Hasta La Gadget!

It’s looking more and more likely that Apple will release a 10-inch tablet computer in early 2010.

Even if you’re sick of Apple tablet rumors, we promise you’ll like this one. The latest update comes from a tipster with a solid track record, which reinforces previous reports that Apple will deliver a tablet in early 2010. The tipster also shares details on the rumored product’s specifications.

ILounge, an iPod and iPhone blog, cites a source who claims Apple plans to announce a tablet by Jan. 19, 2010. The tipster claims the tablet will measure 10.7 inches (diagonally) and will run the iPhone operating system.

The tablet will sport a higher resolution than the iPhone or iPod Touch screen: “Expect something like 5-6 times the resolution of an iPod Touch or iPhone screen (720p or thereabouts) and 7 times the touchable surface area,” writes iLounge.

Also, there will be one version equipped with 3G networking and one without. This would make the 3G model a bigger version of the iPhone, and the non-3G tablet a larger iPod Touch.

This particular report raises the likelihood of an Apple tablet landing in stores soon. ILounge says this is the same source who was spot on when leaking details on the fifth-generation iPod Nano prior to its Sept. 9 launch. That same source was also accurate with its description of the fourth-generation iPod Nano before its release.

ILounge’s source also said the tablet would specialize “as a slate-like replacement for books and magazines.” Wired.com in previous months has argued that an Apple tablet would pose a serious threat to the Amazon Kindle as well as the Amazon.com e-book store. We speculated that Apple could integrate an e-book section into the iTunes Store, giving it the potential to shake up the publishing industry.

Are you getting overwhelmed by the flurry of tablet news? We don’t blame you. Here are the rumors that have been echoed by several publications:

• Steve Jobs has had a heavy hand in the tablet’s development.
  Sources: Wall Street Journal, AppleInsider, Barron’s, iLounge
• The Apple tablet will launch in early 2010.
  Sources: AppleInsider, TheLoop, iLounge, Barron’s
• The tablet will look like a larger iPod Touch or iPhone, measuring approximately 10 inches.
  Sources: Gizmodo, AppleInsider, Barron’s, iLounge, InfoTimes
• The tablet will cost between $700 and $900, positioning it between the iPhone/iPod Touch and Apple’s notebooks.
  Sources: Gizmodo, InfoTimes, Barron’s
• The tablet will come in two versions. Gizmodo’s source claims one model will feature a webcam (perhaps for videoconferencing) while the other will focus on education. A camera-equipped tablet would make more sense on the 3G-equipped tablet described by iLounge’s source; likewise, a camera-less version of the tablet could be the non-3G tablet mentioned by iLounge’s source.
  Sources: Gizmodo, iLounge

Have any doubt left in an Apple tablet? We don’t. But there’s so much here that if the tablet turns out to be a media-fabricated illusion, even David Copperfield would be impressed.

See Also:

• Rumor: Apple Tablet Will Feature OLED Screen
• Rumor: $800 Apple Tablet Coming in October
• How an Apple Tablet Could Pit iTunes Against Amazon.com
• Analyst Predicts Apple Will Unleash Touchscreen Tablet Next Year …
• Gallery: Tablet Computing From 1888 to 2010
• Analyst Claims to Have Seen Apple Tablet
• Rumor: 10-Inch Apple Tablet Landing in Early 2010

Photo: Illustration of an imaginary Apple Tablet (vernhart/Flickr)

Poor Kodak. George Eastman’s once proud company conquered the world, bringing cheap, portable and easy to use cameras into the hands of millions. Now it is reduced to a purveyor of trinkets, a prince turned pauper, hawking tatty tchotchkes just to pay the bills.

There may be no better evidence that Kodak has lost it than the Smile Digital Photo Keychain. At first, the idea of a little photo screen in your pocket is appealing, and you start to think of loading it up with baby photos to make a gift for Grandma. But then the device arrives, you hook it up via USB to you computer, and the nightmare begins.

First, some physical details. The Smile has a small but bright 1.5-inch screen, a mini-USB port, a rechargeable battery with a two-hour life and of course a ring for keys. It is a little bulky, but for people who like to dangle crap from their keychains, perfectly portable. There are also three buttons for accessing menus and flipping between photos.

When you connect to the computer (in this case a Mac running OS X 10.6), the display flashes a question: USB connect? Yes. No. Pick “yes” and a tiny, ~300kb CD mounts on the desktop. Yes, a CD. Upon this you will find driver software and instructions for both Windows and OS X.

Unzip the app, called MacDPFmate, and fire it up. You will be greeted (in Snow Leopard at least) with a box telling you you need to install Rosetta, the framework needed to run legacy PowerPC applications. That’s right. We have had Intel Macs for years, and a brand new Kodak product doesn’t support them. Good work Kodak. Even better, take a look at the software when it is finally running:

That’s not a glitch. It really looks that bad. After a while I managed to make it work, and it will read any picture file that the computer supports, converting it to a bitmap image for display on the device, even RAW. The problem is that you can’t actually navigate to the pictures if they are in your home directory (hint — unless you are a very odd Mac user, they will be here). I assume some permissions have not been set properly. The workaround is to make copies of the photos in a shared or system-level folder, something granny will of course find easy.

