Apple locks down iPhone trademark, includes ‘electronic games’ category

Patently Apple has sniffed out the latest, and most comprehensive, trademark registration acquired by Apple on the subject of the iPhone and we thought we’d have a peek. Already entitled to use the brand name under international categories 9 (mobile phone and digital audio player) and 38 (electronic data-transmitting device), Apple has now added category 28, which reads shortly and sweetly as a ‘handheld unit for playing electronic games.’ Before you freak out and start fusing this into your iPhone 4G fantasies, note that Apple filed the claim for this trademark way back in December 2007. So nothing necessarily new on the tech front, but this document provides the broadest brand protection yet — including the bitten apple graphic alongside the name — and could strengthen Cupertino’s case in its forthcoming battle for the iPad moniker.

Apple locks down iPhone trademark, includes ‘electronic games’ category originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TiPb, Patently Apple  |  sourceUSPTO  | Email this | Comments

How many oranges does it take to charge an Apple? (video)

We’ve seen lemons power a digital clock, and we’ve seen an Orange tent energize a gaggle of Apples. But have you ever wondered how many oranges it would take to charge just a single Apple? Name games aside, we have to hand it to Imperial Leisure, the company that executed a new iPhone-centered advertisement aimed at raising awareness for Jaffa oranges. We won’t spoil the whole thing for you, but we will say that you’ll be far hungrier after watching than you are right now. Video’s past the break, per usual.

[Thanks, forumz]

Continue reading How many oranges does it take to charge an Apple? (video)

How many oranges does it take to charge an Apple? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Feb 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Daily iPhone Blog  |  sourceImperial Leisure  | Email this | Comments

DARPA-based Siri virtual assistant hits the App Store, smartphone sentience can’t be far behind (video)

zDARPA-based Siri digital assistant hits the App Store, smartphone sentience can't be far behind (video)

It’s been well over six months since we first got wind of Siri, the DARPA-inspired smartphone app that pledged to take all the hassle out of… well… life. It’s a virtual assistant that can take care of menial tasks, things like finding restaurants, hearing reviews, and even booking tables — all with your voice. Siri asks simple questions and reacts to your answers, and while it sadly seems to have lost some of its military feel since its DARPA days (bummer), it’s a lovely companion to your happening lifestyle. Plus it’s free, and free is good! Check out a demonstration video after the break, and hit up the App Store to make with the download. Meanwhile, if you’re on some other smartphone platform you’ll have to wait. We fully expect Siri will break free of its current monotasking abode sometime in the future, but we don’t know when. We just don’t know when.

Continue reading DARPA-based Siri virtual assistant hits the App Store, smartphone sentience can’t be far behind (video)

DARPA-based Siri virtual assistant hits the App Store, smartphone sentience can’t be far behind (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TDK’s TH-WR700 cans do wireless over Kleer

TDK's TH-WR700 cans do wireless over Kleer

The majority of the wireless music options we’ve seen rocking Kleer have, to this point, been of the ear bud variety — nice, but not if you’re more of a can man. For those who like a little more heft, welcome to TDK’s TH-WR700 wireless headphones, a $190 set that still looks to be too small if you’re going for the completely immersive over-the-ear style, but are said to provide less noise than comparable Bluetooth units and pledge to perform with 32Ω impedance, 20Hz-20kHz frequency response, and 108 dB/mW sensitivity. That price also nabs you the Kleer transmitter adapter, which has a 3.5mm input and just so happens to be fit perfectly on an iPhone. Coincidence? Don’t bet on it.

TDK’s TH-WR700 cans do wireless over Kleer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CrunchGear  |  sourceTDK  | Email this | Comments

Google Voice comes to iPhone and webOS, as a web app

FCC investigation be damned, Google has finally managed to bypass the App Store and release Google Voice to the iPhone (and webOS, too) the same way it pulled off Latitude, i.e. via a HTML5-based web app. According to Senior Product Manager Vincent Paquet, it should work with any HTML5-compliant device, although the formatting at this point has been tailored to Apple and Palm’s platforms. So here’s how it works: much like with its mobile Gmail site, the app caches your contacts list in a browser page. All the usual GV functionality is there, writing SMS messages, checking your inbox, and even listening to voicemails (although that latter functionality wasn’t working for us yet in our trials). Placing phone calls is an interesting trick: as pictured above, after you choose the recipient, the app prompts you to call one of Google’s local numbers via the native dialer — even for international calls, hence the lower rates by paying through Google. The recipient will see your proper GV digits, and upside with this method is you’ll still be able to utilize call waiting and background usage. The catch, of course, is a call history littered with random numbers. It’s not a perfect solution by any means — if anything, take solace in an assortment of home screen icons for each section of the app — but it’s probably the best we’re gonna get for the time being. The page should be up and running later today, so if you’re anxious, direct your mobile browser to voice.google.com and just keep hitting refresh.

