Giant iPhone 4 brings OS X and Windows 7 to the table
A solo inventor has built the most pimped-out table in the world, with an iPhone-style 40-inch screen, dual-boot options and HDMI inputs.
Sometimes there's so many gadgets you just wish someone would throw them all into one outrageous unit and be done with it. Sadly, no one was brave enough to solve this First World problem -- until now.
Meet the iTableous by German inventor Benjamin Bachmeier, a table-sized iPhone 4 with more functionality than Blu-Tack. Powered by a 2GHz processor, 4GB RAM and with a Full HD 40-inch screen, you can dual boot in OS X and Windows 7 or hook up a couple of games consoles through the HDMI inputs. The screen tilts to the side too, so you don't have to play standing up.
Bachmeier's included four speakers and a subwoofer in exactly the same place as the normal-sized iPhone 4's speakers, and with the built-in microphone and 5.7-megapixel camera you can video call all your friends, specifically to tell them you're drinking beer on the biggest iPhone in the country.
Too good to be true, right? Almost. The iTableous doesn't offer multi-touch like a normal iPhone, but Bachmeier says he couldn't find a 40-inch touchscreen with a USB connection. We'll forgive him that one. Instead, the unit is controlled with a wireless keyboard.
There's so many line-in connectors and extra features it's well worth browsing the official spec sheet. Props to Bachmeier, it's a huge achievement for one person in just four months.
The only thing we don't understand is the inclusion of a three-axis accelerometer. You might need to beef up a little before you can throw around the 84kg unit, and even then, you'd be swinging a table about like a loon, but still. Slack, Ben, slack.
As spectacular as owning an iTableous would be, it's obviously a personal project and won't go into production. It's a shame, because there's probably a handful of Apple crazies out there willing to splash big money to get their own.
Last year we reported on the iPhone Table Connect, a similar table-sized iPhone, though some -- including Wired -- decided it was a fake. If so, Bachmeier really has created the biggest iPhone in history. It's just a shame it will look so dated when the iPhone 5 arrives next month.
In the meantime, check out the iTableous in the video below, and serve up some choice comments underneath or on our Facebook page.