We're not really sure what's going on here, but we're guessing and hoping that CompUSA simply has too many iTunes gift cards in stock that it needs to dispose of.

Well, okay, not really.

As posted by the Spokane CompUSA employee who scanned and uploaded the ad that we have here, this was an advertisement tag that it acquired from the corporate computer. Apparently, the *cough* misprint that their manager caught on it was so funny, that he decided to keep it for himself. Thankfully, the mix-up was reported to HQ, and the tag was promptly replaced with something which announced a more appropriate freebie.

Over at Boulder, Colorado, the local Apple Store was recently the victim of theft. Apparently, the thief was able to run off with 42 second-gen 4GB iPod Nanos, all worth a total of US$ 8,705.

Now, things like this are probably something that should be expected, considering the fact that the new line of iPods are considered as hot items. What baffles (and amuses) everyone though, is that the thief not only stole the popular MP3 players, but he also managed to take the 2-foot-by-2-foot, 30-pound Plexiglass display case that the iPods were placed in as well. As for the kitchen sink, it was later found to be safe.

Police claim that they still have no suspects.

Barely a month after its unveiling, and even though it isn't even available to the public yet, it seems that Apple may already have to start picking up the pace even at this stage. As it turns out, a quick search around the Nokia website reveals that their engineers are already working on something that, admittedly, looks cooler than the iPhone.

As seen in one of the photos, this new work-in-progress unit from the Finnish mobile phone company has been dubbed as "Aeon". No, they're not the ones from Final Fantasy X (no, the blue one isn't "Shiva", and so on).

If it turns out that this will be the look of Nokia's next generation handsets, then Apple may be in trouble. Not only does the Aeon look very pretty, but as with most current Nokia phone models, it will also most likely be 3G-capable, one main feature which the iPhone still lacks.

There still isn't much data about this new contraption, but we'll be keeping an eye on it to see if this new idea pushes through.

After it has just been pointed out how delayed the iPhone actually is because of its lack of 3G technology, rumors are now spreading, saying that this little deficiency will be patched up. So, if you were considering getting yourself an iPhone in the future, then you might want to hold out a bit longer since it may be that a 3G-capable "iPhone2" may already be in the works with the FCC.

As to why the iPhone didn't have 3G in the first place, a network engineer for the iPhone has been quoted for saying that this is because "less than 1% of Cingular customers have HSDPA capability" and that "he target users wouldn't know the difference anyway".

So, with an audience who normally spends only up to US$ 200 on a new cellphone, will having 3G-capability finally convince consumers to shell out US$ 499 or US$ 599 for a mobile phone? Stay tuned.

While technophiles the world over got worked up and hyperventilated at Steve Jobs' announcement of the iPhone, the Japanese simply looked up a while from their keitai, then went on with their business. And the reason for this? The fact that the iPhone has nothing new to offer to them.

While Jobs boasts of the iPhones new interface, the Japanese are finding it hard to believe that it is a "revolutionary product" that will "change everything". Apple also notes that the iPhone can be used to download music and surf the internet, as well as support one-way conferencing in the future. Over at Japan, the whole population have already been doing all this for years. On top of that, most phones can support five-way video conferencing, and their mobiles can also be used to buy train tickets, pay for taxi rides, design a webpage, update a blog, pay for puchases at the convenience store, book hotel reservations, watch a movie or the latest baseball game, use GPS, get exclusive content by scanning a barcode on the seats at the baseball stadium, and an entire plethora of other features and uses which Apple still seems to be clueless about (they should probably start off by checking out Strap-Ya, or something).

All this can again be attributed to one main attribute that Apple is missing, and that would be 3G technology. At the moment, the iPhone is still on a second-generation network.

So, when Japanese retailers were told about the amazing, new iPhone and its features, one shopkeeper merely laughed and said, "Sounds like business as usual".

So, after an entire year of waiting, speculating, theorizing, and guessing, Apple then unveils the much-awaited iPhone (though they might want to consider a name change soon, with Cisco breathing down their necks. iCell doesn't sound so bad...).

So with that entire year in mind, Gizmodo has compiled a gallery which showcases the number of iPhone renditions which were done by people who hoped that the then-mysterious product would look the way that they envisioned it. After all, sparks went flying when we first saw it on the back of a magazine in March 2006, and then the deluge started.

