The killer feature of the upcoming iOS 5 update is definitely wireless synching. No longer will we have to plug in our iPhones into a computer to install software updates or back up data—it can all be done wirelessly over a Wi-Fi network. So can’t we just throw away those USB cords then? Well, there’s still charging, and that’s where a wireless charger comes in.

The term “wireless charging” is a bit of a misnomer, as there is still a wire involved. Wireless chargers feature mats that must be plugged into the wall via a cord. The “wireless” part comes with a special iPhone case that allows you to charge the iPhone by laying it down on the mat—no need to plug it in, just lay the iPhone down, or toss it, if your aim is good.

It’s a simple and elegant solution to charging the iPhone’s battery, and wireless-charging products have been available for the iPhone since 2008. So why haven’t they caught on? Because you still had to occasionally plug in your iPhone to back up the data or install Apple’s software updates. It was a hassle to remove the case, plug in the iPhone, sync, then replace the case.

But iOS 5 is putting an end to all that. In fact, you don’t even need a computer anymore to own an iPhone. You can activate it, receive updates, download apps, back it up, restore it, etc, all without a computer.

Currently, there is only one wireless charger kit for the iPhone 4, the PowerMat ($49) (note that the reviews for this product are awful), which includes a charging station and an iPhone case. That’s only $20 more than Apple’s official iPhone 4 dock. But the PowerMat kit’s charging station works a bit too much like a dock (you can check it out in the video below) for my lazy man’s vision of tossing the iPhone onto my desk and having it charge. For that you’ll need a big, flat mat like the Powermat 3X ($69). If you own an iPhone 3G/3GS, you have a few more solutions, like the Airvolt for iPhone 3G/3GS ($9.99) and the Case-Mate Hug ($49). It’s likely that after iOS 5 arrives, more manufacturers will come out with wireless iPhone chargers.

Imagine having several large wireless charging mats scattered around home and work—one on the desk, one by the bed, one by the TV, etc. You could toss the iPhone down to charge, pick it up to read a text message, then toss it back down to finish charging.

And if we’re going to get crazy with this “cutting the cord” thing, why not buy a wireless pair of bluetooth headphones while we’re at it? I’ve used the Motorola S805 Bluetooth headphones (our review, $75) for years and love using them while doing chores around the house—no wires to snag on doorknobs or drawer handles. There are also cheaper products like the GoGroove PurePlay ($29).

There are rumors Apple is thinking along the same lines as I am. The Wall Street Journal recently said that while wireless charging is not coming to the iPhone 5, Apple is working on it for the iPhone 6.

Smurf Village freemium iPhone game.

What’s the best way for an iPhone game developer to make money in the App Store? Answer: they should give away their game for free. According to data collected by analytics firm Flurry, games that use a freemium revenue model take in twice as much revenue as those that rely on an upfront cost.

The first half of 2011 has seen the App Store’s Top 10 Grossing Apps list list slowly become dominated by free social games like Smurf Village, Tap Pet Hotel, and Zynga Poker. Just a few months ago, popular $0.99 paid-app hits like Angry Birds and Cut the Rope used to rule the top 10. In fact, in January 2011, paid apps made 61% of App Store game revenue compared with 31% by freemium games. Now that number has reversed, with freemium games raking in 65% of all game revenue compared with paid’s 35%.

According to Flurry, only 0.5% to 6.0% of gamers actually spend money on freemium games, depending on the game. What developers hope for are known as “whales”—heavy spenders who can sometimes drop hundreds of dollars. In an article titled “Zynga’s Quest for the Big-Spending Whales,” Businessweek noted a gamer spent $75,000 in one year on a single freemium game.

Freemium game revenue may not always be on the up-and-up. Apple recently had to change the way its in-app purchases work after numerous reports of children running up hundreds of dollars in charges on their parent’s credit cards by “accidentally” buying Smurfberries in the popular Smurf Village iPhone game. A single purchase of Smurfberries went for as much as $99, which led some to speculate developers were deliberately taking advantage of the kids’ trigger-happy fingers. The trend even led to a FTC investigation and ultimately a class-action lawsuit.

Ultimately, Apple was forced to tweak the way in-app purchases are made. Now, in-app purchases require you to enter a password after you initially download a game. 15 minutes after making a purchase, you must reenter your password.

Traditional game developers are taking note of the freemium revenue model. World of Warcraft, one of the world’s most popular online games, recently got rid of its 14-day free trial in favor of allowing gamers to play as much as they want up to level 20. If gamers want to play beyond that, they must pay a monthly fee starting at $14.99 a month.

Flurry notes two advantages of the freemium model for game developers: first, more people are likely to try out a free game, and second, players can spend more money depending on their level of engagement with the game. Where someone buying Angry Birds might only spend the initial $0.99, a freemium model could land players who spend much more over time.

iPhone 5 mock-up with message light.

After taking a large chunk of the Blackberry’s market share, the iPhone may soon also be borrowing one of its most popular features. The iPhone Download Blog is reporting a rumor that the iPhone 5 will be getting an LED message light on its front similar to the Blackberry’s. The light will blink whenever a new message or notification is waiting on the iPhone.

The iPhone Download Blog reports that a reader wrote in to clarify a rumor from the previous week about the iPhone 5 getting dual-LED lights for a brighter camera flash. One of the rare complaints for the iPhone 4’s camera is that the flash is not bright enough to be useful. The source clarified that the second LED light will instead be placed on the iPhone’s front to alert users to new messages and notifications. One of the Blackberry’s most-loved and important features for business users is its message light.

If true, this move could be seen as just another incursion by Apple into Blackberry’s popular text-messaging turf. Last month, Apple introduced its iMessages service that will let iOS devices send free text messages to each other—a feature that is very similar to the Blackberry Messenger service. Many businesses rely on Blackberry Messenger for internal communications. It is also popular among students as a way to avoid exorbitant cellular text-messaging costs.

Recently, shares of Research in Motion, maker of the Blackberry, plunged in June when the company announced its Blackberry smartphones were losing share to Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android.

Apple may have a secondary use for a message light on the front of the phone: to indicate that the video camera is recording. On all Mac laptop and desktop products, a green light glows whenever the video camera is activated to warn users it’s on.