When Apple first unveiled its iPhone 4 smartphone last summer, most media and bloggers were in agreement that the new glass construction was stunning. They also agreed, however, that the iPhone 4 would likely be more prone to significant damage than other smartphones due to the fragile nature of glass compared to plastic and metal. While we’ve heard our fair share of shattered iPhone stories, U.S. Air Force Combat Controller Ron Walker’s tale should help dispel the notion that the iPhone 4 is inherently fragile. While leaning out of an airplane looking for landmarks, Walker’s Velcro pocket flap popped open and his iPhone 4 plummeted to the earth below. At the time, the plane was traveling at 150 m.p.h at an altitude of roughly 1,000 feet. Once on the ground, Walker told a few friends what had happened, one of whom installed Apple’s “Find My iPhone” app on his own handset in an attempt to locate Walker’s lost phone. Unexpectedly, the app found Walker’s iPhone immediately and when the men drove to its location, they found the smartphone in perfect working condition without a scratch on it. Walker kept his iPhone in a standard Griffin case and it had no other casing or special protection at the time of its fall.

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Just a quick little heads up to anyone who relies upon MobileMe, as the service will be down for maintenance overnight from 1am to 3am ET. Downtime is never fun, but it’s sounding a lot like when Apple’s engineers are done with the update we’ll finally see the beta label shed from the updated webmail portion of Me.com. That, and the release of a Find My iPhone app for devices running iOS 3.0 and up.

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It’s the moment every iPhone owner dreads — but secretly dreams about. You’re walking in a dark alley (or near the intersection of Amberson Avenue and Amberson Place in Shadyside, in this case) and three men approach, one brandishing a gun. They demand your wallet, credit card PINs and your precious iPhone. Scared for your life, you nervously comply and hand over your belongings. As the men leave and you run in the opposite direction and think to yourself, “Hell yeah, I finally get to use the ‘Find My iPhone’ feature in MobileMe!” Editorializing aside, this is reportedly what happened early this morning in Shadyside, PA. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, an unnamed victim was allegedly robbed around 1:00 am this morning and forced to hand over his wallet and iPhone. After fleeing the scene unharmed, the man contacted the police and his banks before going home and using Apple’s ‘Find My iPhone’ feature to locate his iPhone at a local Walmart. The man coordinated with police and three suspects were eventually detained at a nearby gas station. Police recovered a black pellet gun, stolen identification, credit cards and cash, though the report does not indicate whether or not the stolen iPhone was recovered. Moral of the story: don’t steal a guy’s iPhone (but if you do, turn it off).

Thanks, Antonio!

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We’re going out on a limb here, but check out this option we discovered in iPhone OS 3.0 under a MobileMe email account…

Thoughts?