So how close was everyone's guess to the actual product? See for yourself.

View the rest of the non-iPhones after the Jump!

Uh-oh. It looks like those metal-scavenging Jawas have finally gotten their grubby paws on R2D2 and have turned him into... well, an iPod dock. As spotted at the CES 2007 floor, this little droid won't exactly pilot your X-Wing for you anymore, but it CAN play your tunes and project your movies.

At the Nikko Home Electronics corner, the R2-D2 DVD Projector was spotted being sold for more than US$ 2,000. You can pop in your favorite DVD movie in the slot and project the show onto your wall. If you're tired of that, R2D2 can also play your CDs or hook up to your iPod.

This guy's true purpose is to play DVDs though, and can display an image on the wall at up to 80 inches wide, or he can tilt up so he can project onto the ceiling, just so you can lie back while you watch the latest season of "House MD".

As for the remote, the remote control slides out of a replica of the Millennium Falcon. Besides controlling the projector though, this remote can also move R2D2 himself, making him go forward, reverse, right, left, and do pivot turns as he makes his signature bleeps and boops (I have to admit, that is so darned cute...).

Now if only he came with his mini-zapper and his rocket boosters, it would be perfect.

Uh-oh. Could it be that Apple is getting a taste of its own medicine? After its history of suing various individuals and companies left and right for various forms of copyright or trademark infringement, it looks like Apple is now being sued for the exact same thing.

Now, we've seen this looming over the horizon for quite some time now, and apparently, not even filing for rights to the "iPhone" trademark has saved Apple from the eyes of Cisco Systems. Tsk, tsk. And to think that everyone was so excited to just see Apple unveil its new toy.

On January 10, iPhone trademark">Cisco representatives announced that they have filed a lawsuit against Apple, Inc. at the District Court of Northern California, "seeking to prevent Apple from infringing upon and deliberately copying and using Cisco's registered iPhone trademark".

As explained on the company website, here's what happened, and why they should be considered as the true owners of the trademark, "iPhone":

Cisco obtained the iPhone trademark in 2000 after completing the acquisition of Infogear, which previously owned the mark and sold iPhone products for several years. Infogear's original filing for the trademark dates to March 20, 1996. Linksys, a division of Cisco, has been shipping a new family of iPhone products since early last year. On Dec. 18, Linksys expanded the iPhone family with additional products.

Moreover, according to Cisco's senior VP Mark Chandler, they have "entered into negotiations with Apple in good faith after Apple repeatedly asked permission to use Cisco's iPhone name", but that Apple "should not be using our trademark without our permission".

Thanks to zerox for the tip!

And yet another evil alliance is threatening to loom out of the darkness... Well, no, not really.

In any case, with MacWorld getting ever so close, many have been hanging on to the expectation that Steve Jobs will be announcing a team-up with Google. The possibility of this new alliance has been brought up by analyst Steve Arnold who points out that it isn't that impossible, considering that Google's CEO Eric Schmidt has a place on Apple's board.

However, whether this announcement will come or not is really anyone's guess at the moment, especially since Jobs is still expected to dodge several other issues and rumors. Among these issues would be the recent stock options backdating fiasco which he and several officials got caught up in, as well as questions regarding the appearance (or existence) of the iPhone.

Oh, and last but not least, there's that OTHER pressing question: If Google and Apple joined up, what would they be called?

Goopple?

To all Apple aficionados out there, we currently have the latest batch of screenshots of the upcoming Mac OS X 10.5, a.k.a., Leopard. The screens show where Leopard already is in terms of development, as its current build is still at 9A321. We're not exactly sure, but we're guessing that these screenies were taken during the time that the news broke out that the developers' copy of the OS was already being seeded in P2P file-sharing sites. Whether Apple will be chasing down these people once again is another topic that we can tackle some other time.

In any case, these screenshots show the OS, right from the installation phase, to the part where the user gets to tinker with the programs. One screen shows Quick View being used to play a QuickTime movie file,

Before we ramble on, here are the screenies, as promised, though we're still wondering just how close these screens would be to the look of this OS once it's finally released in Spring 2007.

More screens after the Jump!