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Apple iPhone trademark rejected in Canada?
Regardless of what Mr. Jobs got up on stage and enunciated to us all, it seems Apple has quite the uphill battle to fight before this summer's big launch, and while it just might find a loophole to use the "iPhone" moniker here in the US (or not?), it looks the Canucks might have just shut Cupertino out. According to a trademark request in the Canadian Trademark Database, Apple's request to trademark the term "iPhone" has been "opposed" as of last week. Of course, the filing spills out a barrage of legal hub bub describing how Apple planned on using the term, a sequential list of events leading up the eventual denial, and lists Ontario's Comwave Telecom Inc. as an "Opponent," for whatever it's worth. Essentially, we're not particularly sure whether this opposition leaves the iPhone in Canada, but we're sure Apple isn't likely to take "no" for an answer.[Thanks, Gord]
Canadian lawsuit pegs Dell for knowingly selling defective laptops
Sure, it's a new year, but it's the same ole problems for Dell. Yet again the Texas powerhouse is facing a lawsuit claiming that the company knowingly and willingly sold laptops to loyal buyers even though they were defective, and this time it's coming from our northerly neighbors. A group of Canucks who purchased toasty Dell lappies have slapped some legal action on Dell through the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and the filing claims that "Dell was negligent in designing the computers and sold them even though the company knew of the problems." The models in question reportedly include the 1100, 1150, 5100, 5150 and 5160 models of the Inspiron, and rather than focusing on batteries that erupted in their laps, it claims that the "notebooks suffer from design defects that cause premature failure of the motherboard due to overheating just after the one-year warranty expires." As expected, a Dell spokesperson didn't have a comment on the pending suit, but we're sure it'll be a bit more diligent to show up in court than in previous scenarios.[Via Inquirer]
Broadcast radio crosses the century mark
We'll admit, there's not a whole of gizmos invented 100 years ago that we still rely on (and bicker about) on a near-daily basis, but broadcast radio has managed to stay in our homes, cars, hearts, and complaint letters for a full century. Exactly one hundred years ago today, Reginald Fessenden fired up his transmitting station at Brant Rock, Massachusetts in order to broadcast a "brief speech," followed by an Edison phonograph recording of Handel's Largo." He also sent out a few other holiday jams and well-wishes to those spending Christmas "onboard US Navy and United Fruit Company ships equipped with Fessenden's wireless receivers." Fessenden earned more than 500 patents in his lifetime, including credit for the "radio telephone, a sonic depth finder, and submarine signaling devices." So while the FCC tries to regulate it, and we prefer the cleaner, less ad-filled satellite rendition of radio, we're still raising our glasses to a technology that's changed technology over the past hundred years, and here's to a hundred more.[Via Slashdot]
Rogers Cable brings HDNet to Canada
Starting today, HDNet is available in Canada on Rogers Cable. Finally our neighbors to the north can enjoy Arrested Development reruns, our good buddy Dan Rather (premiering November 14th), MLS Soccer, Perfect 10 model boxing and more. Rogers HD customers can find a free preview on channel 541 until Januara, no word on how much it will cost otherwise or what packages may be required.[Via Digital Home Pipeline]
DS Phat mod shows patriotism
If it were possible, we'd probably just go ahead and rename this blog DS Mod Fanboy and switch to posting about all of the fantastic mods the community has performed on DS Phats and Lites alike. If we did that, however, we'd probably only be able to post one mod a week and would quickly fall from what little grace we currently have into Internet Hell (it's a lot like eastern Montana).That won't stop us from posting one of the more inspired mods we've seen submitted to DS Fanboy, however. With a sense of patriotism Rambo himself could not even rival, reader and Canadian citizen Dean Welsh went ahead and "Maple'd" the crap out of his DS Phat. Good job on the mod Dean!See also: DS Phat promiscuous mod DS Lite Crystal Navy mod DS Phat light mod Koopa mod Game and Watch mod Old School mod Tank mod Famicom mod [Thanks for sharing Dean!]
Why does Discovery HD Canada get all the cool shows?
Our friends to the north may live in America Jr. but they are getting some great exclusive HD programming. Our friends at Digital Home Canada have posted several new shows coming to Discovery HD Canada this month as a part of their partnership with Japanese broadcaster NHK. The series is titled A Day in the Life of Japan and will include 6 Canadian-exclusive episodes that take looks at everything from earthquake-preparedness to the famed Akihabara district.We still haven't managed to find out what happened to that HD footage of the aftermath of the Yogyakarta earthquake that never aired here, meanwhile the U.S. Discovery HD page continues to trumpet new episodes of Sunrise Earth as though they are doing us a favor. Take a look at the programs planned for August 13th and see what you're missing. Invasion of the Giant Jellyfish Science Zero: Daily Planet Coolest Hideouts in Tokyo Sumo Struggles Bracing for the Big One Akihabara Geeks What do we have to do for these shows to get played in the U.S.? As much as we love seeing Blue Realm every day, there's got to be more to high-def life.
Call of Duty 3 announced; leak confirmed [update 1]
Call of Duty 3's just been confirmed, and it looks like we were right on the money with our early leak of the WWII-related game.Back in early March, we printed the following information (and a whole lot more) on the focus of an upcoming sequel: "'CoD 3' ... is being produced by Big Red One dev Treyarch. ... The next Call of Duty World War II-based title will return gamers to the battlefields of Normandy as the Allies take on Nazi Germany to drive them out of France once and for all. This time around, American and British forces are joined by Canadian troops, Polish tanks, and French freedom fighters in a reenactment of the bloody Normandy Breakout campaign spearheaded during the summer of 1944. In the push to Paris, you'll get to choose how you approach each mission, free of menu screens and jarring non-interactive cut-scenes."Here's what IGN quoted from Activision for the announcement yesterday: "Through the eyes of four Allied soldiers, Call of Duty 3 brings players closer to the fury of combat as they fight through the Normandy Breakout, the harrowing offensive that liberated Paris and changed the fate of the world. Developed by Treyarch, Call of Duty 3 is the follow up to the #1 next-generation game and is scheduled for a 2006 release." Fingering the developer and the setting? Not too shabby -- while Joystiq pats itself on the back.Check out the IGN trailer below for a first-person look somewhat reminiscent of the FPS sequence in the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer from TGS. At the end of the "official E3 teaser" trailer, a number of platforms are listed, with the major manufacturers (including a small "Nintendo Revolution" in text) and publisher/developer combo listed. We suspect that versions for the PC and possibly the current-gen consoles will be covered with ports as well. Now all we have to do is wait for the word on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. (Infinity Ward, we're looking at you!) More info obviously hitting at E3.[Thanks, icemorebutts, jason, & Hiro Protagonist][Update 1: Had to fix a verb. Thanks, Hiro Protagonist, John Q, & Jiiiiihad!]See also: Official E3 teaser trailer for Call of Duty 3 Next Call of Duty leaked: Modern Warfare tackles terrorists Rumor: Call of Duty joining the Revolution Kojima interacts in real-time with MGS4 trailer at TGS
