Hasta La Gadget!

A court decision made earlier today has ruled that Apple does not have exclusive rights to the “iPhone” trademark in the country of Brazil. This decision was made by Brazilian regulators who have found that the company Gradiente Electronica‘s registering of the iPhone name in the year 2000 takes away Apple’s ability to have the name cornered. Registering the name iPhone seven years before the Apple, Gradiente has released a device called “iPhone Neo One” just this past December.

It’s understood that Apple will be attempting to get an appeal, this according to the Institute of Industrial Property speaking with the BBC. Oddly enough, it would appear that Apple does have exclusive rights to the iPhone brand on everything that isn’t a smartphone – cords, accessories, and everything in-between. Meanwhile Gradiente retains an option to sue Apple for exclusivity of the iPhone name on smartphones.

As long as Gradiente refrains from suing Apple, the iPhone (be it an iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, or otherwise), will continue to be allowed to be sold. The Gradiente smartphone iPhone Neo One continues to be sold throughout the country as a rather basic Android-based smartphone. Apple is currently arguing that they should be given exclusive rights to the iPhone name because Gradiente did not release a device with the name until December of 2012.

Barring appeal, it would appear that both companies will continue to sell their own devices with “iPhone” in the name with awkward keyword searches abound. It is quite likely, on the other hand, that Apple will earn appeal and the case will continue into the near future. Stay tuned for more Brazilian trademark battle action!

Apple loses iPhone trademark case in Brazil is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I know that it is not yet summer at the moment, and the mercury continues to remain at low levels, but this does not mean you cannot prepare for the coming summer with the $19.99 Nerf Super Soaker Arctic Shock Water Blaster. After all, there is nothing more shocking than shooting a blast of cold water down someone’s neck on a sweltering day, right? This unique addition to the Super Soaker family comes with a large 25-fluid-ounce capacity, where you are able to fill it up with ice, ensuring a super-chilled soak. In fact, this bad boy is capable of pumping for a freezing blast of water at targets that are as far away as 30 feet.

You will also be pleased to know that the Ice Drum plays nice with other Clip System Super Soaker blasters (sold separately, obviously) and Super Soaker Water Clips will play nice with the Arctic Shock soaker. Don’t you think that it is time to freeze your opponents into submission? Well, better freezing cold water than a stream of boiling hot one, no?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Satechi Multifunction Mini Router Extends Your Wi-Fi Range, Blackberry Battery+Charger Bundle For The Blackberry Z10,

Mat defines himself as a gamer, Sharif’s high on 4G in Brent Cross, and Dan… well that’d be telling. But if you really want to know, you’re in the right place. There’s also a well stocked buffet of tech news for you to fill your plate from. Just don’t eat the vol-au-vents, not until you know where Dan’s been.

Hosts: Dan Cooper, Mat Smith, Sharif Sakr

Producer: James Trew

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Mark Anderson has done it again. He can’t help it. He loves building LEGO creations. A holiday is just another excuse to create something neat out of the little plastic bricks. In preparation for Valentine’s Day, Mark built this cool spaceship.

Of course, it is shaped like a heart, but this heart is powered by two huge round red engines that swivel and look super powerful. Of course, the pilot’s appropriately named “Captain Val N. Tine.”

The Captain has to deal with an enemy rocket that has pierced the fuselage and the rocket looks a lot like Cupid’s arrow through the heart.

This would be a great gift for any geek girl into LEGO.

[via Neatorama]

Ever since Ford opened up its AppLink developer program, allowing anyone to submit apps for use in Ford SYNC-enabled vehicles, the company has seen an influx in compatible apps. One of the newest ones added is Amazon’s Cloud Player, which was announced during CES last month. The app will now let you control your music library using convenient voice controls while driving.

Users will be able to not only play songs and skip through them using voice controls, but they’ll also be able to navigate their entire library and even playlists. All of it is hands-free, meaning that once you pair your smartphone either through Bluetooth or USB, users won’t have to bother playing with their phones to get music to play, and Ford actually blocks you out of the app anyway so that you don’t get distracted while driving.

Currently, there’s only a handful of Ford vehicles that are SYNC Applink-equipped. These include the 2013 Ford Fiesta, Mustang, Focus, E-Series, C-MAX Hybrid, Expedition, Fusion, and the F-150 and Super Duty models. However, Ford will be making the feature more widely available in the future as an add-on option.

During CES 2013, Ford announced that over 1,000 app developers have signed up for the AppLink developer program, and even more have most likely signed up by now, so it looks like Ford is going all-in with its SYNC technology, and with more apps that come with SYNC enabled, the more that car buyers may be intrigued by Fords’ entertainment options.

Amazon Cloud Player now available for Ford SYNC is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.