The much ballyhooed launch of the iPhone turns out to have been much more of a flop than the long lines and all the hoopla in the press would lead you to believe. While there have been claims of as many as 500,000 iPhones sold in the first days, the reality is that during the first two days of the launch, only 146,000 iPhones were actually activated, and the numbers rapidly plummeted following the initial frenzy.

An independent security research outfit has found a gaping security hole in the iPhone. They have found that someone needs only embed the correct malicious code on a web page, and when an iPhone visits the web page, it will essentially cooperate with any instruction given to it through the code.

Some of the most hardcore computer geeks – and those who simply can’t live without full access to the Internet for more than 5 minutes – wanted to know this about the iPhone: is it possible to tether a laptop or other computer with the iPhone? In other words, is it possible to use the iPhone as a modem for one’s computer? And the answer is…

Here is the hands-on Apple iPhone review (sometimes called the Cingular iPhone or the AT&T iPhone – there is no Verizon iPhone Verizon users, for you – so sorry!) they don’t want you to see and you won’t see in any of the other Apple iPhone reviews: it’s the 7 bad things about the Apple iPhone that they don’t want you to know. Thanks to our exclusive interview with Shawn King, of the Your Mac Life Show, who spent time up close and personal with the Apple iPhone / Cingular iPhone / AT&T iPhone a week before its release, and to some digging on our part, we bring you the 7 things about the iPhone that you’ll never see in an Apple ad, because they don’t want you to know about it.

If you are one of the people who has considered Apple ProCare (or even one of them who has rejected Apple Pro Care out of hand), we’re here to tell you that, yes, it’s a very good deal! Just read on to learn our tale of woe, and how having Apple Pro Care saved the day! (And how the Genius Bar folks at the Apple store in Palo Alto rock!)

The much-rumoured and long hoped-for Beatles iPod, in the form of a Yellow Submarine iPod – a yellow iPod with the entire Beatles catalog loaded on it – came one step closer to reality with Apple Records (properly known as Apple Corps LTD) and Apple Computer burying the hatchet and bringing to a close their long-standing feud over the Apple trademark.

Early adopters who have rushed out to grab their copy of Windows Vista have found that it has broken iTunes. As a result, Apple has suggested that people hold off upgrading to Vista “for a few weeks”, at which time a new version of iTunes is expected to be released. They are also offering an iTunes Repair Tool for Vista, for those who have already made the switch.

Consumer Reports has released their recommendations for the best anti spam software, the best anti spyware remover, and the best anti virus software.

Those of you who have been waiting for a MacBook in tablet format need wait no longer. The ModBook was officially introduced at this year’s Macworld, although you may have missed it what with all the hoohah over the iPhone. Referred to by some as the “Apple tablet PC”, the Axiotron ModBook sure is sweet!

It should come as no surprise at all – at least to any regular readers of the Internet Patrol – that Cisco has filed a lawsuit against Apple over the iPhone (the Apple cell phone) trademark. As we told you earlier, Cisco aquired the Linksys iPhone, along with the trademark, when Cisco aquired Linksys several years ago. Was Apple relying on an expectation of neighborly cooperation from fellow Silicon Valley giant Cisco when they knowingly chose to use Cisco’s trademark for their own iPhone, announced this week? Or did they perhaps expect their now famous use of the letter “i” to help them carry the day on this one?

As expected, Apple announced their iPhone – combination Apple cell phone and iPod – this week at Macworld. What wasn’t expected was that they announced a product which won’t be available for at least six months, and which may not even exist yet other than as a handful of iPhone proto-types. Here’s what we think is going on.

Are you one of those people for whom iChat audio and video chatting used to work, but suddenly it has stopped working, for no apparent reason? Are you getting “user has declined your invitation” or “communications error” errors, or maybe even the dreaded “error -8”? Have you changed nothing at all on your end, but suddenly you simply can’t audio chat or video chat with some people – or maybe anybody?

Well, you’re not alone.

The long-awaited announcement by Apple of an iPhone – an Apple cell phone – is believed by many to be due in just a few short weeks. However news that Linksys, now a division of Cisco, has owned the iPhone brand for years has the market abuzz and agog. Does this mean a legal battle brewing between giants Cisco and Apple? Regardless, emotions run surprisingly high over such a seemingly small thing as a name and even the letter “i”.

Microsoft has advised that they are working on investigating a vulnerability in Word for Windows and Mac which allows attackers to gain access to a user’s home computer. All of the following version of Word are at risk: Microsoft Word 2000, Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Office Word 2003, Microsoft Word Viewer 2003, Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac, and Microsoft Word 2004 v. X for Mac, as well as Microsoft Works 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Starbucks has just struck a deal to have their own “Starbucks Entertainment” area on Apple’s iTunes internet music store. According to Starbucks, their Hear Music catalog will be available through the iTunes website.