It gets worse, but I won’t frustrate you. Actually, I will. See those arrow buttons. They move the picture around in the big black box. But you can also drag the crop-overlay with the mouse (thank the lord), rendering this huge chunk of the window pointless.

Once the pictures are on the keychain, though, everything should be fine, right? Switch on and enjoy the show? Wrong. The display is indeed bright, but it is at a resolution so low that it is impossible to see any detail. I took some snaps to show you, but all you see is a blur.

We don’t know what Kodak was planning to do here. It seems like the R&D department was given this simple brief: “Make the customer hate us”. In this, they achieved outstanding success. From the lightweight, cheap plastic housing to the undersized keyring, awful blocky screen and indescribably poor software, the Smile will make you do nothing but frown.

It’s not all bad, though, and there are two features that slightly mitigate the otherwise total contempt for the customer. One, you get a free USB cable in the box. Two, it’s pretty tough. The Lady and I took turns flinging it at the tiled floor and, while the metal ring loosened, the horribly, blocky slideshow just kept on going. And don’t be fooled by the on-screen photo in the picture at the top of the post. That’s a sticker that comes covering the screen. $30.

Press release [PR Newswire]

We assure ourselves that words will never hurt us, but they can cost a lot of time and money when it comes to trademark battles. Take the story of Daniel Kokin, who is continuing to fight Apple over a three-letter word: Pod.

Not iPod, mind you — just “Pod.” For nine years, Kokin has been developing a video projector, whose body design he feels is best described as a pod. His “Video Pod” projector would display video from a DVD player and other multimedia equipment, but not an iPod.

In 2007, Apple filed an opposition blocking Kokin’s registration of the Video Pod trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and Kokin (pictured right) decided not to back down. Thus far his efforts are paying off: USPTO recently denied Apple’s motion for summary judgment, meaning the two parties must finish this battle in court in front of a judge.

“After a careful review of all of the evidence, on the record presented, we find that there are genuine issues of material fact remaining for trial,” USPTO said in a statement (.pdf). “Accordingly, the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment on opposer’s likelihood of confusion claim are hereby denied.”

Winning the rights for the Video Pod mark is far away and uncertain, but for Kokin, just getting to this step was a victory.

“It’s an amazing feeling, it really is,” Kokin said in a phone interview. “I’m a little guy, and for Apple to be kind of shut down at this stage, I feel vindicated. You start to question your own sanity after a while. Am I doing something wrong? Or am I at a disadvantage because I have no money and therefore I’m supposed to be wrong?”

Apple for years has aggressively pursued other tech companies using the word “Pod” in their products or company names. One example involved a San Francisco startup called PodShow, a social networking website for video podcasters. Apple in June 2008 filed an opposition to the company’s usage of PodShow. Seven months later, Apple withdrew that opposition (.pdf). (PodShow later renamed itself to Mevio to coincide with a site redesign.)

Of course, not all entrepreneurs muster up for the challenge. Apple took the same action against TightPod, an independent, one-woman business that sold protective covers for notebooks. The proprietor, Terry Wilson, later renamed her business TightJacket.

The allegations are almost always the same: Apple claims a company’s usage of “Pod” will cause confusion among consumers who have come to associate the word with the famous iPod. Apple also claims consumers will believe a product with the word “Pod” in its name is made by Apple, thus causing confusion. Apple has made the same allegations to block Kokin’s registration of the Video Pod mark.

“Like Apple’s iPod registrations and applications, the Video Pod application covers a device that is or will be used to transmit video for entertainment and other purposes,” Apple wrote in its statement of opposition (.pdf). “As a result the similarity between Apple’s marks and Applicant’s Video Pod mark and the highly related nature of the parties’ goods and services, Applicant’s Video Pod mark is likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception in the trade and among purchasers.”

A legal scuffle over a three-letter word may sound trivial to the average consumer. But Kokin’s lawyer David Herzog of Pinnacle Law Group told Wired.com it was necessary for Apple to take these actions in order to protect its trademark. He explained that Apple is concerned with Kokin’s usage of the word Pod to describe an electronic device. If Apple doesn’t challenge Kokin, then future companies will not hesitate to use the word “Pod” in their names to sell electronics similar to Apple’s. It’s a matter of insulating trademark protection by setting a precedent, he explained.

But the same goes for Kokin: If he wins, it could pave a road for entrepreneurs to more easily use “Pod” in their product or company names. That doesn’t mean Apple won’t file opposition against their trademark registrations, too. It just means if they decide to stand up against Apple, there’s a higher chance they’ll win.

Apple declined to comment on this story.

“I think Daniel’s got an excellent chance,” Herzog said. “It’s a great win because so often the appeals board grants the summary judgment. There’s no question that this is a good ruling and is certainly making Apple nervous for sure.”

