Apple iPhones offered up for hire

Want to try out Apple's iPhone but are put off by the price? Hop over to German company Erento's UK site and you'll be able to rent one. Though at £29 a day, it's almost as pricey a proposition as a purchase.

Erento set up (virtual) shop in the UK last month. Its site allows supplier A rent any product to consumer B. Think of it as eBay for renting.

The company's UK site currently has a pair of iPhones to try: one in London, the other in Manchester. The status of the London iPhone is unclear, but the one in Manchester is unlocked and "ready for any network".

The more northerly is also offer weekly and four-weekly rental packages at £99 and £169, respectively.

Erento.co.uk makes interesting reading - if you fancy trying out some behind the curve kit, that is. We were taken by the number of entrepreneurial folk pitching their old laptops. Never used a 600MHz Pentium II notebook? An Edinburgh supplier has one for £13.94 a day. Too much? Someone in Bath has one you can borrow for £5.92 a day.