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]

We'll make this brief. Orange spokesperson Therese Wenger told the SDA news agency that it has secured rights to release the iPhone (3G version, presumably) in Switzerland and more than 10 other countries -- take that Swisscom! Other countries include Austria, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, and Romania. And France of course where it's already on sale. See, that was quick and leaves room for a dozen or so other iPhone related announcements today.

Update: Official Orange press release now out.

[Via 20minuten, thanks Pascal M.]

So there was a little rumor bouncing about yesterday which claimed that Swisscom would land the iPhone. Today, Swisscom confirmed the deal while saying little else. What's interesting then is what the rest of the rumor, started by the leading Swiss newspaper, Le Matin, had to say. Namely, the 3G iPhone will be on sale in Switzerland this summer (on sale in the US by June) offering 2-way video chats, mobile TV and GPS navigation all powered by an even beefier processor. That certainly sounds like the same 3G iPhone we're expecting to pop at WWDC now doesn't it?

[Via MacPrime, thanks Stefan R.]

Read -- Le Matin rumor
Read -- Swisscom teaser

Here's a novel idea: rather than stressing over the choice between solar or hydroelectric power sources to keep that green data center running, just build the thing near a community pool. Apparently that's exactly what's happening in Uitikon, Switzerland, as an IBM-built center erected for GIB-Services AG is using its excess heat to warm a local swimming pool. Put simply, the warmth emitted by the computers will be piped through a heat exchanger to boost the temperature of water used in the neighboring pool, and while the town had to cover some of the equipment costs to make it come together, it'll reap the oh-so-steamy benefits for free.

[Via FashionFunky, thanks Yash]

It looks like Switzerland is going down a road other countries have traveled before, with a Federal Court now confirming a tax on digital audio players and other devices that had originally been slated to go into effect in March of 2006. That date ended up being pushed back after complaints from various groups, some of whom deemed the tax to be too high while others thought it was too low, according to SwissInfo. The court apparently found the tax to be just right though, and it's now set to go into effect next month, tacking anywhere from $25 to $75 onto the price of various audio devices, including flash and hard drive-based digital music players, as well as other hard drive-based audio/video recorders. Seems like our gadget-happy Swiss friends just can't catch a break these days.

[Thanks, Jonathan D]

Sure, Switzerland is all like "that's cool, bring your embezzled funds and criminal self on over, we don't mind," but when it comes to personal navigation devices, they take a bit harder line. On January 10th a law went into effect banning the use of a navigation device to warn of speed surveillance locations, and police now have the authority to stop drivers using their GPS units for such a purpose, confiscate and destroy the device and fine the driver -- we hate to see what they do to people who read books and feel emotion. As far as we can tell, it's not actually illegal to own such a device, just illegal to use it for such a nefarious purpose, but at the same time Swiss government has issued a list of "illegal" navigation systems for retailers to remove from their shelves, including devices from TomTom, Garmin, Mio, Navman, Medion, Route66, Packard Bell, Sony and ViaMichelin. TomTom's response was polite but concerned: "We are aware that the Federal Highways Department (ASTRA) has issued a statement related to GPS navigation and safety camera alerts. However, TomTom develops all of its products and services with ease of use and safety as a priority and we believe that our safety camera solution enhances road safety and security in Switzerland. We believe our safety camera services are fully legal to use and to sell. As a matter of course however, we are working with ASTRA to fully understand their view on the current legal situation." Tourists should switch off the device or at least keep away from traffic cam info while driving through the country, but it seems like the Swiss people will have to figure out how to get rid of this potentially overreaching law themselves.

[Thanks, RJ]

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]

BMW, one of the world's top auto makers, has decided that it needs an equivalent amount of horsepower for its supercomputers in its Switzerland development center, and thus struck a deal with Intel to purchase the Albert 2, a new supercomputer that works at 12.8 teraflops per second to help crunch numbers for the next generation of BMW engines and cars. That's not the fastest in the world, but it recently ranked 60th on the Top 500 supercomputer list -- a pretty respectable showing. But BMW and Intel are thinking bigger than just one supercomputer, as Intel will also get a huge sponsorship for BMW's Formula 1 cars (pictured), and in exchange the chipmaker will switch up every computer under BMW's roof to Intel-powered machines. Regardless of how fast the Albert 2 is, BMW is going to need to switch into fifth gear if it's really going to present the first Albert 2-designed F1 car, as planned, by January 16.

P.S. -Some of us at Engadget do actually love iDrive. We're just playing around, BMW.

[Thanks Terry B, via Heise]

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 explained
Read - LED furniture design details
[Via infosthetics]

We're not really sure that there's going to be any consumer haptics devices outside the context of a video game anytime soon, but that hasn't stopped the European Union from funding the HAPTEX (HAPtic sensing of virtual TEXtiles) project. Haptics, of course, is the study of touch sensory feedback, and scientists at the University of Geneva are currently working on a project that will incorporate touch into your online shopping. So let's say that you're looking online to buy pants, but you're not sure if you want corduroys or jeans -- in case you didn't know what those materials felt like, you'd touch a device that would allow you to feel the various textures. The project is due to end exactly one year from now, so that's when we'll find out if the €1.66 million ($2.11 million) that EU taxpayers shelled out was really worth it -- and what devices, if any, will come to fruition.

Remember that ridiculously-sized but utterly awesome Seitz 6x17 Digital that we showed you yesterday? Well, Seitz has another one to wave around at this year's Photokina. This time, though, it's a 360-degree cam that'll capture 470 million pixels worth of color and light, and furthermore, will complete that task in two seconds -- less than the amount of time it's taken you to read half of this paragraph. Like the 6x17, the Roundshot D3 has a ISO range from 500 to 10,000, accepts lenses from 24mm to 250mm and comes with a maxed out Mac mini to act as its oversized flash card. The D3 is more expensive than the 6x17, however, with the mobile version taking a sizeable 46,900 francs ($37,463) from that numbered Swiss bank account of yours, while the studio version comes in at 43,700 Swiss francs ($34,906). In either case, you'll probably want to head over to the Seitz site to get in line to pre-order this bad boy, which is due to hit the streets of Geneva by early 2007. Oh yeah, and make sure to catch a big pic of the D3 on the next page.

Read

When we first spotted this new cam from Seitz, our jaws hit the floor and rebounded a few times. No, it's not the highest megapixel count we've seen, but this megalith of a camera shoots at 160 megapixels to create a native 6 x 17-cm image, is packed with an ISO range from 500 to 10,000, a read-out speed of 300MB per second, and a shutter speed of 1/20,000th second. So the next question is, how are you going to store such huge image files (nearly 1 GB per uncompressed full panorama), certainly not on your off-the-shelf 16GB SDHC card, nor the upcoming 64GB CompactFlash cards -- but rather via gigabit Ethernet to Seitz's "state-of-the-art computer system", which translates to a decked out Mac mini. So what will this much imaging power cost you? 45,500 Swiss francs ($36,266) for the "mobile version" and 42,300 Swiss francs ($33,715) for the "studio version", and we're assuming that the Mac mini is included for that price. However, given that this camera isn't quite what you'd front for a down payment on a Swiss châlet, the 6x17 Digital surely must be affordable to average working-class Zürich banker set, no? You can catch a glimpse of this bad boy at the upcoming Photokina expo in Germany, or can throw down some serious Swiss coinage now to pre-order this gargantuan cam, which won't become available until early 2007. Also, be sure to click through for two more glamour shots.

[Thanks, Amanda H.]

Read

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]