For Kokin, the Video Pod has been the subject of a long, tumultuous chapter in his life. He began developing the gadget in 2000, but the entire project was delayed indefinitely because of shady investors with ulterior motives, he said. Then, when he was getting the Video Pod project moving again, Kokin received a cease-and-desist letter from Apple in March 2007, a moment he said marked a turning point in his career.

“It changed my life at that point,” Kokin said. “You have to decide a), I’m not worthy of this challenge, or b), I’m about to let this consume a tremendous amount of my time.” Clearly, he went with b.

“While we’ve won this battle, it looks like this is just the beginning of a long, protracted legal battle — a battle I’m not finished fighting,” Kokin added.

Trial dates have not yet been set.

See Also:

• Apple Aggressively Pursues ‘Pod’ Trademarks
• Apple Bullies iPhone Accessory Maker Over the Word ‘Pod’

Photo: Fr3d.org/Flickr

The spotlight may be on Microsoft’s newly released Zune media player but that didn’t deter Sony launching its thinnest Walkman players .

Sony introduced the NW-A840, a extremely thin device that has a 2.8-inch OLED screen, FM radio, noise canceling and TV-out features. The Walkmans will be released in Japan at the end of next month and are expected to be available in the U.S. later.

With the new super-slim media players, Sony hopes to sustain some of the momentum that it has seen in the last few weeks for its media players. Apple’s iPods dominate the U.S. market with more than 80 percent market share but internationally, they face a tougher battle.

Earlier this month, a study by  Japanese electronics research company BCN showed  that Sony Walkman outsold the iPod in Japan for the first time in more than four years. Sony’s market share for digital music players in Japan stood at about 43 percent, for the week ending August 30, compared to Apple’s 42.1 percent.

With Apple refreshing its iPods line, it was clear that Sony would launch new products.

The latest Sony Walkman is 7.2mm thick, compared to iPod Classic’s 10.5 mm thickness and Zune HD’s 8.9 mm thickness. It will be available in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB versions.  The company hasn’t disclosed the pricing for the products.

Sony claims the new Walkman will have a battery life of about 29 hours for music playback and 9 hours for video. There are a few features missing in the device. The lack of Wi-Fi connectivity and a touchscreen puts it behind the Zune HD.  But the Walkman’s real competition comes from iPods and it’s Apple that Sony hopes to beat back with its latest products.

[via OLED-Info]

See Also:

• Microsoft Zune HD: First Look
• Microsoft Sets Up Zune HD for Failure — Again
• First Look: The Zune HD
• Hands-On With the Zune HD

Photo: Sony

A teardown of Microsoft’s Zune HD digital media player revealed the secret to the device’s longer battery life when compared to the iPod Touch. The combination of the OLED screen, the Nvidia Tegra processor and a lightweight device has helped put the Zune HD ahead of the iPod.

The Zune HD weighs only 2.6 oz, almost 35 percent less than the similarly-sized iPod Touch. Zune has a Samsung-manufactured 3.3 inch OLED display, which is also probably its single most expensive component. At just 1 mm, the OLED screen is incredibly thin and seems more rugged than a traditional LCD panel, says iFixit, which did the teardown.

Microsoft Zune HD hit stores Wednesday and the device got a favorable review from Wired.com
for its design and software.

As we have reported earlier, the Zune HD has a Nvidia Tegra 2600 processor. Tegra includes an 800-MHz ARM CPU, a high-definition video processor, an imaging processor, an audio processor and an ultralow-power GeForce GPU in a single package. In comparison, the third generation iPod Touch uses a Samsung ARM processor.

Betting on Tegra has paid off for the Zune in an unexpected way. The Zune HD’s battery capacity is 660 mAh, about 16 percent less than the 789 mAh battery in the new iPod touch. Yet the Zune promises a longer run time than the touch for both music and videos.

The battery on the Zune should also be easier to replace than on the new iPod Touch, says iFixit. The Zune’s battery has individual wires for the battery leads. In the Touch, the battery leads run through a single ribbon cable, making hand-soldering a challenge.

Unlike the latest version of the iPod Touch, the Zune HD does not support 802.11n Wi-Fi. Instead, it’s has a Atheros AR6002GZ 802.11g chip.  iFixit’s teardown showed that a Toshiba NAND flash and Hynix SDRAM. But there have been reports that Microsoft is using a few different suppliers for these parts.

The Zune HD unit taken apart by iFixit carried an inscription ‘For our Princess’ on the interior casing–a tribute to a Zune team member who passed away during development.

Interestingly, Zune HD is manufactured by Foxconn, the same company that produces iPods for Apple.

For a detailed step-by-step break down of the Zune HD check out iFixit’s post.

More photos of the Zune HD’s innards

Nvidia’s Tegra Processor inside the Zune

Zune HD’s different components

See Also:

• First Look: The Zune HD
• Confirmed: Zune HD Will Play Games
• Hands-On With the Zune HD
• Microsoft Confirms Zune HD Launch, Pricing

Photos: iFixit