Here it is, summarized by one of the guys who makes TypingGenius:

As of today, Apple has informed us that they are now removing any trace of emoji from the App Store. This means:
- All new apps related to emoji will be rejected in the review process
- Existing apps that do not provide additional functionality will be pulled from the App Store (e.g. Emotifun, iEmoji pulled already)
- Existing apps that DO provide additional functionality (e.g. Typing Genius) will be required to provide an update to Apple immediately

Not included, at least by our tipster, is an official explanation for the sudden emoji crackdown. They're fun! However, a case can be made for keeping phones like this within regional standards. I mean, how many of the tens of thousands of people who installed these emoticons on their phones did so with the full knowledge that around here, only up-to-date iPhones could even receive them? This confusion, I'd guess, is what Apple is trying to avoid, though they may be acting with a heavy hand.

The TypingGenius guy says that his crippled update hasn't been processed by the App Store's High Council, or whatever, and that it won't remove previously installed unlocks. It's a nice promise, but in the long run this pretty much looks like the end of the road for (non-jailbroken) emoji fun. —Thanks, Gary!

Japanese site iPodTouchLab found out that if you import a specially formatted vcard.vcf address book file with the proper Emojis already inside, you'll be able to type out Emojis a chunk at a time, and delete the ones you don't want. It's a gimpy way of doing it, but it's free. Instructions from WinandMac follow:

Step 1. Download the vcard.vcf here.

Step 2. Import it to your address book program. If you are using Windows, you may want to do it on iPhone directly. Send the vcard.vcf file to yourself. Open in on iPhone’s Email.app, click the vcf file and import all the contacts.

Step 3. Go into “Settings” > “General” > “Keyboard” > “Japanese Keyboard”. Enable the QWERTY keyboard.

Step 4. In notes or any other program you want. Type “emojia”, “emojii” or “emojiu” to select those :) icons.

Step 5. Happy Emoji!

If you want to enable Emoji the "correct" way, where you can pick and choose which emote you're typing one character at a time, you can actually go and download Touch Dial Emoji, an app in the App Store that enables this for $5. Or, you can just jailbreak your phone for free, and enable it yourself via a Cydia app.

And yes, anybody with the newest 2.2 firmware can view these, you just need to run through this process if you want to send them. [Win and Mac via Simonblog]

Update: There's another, $0.99 app in the app store here from frostyplace that does the same thing and is $4 cheaper. Thanks Tastyblogsnak!

You need to edit the file /User/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Preferences.plist on the device -> whether you use a jailbreak to achieve this or merely some iTunes backup editor is up to you.

Add the following boolean key as ‘true’: KeyboardEmojiEverywhere

Then merely go to the Keyboards section of the Settings app, hit Japanese, and turn on Emoji. Will work for any text field/view in the OS, including on websites, AND including the titles of items on SpringBoard (e.g. if you save a bookmark to the home screen).

The easiest way to do with will probably be to run your iPhone as an SFTP server, which is as easy as installing a package or two on your jailbroken phone. After that it's just a matter of editing the config file and emoting to your friends, again and again, via creepy little icons. [Steve Troughton-Smith via MacBlogz, Image from MacRumors]

Install one at home and one at work, and then everyone can be warned when that next tempest is about to hit. Or, you could just get a scrip for Paxil and then just one expression will permanently suffice, and you'll never have sex again. – Charlie White

Designer's Page [Mauricio Melo Design, via Uber Gizmo]

Product Page [Via newlaunches]