iPhone 3G Modded with Macro

The iPhone 3G’s camera works alright until you want to grab a shot of something within a foot or so (like a butterfly, or unpopped pimple). And to address this dilemma, one modder softened the glue holding in his iPhone’s camera and rotated the lens to macrofy the fovus. He was able to take several shots within 5 inches, but the most impressive is this picture taken just .25 inches away from its subject. For a phone especially, that’s some impressive macro. If only it didn’t require such delicate surgery to implement—ahem—Apple—ahem. [flickr via Apple]

Popularity: 5% [?]

Phew: Cute iPhone Factory Girl Fired Didn’t Get Fired

After a Foxconn factory worker had adorable snapshots of her discovered in a brand new iPhone and posted all over the internet, many worried that she would be fired—or you know, worse. A Foxconn rep told a Chinese newspaper that “she is definitely not fired,” and that the pictures were test photos “accidentally” left on the iPhone. He didn’t comment on the number of lashings she received. I’m glad that all worked out, I wouldn’t want Adam’s conscience burdened by the fact he ruined some girl’s life while he’s vacationing on the Cape. [Macrumors]

Popularity: 3% [?]

New AT&T iPhone International Data Plans Ream You Slightly Less Hard

Your current options for international data from AT&T are 20MB for $24.99 or 50 MB for $59.99—ream city, though there’s no lube at all if you don’t have international data roaming, as Blam found out when he came back from Brazil, where AT&T’s int’l roaming doesn’t cover. AT&T now has two iPhone specific plans: 100MB for $120, and 200MB for $200, a savings of $0 and $40, respectively. Still, ouch. [AT&T]

Popularity: 2% [?]

Video: BlackBerry Bold vs. iPhone Web Browser Showdown (It Gets Ugly)

We’ve seen the BlackBerry Bold and iPhone head-to-head before, as well as the Bold’s greatly improved browsing powers over past BlackBerrys, but not side-by-side in a web browser race. It actually gets pretty ugly, uglier than we thought it would.

With both running on Wi-Fi and a cleared cache, in a test using Slashdot, the iPhone is actually able to open an entirely new page before the Bold finishes with the first one. The Bold renders everything correctly, it just takes a looooong time to do it. The Bold’s got some fairly heavy duty hardware though, so an update from RIM should be able to give the browser a much-needed jolt. [Mobile Computing Mag via jkOntheRun]

Popularity: 4% [?]

Last Day to Return iPhone 3G and Cancel Your AT&T Contract Without Paying ETF

Did you get an iPhone 3G on launch day? That was a whole 30 days ago, can you believe it? Which means if you’re an unhappy camper, today is the last day you can tell Apple and AT&T to shove it where you really don’t get any 3G reception without getting slapped by early-termination fees. So if you wanna cancel without consequence, start hustling. On the other hand, if you want an iPhone 3G not tied to a two-year AT&T contract, you can cancel tomorrow, pay the ETF, and the phone is really, truly yours. Show of hands, who’s dropkicked their iPhone and AT&T contract? Anyone planning to? [Cnet]

Popularity: 7% [?]