Hasta La Gadget!

There’s been a bit of a furor in the past couple days over Apple using third-party app screenshots in several patent applications that were just made public — the most talked-about example is a screenshot of an app called Where To? that appears in a travel-related patent, but other apps like a Ralph Lauren app appear in a shopping-related patent as well. And, since it’s Apple, there’s been the usual blind panic of hysterical reactions, with some claiming that Cupertino’s trying to patent third-party app ideas and pull the rug out from under its own developers. At this point, we hope you know better — let’s take a look at what’s really going on.

First of all, all of the patent applications in question are just that — applications. None of them have been granted, and since all of them are still so new, it’s a virtual certainty they’ll be narrowed in scope as Apple’s attorneys and the Patent Office continue through the patent prosecution process — a process that typically takes years.

Second, the only operative parts of a patent are the claims — not the drawings, and not the description, which are technically known as the “specification.” (We’ve now repeated this basic axiom of patent interpretation so many times we’re considering making T-shirts.) The only reason the drawings and description are there is to explain the claimed invention in sufficient detail so that someone else can make it. Remember, patents are a trade: in order to get protection, you have to give up the full details of how your invention works. (The other option is to keep your invention a trade secret, but then you can’t prevent anyone else from figuring it out and using it if it gets out.) Bottom line? If it’s not in the claims, it’s not in the patent. So… let’s look at the claims, shall we?

Continue reading Apple uses third-party app screenshots in patent applications, world erupts in hysteria

Apple uses third-party app screenshots in patent applications, world erupts in hysteria originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While JPMorgan Chase & Co. certainly isn’t the first bank to do this — USAA has allowed its members to deposit checks by snapspot for just under a year now — it’s definitely the first major public bank to bring this stuff to the mainstream. A recent update to the Chase Mobile iPhone app enables customers to photograph the front and back of checks made out to them and then have it deposited directly into whatever Chase account (with their name on it, obviously) they choose. Better still, the service is completely free of charge, though it’s limited to Apple’s platform at the moment. Too bad you can’t just cut checks to yourself and live the life those goofy TV ads push so hard, but hey, at least you’re one step closer to pretending.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Chase Mobile iPhone app update: picture your paycheck deposited, and it’s there originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey cats and kittens, here’s an exciting little piece of news we wanted to share with you. Thanks to the love and support of our readers, our iPhone app has just crossed the million downloads mark in the App Store! That is, of course, just iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users — we’re growing our numbers steadily across BlackBerry, webOS, and Android formats as well. And Speaking of Android, we’ve got a little update that’s available right now in the Market which should fix those nasty force close issues some users were seeing. If you’re still having issues, make sure you reach out to us — we really love the feedback! We’ve also just issued a webOS update, so look for that on your Pre or Pixi. We have even more stuff in the pipeline as far as apps are concerned, including a major forthcoming iPhone update, as well as updates and tweaks for the other existing apps… and we’re at work on a dedicated iPad application as we speak!

Yes, exciting times are ahead people, but for now, you can grab our current offerings right here:

• iPhone / iPod touch / iPad
• Android
• webOS
• BlackBerry

Update: The Android update was released two days ago, so you may have already downloaded it (for those in comments not seeing it). If you’re not sure, the most recent version is 1.0.4.

Engadget app update: iPhone app passes the 1m download mark, Android and webOS get an update! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daimler hasn’t had a sales success on its hands lately with its line of Smart cars, with sales festering after an initial boom. To try to re-capture the imagination of we smartphone-loving Americans with short attention spans, Smart unveiled the Smart Drive Kit last month and now, at the NY Auto Show, is giving it a proper demonstration. The iPhone app effectively takes the place of an infotainment system like Sync, including internet radio, navigation, and hands-free calling. It’s all demonstrated in a video after the break, and it looks cool — cool enough to even warrant $9.99 for the app and, maybe, the $49.99 annual fee for maps and navigation. What we still needing clarification on is whether that cradle will actually be priced at a ridiculous €240 ($326) and, if so, from which precious materials it has been crafted.

Continue reading Smart Car’s Smart Drive Kit for iPhone demonstrated (video)

Smart Car’s Smart Drive Kit for iPhone demonstrated (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 07:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We talk about the FCC a lot here, but usually the ways ye olde Commission affects our lives are indirect. A little extra spectrum here, a nice leaked image there, that kind of thing. Not this time, though, as the FCC is getting involved directly with its own Consumer Broadband Test app, designed to probe network latencies and download speeds on your home connection or mobile device. Part of the hallowed National Broadband Plan, this will furnish the FCC will useful data to show the discrepancy between advertised and real world broadband speeds, and will also — more importantly perhaps — serve as a neat way for users to directly compare network performance in particular areas. It’s available on the App Market and App Store right now, with versions for other operating systems coming up, so why not get with the program and give it a test drive?

FCC comes through with a Consumer Broadband Test app for iPhone, Android and the home originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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