the first iPod Touches were released.

Additionally, Google, of course, launched their heralded G1 a couple of months back. Reviews of this device have been lukewarm. But, it does speak to the fact that competition is healthy and will get even more intense as mobile device manufacturers try to knock off the king of the hill – Apple.

However, I don’t see widespread consumer adoption of any one device or operator until one of the big carriers drops their cost / min, cost / text, cost / data plan significantly. All of the operators continue to hold onto what little margins they have by increasing prices in one area or the other.

I know this is true for the iPhone for example. One cannot buy an Apple iPhone without at least buying the $30 data plan. And, a minimum, ya gotta have texting. Kaching … add at least $5 per month for 200 messages. And finally, ya also gotta get a minimum voice plan of $70. That’s a WHOPPING $105 for an individual plan. Talk about sockin’ it to you!

And, what is this nonsense about being charged to pay your bill? How absurd is that? If you decide to use a “live” operator rather than an automated system, you “could” be subject to a fee.

Remember the good old days when you went to fill up your gas tank. The attendant came out washed your windows, checked your oil, and then filled up your tank? Some of them even shook you hand.

No more …

True price reductions will only come from healthy competition, both on the DEVICE side and on the PLAN side. I applaud Google for bring some competition to the device side. But, hey, these devices are pretty much a commodity anyway.

One of the big carriers needs to start pushing the envelope on cellular rate plans. Then, the average consumer can begin to see the real benefits of affordable pricing.

Call your congressman today!

Some people say that variety is the spice of life. This is very true. It is also true for music. In addition, if you have an Apple iPhone, there is no better way to have your music on the go. Think iPod with the ability to make phone calls, text, surf the web, and more. It does not matter where you are heading off to; everyone wants music in there life. Taking it with you is definitely the way to go. Having your music with you is almost a requirement these days. Once upon a time you would need to schlep around a CD player with you. Remember the Sony Walkman? Now, with the iPhone, your music is always close at hand. Today you can have iPhone music on the go.

The portable CD player is now a thing of the past. Digital music is available as MP3′s. These files are easily carried with you be it in a MP3 player or an iPhone. As an Apple iPhone owner, you can bring all of your favorite music with you, and it is right there at your fingertips. Those of you who have the Apple iPhone do not have to fret about having to bring along a separate MP3 player to listen to your music. All of the tunes you love to listen to are right there on their cell phone. The music is available to play whenever and where ever you are ready to listen to it. When it’s time to rock out, you are ready to roll.

The Apple iPhone makes retrieving your favorite tunes a snap. Just a touch of a finger and you can quickly browse through all of your music. You can sort and retrieve it by play lists, albums, artists, or songs. How you organize it is up to you. What if you cannot think of the album name? If you remember what the album looks like you can use program such as Cover Flow to make it easy for you to locate your favorite albums based on the graphics presented on the album cover. It’s more than just music on the go with the Apple iPhone, it’s an entire music library.

Do you like karaoke? If you love to sing a long with your favorite song but the words elude you, no worries, as long as you downloaded the music from iTunes, you can have the words appear right there on the screen. It’s not a phone, it’s a personal karaoke machine, compliments of your iPhone. It really doesn’t get any better than this.

Wait a minute, you don’t have an iPhone? Where can you get one? Go to any AT&T store, they will have them. On the other hand, you can get them online. These phones may be smart, but they are quite expensive. Be sure to check for bargains no matter where you shop. In addition, take the time to get insurance on them. If they break you want AT&T to foot the bill, not you. If you are not an AT&T customer, see if they will give you a good deal on an iPhone if you switch over to their service. The cell phone business is extremely competitive, so be sure to bargain and haggle with them. You will be surprised at what might happen. If you want your music on the go with the Apple iPhone, then you are going to need and iPhone to be on the go with. Buy one, enjoy it and listen to all the music you can possibly fit onto a single phone.

Cell phones, IM, email and text messaging are all an integral part of daily life in today’s connected society. For those who were born into this communication revolution, they expect instant contact with others and information. This is where text messaging and the iPhone come into play. The Apple iPhone offers unsurpassed accessibility, convenience, and technology, all rolled into one very portable package. By using the iPhone to text, it has never been easier to stay in touch.

Staying in contact is where the iPhone shines. It makes calling and keeping track of your contact lists a breeze. Applications such as Facebook make it possible to connect with your entire social network with just a few taps of the screen. We communicate faster and more efficiently than ever before and with your iPhone you can connect with just a touch or two of the screen. You can make a call, send pictures and texts to a friend, or perhaps send email or chat via IM. This is how you can stay in touch with your iPhone. Texting is a big part of that communication capability.

The Apple iPhone truly excels when it comes to its texting features. No other phone gives you the ease of use combined with constant connectivity. When texting, your iPhone flags a word that it thinks is misspelled. You can override this error flag by telling your iPhone that this is a new word. To teach this new word to your iPhone, tap the screen three times to cancel the correction and the word will then become a part of your iPhone dictionary! The iPhone seeks out the typos that you make when you are texting someone and it fixes errors for you. This saves you a lot of time, because you don’t have to worry about going back and fixing them yourself.

Here’s a a feature that teenagers will like. The iPhone has the ability to send out a text message to more than one person at once. So when news that the hottest band around will be coming to town soon, your teenager can tell everyone they know about the news with just a few taps of the screen. Write a message, select a list of recipients and send to as many people as you have in your contact list! It is that simple.

Texting and the iPhone is more than just another way for teenagers to stay in contact with one another. You can send texts to let clients know of a change in plans or if you are caught in traffic. Send a quick text to see if your spouse needs you to pickup something on the way home. Text the groomer to let them know you are on your way to pick up Rover. Looking to buy a gift? You can text the person to find out if they have a certain DVD or book. This is how we can all live better using texting and the iPhone.

This little piece of technology combines form, fashion, and productivity into one device. The iPhone has become a status symbol, especially with young adults from their teens to their early thirties. Pretty cool, eh?