Google Voice comes to iPhone and webOS, as a web app originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2,000 Wintek workers go on strike over bonus payments, may affect Nokia and iPhone production

As the Year of the Tiger approaches (February 14th this year), Chinese workers look forward to their week-long holiday — a nightmarish time for foreign vendors who’ll struggle to get hold of anyone in the country. Sadly, this wasn’t the case for Wintek — screen supplier for Nokia, Huawei and Apple. The Taiwanese company’s East China factory ground to a halt last Friday morning, while about 2,000 of its 10,000 workers went on a five-hour protest over a rumored bonus cancellation for the second year in a row. On top of that, workers also criticized Wintek for using n-hexane — a banned substance used for cleaning LCDs — which they claim caused the death and paralyzation of several workers last year. Factory officials and Chinese health authorities don’t deny that n-hexane was used, but they say it wasn’t responsible for either the deaths or the paralyzations. Now, the good news: Wintek has promised that workers will get their bonuses, and further said that the factory hasn’t used n-hexane since August — complete with proof that current n-hexane levels are lower than safety regulations require. Let’s hope things get better between management and workers from now on. One more picture and video of the protest after the break.

Continue reading 2,000 Wintek workers go on strike over bonus payments, may affect Nokia and iPhone production

2,000 Wintek workers go on strike over bonus payments, may affect Nokia and iPhone production originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Apple Insider, 9to5Mac  |  sourceMingpao (1), (2), BackChina  | Email this | Comments

Aliph Jawbone Icon ‘The Ace’ Bluetooth headset review

While Aliph was announcing its luxurious Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headsets earlier today, we’ve been playing with one of its six designs — The Ace — at our cozy London pad. Being the smallest and lightest Jawbone ever, the Icon’s obviously challenging the likes of Jabra Stone with attempts to outperform in noise elimination, battery life, ergonomics and ease of operation. On paper, the Icon already wins on battery life and price, although the Stone has a charging dock good for six extra hours. What really matters, though, is the usability — something the Stone had little of in a noisy environment. Read on to find out if Aliph has done it right.

Continue reading Aliph Jawbone Icon ‘The Ace’ Bluetooth headset review

Aliph Jawbone Icon ‘The Ace’ Bluetooth headset review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset launched in six lush flavors (Update: video!)

Turns out that leak we saw of the Jawbone Icon was for real after all, but it was only one of the six designs straight out of Aliph’s oven: (clockwise from top left) The Thinker, The Rogue, The Hero, The Ace, The Catch and — our favorite — The Bombshell. While these are the smallest and lightest Jawbones ever, Aliph has managed to cram in an allegedly improved NoiseAssassin and simultaneous dual-phone linkage, along with an onboard ‘AudioApp’ which vocally broadcasts battery level and caller ID. If you prefer a visual indication, the Icon also does a battery gauge on the iPhone — a first on a non-Apple Bluetooth headset — and apparently “Apple’s aware of this” so a firmware update shouldn’t kill this Palm Pre-style. We’re digging the MyTALK website — currently in beta — where you can pick and install other AudioApps and DialApps (for the multifunction button; e.g. voice dialing, free directory assistance and voice-to-SMS) onto the Icon, and both will be free except for some DialApps which require subscription. Oh, and there are seven earbud sizes plus an earloop to keep everyone happy too. When you’re done with picking, hit the Verizon stores for the initial launch today and pony up $99.99. Press release and video walkthrough of the MyTALK website after the break.

Continue reading Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset launched in six lush flavors (Update: video!)

Aliph Jawbone Icon Bluetooth headset launched in six lush flavors (Update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mophie iPhone credit card reader coming to a CES near you

iPhone accessory maker and recession antidote regular Mophie is about to make the most buzzworthy move of its short history by offering a credit card reader and accompanying transaction app for the Apple handset. Positioned as a direct competitor to Jack Dorsey’s Square iPhone Payment System, Mophie’s solution looks to be integrated into an iPhone case — making it possible to keep the reader on permanently, albeit at a slight cost to your device’s aesthetics. The decidedly cube-shaped Square system has a less ergonomic design, but we suspect that the winner (if either of these two succeeds) will be primarily determined by the usability of the app and affordability of the service. Look out for more info to emerge at some point during the maelstrom that will be CES 2010.

Mophie iPhone credit card reader coming to a CES near you originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget for iPhone / iPod touch: available now!

Good news, everyone! Our very own iPhone / iPod touch app is finally really available in Apple’s much talked about and critically acclaimed App Store! That’s right, all the excitement and info you’ve come to know and love from Engadget is now bottled in an easy to digest and delicious iPhone form. The application — easily downloadable from your device or iTunes — features a whole bunch of useful features such as offline viewing, built in streaming for The Engadget Show, in-app tipping (you know, for when you see the next iPhone), and all kinds of customization options. You can download the app right here, or click on the image above.

Even better than this? We’ve got more apps on the way! Before CES (fingers crossed), you should see both a BlackBerry and webOS version of the Engadget application, and plans for the Android version are already in motion.

Lastly, a big, big, big thanks to the team at AOL that actually made this thing a reality: Sun Sachs, Andy Averbuch, Hareesh P, Anibal Rosado, Rajesh Kumar, Rich Foster, Claudeland Louis, Mike Wolstat, Eric Wedge, Vikas B R, Milissa Tarquini, Asha Indira and Bob Gurwin. You guys rule.

Engadget for iPhone / iPod touch: available now! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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