Ever since Apple released their first phone, the iPhone 2G, people went crazy about getting it. One of the many features that the first iPhone lacked was GPS, and Apple, of course, fixed that with the iPhone 3G.

      Many countries “wanted in” on the iPhone, and now, according to Guardian.co.uk, Egypt has them now. The only problem is that it’s illegal in Egypt for citizens to have GPS devices. So, not only are they stuck with the old iPhone that lacks GPS, it costs around 3800 Egyptian Pounds(688 USD), plus the contract, to experience iPhone glory. In order to buy an iPhone with GPS in Egypt, you’d have to buy it from less legal means on the black market.

     It’s not like GPS won’t work in Egypt, because the GPS gets/sends its info from/to satellites, it’s just a matter of legality. GPS technology is ONLY for use by the Egyptian government.

     Other companies have also had to conform to this law, while others like Nokia have tried negotiating with the Egyptian government. However, in the words of Bobby Johnson from guardian.co.uk, “…so far Cairo[Egyptian capital] has not budged.”

     In the 1980′s, the Egyptian authorities had banned satellite dishes, so it’s no surprise that they’re apprehensive about GPS technology. “The government has also struggled with the explosion of internet use in the country.” said Bobby Johnson, and apparently they have also thrown bloggers in jail for criticizing the government.