filing
Latest
Google trademarks Photovine, hints at new photo-sharing service
Well, it looks like Google's got the online rumor mill churning with its latest trademark application. Back on June 7th, El Goog filed a USPTO application for the name Photovine, sending sparks flying down the, er, grapevine about a possible photo-sharing program. The application cites a service dedicated to the "transmission of visual images and data by telecommunications networks, wireless communication networks, the Internet, information services networks and data networks." Unsurprisingly, it looks like the internet giant's also picked up the corresponding domain name. So is Google getting ready to add photo storage to its recent suite of cloud services? Or is it looking to up its social media cred? And where does Picasa fit into all of this? One things for certain: we won't be responsible for letting this round of speculation whither on the vine.
Samsung's new Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits the FCC with GT-P7510 moniker
Yes, this is Samsung's latest 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab alright, not to be mistaken with its thicker 10.1v sibling that's gradually rolling out across Europe and Australia. How can you tell? Well, the older Honeycomb tablet bears the GT-P7100 codename, whereas this FCC filing and a Wi-Fi Alliance certificate show off the GT-P7510 moniker for this WiFi-only 10.1. Oh, and the drawing of the backside -- pictured after the break -- is a dead giveaway, of course. What remains unknown is the mysterious 1GHz dual-core CPU inside this razor-thin slate, but given the release of this FCC application, it probably won't be long before all is revealed.
HP webOS keyboard passes FCC smell test, won't zap you to death with radiation
We already got some hands-on time with HP's sleek webOS keyboard, and now it's the FCC's turn. The skinny peripheral -- that's Bluetooth Keyboard KT-1087 to you -- popped up on the Federal Communications Commission's site, stripped naked for the government filing enthusiasts of the world to collectively ogle. That hopefully means the rest of us will see the wireless add-on for sale in the near future, AA batteries not included -- it would sure go nicely with that HP TouchPad you've been eyeing. Those who get a perverse thrill watching unreleased products sprawled out, alien autopsy-style are encouraged to check out the gallery below.
Barnes and Noble e-book reader hits the FCC
Barnes and Noble, the United State's largest book seller has filed with the FCC its own e-book reader, as it's insinuated in the attached Agent Authorization Letter. The dipping of the toes into the digital text industry isn't as peculiar as, say Discovery Communications, since Barnes and Noble already has some known precedence in the e-book reader market, partnering with Plastic Logic as their "exclusive eBookstore provider" -- this may very well be the Plastic Logic reader, but there's no indication one way or another. Chances are it'll be some time before we know, as all external and internal photos are under a confidentiality extension for 180 days as of September 3rd, or about six months from now. See you in Spring 2010!
Blockbuster plans to part with 960 retail stores by end of 2010
Seriously, Blockbuster can't seem to get a break. In a recent SEC filing, the company identified 18 percent of its retail outlets it deemed unprofitable and announced plans to close up to 960 stores by the end of 2010. That's divided into up to 685 by the end of this year and the remaining 275 the year after, but the filing continues to say that up to 1,560 locations, or 22 percent of its total retail coverage, could end up falling the wayside. Another slide indicates how the company sees itself going forward, with an expansion of kiosks and its Total Access subscriber base, and putting OnDemand in "nearly every connected device." Of course, if this brings Blockbuster back to profitability as it expects to be, then more power to it, but it's clear that the one-time king is fighting wars on a number of sides and has a long way to go if it intends to stay afloat, much less reclaim its crown. [Via CNET]
Square Enix files trademark for 'Dragon Quest Wars'
It's beginning to look like Square Enix might have a fairly revealing show at E3 this year -- following last month's trademark filing for Vanguard Storm (the assumed title of Squeenix's unannounced action title), the developer recently filed a trademark which reserves the title Dragon Quest Wars. The game will likely feature adorable, slime-based creatures participating in large-scale conflicts -- or, like many trademarked titles, won't actually get developed. We're banking on the former option, as Japanese gamers seem to love them some Dragon Quest. [Via Siliconera]
Apple adds staff, boosts R&D spending in FY2008
The Associated Press' Jessica Mintz notes that Apple increased its payroll by 48 percent this fiscal year, with most of the new employees starting at Apple retail stores. The data came from Apple's 10-K filing, an annual financial document required by law for public companies (Apple has not produced a 'glossy' annual report in several years). A direct link to the PDF is available here. Steve noted yesterday morning that Apple reported sales of $3.3 billion via the iTunes store in the filing. Apple employed 32,000 full-time employees, and 3,100 temps and contractors as of September 27, up from 21,600 and 2,100 (respectively) a year ago. Of the 11,400 new additions, 8,000 went to Apple's retail segment, while the others started elsewhere in the organization. The filing also said that Apple spent 40 percent more on research and development this year, compared to 2007: $1.1 billion. Electronista also notes that Steve Jobs was paid $189,000 for the use of his personal jet, a gift from Apple several years ago.
