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!

You are going to get a battery when you buy a new mobile phone. That means you don’t have to think much about them until you find that your battery is not performing as it should. There are many reasons why this happens, and it is not always that you need to go out and buy a new one. Some features on your phone use more power, and some problems with the battery are not actually related to the battery at all. You should check into all of these things before you go out and buy new mobile phone batteries. It could save you some money.

One thing that surprised me about my mobile phone batteries may be a problem with many brands of phone. I have a Razor in addition to my iPhone, and so do a few of my friends. We were all wondering why there were times when our batteries would go for days without needing a new charge, and other times it would wear out a few times a day. Our usage of the phone was generally the same day in and day out, so this made little sense. We finally figured out that having the phone on vibrate mode was one of the things that drained our mobile phone batteries rather quickly.

Another problem with your cell phone batteries of which you may not have considered is that there is a connection loose. It could be where you plug your charger into your phone, or somewhere else in between power source and battery. You may also have dust inside that is mucking things up. Even more importantly, you may have a charger that is no longer working correctly, and you will find replacing that is far cheaper than replacing mobile phone batteries that may be working just fine.

When you have taken your phone in and exhausted all of those possibilities, you can then think about buying mobile phone batteries. If you have had your phone for a while, that might be just what you need. Shop around before you buy, as you may find a better price online than you would in the store. You won’t know until you comparison shop. You may find some stores will let you know over the phone if you call in and ask what prices they have. This could save you a lot, which is huge with gas prices being through the roof. You can save in more than one way.

I love my iPhone! In fact, every day I find new, cool things to do with it … from productivity tools to watching Youtube videos to listening to music. When I’m not mobile or using my iPhone on a call, I tune into AOL radio (which is really cool – but more on that later).

One of the items on my Christmas list this season is a docking station to keep my iPhone 3G upright. There are a few reasons why I want to do this. #1 – My iPhone deserves to be SEEN! #2 – I’m always of afraid of dropping something on it from above: my coffee cup, book, what have you. #3 – It’s so much easier not to have to plug, unplug, and re-hook and finally #4 – Sounds, man. If I buy an iPhone 3G docking station that’s also got a built-in amp and speakers, than I can rock away at the same time.

These iPhone 3G docking stations are on the shortlist that I’m giving to my wife.

Tunepro Stereo Alarm Clock Radio

This cool clock radio won the iLounge best of show for 2008. It is  sleek, black finish that has speakers that give a wide dispersion of sound. It uses the latest in flat panel speaker technology and SRS WOW system. This makes it look sleek, but also puts out really deep surround sound for flat speakers.

In addition to playing your iPhone it also charges it as well. The clock is radically cool, displaying through the front mirror screen. It acts as a clock radio, giving you the ability to wake up to either your iPhone or the clock radio. Tunepro Stereo Alarm Clock Radio

Macally Flextune Portable Stereo

Not as elegant as the Tunepro, but portable and less expensive. The thing I like about the Macally is that it’s a portable music machine that runs on both batteries and AC power. Your iPhone can also be turned horizontally to watch movie or Youtube videos!

Of course, while your iPhone is in the unit, it will be charging, as well. It will not have as rich a sound as the Tunepro, but for half the price it’s a very useful docking station. Macally Flextune Portable Stereo

Simplifi iPhone 3G Dock

If you’ve already got a stereo and your just looking for a simple docking station, this handy little unit is pretty nice. It’s a simple docking station that charges and syncs your iPhone 3G. But, in addition to that, it all accepts digital media cards such as compact flash and secure digital.

In addition it is a 2-port USB hub, which is powered by an included AC adapater. Simplifi iPhone 3G Dock

This is the list that I’ll be giving “Santa”. Let’s hope she knows which one to pick.