We're not gonna read too much into this just yet, but when everyone's favorite fruit-flavored consumer electronics company files to protect its trademark as it relates to a wide range of gaming devices, well, we feel you'd want to know. The USPTO sleuths over at Trademork just gave us the heads up on this recently-filed application from Cupertino, which requests protection of the word "APPLE" for products that classify as "toys, games and playthings, namely, hand-held units for playing electronic games; hand-held units for playing video games; stand alone video game machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD game machines; electronic educational game machines; toys, namely battery-powered computer games." And come to think of it, we did see Apple file for a videogame-related patent not too long ago, so who knows: perhaps the iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV will soon have even more friends among the company's ever-expanding non-PC ecosystem. Then again, we've heard this rumor in one form or another countless times before, and right now pining for a resurrected Gizmondo is already giving us enough headaches.

[Via Trademork]

The well known and respected iPhone hacker Nate True has discovered some very, very interesting information concerning Apple's latest update, 1.1.3. According to Mr. True, the boys and girls in Cupertino have all but prepped the device's OS for native applications, altering the functionality of SpringBoard to display additional apps, changing the ownership of applications to a unified "mobile" user, and moving the location of preferences to the accompanying non-root directory. Additionally, SpringBoard now boasts widget support via a class called SBWidgetApplication. All of these technical and seemingly minor details will apparently make it easier for developers to create new applications for the phone, though Nate says they'll also break existing native apps in the process. All we ask is that developers get those NES and SNES emulators ported quickly and safely to the new system.

Folks hoping that Apple would be so kind as to allow developers to craft their own 3rd party applications and have Cupertino accept 'em with open arms can now commence sulking, as a new WebApps directory unveiled today by Apple is nothing more than a dressed up version of Apple's bookmark list. Essentially, Apple has neatly brought together a selection of company-approved apps (listed here) that should function fine in Safari, but alas, there's absolutely no new functionality. So although iPod touch / iPhone users now have a central hub to go to for links to web applets, Apple is still leaving us high and dry when it comes to native 3rd party application support outside of its browser.

The Moss-man has gotten into a down-and-dirty review of Apple's latest version of its Office-battling software suite iWork '08 (which includes Pages, Keynote, and the new spreadsheet program Numbers) and delivers a one-two punch to the new package. Apparently, Cupertino's entry just can't match up to Office's triple power play of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, though Walt says that iWork '08 is an elegant and sophisticated solution for users looking for something with a little less power -- which should come as no surprise to most. Mossberg's not all doom and gloom though, happily noting that Pages has reined in its desktop publishing aspect and become more of a dedicated word processor, Numbers is a "refreshing innovation," that's more "approachable" than its competitor, and Keynote actually bests PowerPoint in ease of use. In the end, however, Mossy says all the flair and high design doesn't make up for the succulent and unbridled power in Office -- but you knew that already, right?

[Via Techmeme]

According to good-old Steve Jobs, speaking at Apple's summer press conference, the company's productivity powerhouse iWork '08 is on the way, and it will feature a ton of enhancements for Keynote and Pages, plus it introduces a new app to the mix: Numbers. The new component will apparently be giving Excel a run for its money, with a slew of new data-handling functions and spreadsheet-ing capabilities. Jobs calls the new edition -- which imports / exports in Excel format -- a "spreadsheet for the rest of us," and touts all sorts of easy to access features like intelligent tables, readable formulas, the use of multiple formats on single page, and the ability to make what Jobsy calls "gorgeous looking spreadsheets very quickly." Additionally, Keynote and Pages have received some updating, with new text effects and transitions for Apple's Power Point competitor, as well as "Smart Builds," new themes, and easier to access animation tools. Pages gets re-upped with a contextual format bar, built-in change tracking, further compatibility with Word, and 140 Apple-designed templates for documents. The whole shebang is available right now from Apple for $79 (or $99 for the family pack).

The iPhone isn't the only handset whose software innards are getting lovingly torn apart in the name of science this week. It turns out some intrepid users of the Helio Ocean (a device occasionally compared to the iPhone, coincidentally) have been slaving away on a method for adding extra applications outside of the carrier's walled garden. Their first success is a doozy, too: Opera Mini 3, one of the most prized jewels in the world of mobile software. The developers aren't claiming it's bug-free -- landscape mode and the QWERTY keyboard don't work, for example -- but it's a huge step in the right direction and they're continuing to work out the kinks. More custom apps are said to be on the way, and don't worry, Drift and Heat users -- support's said to be on the way for you guys, too.

As expected, Apple used WWDC as the stage to announce a third-party development solution for the iPhone, putting to rest fears that the handset would be a closed (read: non-smartphone) platform. Calling it a "sweet solution" for allowing devs to get their wares onto iPhones across the globe without sacrificing stability or security, Apple is using its full Safari-based browser to let folks code up true, Web 2.0-compatible apps that can be accessed and updated on developers' own servers. Though any apps that third-party developers put together will run under Safari, they'll be totally customizable and maintain the platform's unique look and feel. Better yet, they won't require any special SDK -- Jobs claims that a working knowledge of modern web standards is all we'll need to code up custom iPhone goodies to our hearts' content.

If you've tossed around the idea of modding your DS, but never bit the bullet due to the ridiculous amount of loopholes you had to jump through to get your homebrew game on, DS-Xtreme has got you covered. While the precise details of how this thing works its magic are a bit scarce, we do know that the company claims this wonder-working cart will allow you to not only run your favorite homebrew applications on your DS without any software / hardware hacks or workarounds whatsoever, but it also rocks a built-in GUI that interfaces with Windows XP via USB 2.0 for some remarkably easy drag 'n drop action. All this sounds mighty impressive, especially compared to the PassMe alternative that required a old fashion GBA flash card, linker, and a DS game just to get you up and running; the DS-shaped cartridge features 512MB (4Gb) of built-in storage space, USB 2.0 connectivity, a full sized onboard EEprom "complete with some serious custom engineering," and a snazzy GUI that apparently makes managing your apps a breeze. If you've been fantisizing over an easier way to get homebrew material on your Nintendo DS or DS Lite, the DS-X flash cart appears to a dream come true, but considering there's no specific release date nor price, we're forced to play the "wait and see" game on this one.

[Via MaxConsole]