When Apple rolled out its iPhone in the United States, some fans paid big money to be among the first to get their hands on the device. In Poland, people are getting paid to line up.

Say what you want about the iPhone 3G's reception issues--it's a very popular device. And whenever there's a hot new product on the market, others are going to take notice. And if you're looking to make a profit, you'll try to get a slice of the pie. That's precisely what's happening in Japan as several [...]

Apple has always been a big player in the education market and this year it appears to be grabbing more share by selling Macs with iPod discounts among other moves. Let's connect a few dots: AppleInsider reports that RBC analyst Mike Abramsky is projecting that Apple will ship 3.04 million Macs in the September quarter. That's a heady projection would be well above current estimates and last quarter's total. The New York Times reports that some universities are handing out Apple iPhones and iPods to students. While universities can find some useful things for the devices, profs can't be that happy about it. And to add fuel to the fire Apple has "buy a Mac get a big iPod discount"...

Despite India being something of an emerging technological powerhouse economy these days, the decision to launch the iPhone 3G there has to be amongst the more bizarre made by Apple of late. Heck, I would chance my arm and say that there is more chance of seeing someone really do the Indian Rope Trick than there is of Apple making a really stunning success of the iPhone 3G in this particular market. Let me explain the two very good reasons why. Firstly, and this will probably surprise many readers, Apple is launching the iPhone 3G into a country which has no 3G network. What's more, it...

Crowds lined up outside a Gurgaon mall and a few shops in Delhi to pick up the latest...

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News and Press Releases: Apparently on Tokyo news stands there are no fewer than 4 iPhone-specific magazines dedicated to the device – no small feat when you realize the iPhone only hit the streets a month ago. It’s even more impressive when you realize that in the US I think there are now only 2 or 3 major Mac publications still in physical print, and those cover a wider spectrum of Apple news (and have a much larger potential audience). Yes, it would appear the iPhone is flying higher than Mothra in Japan.

Last week we asked you for your big tech ideas—the software and products you don't have right now but would love to someday—and as usual, you didn't disappoint. Tons of interesting product proposals came out of the fantastic comment thread that ensued, as well as a few "somebody already thought of that, here it is" pointers. We've pared down the list to some of the most impressive standouts to highlight here today. Check out some of your fellow readers' tech brainstorming babies and vote on which one you want the most.

First, the idea that kicked off the whole thread: Kevin Rose's iPower, a device that could remotely turn off lights and appliances automatically from his iPhone when he's not at home (based on his distance from home).

Next up, AdvertisingGuru suggests a fun one in six words:

Earrings that double as MP3 players.

Next, ratherby proposes a web-based "Social Carpooling" idea to save gas, money, and the environment:

Assume accountability via social networking protocols. That is, there will be a way for me to know if I am willing to ride with you and vice versa.

My phone or my GPS tracks my morning commute, computes my typical route(s), with start, end, timeframe. I can submit the routes to the site, accept bids to give or take a ride on that route. Payment can be in miles or cash, accounts will be maintained by the service.

When I'm a driver, the site tracks my position via my cell phone, notifies riders when I am 10 minutes away. The notice is a text message, it includes a codeword that both driver an rider must know to confirm identity. Insurance coverage, rider and driver feedback, missed pickup charges, dynamic transfers, etc would need to be worked out.

Next, rothgar wants to do away with traditional keys and locks:

Locks for my door that work off my Bluetooth phone. Same with my car. Not just RFID on one door. I think it would be cooler to only have to leave the house with my phone and be able to get into/start/drive my car and still be able to get in my house. And not have the software just look for a BT mac address but actually use authentication that runs on the phone so it isn't easy to hack by just spoofing a mac address.

Reader Kashell wants to combine high tech and low-tech with a popular office brainstorming tool. Kashell wants:

A dry erase whiteboard that automatically keeps a history of itself that is searchable and taggable using Gmail and Google Desktop.

IsaacCaba?ero is tired of plugging in gadgets to charge them and wants:

Induction-like chargers (think Sonicare toothbrushes) for cell phones, MP3 players, cameras, and other tech devices. Would be so great just having a charging pad that could drop my devices on to without worrying about connecting cables.

And reader mckinnmd riffs on Google's "Did you mean" search spellchecker and proposes "Google Truth":

Purpose: To add validity to email, forum posts, and general documents. Runs in the background and provides real-time data to users, as they type, or manually before sending. Behaves similarly to spell and grammar check:

Say, for example's sake, a user is typing the sentence "Dogs have 3 legs." In the background, Google Truth is running, taking that sentence and searching it against results. Based on what comes back, Google Truth "scores" the accuracy on a 1-100% scale (highlighting in some fashion with color-coding). This would bring back a "0%" accuracy rating and label the phrase invalid or false. The user could then right click and bring up a menu where Google Truth "explains" why the statement is inaccurate based on the results it found, like:

"This sentence conflicts with 99% of search results" or something similar.

On the other hand, a user is typing the sentence "My dog has 3 legs." Google Truth would understand that the sentence was preceded with a possessive "My" and ignore the statement, as it is specific to the user.

Google Truth could be set to search only specific sites, such as Wikipedia, Dictionary.com, etc, based on the user's preference.

Great stuff here. Now tell us which ones you want to see get built.

What tech idea do you want to see and use the most?
( surveys)

Finally, honorable mention goes to soggy_cheerio, who took the time to mock up an idea close to our hearts: an iPhone-friendly Gawker site browser.

Got a big idea that didn't make it into the original thread? Share it in the comments here.

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Except for China--where Apple is in ongoing negotiations--Russia remains the largest country in the world without an iPhone...

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

A Polish carrier of the iPhone is faking interest to attract publicity, says Reuters. Although enormous American interest in the iPhone has resulted in long lines, the Polish division of Orange is said to be using reverse logic, intentionally staging lines in front of its stores in order to attract people for Friday's iPhone 3G launch. Instead of ...