Unopened first-gen iPhone appears on eBay for $10,000

After months of rumors and speculation, Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPhone on January 9, 2007 in front of a large Macworld audience at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

The handset would later become available for purchase on June 29 of that year, and the rest, as they say, is history. And now you can own part of that great history for a mere $10,000…

That’s right, an unopened 8GB 1st-gen iPhone has surfaced on eBay this week with a Buy It Now price of 10 grand. The seller describes the device as a “rare collectors vintage box set.”

“Stunning rare collectors choice Apple iPhone 1st generation 8GB and factory sealed!! You are seeing a piece of history!! This is an incredible collectors show piece!! This would be a crown jewel for any collection!!… …The collectors dream Apple iPhone!!”

The seller, samsonbible, obviously believes the device is worth the money, although there have been no bids. But for what it’s worth, he is a Top-rated seller and has 100% feedback.

And as it turns out, he’s not the only one who thinks so highly of the smartphone. Phsledge is also selling a factory-sealed first-gen iPhone for $10,000. But it hasn’t seen any bids either.

It’ll be interesting to see if either handset sells, because despite the fact that the iPhone was/is one of the most disruptive and popular consumer devices of its era, it can’t be worth $10,000 (yet).

Can it?



Create disposable phone numbers for your iPhone with Burner

This is pretty interesting. Burner is a new service that provides you with disposable phone numbers for your iPhone. It’s like having a fake phone number that you can give out, except you can actually be reached at it.

Think about all of the situations in which you are asked to give out your phone number but don’t really want to — whether it be to an acquaintance, or a salesmen, or signing up for a new online service. Enter Burner…

TheNextWeb points to the service, which just launched a new iPhone app last month. The Burner app lets you purchase disposable phone numbers that you can use for phone or text, and then ‘burn’ after your done with them.

The software comes with one throwaway number and enough credits to try the service briefly. But after that, you’ll have to purchase additional phone numbers and service time. A block of 25 credits costs $11.99, which will get you about 8 Mini Burners. A Mini-Burner is a number that’s good for 7 days, 20 minutes of voice, or 60 text messages, whichever comes first. And there are additional options available at different prices.

Burner for the iPhone is $1.99, and can be found in the App Store.

What do you think of the Burner service?



New images try to prove that Samsung copied Apple’s icons

As we begin week two of the high-profile patent trial between Apple and Samsung, we’re starting to see a lot more evidence submitted by both companies. And this next bit, filed by Apple, is particularly interesting.

In court today, Apple’s legal team presented 6 images to the jury that it believes proves that Samsung intentionally copied its iOS icons for use in its TouchWiz interface it installs in all of its popular Android handsets…

Handset-makers put these layers over Android to separate their devices from the competition (HTC has its Sense UI). But Apple believes that Samsung’s TouchWiz interface doesn’t make it unique, it makes it a copycat.

From the green Phone icon, to the purple Music icon with the eighth note and CD graphic, Apple makes a pretty compelling case. Even if you argue that graphics like a person’s silhouette or a gear have become universal symbols for Address Books and Settings apps, there’s no denying that Samsung’s designers got some inspiration from iOS here. If you’re looking for more proof, CNET has obtained all 6 images.

Apple’s done a great job thus far, outlining the many different ways it feels that Samsung has copied its products. But the trial is far from over. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how the jury interprets all of this evidence in the end.

What do you think? Did Samsung copy Apple’s icons?



Nokia, Samsung countering iPhone 5 with ‘iconic’ Windows Phone 8 devices

The next iPhone is upon us (think September 21-ish) and Apple’s rivals are scrambling to conveniently time their upcoming ‘hero’ device announcements around the same timeframe. That’s brave tactics, trying to divert spotlight away from the mother of all upgrades, as analyst Gene Munster dubbed the iPhone 5 release.

Both Samsung and Nokia are set to unveil new high-end devices built around Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 software. One of the devices is being described in court documents as an “iconic smartphone”. All phones should be on store shelves in time for the holiday shopping frenzy. Should Apple be worried?

As reported by The Verge, leaked documents reveal two Windows Phone 8 devices from Samsung: one called the Odyssey and the other dubbed the Marco. Both phones support 4G LTE and are built around Qualcomm’s speedy dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz.

The Odyssey is an “iconic smartphone” with a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display with HD resolution, NFC and an eight-megapixel rear camera. The Marco has a four-inch S-AMOLED display with WVGA resolution and a five-megapixel back camera.

NFC technology is said to drive Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 Wallet Hub and Tap + Send features. Apple, of course, is believed to be tapping NFC for the next iPhone. Both Samsung devices are set to launch in time for the holiday shopping season.

As for Nokia, Bloomberg repots on the company’s plans to launch a new Windows Phone 8 lineup at Nokia World, which runs from September 5 to September 6 in Helsinki, Finland. Nokia lost over 90 percent of its market value since the iPhone’s arrival five years ago.

It’s been reporting losses five quarters in a row now and its Lumia handsets (seen at the top: the Lumia 800) sold just 600,000 units in the U.S. last quarter. What is the company going to do to boost sales apart from launching new handsets in time for the holiday rush?

To boost Lumia sales, Nokia has gathered hundreds of volunteering U.S. employees — from such diverse departments as finance to human resources — to work alongside salesmen at carriers.

That group, dubbed the Nokia Army, has allowed the company to educate consumers as well as retail sales staff, with the aim that they are willing to mention Lumia as an alternative.

Carriers are reportedly welcoming these new non-Apple and non-Android devices.

It’s not surprising that carriers that offer the iPhone also want other platforms to strive to avoid becoming too dependent on Apple or Google. We here at iDB have grown tired of carriers constantly bickering over high iPhone subsidy.

See, in spite of criticism, these telcos continue to pay billions in upfront subsidy to Apple due to the benefits the iPhone offers, like its unmatched ability to sway more subscribers to the high-end and steal customers from competition.

How do you think the next iPhone will fare against those hero Windows Phone 8 devices from Samsung and Nokia?