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iPhone 3G breaks cover, shows up in Swiss store display
You probably saw this one coming, but with that massive slew of countries and partners Apple has wrangled for the new iPhone launch, that July 11th street date was bound to be neglected. So here you have it, courtesy of the french blog Gadget O'Mac, an iPhone 3G on display in a shop in Switzerland. While the shots may be blurry, we at least get to see this thing in the hands of someone other than an Apple employee, and coupled with that Portuguese leak, this should thoroughly whet your appetite for Friday. Check out a few more shots after the break.[Thanks, Florence]
Swiss Apple Store page tips the 802.11n Airport Express
It's easy to envy the Swiss, what with the fine chocolate and the neutrality and such. Now, another reason to long for the refined air of the Alps: the Swiss version of the Apple Store website is indicating availability on the supercharged 802.11n version of the Airport Express, as yet unnannounced in the US of A (translation here). With the domestic Apple Store showing 1-2 week ship times for the AE, we might well expect to see the new device next week, possibly on, I dunno, Tuesday.An Apple-branded 802.11n router that supports AirTunes and printer sharing, all for $99? Sounds good to me. Hopefully, not too good to be true.(Just noticing that Apple's press photo of the AE, reproduced here, shows it plugged into the top outlet -- blocking the lower socket completely. Aesthetics over functionality, anyone?)Update 11:30 pm ET: Looks like someone got threatened with a Swiss Army knife, as the Swiss store has been normalized back to the current model of the Airport Express. You can see the translated page screenshot, as it was a few hours ago, after the break.Thanks Thomas and James![via MacGeneration / Macrumors]
Swisscom bolstering Bluewin TV lineup with four new HD channels
We're not exactly sure what's going on overseas, but the HD bug has certainly bit. Hot on the heels of Russia, Norway and the UK seeing their fair share of high-def expansion comes word that Swisscom is getting set to launch four new HD options on its Bluewin TV lineup. The IPTV service should be home to "BBC HD (English), Anixe HD (German), Arte HD (French) and the new channel HD suise from the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation" by the end of this month. Also of note, the latter station will be airing the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament in glorious high-definition, which is probably reason enough to look forward to the upgrade.
Swiss send ludicrous number of texts on Christmas, Christmas Eve
Switzerland's three largest carriers have reported that their subscribers sent a grand total of 62 million-plus text messages on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, 5 million more than were sent in the same two-day period last year. Any way you slice it, that's a big steaming pile of SMSes -- especially considering that the good, neutral folks of Switzerland total under 8 million in population. Swisscom reports that a little over half of the messages were sent on Christmas Eve, a stat we can totally buy since we know we were too busy unwrapping phones and headsets on the 25th to bother firing off texts.[Via textually.org]
Zenum issues season's greetings, teaser shot in one fell swoop
So Swiss outfit Zenum sent us this little gem in the mail this weekend (click on the gallery below to see a bigger shot of it), and we don't think that red cloth is stuck there on accident, if you know what we're saying. What is it? It almost looks like the display slides back and forth while the bottom half doesn't, possibly revealing two different keypads -- though we'll be the first to admit that it's a wild guess. The company's previous effort, the Opus, is based on Windows Mobile 6, so we wouldn't be surprised if this sucker met the same fate. Happy New Year indeed, Zenum; we'll be anxiously waiting to find out more.%Gallery-12204%
Quantum cryptography to keep Swiss votes private
In what's being hailed as "one of the first public uses of quantum cryptography," Genevian voters who take part in the upcoming national elections can rest assured that their votes will remain a secret. Reportedly, the "city-state will use quantum technology to encrypt election results as they are sent to the capital on October 21st." A computer, provided by id Quantique, will be set up in Geneva to "fire photons down a fiber-optic link to a receiver 62-miles away," which should be sufficient to keep any potential eavesdroppers at bay. 'Course, where there's a will, there's typically a way.
Swiss PostBus brings bus scheduling to hikers via camera
The Swiss, of course known for, well, money chocolate, also have a top-notch public transportation system. A new system being trialled in the Heiden area of Switzerland will see hikers and other wandering types scanning special posts to get bus timetables with their mobile phone's camera. Once the pic is captured, a web page with info on the nearest rural stop opens -- and for a tourist who may have no clue what stop needs to be looked up on a map, this will be a blessing -- and shows the schedule. This is perfect for those times when blisters and lack of conveniently located refreshments brings an end to a day of wanderwegging.[Via Physorg.com]
Isabodywear underwear fends off cellphone radiation
If you thought donning tin foil caps was excessive, Isabodywear is out to make those contraptions looks mighty mild. While the debate about just how dangerous (or not) cellphone radiation is still rages on, there's certainly a paranoid sect that will snap up anything that claims to "protect them," and this Swiss garb maker is latching onto said opportunity. The briefs are purportedly constructed with threads made of silver, which the company claims will fend off harmful cellphone radiation; moreover, in an effort to really prove just how effective these undergarments are, it suggests that phone calls originated within the confines of your new underwear simply won't connect. Reportedly, 4,000 pairs have been created so far, and for folks willing to give these a try and fill out a survey, the first 500 of you to email in and request one will seemingly have one sent out gratis. There's no word on when you can expect the Slipways to hit the market, but they should sell for CHF29.90 ($24) apiece when retailers start stocking.[Via Textually]
Swiss Macworld Expo Cancelled
Back in February we mentioned that Macworld Expo was coming to Switzerland. Unfortunately, German language Mac site macprime is reporting (German) that the show has been cancelled. It seems that not enough exhibitors were interested. Sorry, Swiss Mac-lovers, you're always welcome at WWDC or MWSF; according to Google Maps, you just have to "swim across the Atlantic Ocean."Thanks, Steve!
