Add a little je ne sais quoi to the world of iPod docks, French audio makers YBA have introduced a new docking station for iPod called the iDW1.

O2 will let iPhone users unlock their iPhones after their contracts with the company expire. After rumours that the network company would keep a stranglehold on the devices, this is welcome news.

Now after the initial 18 or 24 month contracts expire, O2 iPhone users in the UK can get another O2 contract or pick up an new deal from either Orange or Vodafone, who are also doing deals on the iPhone. Alternatively they could use their iPhones as jailbroken mini computers and run them on wifi.

Matthew Keys the CEO of O2's parent company Telefónica Europe, denied the stories that O2 would keep phones locked up.

Can this poor man ever escape? All he wanted to do was make commercially successful music in the late 80s and early 90s.

Other retired rock and roll stars get an easy ride, some royalties money, a holiday home and a few tours. But for Rick Astley, British singer who had a hit in 1987 with Never Gonna Give You Up, the story is so different.

There he was... just keeping his head down and avoiding social media when a torrent of RickRoll memes pushed him to the forefront of the memeverse.

Another day, another iPhone skin, this time it's matte and embossed and in three different colours: Onyx (black), Cosmo (pink) and Ice (white). Cosmo works best with a white phone of course. The iSkins aren't chunky phone-swaddling protectors but they do offer increased protection as well as an interesting feel and the look, which I genuinely like: the translucent designer circles look like geometric ripples.

This one has an anti-microbial substance impregnated in the skin which prevents odours and stains. Another interesting feature on the iSkin solo FX SE is the screen-covering surface which turns into a mirror when it senses that the phone has been switched off. You get two screen covers when you buy an iSkin - one is simple clear plastic, the other is the mirror film.

Available for $34.99 on http://iskin.com

The iPhone 3GS will be available on Orange in 9 days. On Tuesday November 10th Orange stores will be stocking the Orange iPhone, finally breaking O2's monopoly on the super-phone. Orange claims its new monthly and pay as you go plans are "great value" - but - inevitably they're not drastically different from O2's.

Got too much money lying around and don't know what to do with it? Well, why not... buy a gold-cased, diamond-encrusted iPhone?

Now you can, and for a mere £22,995.00. I don't think there's a contract included in that.
Sold by stuarthughes.com it's described as: "the world's first solid gold and diamond iphone 3gs". They don't mean totally 'solid' otherwise there'd be no room for the useful but definitely not gold plastic and cheaper metal parts, like the battery etc, but it's more than just a case. The goldsmiths take the back plastic back off and reworked the back with gold. Also then re-making the apple logo with 53 diamonds inset on the back. Also available in Rose gold with pink diamonds.

Celebrity apps seem to be taking off - Jamie Oliver's got one that teaches you how to cook dinner, Noel Edmonds has got one that helps you track the orders you've placed with the Cosmos (you couldn't make it up seriously).

So, faced with this trend, we asked the inevitable question - what if Kerry Katona made an iPhone app? Gazing unflinchingly into the future, we bring you the Kerry Katona iPhone app and nine other potential celebrity/app tie-ins.

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GEAR4 are releasing a wireless charger for the iPhone, which means, yes, that you don't need to plug your iPhone into anything to charge it.

Clever huh?

What you do need to do is put your iPhone or Pod on the charging pad. Unlike other wireless chargers it doesn't need to lock onto the charger, it just needs to sit on it. Using inductive charging and special liquid rubber case the PowerPad transmits power through the case straight to the battery.

At last - the geography geek comes into her own!

A new iPhone game ask you to place the cities of the world on a map - and the more accurately and quicker you can do it, the better you do. The game, Geomaster costing £1.19 from Visuamobile is also available on the iPod Touch. Finally those youthful hours spent poring over atlases will be useful.

Played over time, of course this would actually teach you about the world's geography as well. Where is Addis Ababa for example. There's a US cities challenge as well as the worldwide one and more challenges planned: a US state game, countries of Asia, Europe, South America... and a lot more.

Perhaps this should be made compulsory for those people they always interview in documentaries who think Afghanistan is in France etc.
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Related: Super Obama World: The best virtual Obama gameage yet

Yes they are gloves - but yes you can also use your iPhone with them! ZOMG! How on earth has this technical feat been achieved? Well as you may observe from the picture - by cutting some of the fingers off.

