IcedTea's plugin is worthless. It doesn't deal with signed applets.
The only two things I use java for with a web browser are two different types of network kvm. One uses a java applet, and the other uses a java webstart application. I had to use 32bit sun java to get support for both at once.
Now the only thing left 32bit is mplayer for win32 codecs. I will have to do much testing and see if I can now live without them and use mplayer.x86_64. If so I can pretty much go pure 64bit. I do run into x86_64 applications every so often that don't behave properly. The last example I can think of is rtorrent.
It includes a plugin and javaws support. The two major things sun java 64bit has been lacking for years. It is still lacking the rim.cgi, but I have never had a need for it.
The plugin needs some polish. It doesn't properly declare it's version. Which makes a kvm application I use fail, because it tries to check the version.
I have had the same issue with my iPhone. It is especially bad with the original iPhone in that the speaker is much weaker.
Sadly, I was using number@mobile.mycingular.com and switched to number@txt.att.net, after number@mobile.mycingular.com stopped working for a few days. Oddly sometimes number@txt.att.net doesn't come in the single message way.
The reason number@txt.att.net does it the way it does is that it allows the sms server to track individual messages, hence allowing replies.
One small step for man, one giant stumble for mankind.