A Dutch online reseller who promised customers simlock-free iPhones has apparently gone missing, leaving coworkers bemused and hundreds of consumers a total of €700,000 in the hole.

The owner of the website iPhonehelpdesk.nl has allegedly emptied his offices in Amsterdam and disappeared without a word to his colleagues.

Like many other European countries, in the Netherlands the iPhone can only be ordered through T-Mobile along with a two year-subscription. The phone is locked, and can’t be used with other operators.

Robert van Zanten, 39, started the iPhonehelpdesk website just before the launch of the 3G iPhone in early July, promising fully working simlock-free phones. The company said it had secured a small batch of 3G iPhones, but didn’t say where they were from. It was deluged with orders and many customers paid up to make sure they got their iPhones. The sales reps then reported a serious delay, and angry customers began to demand answers.

Google on Tuesday announced Keyczar, an open-source project to help developers select and use safe cryptography in their applications.

Built on OpenSSL, PyCrypto, and the Java JCE libraries, Keyczar supports authentication and encryption with both symmetric and asymmetric keys. It simplifies some of the details by choosing safe defaults and automatically tagging outputs with key version information. Keyczar also provides a simple interface.

The project provides developers with a simple API, key rotation and versioning, and safe default algorithms, modes, and key lengths.

The new suite allows students to create reports and presentations with ease as well as study tools to use on an iPod or iPhone. Office 2008 for Mac is available for up to 30 percent off with the purchase of any Mac at Apple resellers now through Sept. 8, 2008. A full list of participating Apple resellers is available here and clicking on a “Save Now” link. In addition, many schools have volume licensing agreements with Microsoft Corp. and are able to provide discounted licenses of Microsoft software for student use.

Well this is just perfect. At the exact moment Li Ning was rounding the lip of the Bird’s Nest during the amazing torch-lighting climax, someone snapped this photo of our good friend the BSOD nestled amongst the Nest’s steel twigs. Perhaps an Opening Cermonies IT dude spit out his coffee on the machines in the server room when Li took to the sky? Another question is what a projection screen is doing inside the Nest at that location, but I think the better question is what wasn’t going on inside the Nest’s roof—did you see that thing during the ceremonies? Lights! Fireworks! LED screens! Everything! Anyway, if only one image of this perfectness existed we’d be skeptical, but thankfully, someone has grabbed more from a different angle that pretty much seal the deal.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has confirmed that the iPhone 3G has a kill switch that can remotely remove software from the devices.

Jobs told The Wall Street Journal that Apple needs the capability in case it inadvertently allows a malicious program — such as an application that steals user’s personal data — to be distributed to iPhones through its App Store.

“Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull,” Jobs said.