Apple TV patent filing boasts video chat, widgets, broadcast capability
No stranger to the odd patent filing, Apple has once again delved into the dark waters of the unknown with an application for an Apple TV-like device with iChat-esque functionality, amongst others. In the patent, the company suggests a number of uses for widget overlays during video, including those triggered by content and timing, as well as widgets used for menus and navigation. The patent demonstrates how real-time widget updates may coincide with live broadcast television -- such as a scorecard overlay for a sporting event -- and also showcases a video chat function which can be used simultaneously during the playback or broadcast of content. Additionally, the filing shows a new remote which would have hot buttons for quick access to widgets, navigation, and the automatic milkshake mode (we might have wishfully made up that last one). Sure it looks good, but we'd happily take the latest Apple TV update until this comes along.
HTC's CLIO200 mystery device shows up at the FCC
Oh HTC, you cads. What did we find while carefully sifting through mountains of seemingly useless and definitely boring FCC data? Well, for starters, we unearthed reports on the HTC-made CLIO200, a heretofore unknown device that appears to be making its way through the approval process. Using our Miss Cleo-like "sixth sense," we've discovered that the unit will sport CDMA, EV-DO, 802.11b/g, and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity. The FCC is referring to this little guy as a UMPC (and it does have the telltale air vents of a such a device), though it also seems like it could be a mobile phone of the TyTn variety (at least from the looks of the diagrams depicting it being held to a user's ear). Despite this minor confusion, we can promise you that at the very least it is certainly not a Sony Clie, nor an Clio NXT. Want to get "all" the "details?" Direct your browser towards the FCC site and immerse yourself in a world of impenetrable digits and charts.Update: As some of our astute readers have pointed out, this appears to be nothing more than the HTC Shift, no stranger to the pages of Engadget. We have no idea why the company has decided to start calling the device the Clio, but at least now that this mystery has been solved, we can all get some much needed rest.
Nokia's next internet tablet hits the FCC
For all you Nokia fanatics waiting for the next-gen follow up to the beloved N800 internet tablet, your journey may be at its end. According to reports dot-dashed into the Engadget offices via a morse-code squawking carrier pigeon, the latest and greatest as-yet-unnamed (but for now called LJPRX-44) non-phone, non-computer device may be heading into your sweaty hands before long. There's not much to glean from the multifarious FCC filings, unless you're a glutton for punishment or an extremely determined wavelength-modulation-test-fan, save that the device will have both WiFi and Bluetooth, and should be the same general size and shape as the N800. Feast your eyes on the labeling above, and if you're really jonesing for some good-old FCC fun, hit the read link.[Via TabletBlog]
Netflix sued for antitrust violations over patenting activities
Here in lawsuit-crazy America there's only one thing to do if you don't like a lawsuit: file another suit, claiming that the basis for the original claim was illegitimate. That's the case with a recent filed class action lawsuit against Netflix, which argues that the company's lawsuit against Blockbuster violates antitrust law because the company fraudulently concealed prior art related to patents used to sue Blockbuster. Techdirt points out that this new lawsuit highlights prior art that Netflix knew about, but failed to include in its original patent applications, something it was required to do. Yeah, that's right, the whole affair hinges around the ineffective patenting system, which is the background for dozens of other technology related lawsuits. If this class action is successful, then Netflix will be left regretting ever filing against Blockbuster; if it's not, then the company's still got a whole lot of paperwork to do in its case against Blockbuster. As always, there's one group left lovin' the whole situation: the lawyers.
