Hasta La Gadget!

While our thoughts on all things iPhone may be focused elsewhere, an unusual Apple prototype of its fourth phone iteration has caught our attention on eBay. On the back, you can see the same curious logo spied on experimental hardware as far back as February 2010 and as 9to5Mac notes, it doesn’t pack the screws along the bottom edge, making it ever so slightly different to the final model. The phone (model number N90AP) also runs Apple’s software testing framework, Switchboard, which is still happily ticking along on this particular prototype. Bids start at $4,500, or there’s a Buy It Now price of $10,000 — if you must have this obscure slice of Apple history.

(Update: We’ve been sent a quick video tour of the device– it’s after the break.)

Continue reading Rare iPhone prototype hits eBay, branded with ‘deathstar’ test logo (updated with video)

Filed under: Cellphones

Rare iPhone prototype hits eBay, branded with ‘deathstar’ test logo (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How does it feel to be one of a kind? I guess you can pose that question to the owner of the Final Fantasy 2 NES cartridge, which is deemed to be the only one of its kind in the US, considering how Square never did release it Stateside all those years ago when 8-bit gaming was all the rage. Just how much is the owner asking for this extremely rare copy of the game? First of all, you will need to have at least $50,000 in your bank account, considering how that is the sticker price that the owner has slapped on the cartridge on eBay. It is a mad, mad world out there, don’t you think so? The seller claims that it is the only one in existence – dare you take up the challenge? Read on about the history of Final Fantasy 2 NES right after the jump if you are a trivia buff. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Awesome NES Coffee Table Up For Sale On eBay, NES Harmonica,

There has always been a long list of items that aren’t allowed to be sold on the auction website eBay. These items span everything from hazardous materials to medical devices requiring a prescription. EBay has announced that it is adding more items to the list of products that can’t be sold on the auction site. The products include anything classed as metaphysical.

Metaphysical covers many items and basically includes anything such as advice, spells, curses, magic, blessing services, healing sessions, work from home businesses, and a number of informational lists. The items will be banned starting on August 30 of this year. The ban will affect people who sell services and items that have to do with psychics such as tarot cards and other items.

Some people are unhappy about the new rules that seek to ban intangible items and items of an occult nature. Some believe that eBay is banning items based on witchcraft or pagan beliefs. These people point out that eBay is still allowing products such as rosaries, crucifixes, and religious medals to be sold along with items like crystals and magnetic therapy jewelry.

Some users who don’t agree with eBay’s new bans have started a petition called “Don’t ban our psychics on eBay.” So far, the petition has 1009 signatures and seeks to challenge eBay’s perceptions of what makes an item intangible. What do you think about this ban?

[via Wired]

EBay bans the sale of metaphysical items is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

It’s not like we’re trying to out-weird ourselves, it just, somehow, keeps happening. At least one of this week’s offerings (we’ll leave it to you to figure out which) will possibly be the creepiest thing we post all year. As for the rest, well it’s slightly more palatable. We’ll get uncharacteristically pumped about cycling, meet some extra-terrestrial quasicrystals and enjoy some art with X-men credentials. This is alt-week.

Continue reading Alt-week 8.11.12: Robo-billies, quasicrystals and radioactive art

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Science

Alt-week 8.11.12: Robo-billies, quasicrystals and radioactive art originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apparently $10,000 is the going rate for a factory-sealed first-gen iPhone. At least, that’s according to two sellers on eBay, who have recently listed the historic device on the bidding site.

I would usually say that most electronics shouldn’t be seen as collectors items, as they only lose value over time and aren’t pivotal enough during their lifespan to warrant a resurgence in value. Yet, the original iPhone is a different story.

This is a device that changed the course of the future. The App Store itself, though not present on the original iPhone, has changed the entire tech industry. Plus, the first iPhone was the very first time we had a usable version of the Internet in our pockets. So yeah, the original iPhone is a big deal.

There have been no bids on either unit, though both come from seemingly trustworthy sellers. Samsonbible is a top-rated seller with 100% feedback, and phsledge also has 100% feedback. Plus, the pictures look totally legit, as even the box is still wrapped tightly in plastic.

Here’s the seller listing:

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..!!!! AMAZING FACTORY SEALED BOX..!!! UNOPENED AND THE COLLECTORS DREAM APPLE iPHONE..!!!!!!
THIS IS OFFERED FOR A LIMITED TIME….. !!!!!!! HAPPY BIDDING…!!!!

So, if you have $10,000 lying around and have held on to all of the previous iPhones (or plan on collecting them), hop on over to eBay and check it out. This well may be your only chance — the original iPhone is no longer available for sale.

And even if you can’t afford it, it’s always fun to check out the specs compared to what we’re seeing these days.

[Hat tip to iDownloadBlog for spotting the listing]