Casting a cynical eye over the Etre Touchy, as the gloves are named, you could say that it is simply a fingerless glove rather than an amazing technical innovation. You would be right.

They say: "Etre Touchy gloves are a stylish, fun and practical way to keep your hands warm while using your touchscreen phone, portable games system, media player and other electronic gadgets. Their missing thumb and index fingertips give you the freedom to touch, tap, stroke, slide and pinch your devices' controls in any way you desire."

We say: well they look alright and fingerless gloves are kind of cool but do you really want to spend £19.99 on them? Your call.

Available for £19.99 from Etre Touchy

I'm very fussy with my headphones and I've always been disappointed with the sound quality and volume with the many I've tried, until I was sent these new marvels from Radiopaq.

At £50 I'm not sure I would have looked twice at these headphones (yes I may be fussy but I'm also a bargain hunter) after all, they aren't Sony or Sennheiser.

The earphones, which have been made to work with the iPhone come in four different profiles to suit your music taste. These include rock, pop, classical and Jazz and each type is tuned to give the best possible sound for each genre.

Being a queen of cheese I chose pop, which are claimed to have a more dynamic, sharp listening experience with strong vocals and a great beat. And I can't fault these claims here. The sound was spot on. So much so, at times I actually thought I was at an actual Take That concert.

They also worked very well at blocking out outside noise, especially on the tube. Even at low volume I couldn't hear the rumblings of the train or the annoying woman who tells you to "mind the gaps."

Because the earphones are made for the iPhone they also have an inline remote and microphone, which lets users answer phone calls quickly and easily, even when listening to music. Again, I've always been quite skeptical about such claims but these headphones were perfect. My music was paused when the phone rang and I could hear people as clearly as they could hear me when I spoke through the microphone.

The headphones also fit really nicely into my ears, and just to make sure they were just as comfortable on others, I asked a few people to try them out. General consensus was that they were much more comfortable than a standard earphone.

However, I do have one tiny complaint and that's the wiring. It could just be personal preference but I like my wires subtle and plain and these headphones were anything but that with black and red coated wiring, which really makes them stand out.

However, this is a minor qualm for such a perfect set of cans.

Ever wanted to attach your iPhone to a tree? Well now you can. And not just trees... pretty much anything with corners. Gorrillamobile is the technology opening up these possibilities to you and your iPhone. It's an iPhone case with a flexible tripod attachment.

The bendy wrappable legs of Gorrillamobile allow you to position your phone on pretty much anything and the soft silicone case cradles the precious machine from taking knocks.

Follow on after the jump

Its good and bad news for iPhone users and those who are still lusting after the iphone.

O2 users, who joined the network specially to get their paws on the phone of the century will not be pleased to hear that Vodafone has confirmed it too will be selling the iPhone from early 2010.

The announcement was officially made at 9am today and Vodafone UK and Vodafone Ireland customers can register their interest in iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS at www.vodafone.co.uk/iphone and www.vodafone.ie/iphone respectively.

The news follows Orange's announcement yesterday that Orange would too be selling the iPhone, but release dates for this have not yet been announced. You can read what our big brother site Tech Digest has to say about this here.

Your iPhone costs you enough money as it is, what with those pricey 18-24 month contracts, and though we're hoping that new contracts from Orange will knock a few pounds off the phone - wouldn't it be nice if it saved you money as well as costing you. Well it can - there are apps for that - of course. By either skirting phone contracts or calculating gas costs or just collecting information on bargains, that iPhone can save you some money as well.

Here are ten iPhone apps that can save you money.

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If you're an iPhone user with a poor sense of direction and a proud streak that prevents you from stopping to ask for directions, then sat nav applications could come in handy.

TomTom has finally announced a sat nav application for the iPhone, but has lost in the race to become the first manufacturer to do so. We take a look at the other two that beat this sat nav giant to the iPhone post.

Follow on after the jump

Short of hiring someone to sit next to you cradling it - it is hard to make sure your iPhone/Pod/other beloved phone is completely safe while you're on the beach. I mean, not only is there lots of water: you've also got the hazards of sand, suncream and light-fingered beach opportunists.

We have helpfully compiled a list of Ten Ways To Keep It Safe. Not to spoil the suspense, but they could be spilt into three categories: one, taking it with you into the salty breakers in some amazing James Bond-like sealed up case; two, locking it up in a portable safe; three, cunningly disguising it.

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