Weird Tech: iPhone joins Bush & Di in history

Behold: meet professional queuer Greg Packer, aka 'iLoser'. Here he is camped outside Apple's Fifth Avenue store, where he's been for a couple of days now

Welcome to this week's roundup of the weird and wonderful happenings in the world of tech. Seeing as the industry seems to have been largely living and breathing the Apple iPhone for the past few days, it seems only fitting to mention it first.

As with any new product worth its salt, the iPhone launch has attracted its fair share of weirdos. Enter professional queuer Greg Packer, aka 'iLoser'. He's been camped outside Apple's Fifth Avenue store since 5am on Monday, to the great delight of the world's press.

Sceptics might suggest he's Apple's answer to the Zune tattoo man we wrote about last week. Sadly we fear his behaviour has less to do with a genuine obsession for Apple, and more with a bizarre love of waiting. Other accomplishments include meeting three US presidents, and being first to sign the condolence book for Princess Diana after her death.

Futuristic fantasy come true

What travels at 70mph, lasts for 30 seconds and costs a wallet-weeping $250,000 (about £125,000)? TAM's custom-built short-flight Rocket Belt , that's what. Yep, once strapped to the shiny jet pack you too could reach blistering speeds through the air. TAM even throws in a few flying lessons for the price.

No weekly round up would be complete without a mention of the latest weird gadgets. Hats off to Embotec for its counterfeit money detector mouse, the EM-D275 . Designed for use in convenient stores, petrol stations, banks and hotels, it does what it says on the tin.

So does the Pen-Sized Fishing Rod , come to think of it.

And although its lure of hazardous fun proves unsubstantial, David Dear's Battery Eater is still as good a way as any to finish off your dying AA batteries.

And finally...

It's not too late to make some money off the Apple iPhone. US betting firm BetUS.com has been giving odds of 20-1 all week that someone will get trampled while scrambling to get their hands on an Apple iPhone later today. Quick! Place your bets while you still can!

TOPICS
Julia Sagar
Content director, special projects

Julia specialises in ecommerce at Future. For the last four years, she’s split her time between leading TechRadar’s crack team of deal editors - covering all the biggest sales of the year including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day - and helping the audiences of Future’s consumer tech and lifestyle brands (TechRadar, Tom's Guide, T3, Marie Claire, Woman & Home and more) find the best products and services for their needs and budget.

A former editor of global design website Creative Bloq, she has over 15 years’ experience in online and print journalism, and was part of the team that launched TechRadar way back in the day. When she isn't reviewing mattresses (she’s tested more than she cares to remember), or sharing tips on how to save money in the latest sales, she can usually be found writing about anything from green energy to graphic design.

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