Game Over Project turns Pole Position into art
Swiss art-hipster Guillaume Reymond is back with another stop-motion film rendition of a video game, replacing pixels with humans. This time it's Pole Position (he previously did Space Invaders and Pong). These videos, collectively called the Game Over Project , are surprisingly fun to watch -- in a "Why didn't I think of that?" sort of way.More surprising: Europeans are even sexy when they're talking about Atari games. Writes Reymond, "Who does not remember Pole Position ... The driver had to try and avoid other vehicles and travel as many kilometres as possible on a sinuous road." Mmm... sinuous, you say? Keep talking, Swissy.[Video after the jump.]
DS Daily: Swiss Army Pocket DS
The DS plays games. It is the prime directive. Yet, the budding engineers inside us call for creative ways to use said device. There are simple things: using the twin suns also called screens to illuminate dark areas, or as a convenient excuse to ignore that annoying dude on the bus. Sorry, man, I'm busy being a male cheerleader.What have you got for us? How creative have you gotten? Doorstop? Protractor? SCI-embedded finite state machine? Yeahhhh we're nerds.(The above picture has very little relevance, we know. We just thought it was funny.)
TAG Heuer to partner with ModeLabs on luxury handset?
It looks like the competition in the luxury phone market is heating up, as folks still trying to choose between Gresso, Vertu, GoldVish, the D&G RAZR, or the ridiculously pricey Black Diamond could see one more alternative in addition to the recently-unveiled LG Prada. According to Sybarites, TAG Heuer -- the folks responsible for Jeff Gordon and Tiger Woods' sumptuous wristwatches -- is teaming up with ModeLabs to introduce "a completely new phone" for deep-pocketed talkers. While details (including a sneak peek) are scant, the phone is "expected to be made of stainless steel and have many similarities to TAG watches," but it seems we'll just have to wait this one out before making any other far-reaching predictions.[Thanks, James]
Swiss daredevil cruises the friendly skies with winged jetpack
Sure, watching Wowwee's FlyTech Dragonfly buzz around the room at your command elicits quite a few positive emotions, but we can't even fathom the thrill (not to mention the feeling of impending death) that would come from cruising the skies via jetpack. Yves Rossy -- a Swiss daredevil whom we all look forward to living through vicariously -- says he has become "the first person to gain altitude and maintain a stable, horizontal flight thanks to aerodynamic carbon foldable wings." While we've seen jetpacks before, and realize that folks have taken to the air on similar devices in years past, Reuters is giving us a sneak peek at Rossy's flight, which he took on the kerosene-powered, back-strapped vehicle -- and we admit, it looks like quite the thrill ride. So if you're looking to quell your fears before picking up one of your own (hopefully) in a few years, be sure to hit the read link for a live action video (and a good reason to grin).[Via Fark]
Swiss designers create LED-based assembly instructions
Sure, step-by-step instructions by some of the best modders we've ever seen can help you turn your Jaguar into a portable or stuff a Linux box inside an Apple monitor, but what if that newfangled computer desk just magically assembled itself as soon as you got it home? While we're not quite there just yet, a group of Swiss gurus have devised a prototype system that utilizes multiple series of LEDs that glow and fade based on user input, direction, and tasks remaining. Designed to be used on typical flat packed tables, chairs, and other forms of IKEA-derived furniture, the diodes act in "proactive fashion" and "adapt to each movement the user makes" in order to guide the assembler to screwing the right bolt in the correct location and in the appropriate order. While there are far too many specifics to get into here, be sure to hit the read leads for the full skinny, including a comparison to the often used "paper and frustration" method. [Warning: PDF links]Read - LED furniture assembly explainedRead - LED furniture design details[Via infosthetics]
EasyBox : New set-top box to pimp your Swiss chalet
The Swiss have an easy life, don't they? Watches, chocolate, skiing -- what else could you want? Surely an EasyBox, this new set-top box straight outta Zürich, would spice up your lonely winter evenings sitting by the fireplace in the living room of your Alpine châlet, no? This hot little number is packed tightly into a 4.5-inch square box that's two inches smaller than a Mac mini -- so small in fact, that it's "extrem kompakt." It also has two easy-access USB ports in the front, which is nice, but surely the Swiss engineers could do better than the paltry one CF reader in the front. It's also frontin' an ultra Euro ghetto fabulous 200 MHz processor, and 128MB of RAM. All in all, the EasyBox seems like a good idea, but might pinch your Swiss bank account a bit at 484 Swiss Francs ($394). For that price you could nearly buy a Mac mini anyway.[Thanks, radraf]
