Get Better Gear!

Premier Sponsors

Other World Computing

TechRestore

Top 5 Free Apps

Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: May 22, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: August 29, 2009
Genre: Games
Release Date: March 27, 2009
Release Date: August 07, 2009

iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
Release Date: September 15, 2009
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 25, 2009

Top 5 Paid Apps

Release Date: April 22, 2009
StickWars $0.99
Release Date: March 31, 2009
Genre: Games
Bloons $0.99
Release Date: April 05, 2009
Genre: Games

Discover New Music

  • Mystics Anonymous

    • 8 out of 10
    • Mystics Anonymous
    • Mystics Anonymous is the brainchild project of Jeff Steblea, a fantastic songwriter and good friend of mine, as well. In fact, I even played the drums on all but one of the tracks on this album. Jef
  • The Life Pursuit

    • 8 out of 10
    • Belle & Sebastian
    • The Life Pursuit is a sort of Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. You get Belle & Sebastian's peanut butter (its wistful, often irresistible pop) dipped in a 'Have A Nice Day!' and glam 70s chocol

  • With Teeth

    • 4 out of 10
    • Nine Inch Nails
    • In the sprawling post-A&R rock and roll world, there are two camps: the Beatles and the Stones. The Beatles are the artists that like to explore, evolve, and change styles. The Stones are the artis

  • 2112

    • 10 out of 10
    • Rush
    • We all know it, right? Well, ya just gotta have it. 2112 finally showed Rush out on their own, doing their own thing, and doing it well, IMHO.
  • Machine Gun Etiquette

    • 8 out of 10
    • The Damned
    • Punk rock is mostly associated with three chords and a bad attitude, but the Damned were one of the few bands of the era bent on bringing musicianship and a good sense of humor to the scene. And while

Reader Specials

Visit Deals On The Web for the best deals on all consumer electronics, iPods, and more!

News

Latest Must-Have Toy in Russia: iPhone

The latest, must-have toy for Russia’s elite, to the tune of 500,000 of them, is Apple’s iPhone, even though the product isn’t officially for sale there, according to the WashingtonPost on Saturday.

Eldar Murtazin, head of analysis at the Mobile Research Group in Moscow, estimated the 500,000 number based on data collected cellphone operators there. "Russian people love anything that is forbidden," Mr. Murtazin said.

The zeal for the Apple phone is in spite of the fact that it sells for the equivalent of US$700.00 in Russia. Even so, that’s a significant drop from when it first became available in Russia, right after the launch in that U.S. At that time, it sold for the equivalent of US$1,800.

Sergei Bobovnikov, Soviet propaganda art dealer said, "It’s a prestige thing. Having an iPhone is like being part of a club."

For a relatively small fee, Russian hackers will unlock the iPhone, install a Russian language pack and modify it to work with the Russian cell phone system. It takes about 45 minutes per phone to make the mod. Everything works except visual voicemail.

During last week’s Apple earnings report conference call, Apple’s Peter Oppenheimer said that the number of unlocked phones so so far is an indication of the popularity of the iPhone and gives Apple confidence that they’ll meet their 10M number in 2008. WIth numbers like these in Russia, that’s looking more and more like a sure bet.

Post Your Comments

  Remember Me  Forgot your password?

Not a member? Register now. You can post comments without logging in, but they'll show up as a "guest" post.

Commenting is not available in this section entry.