The Apple iPhone just became a lot more useful -- after a protective case was revealed which also doubles as a beer bottle opener.

iBottleOpener functions as a normal run-of-the-mill iPhone case, protecting the device from all the usual scratches and drops

But on the rear it reveals a classic bottle opener which inventor Zack Cram, from California, says he couldn't believe hadn't been added earlier.

And Apple might want to consider building one into the next version of the iPhone because demand for the £15 case is so high it sold out within two days.

Makers say they're struggling to produce the bottle opening cases fast enough… but that they've already submitted a patent for a wine corkscrew iPhone case.

A gorilla appeared to be having great fun with a Nintendo DSi XL games console which had been accidentally dropped into a US zoo enclosure be a clumsy gamer.

The young butter-fingered computer game fan had been fiddling with his handheld console when he slipped and dropped it at San Francisco Zoo.

Unfortunately for the poor lad, the game dropped into the gorilla enclosure and, being bright red, soon attracted the attention of the big apes.

One picked it up and started playing with it but staff soon persuaded him to give it back in exchange for an apple. That's the fruit… he wasn't upgrading to a laptop.

BBC laptops and mobile phones worth over £240,000 have been accidentally lost or stolen during the past two years, the Beeb has revealed.

The corporation made the embarrassing announcement after a Freedom of Information request was lodged about lost tech.

It's said 146 laptops, 65 mobile phones and 17 Blackberry devices went missing between April 2008 and March 2010.
 
While 19 items worth £23,450 were later recovered, this leaves the final bill for lost gadgets at a still massive £217,569.

And to put this into perspective… that's probably about seven seconds of Top Gear.

A mobile phone for those with hearing difficulties has been released -- capable of a blaring out an ear-splitting 100 decibel ring-tone.

Makers say the Amplicom M6000 is ideal for anyone suffering from hearing loss because it can ring as loud as a vuvuzela being blown next to your head.

And once users realise their phone in ringing they can boost the in-call volume to a level normally reserved for passing motorbikes.

The £120 handset also features extra-large buttons and an SOS panic button which can be set to call a predetermined number.

In odd news, while the phone is clearly targeted at older users it's also now expected to be a hit with younger concert-goers who can't normally hear calls.

For many people there would be nothing sweeter than receiving an Apple iPad as a gift -- unless it was coated in chocolate.

Stefan Magdalinski knew his Apple obsessed wife Kay would love an iPad for her birthday so had one imported from London to South Africa.

But he didn't stop there, he also wanted to give her a special treat and delay the surprise of her finding out.

So he commissioned a luxury chocolate shop in London to coat the high-tech gadget in milk chocolate using a carbon-freezing process.

After somehow getting through customs - we can only imaging what this looked like on an x-ray - the package was shipped to South Africa.

Ashes to Ashes actress Keeley Hawes will provide the voice of Tomb Raider heroine Lara Croft in the latest version of the hit game.

It had been thought Hawes - who first voiced Lara in 2006 - may have retired from the audio role after recent on-screen success in the BBC drama alongside old-school copper Gene Hunt.

But Eidos have now confirmed she will once again lend her dulcet tones to the upcoming 'Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light' game.

Guardian of Light will be the fist download-only game in the Tomb Raider franchise and is due to be released on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and Steam this summer.

Unfortunately for Hawes fans it is highly unlikely she will be squeezing into skin-tight Lara Croft outfit to promote the game.

Fashion designers have created a dress which is sure to 'light up a room' - thanks to 24,000 tiny LED bulbs embroidered on it.

The Galaxy Dress has been made by fashion company CuteCircuit for "Fast Forward: Inventing the Future" exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

The 2mm square full-colour LEDs make it the largest wearable display in the world and the circuits are extra-thin, flexible, and hand embroidered on a layer of silk so it still moves like a normal dress.

The LEDs are covered in 4 layers of silk chiffon and are powered by a number of iPod batteries - makers also promise that it won't get too hot.

But wearing it could leave you feeling a little like Cinderella... the batteries will only last for about 30 minutes.

It's increasingly becoming women who do most of the technological household chores like tuning a TV or setting up a laptop computer, a study has found.

Whilst traditionally men may have taken charge of gadgets and gizmos, women are now becoming more comfortable with tech.

In a survey by Comet, most women said they would happily set up their laptop or freeview box - and only 4% are daunted by installing their own HDTV and 7% a surround sound system.

Half of women also claim they now rely on the latest gadgets like an iPhone or Sky HD to make their lives tic.

13% of the men questioned even confessed they let their wives and girlfriends pick the household computers, DVD players, and televisions… proving they are not really men.