Hold on to your seats, chaps -- Blyk has just surpassed that magical 100,000 subscriber mark in Britain that it's been aiming for ever since the company got off the ground last fall. For those curious as to why "just" 100k is a milestone worth celebrating, this particular MVNO -- which rents airtime from Orange and utilizes equipment from Nokia Siemens Networks -- issues its customers a free pool of minutes / text messages in exchange for them accepting advertisements. In other words, a totally ad-funded service is somehow managing to go over at least decently well. According to the outfit, it reached the aforesaid goal a full six months ahead of schedule and is currently seeing ad response rates of 29-percent. Kudos, Blyk -- way to quiet those naysayers.

[Via textually]

As if the UK didn't have enough gadget-related mischievousness going on, here's another liter of fuel for the perpetual fire. NASUWT -- that's the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers for those out of the loop -- is suggesting that mobile phones be classified as "potentially offensive weapons" and banned from school premises, all because a select few students found it necessary to use their handset to engage in "cyberbullying." Apparently, some students have used the camera function in their phones to snap pictures of their instructor, only to then post said images on "rating websites that can damage teachers' self esteem and careers." Sheesh, first iPods, now mobiles -- what are kids to do? Study?

[Image courtesy of Textually]

LG's looking to add a dash of style to the lower-end UK market with its KP202, which boasts a clean, sleek exterior and twin LCDs to keep your eyes occupied. Specs wise, you'll find a built-in VGA camera with white balance and contrast adjustments, a 160 x 128 resolution internal screen and a 96 x 94 pixel external display, tri-band (900 / 1800 / 1900) GSM support, an internal antenna, and the always handy flight mode so you can still play those integrated Java games 'til your heart's content whilst on the plane. Additionally, it supports polyphonic ringtones, comes in at just 87- x 45- x 19.8-millimeters, weighs 78-grams, and can last up to 200 hours in standby mode. No word on price just yet, but it will reportedly be showing up in UK stores quite soon.

[Via TechDigest]

These days, it really takes something special to catch to eye of the desensitized market, and Nokia's shifting the focus back to the consumer with its lighthearted touchscreen game at a London bus stop. The interactive advertisement requests that the player flip the pockets in order to find matches, but it also insinuates that the sleek Nokia N95 smartphone is just too slim and inconspicuous to readily pick out. Of course, we highly doubt it's all that difficult to spot after a flip or two, but the idea here is novel nonetheless. If nothing else, it sure breaks up the boredom (or frustration) felt whilst waiting on the next bus, so be sure to click on through for a video of the thing so you'll know it when you cross it.

[Via FreshCreation]

We've heard of quite a few oddities taking place across the lake, but this one has to be considered amongst the most outlandish of all. Apparently, a British fellow who couldn't get a random phone number out of his head following a presumably potent dream decided to text the number and inquire if he had met the person the night prior. As these things always do, one thing led to another, and eventually the two ended up meeting, and as fate would have it, they fell head over heels in love. Aside from the sap, the couple actually went so far as to get married and flee to Goa for their honeymoon after "a long courtship." Let us be the first to say "congrats" to Mr. Brown, but you should be aware that the DVR is no longer under your control, and choosing your iPod over the lady could evidently lead to some seriously dirty looks.

[Via Fark]

Sure, we've heard of cellphones causing all sorts of medical troubles when not conjuring cancer in your ear, but the latest report of everyday consumer electronics wreaking havoc on humans comes from where else but the UK. Curiously, this isn't the first time England has been the site of allergic reactions to electromagnetic fields (EMF), and Manchester's Debbie Bird has been forced to make outlandish alterations to her home (and way of life) in order to avoid intense headaches, painful skin rashes, and bizarre eyelid swelling. Among the items she can't use are microwaves, BMWs (saywha?), and cellphones, and she has also coated her walls in pricey black carbon paint, covered her windows in "protective film," and weirdest of all, sleeps under a "silver-plated mosquito net" in order to curb her reactions. Now, what type of hidden superpowers are in her arsenal to counter such strange deficiencies?

Considering how governments are suddenly feeling that tracking your every move, or at least providing the means for someone else to, is such a brilliant idea, it's no surprise to see the Bluetooth masters at Cambridge-based CSR buy up NordNav and Cambridge Positioning Systems. The new mishmash of companies now has consolidation on the brain, as it's developing an all-in-one microchip that will sport both Bluetooth and GPS functionality on a single module. Additionally, the chip would reportedly "drain less power and be cheaper for handset makers than having two separate chips in their devices," as both technologies would have one processor doing the work, resulting in a more efficient process. The company's CEO claimed that its combo chips would cost manufacturers "an extra dollar per chip as opposed to around $5 to $10 for putting in a current standalone GPS chip," and moreover, these devices are designed to be ultra-sensitive, giving it connection abilities indoors and in "deep urban areas" where current units fall short. Already being hit up by a few anonymous mobile producers, CSR plans to get these things shipping "during the first half of this year," and hopes to start turning a profit on them by 2008.