On the internet Apple Store Officially Sold Out of iPhones
We’ve been hearing about iPhone shortages for a while now, including dwindling supplies in the U.K. at both O2 and Carphone Warehouse, as well as limited stock at certain physical Apple retail locations here in the U.S. Well, that shortage…

We’ve been hearing about iPhone shortages for a while now, including dwindling supplies in the U.K. at both O2 and Carphone Warehouse, as well as limited stock at certain physical Apple retail locations here in the U.S. Well, that shortage apparently spread to Apple’s U.S. and U.K. on the web stores over the weekend. As of Sunday, both online stores list the 8- and 16-GB versions of the device as “currently unavailable.” A quick check of the Apple’s refurbished store reveals there are no iPhones for sale there either. Could this mean the 3-G version of the phone will see a sooner than expected release date, or is Apple simply trying to minimize the inevitable bitchfest that will come from those still planning to buy first-gen iPhone over the next few weeks? Weigh in with your thoughts below.

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Get a load of this racket. A company called Marilyn Light Bag has developed a series of purses equipped with a GPS tracker in the event that it is lost or stolen. A device, the product page claims, can not be deactivated by a thief. The real kicker here is that the first two months of GPS monitoring are free, with a $15 charge for each month thereafter. So, essentially you’re paying for your purse in perpetuity—all in the hopes that you might be able to recover the bag if it should ever vanish (but the contents might be another story). Prices start at $30. [Lightsbag via Shiny Shiny via Popgadget via Ubergizmo]

Via [gizmodo]

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Lightning Review: Olympus TP-7 Cellphone Recording Mike [Review]

The Gadget: This olympus microphone plugs into a recorder and your ear, recording whatever you hear. That makes it perfect for recording cellphone interviews, which traditional telephone voice recorder setups meant for landlines can’t.

The Price: $18

The Verdict: Perfect for journalists, lawyers and students. Comes with different soft earpieces and jack adapters. I love it. Sound quality of the recordings is as you hear it, which is to say as good as your cellphone delivers. If you’re recording by cellphone using a native app, that’s going to be superior, though.

[Amazon]

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US Military Wasted Millions on Fake Hardware, Sparking Cyber-Terrorism Fears [Military Intelligence]

The U.S. Military has spent millions of dollars on counterfeit computer components over the years, according to an FBI report. This not only screws over businesses, but it also makes it easier for cyber-terrorists to hack into our systems by putting trojans and viruses in fake circuitry. An anti-counterfeit initiative by the FBI, led to 15 criminal cases and over $3.5 million worth of seized products.

The FBI op, named Cisco Raider, was a two-year-old operation that targeted illegal distributors of fake network hardware, mostly manufactured in China. With the help of their Chinese counterparts and Cisco Systems, the FBI has so far executed 39 search warrants and confiscated roughly 3,500 network components.

The FBI is still not sure whether the counterfeit goods were distributed for profit or for reasons more insidious. Though Cisco states none of the counterfeited goods contained spyware, the threat of hackers infiltrating our systems is very real.

Modern circuits have billions of parts, so it’s incredibly hard to detect the tweaked bits that could help nefarious foes take over our military infrastructure. And once the cyber-terrorists take over, who’re we going to call? John McClane? [New York Times]

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T-Mobile Rolls Out 3-G Service in NYC — With Data
It’s official: After years of delays, T-Mobile launched its new 3-G data network in New York City on Monday. Contrary to previous reports, which claimed the rollout would initially be voice-only, the service does in fact include data. That’s the…

It’s official: After years of delays, T-Mobile launched its new 3-G data network in New York City on Monday. Contrary to previous reports, which claimed the rollout would initially be voice-only, the service does in fact include data. That’s the good news. The bad news is that if you live somewhere other than NYC, the 3-G data train may take a while to get to you. According to the carrier, the plan is to expand its UMTS/HSDPA network to “be available in cities where a majority of its subscribers currently use data services” by the end of the year.

From Monday’s press release:

T-Mobile’s 3-G network supports voice and data services consistent with available service and handset offerings. The company today offers multiple phones that are able to operate on the UMTS network. The phones are designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide the great call quality and rich communication services customers expect from T-Mobile. [Emphasis ours]

“Multiple,” in case you were wondering, means two phones by our count: The Samsung t639, which T-Mobile started selling in New York City last October, and the Nokia 6263. Those aren’t exactly the “compelling data-centric, all-in-one devices” that sell 3-G services, so T-Mobile will undoubtedly be augmenting its device line-up over the next couple months as it continues to expand its new 3-G service.

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RC Beer Cooler Robot Now Available For Pre-Order [Gadgets]

It was a large hit at CES, and now you can get in on all of the drunken laziness. The device will be available from Solutions on May 23rd for $69.95 and from Firebox on the 28th for $78.30. [Solutions and Firebox via Toyology]

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