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  • iPhone 4 pre-orderers overwhelm servers, world on the brink of ending

    iPhone 4 pre-orderers overwhelm servers, world on the brink of ending

    Look up at the sky -- is it falling? It sure seems as if that kind of doom is imminent, at least if this whole iPhone 4 pre-order situation is any indication of future tragedy. We've received hundreds of tips this morning from friends near and far that iPhone 4 pre-orders aren't going through, though a few of us here on staff were able to get a confirmation during the wee hours of the morning. From AT&T in the US to O2 over in the UK, it seems that just about everyone ambling to get their name on a future iPhone 4 is experiencing a great deal of frustration. AT&T's servers seem to be completely hosed here in America, and since Apple's own online order process has to ping those to check on your contract status, neither option is... um, working. Those who decided to line up at a local store are facing similar issues; employees aren't even able to fully process pre-orders in store due to systems being overwhelmed, and no one seems to exactly know when things will be back to normal. And you thought the most enraging part of this was the inability to select a white model. Let us know how your experience has been in the poll and comments below, won't you?

    Update: So, it sounds like Best Buy is taking pre-orders (even for white units), but chances are remarkably high that you're not actually getting in any line. Still, it's a working option for the moment. In other news, the Apple Store app is seeming to allow iPhone 4 orders, but it looks as if they're reserving off-contract phones (read: full price ones), so we'd only recommend this avenue if you enjoy things like "arguing about contract dates" and "yelling at brick walls." We're guessing you'll be doing both on the 24th.

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    iPhone 4 pre-orderers overwhelm servers, world on the brink of ending originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • New technology helps to remotely monitor the health of the elderly around the clock

    New technology helps to remotely monitor the health of the elderly around the clock

    Remote monitoring systems for the elderly are nothing new, but Japanese conglomerate Marubeni's technology seems to be particularly advanced. And unlike you might think, it's not based on robotics, but on a sensor system. It enables families and medical institutions to remotely check the health of older people around the clock - as long as the person in question keeps wearing a small sensor on the chest.

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