Get those sleeping bags prepped fanboys, the iPhone is almost upon you. Well, 52 days to be precise, on November 9th.
As we pointed out months ago, O2 has today been confirmed as the exclusive UK carrier for the fashionable device. The announcement came with all the official details of what UK shoppers can expect to receive and what it will cost. Here’s the highlights:
· The iPhone - with EDGE support - will arrive on November 9 and can be bought from Apple’s retail and online stores, O2 and The Carphone Warehouse's retail and online stores.
· iPhone will be available in an 8GB model for £269 (inc VAT) and will work with either a PC or Mac. Unlike the US, there will be no 4GB option.
· Users will be able to activate their phones at home via iTunes without all that standing around in the store being hated by everyone else in the queue.
· Monthly tariffs start at £35 for 200 minutes and unlimited anytime, anywhere mobile data usage.
· Free access to The Cloud’s 7,500 Wi-Fi hotspots around the UK
· Initial contracts are 18-months long
So, what will it cost for a year? On the basic £35 tariff, that’s £899 including the cost of the phone. On the top package, at £55, that rises to £1,259. Jump now for the O2 tariff chart.-Martin Lynch
If your life's dream is to cook a pizza in something that only slightly resembles a pizza oven, this Da Gennaro is your ticket to paradise. The oven's small enough to fit onto a counter, but big enough that it takes up a whole lot of your kitchen space. As for how well its programmable cooking time and heat insulation cooks your pizza, that's a question for someone who's eaten a pie made from its loins. -Jason Chen
AG4 and GKD Metal Fabrics, a German architecture and design company and a woven metal fabric company, respectively, have designed Mediamesh and Illumesh—an LED technology to turn regular building sides into gigantic colorful ads. These two new methods of cabling and lighting let developers place LEDs even over windows—which was verboten before—thanks to the fact that it's sleek enough to still be transparent and not obscure views. However, ads this large moving at regular speeds could be disorienting and vomit-inducing, something that we're sure they're working on avoiding. -Jason Chen
Is a standard iMac not gaudy enough for you? Do you feel the need to coat every piece of electronics in either gold or chrome? Do you enjoy paying a $400 to $500 premium for a fancy case? Then ChroMac is the solution! Your two options are either buying a pre-made iMac inside a chrome, gold or charcoal case, or ordering the case separately and slapping that Betty on yourself. Either way, you'll be the coolest guy in your high school. And isn't that worth $500 and your dignity? -Jason Chen
Just as Apple and O2 are about to announce ‘stuff’ today about the impending launch of the iPhone in Europe, US TV pundit, Bill Maher, took an amusing sideswipe at those iPhone early adopters who have been moaning about Apple’s sudden price cut.
We covered the price cut here and, from the comments, you may notice that they weren’t really all that angry about been stiffed for $200 extra. Go figure. In the piece above, among other topics, Maher said:
“Stop bitching that Apple cut the price on the iPhone. Early adopters always pay a premium. “Early adopters” being a business term meaning dipshits who stand in line for 6 hours for a freaking phone. It’s not a price cut, it’s a repeal on the nerd tax.”
If you’re wondering what a typical early adopter looks like, go here.-Martin Lynch
There are some things that should never be dragged from the past into the present and Spin The Bottle is one of them.
The whole idea of spinning the bottle was designed to entertain young folk by making them do silly dares, reveal truths about themselves and [hopefully] get to snog girls that would normally treat you like a virulent flesh-eating disease. At least, that’s how I remember it.
The concept couldn’t have been simpler: “Boredom = Oh, look, there’s an empty bottle = Hey, let’s play Spin The Bottle.” Now, there’s Electronic Spin The Bottle, battery operated, no less.
It spins, shines a laser at the victim [player], makes noises and even comes programmed with 130 non-lethal questions - just in case the insane mistake of telling your friends on the last Truth dare that you still wet the bet has struck you dumb. Yours for £17.-Martin Lynch
If you want something that’s a step above the current crop of MP3 players – at least in the price department – you might wish to take a peek at the upcoming Beosound 6 from luxury audio/video maker, Bang & Olufsen (B&O).
The Beosound 6 looks smart in its stainless steel and shiny plastic suit, oozing the traditional minimalist styling you get with many B&O products. The 4GB player can store up to 1,000 tracks, promises a battery life of around 40 hours and comes with B&O’s quality A8 ear phones.
Still, it does look suspiciously like the Samsung YP-Z5, which is shed loads cheaper, and there are scurrilous rumours which claim that underneath the shiny metal, the Beosound 6 is really just that.
It will play MP3 and WMA files but there’s no FM/AM radio. It comes complete with a leather case and a travel charger. If you think this is worth the expected £350-400 price tag, you’ll be able to get one at the end of next month. Jump now for another shot, without the leather jacket.-Martin Lynch
If you want something that’s a step above the current crop of MP3 players – at least in the price department – you might wish to take a peek at the upcoming Beosound 6 from luxury audio/video maker, Bang & Olufsen (B&O). 
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
Contributor | Tamlin Magee
