According to my knowledge, unlocked 3G iPhones are not being sold by Apple nor AT&T in the US, but somehow Buy.com has the 16GB model for $799.99 with free shipping. That’s a $100 more than the contract-free (but not unlocked) iPhones that Apple and AT&T starting offering it’s customers last month, but this makes Buy.com the first major retailer to sell an unlocked iPhone in the US. They also state that the phone comes with full Apple warranty, which I thought Apple only honors when they are under an AT&T plan. Even more crazy, Buy.com in their product description references the iPhone previously being hacked and the “cat and mouse” game that is endured my Apple and many iPhone owners who have unofficially unlocked their iPhones. Is this a late April fools joke or is Apple and AT&T desperatly trying to get rid of inventory before the new iPhone gets unvil this June?

AT&T and Apple stores are now officially selling the iPhone 3G’s contract-free in the United States. The 8GB model is selling for $599 and both of the 16GB models are selling for $699. Sales at the AT&T Stores require customers to be an existing customer, while anyone can walk in the an Apple Store and snag one. The one per customer rule still applies.

Might I remind you that these phones are not unlocked and are still tied to AT&T. Given that the iPhone 3G will only work on AT&T’s 3G network in the United States, I don’t see any reason why anyone living in the US would peony up that much cash for a locked phone which they will most likely have to use with a carrier that is already offering a subsidies version. Not to mention, wouldn’t it be cheaper to enter in a contract ($199 for 8gb model) and cancel early ($175 early termination fee)? For international user’s this would however, be an opportunity for them snag a iPhone, which they can unlock for use in their choice of country, but wouldn’t you want to spend just a little bit more and get an officially unlocked iPhone here?

Some Windows users think they’re not cool enough to be a Mac person. Is that what Microsoft is really thinking?
<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&#038;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:0bb6a07c-c829-4562-8375-49e6693810c7&#038;showPlaylist=true&#038;from=shared" target="_new" title="Laptop Hunters $1000 – Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion">Video: Laptop Hunters $1000 – Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion</a>

Hot on the heals of Nitro’s $15 solution, the Dev-Team has announced that they too have jailbroken the second generation of the iPod Touch. It’s not conveniently packed into PwnageTool or QuickPwn yet, but I’m sure that will come soon.

Apple has just released their third generation of the iPod Shuffle and they are calling it the world’s smallest music player that also happens to be the world’s first talking one. The latest iPod shuffle comes equipped with 4GB of memory in silver or black priced at $79.99. The shuffle has always been hindered by the lack of a screen, but apple is hoping to replace that by having the shuffle speak to you. The new shuffle will be able to tell you the playlist you’re on (yes, you can have multiple playlist on the shuffle now), the name of the song and artist. But best of all, it will come with the new earbuds that are equipped with easy access controls. It’s available in stores today, expect it to ship in 3-5 business days if you order online.

Update: Because the new Shuffle doesn’t have any controls (other than the power and shuffle) on the device itself, it relies on Apple’s proprietary headphones to control the device. Non-Apple headphones will require a special dongle, but Apple states it’s working with third parties to bring other headphones to market. The new Shuffle is not as cool as I original thought, and customers in the market for a shuffle may not want this over the second gen model. Is that why Apple opted to keep the second gen Shuffle in the Apple Store?

Psystar, the Mac clone maker that is subject to a number of Apple violation has been actively advertising their Mac OSX offerings. I came across a number of their Google ads while surfing around MSIWind.net and TUAW. I guess they are really trying to get their name out there as an alternative to Apple systems.

[Image from Gizmodo]

Independent phone vendors have been illegally selling unlocked 3G iPhone in Hong Kong since its launch but, today Apple has quietly sneaked an unlocked version of the iPhone 3G themselves in to their Hong Kong Apple online store. It looks like their deal with Hutchison Telecom, the exclusive iPhone 3G carrier at launch has expired and the phone is now available online at $5400 HKD ($692USD) for the 8GB model and $6200HKD ($794USD) for the 16GB model. Apple states that phones when purchased online can be activated with any wireless carrier. Simply insert the SIM from your current phone into iPhone 3G and connect to iTunes 8 to complete activation. The price is a bit steep but, competitive compared to the Nokia N95 which goes for $600USD or Blackberry Bold at $750USD unlocked.

Last Friday, China’s first Apple store opened in Beijing. In time for Olympic Games I suppose. The store is selling all Apple products except the iPhone because it has not launched there yet.

[Via Zach Honig]

Engadget is reporting that GPS turn-by-turn directions is possible for the iPhone, but not sure if Apple will allow it. This is just another reason for me to upgrade my first gen iPhone to the 3G model, it seems that their is no way to avoid the lust over this magical device.Despite the good news, Apple has stated that cut and paste is a low priority feature for them. Lets just hope someone can address this need with an app.

Today, the iPhone 3G finally comes to Hong Kong and I stopped by to party with the mac heads.

Only the 1,500 lucky preregistered customers, which were chosen randomly will be able to get an iPhone 3G in Hong Kong; thats is at least until Three is able to get more supply (I’m guessing it will take at least 2 months).

There are no long lines for the iPhone 3G in Hong Kong due to the pre-registrations process they have setup. The 1,500 iPhone 3G owners will get a special gift pack that includes a limited iPhone 3G case.