It's just a few hours to go till Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse throw open their doors to anyone wanting to buy an iPhone.

While you're waiting, you might want to take a virtual walk down memory lane, so we've pulled together six months' worth of iPhone coverage in one easy link fest. You don't have to believe the hype, but you can't deny it's out there.

iPhone to solve UK unemployment
Not content with redefining the mobile phone and computer industries, the iPhone can now take credit for creating new jobs and saving the UK economy, apparently.

UK iPhone customers to get fairer usage
O2 has decided that iPhone users on its network won't be limited by their "fair usage" policy, and really will get "unlimited" access to the internet. But other customers signed up for "unlimited" contracts will have to wait and see if O2 decides all their usage is fair too.

How many $$$s does Apple make from an iPhone?
Lots from the phone, even more from the revenue sharing

Motorola: Apple will not open the iPhone
The senior director of entertainment products at Motorola questions whether Apple will truly "open up" the iPhone.

Operators say 'told you so' on iPhone security
Operator talking-shop the OMTP (Open Mobile Terminal Alliance) has published its white paper on handset security, saying something along the lines of Symbian Signed is a good idea, and that if Apple had listened to it the iPhone would never have been cracked.

Apple: 1.4m iPhones sold, 250,000 unlocked
More than a quarter of a million people have purchased Apple iPhones and unlocked them, the handset's manufacturer admitted last night.

Apple opens up iPhone to app developers
The iPhone and iTouch are to get a Software Developers Kit in February next year, allowing developers to create proper native applications for the platform and allowing it to properly compete with other smart phones, Steve Jobs announced on the company's website today.

Orange's Apple deal to bear unlocked iPhones
Orange will indeed offer Apple's iPhone on France, but the most interesting aspect of the two firms' partnership will be the availability, for the first time, of officially unlocked handsets.

Apple prepares iPhone WebApp catalogue
Apple is about to launch a consolidation portal hosting WebApps for its glorified slates, the iPhone and iTouch, whilst developing proper applications with Electronic Arts and others.

Hackers hit back at iPhone update
The war between Apple and the hackers is heating up, after a 'fix' for the recent iPhone update was posted online. Apple's recent update for the iPhone's firmware rendered unlocked iPhones - those that had been modified either through software or other means to work outside of AT&T's network - unusable, and the firm has so far refused to back down from its hardline stance.

Apple posts iPhone update, bricks unlocked handsets
Apple has posted the anticipated iPhone 1.1.1 update. The release, which adds support for the Wi-Fi connect iTunes Music Store, does indeed, as expected, returns unlocked handsets back to their AT&T-only status.

VoIP says hello to the iPhone
UK-based VoIP provider Truphone last night demonstrated its ability to place a VoIP call from an Apple iPhone, as well as some Facebook integration.

The iPhone arrives, but is O2 being taken for a ride?
Yesterday Apple announced that O2 would have the exclusive rights to their iPhone in the UK, with punters paying £279 for the phone and signing up to an 18-month contract.

Jobs hits London to announce O2 iPhone deal
Apple has finally confirmed that O2 has won the exclusive rights to carry the iPhone over its UK network from next month. Steve Jobs made the announcement at its flagship UK store in London this morning.

Apple restricts ringtone rights
Yes, it seems unjust that Apple can charge you twice for an iPhone ringtone. But that's the way the fair-use cookie crumbles.

iPod Touch: How the Jesus Phone was really John the Baptist
So was nine months of relentless iPhone hype and froth just a distraction? Not quite, but you could be forgiven for thinking so. I believe Apple's most important product of 2007 was actually announced this week, and its significance has been slow to sink in. It might be one of the cleverest moves Apple's ever made.

Apple lobs $100 credit at iPhone buyers
Much to our surprise, Apple mavens have revolted against Steve Jobs. And he's trying to appease them.

Apple slashes iPhone prices
No, Steve. We didn't miss that last bit.

This morning, after announcing a boatload of brand new iPod and iTunes gizmos, Steve Jobs had one final piece of news for all you Apple lovers out there: He was dropping the price of the iPhone. Little more than two months after it debuted at $599, the 8GB status symbol is now available for just $399.

US teen trades hacked iPhone for Nissan 350Z
A New Jersey teenager has cut a deal to trade a hacked iPhone for a new set of wheels and three further iPhones, Yahoo! reports.

iPhone unlock procedure posted
A utility claiming to be the world's first software tool for unlocking the Apple iPhone was launched yesterday, even as hardware hackers said they'd figured out how to get the same result by tweaking the gadget itself.

Apple puts refurbished iPhones on sale
Want a cheaper iPhone? Apple has begun offering refurbished handsets for $100 less than it charges for freshly made models.

iPhone thumb trim hoax gets online media buy-in
Claims that Thomas Martel, 28, of Bonnie Brae had his oversized thumbs "whittled" to make using his iPhone easier have turned out to be a marvellous hoax perpetrated by the North Denver News, though one that fooled many online news sources.

Jesus Phone needs an exorcist
Security researchers have discovered a security flaw in Apple's iPhone that could allow miscreants to wreak havoc on users of the highly-revered device, which has been dubbed the Jesus Phone by its more blindly faithful users.

What's al-Qaeda's take on the iPhone?
In a fortnight during which just about everyone on the planet, excluding naturally those in a coma or temporarily indisposed up some tributary of the Amazon, has offered their two bits' worth on the launch of Apple's iPhone, it comes as a bit of a surprise that al-Qaeda has dismally failed to contribute to the brouhaha.

Why the iPhone is a success
Two weeks after the iPhone virus started spreading, the verdict has to be that Steve Jobs has got it right.

Sick to death of the bloody iPhone? Click here
We have some absolutely splendid news today for those among you who are heartily sick and tired of the bloody iPhone - those very silly people down at Blendtec have done the decent thing and stuck the infernal device in the blender.

iPhone hackers disclose vulns and hunt for clues
The game is on for hackers trying to spot security vulnerabilities in Apple's iPhone and already they're scoring points. Less than 72 hours after the iPhone's introduction, researchers have reported at least one flaw that could allow an attacker some level of control over the device, while other hackers have uncovered passwords hiding in Apple software that could prove key in gaining root access, they said.

iPhone autopsies conducted
It hasn't taken long for many of the Apple iPhones acquired over the weekend to be taken home and taken to bits as hardware fans and chip analysts alike try to find out what kind of kit the "revolutionary" handset is packing.

Apple's first handheld: the Newton MessagePad
Some say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and when you consider the history of the PDA, that statement holds many truths.

iPhone contract charges unveiled
AT&T and Apple have announced what the iPhone will cost customers over the two-year contract they'll be obliged to sign - and it's pretty-much what AT&T charges customers already.

Ballmer: Apple's iPhone will be a niche player
So did Microsoft CEO Steve 'Monkey Boy' Ballmer actually claim Apple's iPhone strategy is "flawed" or "bust", as a fair few bloggers picking up on his USA Today interview suggested? Not quite.

Why the Apple phone will fail, and fail badly
That's us, hoist by the petard of our excitable headline writers. But this remains a good run-through of the mobile phone market and Apple's place in it. We shall see, soon enough, if the novelty wears off®