Hasta La Gadget!

Developers are working on games… but the current selection is very limited

It has long been rumored that Apple is slowly trying to reduce its dependence on Samsung as a component supplier due to the high tensions between both companies over alleged patent infringements. However it looks like Apple isn’t the only company looking to move away from Samsung. According a report from Apple Insider, it seems that Nokia is looking to drop Samsung as their component supplier due to allegations of theft. These allegations are far from official and we have yet to hear from Nokia or Samsung about them, so as far as we’re concerned, they should be treated as rumors for now. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google Rumored To Be Opening Their Own Retail Stores This Year, Samsung Galaxy S4 Leaked Spec Sheet Confirms CPU, March Arrival [Rumor],

Livescribe and BSkyB have settled their differences in Europe, after the satellite telecoms company took issue with the name of the Sky WiFi smartpen launched last year. British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) had filed a trademark complaint about the wirelessly-enabled notetaking system – which we reviewed back in October – forcing Livescribe to pull it from shelves while the two companies argued. Now, the case has been settled, but only with Livescribe agreeing to rebrand the pen itself.

From March 1, 2013, the gadget will be known as the Livescribe WiFi Smartpen, dropping the contentious “Sky” name altogether. The name change will only take effect in the European Union; elsewhere, the smartpen will continue to be branded as “Sky”, such as in the US.

The decision, although a welcome clear-out of the litigation, is likely to have a significant impact on Livescribe’s financial performance with the smartpen. BSkyB has allowed the company to sell off existing stock already in the market in the EU, branded Sky, but the company has also been forced to recall “a quantity of stock” bearing the trademark.

“While Livescribe does not offer any goods or services similar to those of Sky and had no intention of infringing Sky’s rights,” a company spokesperson said in a statement, “Livescribe is pleased to reach a settlement with British Sky Broadcasting.” Back at the launch of the smartpen in the UK last year, Livescribe told SlashGear that they didn’t expect the similarities in branding to cause an issue because the products on offer differed so considerably.

Livescribe and Sky settle trademark spat with rebranded WiFi pen is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple will appeal its lost rights to the “iphone” trademark in Brazil, it’s been confirmed, though local firm Gradiente must first prove it has used the term else see its fight with the Cupertino firm scuppered. The Brazilian copyright regulator ruled in favor of Gradiente Eletronica SA earlier this week, after the company pointed out it had filed a request to use the all-lowercase “iphone” name back in 2000; however, approval was only given in 2008, and, Reuters reports, Gradiente must now demonstrate it made use of the name within five years of that point.

The handset likely to be wheeled out to prove that usage is the iphone Neo One, first shown off in mid-December 2012. Running Android on generally humble specifications, and bearing no physical similarities – bar the touchscreen-centric design – to the appearance of Apple’s iPhone, the device retails in Brazil for around $304 unlocked and SIM-free.

There’s every reason to believe that Gradiente’s launch of the iphone Neo One was a tactical one. The company, in order to keep control of the trademark, must demonstrate that it has used it on a product sometime between January 2008 – when it was granted use of the term – and January 2013, a period of five years. Without that, it would be deemed to have not developed the brand appropriately, and thus lose its claim to it.

Apple has apparently requested that this week’s decision be reviewed, though if Gradiente doesn’t sue over the variants of iPhone Apple offers in the country, the two product ranges can co-exist. That’s unlikely to be Gradiente’s – or, in fact, IGB Electronica SA, the company formed after Gradiente was restructured – intention, however, with the firm likely to be angling for an out-of-court settlement instead.

That’s not without precedent. Apple paid Chinese firm Proview $60m back in July 2012, after attempts to acquire the iPad trademark in the country were mired in controversy. Although Apple insisted that a prior agreement gave it rights to the name, Proview argued differently, and a settlement proved the easiest way to clear the headache.

Apple will appeal iPhone Brazil trademark loss is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We reported earlier this month that Apple has lost its iPhone trademark in Brazil to a company known as Gradiente (aka IGB Eletrônica), as the latter had held the iPhone trademark in that part of the world all the way back in the year 2000, which is a good seven years before Apple first released their revolutionary iPhone. It does seem as though Apple executives are going to be hopping mad with word that Gradiente will be selling an Android-powered smartphone that they have called the iPhone, or iPhone Neo One in full.

Of course, Apple will also have their iPhones flooding the Brazilian market, but in terms of a legal perspective, they are unable to sue Gradiente since Brazil’s Institute of Industrial Property offers Gradiente relevant protection, ruling that both Apple and them can make use of the iPhone name. Apple has obviously chosen to pursue an appeal, although it would be rather difficult for them to carve out a win unless they decide to purchase the rights from Gradiente, just like how Cupertino played it out Stateside with Cisco.

As for the iPhone Neo One, this Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone will feature dual SIM slots, a 3.7” display, a 5-megapixel camera at the back and a front-facing VGA shooter, with a price tag of approximately $305 for an unlocked device.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPhone 6 Rumored To Have Been Delayed To 2014, New Zealand Frontline Police To Receive iPhones And iPads,

During the State of the Union speech, President Obama revealed that he signed an executive order to push through the establishment of “voluntary cybersecurity standards.” This comes after a series of cyberattacks that have been made public, revealing the extent to which American media and companies have had to deal with increasing cybersecurity issues from both within and abroad.

The executive order will lead to the creation of a group led by the feds to work with private companies in the creation and implementation of voluntary standards. This follows an attempted cybersecurity bill that was put forth last year and that ultimately died in August. The Obama administration stated that this executive order is only the beginning, and that it would continue to push for an approved cybersecurity bill.

Said President Obama during the speech: “America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyberattacks. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, our air-traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy.”

Over the last few months, many companies – particularly media companies – have come forth and made public the fact that they were hacked, sometimes from forces outside of the country, and sometimes by groups from within. The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times have all recently come out and said they were hacked by China, for example.

[via Wall Street Journal]

President Obama signs cybersecurity executive order is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.