iOS 5 introduces iMessage, essentially Apple’s response to BlackBerry Messenger. Conversations can be started on one device and then finished on another: that is because the app is push-based. Obviously this has the carriers a little concerned because after all those text messaging plans are just another way to get another $10, $15, or more out of you every month. Most of your friends on iPhones? Well, obviously you’re not going to need so many text messages.

It also debuts notifications in a more Android like format, where you swipe from the top to see them. This is a great feature for those like me who get several in a row before looking at their phone, and then have to cycle through all those popups which gets seriously annoying.

Twitter integration’s another notable feature, which would be found across the camera, Safari, and maps apps. Developers would be able to also integrate Twitter into their own apps. I have to say that’s great and all, but what about Facebook?

Game Center gets some important enhancements which Apple likely hopes will push it to the forefront. Achievement points, friend recommendations and photos are just some of the additions, which makes it much more like Xbox Live (which it should be anyway).

But you really care when its available, and that’s October 12th. And oh yeah, it’s a free update.

(UPDATE: CoverItLive, which Macworld uses, seems to be having troubles–we recommend the live coverage at gdgt, which is working great.]

If you believe what the Wall Street Journal is saying Sprint has done, you all but sell your company’s soul for the iconic iPhone.

Sprint is likely to lose money on the iPhone deal through at least 2014, the paper reports, but it seems to think that the device could be key in keeping the carrier relevant. The gamble carries a lot of risk: Sprint could find itself straddled by a costly deal that could bring the entire company down if it fails.

The four year deal is said to guarantee the purchase of 30.5 million iPhones over the period, costing some $20 billion dollars. Sprint would subsidize each handset to the tune of about $500, meaning it would take quite awhile to recoup the cost of providing the device.

Think about it for a second: as of last quarter, Sprint only had about 27.7 million postpaid subscribers. If you take it at face value, every single customer would have to convert to the iPhone, or at least half of the subscriber base would need to re-up with a new iPhone twice during the agreement period.

But to be completely fair, the Sprint deal is not unusual — it seems to be average of what Apple asks of its carriers. The Cupertino company asks for a good deal of leverage over its partners, and these folks willingly give it to them. Despite Android’s successes, individually the iPhone is still the single best selling handset.

Verizon and AT&T did not have such risk in taking on Apple, because they are so much bigger and had a larger margin of error. But because Sprint is so much smaller, the risks of missing targets when making such huge deals are far higher.

Will Sprint be able to do make this work? If it sticks to its principles, it very well could. Remember the carrier makes a big stink about unlimited data: if it holds itself to that, it would be the only US carrier to offer such a plan. AT&T got rid of its unlimited iPhone data plans in June of last year, and Verizon’s this past summer. That’s certainly an attractive selling point.

So here’s my question: if Sprint offers unlimited data plans similar to its current ones for the iPhone, will you bite? Or did the carrier make a misguided gamble here? Personally, I think it had to do something, but this may have been a step too far.

Another new feature is the “Newsstand,” essentially a formal launch of Apple’s subscription option for iOS content. A dedicated section would now be included in the iTunes Store, with a companion app created to read this content exclusively.

As earlier rumored, Twitter would be integrated into the operating system, allowing for the feature to be used across apps. Photo, Maps and Camera would be among the first official apps to see such integration.

Other features were intended for Safari. The Reading List option would allow a quick way for content to be saved for later reading. Reader view would allow just the contents of a web page to be e-mailed, not just a link.

Reminders is pretty neat: finally a to-do list for the iOS! But this one’s pretty cool: you can actually not only set it to remind you at a specific time, but also a place: once the iOS device detects you entering near that preset location, the notification you set would appear.

Apple has finally realized iOS needed a camera button that wasn’t on the touchscreen, and is officially making the volume up button another way to take a picture. The camera would also now be accessible from the  lock screen. That’s convenient. Various picture enhancement functions would also be built into the application.

Mail is also getting a makeover, including searching that spans both the device and messages still on the server. Basic WSIWYG mail design functions will be supported.

What may be the biggest new function is something called “PC Free.” Activations are now going to be done completely over the phone, and updates to iOS devices would now be delivered “over the air.” Jobs on stage again stressed the “post-PC world” idea, and certainly this goes a long way to realizing that dream.

The Pop Phone comes in pink, yellow, dark blue, dark purple and green. The company had already offered two other less “poppy” colors in red and black. The included 3.5mm jack will plug into any iPhone, iPad or BlackBerry, and a button on the inside of the handle would allow for one touch answer and disconnect. The Pop Phone also includes noise-cancelling, which should improve call clarity in noisier situations.

Native Union says one of the most compelling uses for this is on the iPad, as the handset would work with Skype and turn the tablet into a phone. The price is about the same as most other handsets, coming in at $29.99. I have to credit the company with being creative, but will these really sell?

Also available from the company are other less pop-influenced designs including the MM04, which retails for $199.99. That unit can connect up to two phones simultaneously via Bluetooth, and seems more catered towards the business set.

Will the Pop Phone sell though? I’m guessing if you’re a frequent Skyper, maybe getting this for your iPad might be the missing link. But I don’t know how many iPhone users would be willing to plunk down $30 for that old retro feel. I guess we’ll see.

Actually, the battery pack looks all but like an typical hard case, but a little thicker. As you can see, the case itself mimics the actual design of the phone itself, so from a distance you may not even notice it.

While I love my Mophie and think that a battery extender is almost a necessity for any heavy smartphone user, the bulk it adds is cumbersome and sometimes slightly annoying. The fact that the company has been able to shrink down the case to eliminate a large chunk of that bulk is very impressive.

Even more so is the fact that the case has a 1500mAh battery, which is bigger than the 1200mAh battery in the current line of 3G/3GS cases. Mophie claims that this battery will give users about double their typical battery life: about six extra hours of 3G talk time, 36 more hours of audio playback, or an additional nine hours of video.

The company says that the case has also been designed to give some acoustic benefit, redirecting the sound from the speakers that would typically be directed towards the bottom to the front of the device. Any of us that have ever used the “cupping” method to amplify the sound when we’re using the speakers know generally how this works.

The iPhone 4 case is already available through the Apple Store and retailers carrying Mophies line for $79.95, the company says.

Four ads have been released: “Smile,” a father reassuring his teenage daughter that the braces she just got aren’t that bad; “Meet Her,” a grandfather seeing his new grandchild for the first time; “Big News,” a wife telling her husband that she’s finally pregnant; and “Haircut,” a boyfriend telling her girlfriend that even though her hair is really short its still “cute.”

There’s no announcer voice, just the interaction. It lets the feature speak for itself, which I think probably does a lot more to convince the viewer that this is something you want rather than some voice telling you this is what you need.

Some have said these ads are a little too personal; I would have to disagree. In a time where advertisers seem to rely too much on humor, having somebody market something on a level like this seems refreshing to me.

We have all four ads here for you to view after the break. I’d like to hear what you think.