New York Attorney General files Dell deception lawsuit
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed a lawsuit against Dell, accusing the company of false advertising, failure to honor rebates and warranties, and several other fraudulent acts (including the specific, legally defined crime of "fraud" in New York). Dell is quite unsurprisingly contesting the suit, saying that "we are confident that our practices will be found to be fair and appropriate," and that the number of customers named in the Attorney General's filing "are based upon a small fraction of Dell's consumer transactions." Dell spokesman Bob Pearson makes sure to say that "even one dissatisfied customer is too many," which sorta makes his earlier statement about the number of affected customers being small meaningless: especially since if the claimants are successful, this'll make at least two dissatisfied Dell customers. As one of America's largest corporations, Dell has been the subject of many lawsuits, although not all are filed by Attorneys General. That said, Pearson has made certain that this recent suit is not related to the Security and Exchange Commission's ongoing investigations into Dell's accounting practices. Well, that's a relief then.
D-Link DWA-643 Xtreme N Notebook ExpressCard gets by FCC
Looks like D-Link has hopped on the draft-N bandwagon and slammed the pedal down, as it's been releasing a flurry of 802.11n-compatibile gear of late. Yet another piece of kit that should hit US shelves soon is the firm's DWA-643 Xtreme N Notebook ExpressCard, which has just received that coveted stamp of approval from the FCC. The card sports backwards compatibility with 802.11b/g networks, WPA support, and works solely on Windows machines -- of course, this shouldn't bother you Apple laptop owners that much anyway. Per usual, the FCC isn't one to spill the beans on pricing or availability details, but we shouldn't have to hold out too much longer now that it's crossed the biggest hurdle.[Via Laptoping]
Stock options investigation delays Apple SEC filing
Apple's ongoing investigation into its stock option grants has delayed its SEC 10-K filing. The filing, which was due yesterday, may be delayed for as much as a month. If you recall, Apple admitted that employee stock options may have been been backdated. Companies use backdating in order to lower the apparent value of the issued stocks. Although news reports suggest this isn't illegal, the backdating has to be accounted for and disclosed to investors and so forth. CEO Steve Jobs was reportedly aware of the backdating and Apple's investigation is ongoing.
Recent Apple patents for phone, PDA, new cube?
Here we go with the Apple patent game again, and this time around it looks like we have blasts from the past and the future. Engadget first tracked down a patent filed by Apple yesterday (pictured right) for "A cubical computer housing assembly comprises first and second ends and four sides, which define an interior compartment for housing the various computer component." Could this be the comeback of the cube? Apple obviously hasn't let the concept go gently into that good night with their cubed New York store, but since this patent is so fresh, don't expected anything to come of it anytime soon - if ever.The next patent is a bit more interesting in part because AppleInsider has quite a few juicy details, but also because it was filed over a year ago and references a phone-like Apple device which has received almost constant speculation during that time.
Sony Ericsson files "flipper phone" patent
Just when we were ready to give the award to Samsung for the most complicated phone form factor, Sony Ericsson outdoes their Korean counterparts in a just-revealed 2004 patent application aptly titled "Flipper Phone Configuration." The concept appears to accomplish essentially the same function as a swiveling clamshell but with additional drama surrounding the conversion between modes, using a pivot point halfway up the sides of the display to allow 180-degree rotation. At least Samsung is trying to bring some additional functionality to the table with their "sliding clamshell" patent; where's the innovation here, fellas?[Via textually.org]
RIM files patent for something camera-related
After reading United States Patent Application Publication No. US 2006/0146140, re-reading it, and reading it yet again, we're still having trouble busting through the patent-speak to make heads or tails of what exactly RIM is trying to get at in the 2004 filing. To quote, the patent covers a digital camera and "and a wireless control apparatus. The digital camera wirelessly transmits the digital signal to the wireless control apparatus. The wireless control apparatus includes a display device, such as an LCD, for displaying a displayed image based on the digital signal." The best we can figure is that RIM is looking to use a BlackBerry to control a digital camera, or possibly to use another device to control the camera within a future RIM device. Either way, we're a little confused about the value of the feature (self portraits, maybe?), but it does jive with what RIM's been saying lately, and as they say in the patent world -- file now, ask questions later.[Via BBHub]
