Big Ben squeezes into your iPhone

Big Ben celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, and you can now equip your iPhone or iPod touch with a free clock app in commemoration of the big fella's sesquicentennial. Unfortunately, Big Ben (iTunes link) the iPhone app is decidedly less impressive than Big Ben, the Great Bell in the Great Clock in the equally great …

[Richard]

Yes, it is pointless, but fun(ish)

However, why oh why doesn't it also chime the quarters (like the real one). It is annoying to have to wait for the full hour to hear the bells' dulcet tones.

[Christopher Martin]

oh shitting fuck fuck

FREE CLOCK APP? I have got to get an iphone.

[Jeremy Reece]

No fart noises? Jiggly Boobs?

SOLD!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Analogue clocks

Ah... but how many iPhone users can actually read an anologue clock face? i remember some survery recently and huge swathes of hip & happening, 'with it kids who know where it's at, hadn't a clue. They can only read digital clocks, and even then there were a few with problems working with a number system that goes to 60 (i.e, They would calculate that 3:20 was 80 minutes later than 2:40), so what chance to iPhone users have?

[Anonymous Coward]

@Analogue clocks

I'm fine with analogue clocks in general, although my current one is a rather nice fossil one where only 9 and 3 are marked on the face, and it's quite an elongated rectangle (the 9-3 axis is longer than the 12-6 axis) so things can get a bit tricky around the 5 to, 5 past, 25 past and 25 to points - I'm never quite sure where it is! Sober I can cope but I'm screwed at the tail end of a heavy night - I just get my phone out of my pocket!!

[John Woods]

Picture please

Pic of Big Ben please? Rather than just the clock tower in which it is housed? Thanks

</pedantic_mode>

[Anonymous Coward]

Rustic version

Those of us still using Palms have long been able to install "clocher", now apparently in v3.3. This provides the chimes from a small French village clock on the hour, and for added embarrassment during meetings, there is an option to insert a random cock crow during the chimes.

[kain preacher]

Confused Yank

I thought Big Ben was the bell not the clock ??

[Jeff]

You are all wrong

Big Ben is the bell inside the clock.

And the second hand was originally included on the clock tower, but was broken off by Jackie Chan during one of his time-travelling adventures.

Paris, because I want to stick my big ben inside her.

[Andus McCoatover]

@John Woods

But, this animation's better than a piccie! Kudos to the team that created this.

http://www.bigben.parliament.uk/asset_arena/flash/07/great_clock_build_07.swf

The Great Clock is an amazing feat of engineering, as I'm sure folks will agree.