Apple Loses iPad Trademark Case in China

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Apple may end up facing major problems with its iPad sales in China after a court rejected Apple’s claim to own the iPad trademark in the country, and a rival sought to halt sales of the tablet device in two Chinese cities.  The developments are the latest in a long-running dispute between Apple and Proview Technology (Shenzhen), a struggling Taiwanese-owned company that registered trademarks for the name IPAD in many countries long before Apple conceived its smash hit tablet computer.  Normally, Apple is on the receiving end of property rights infringements in China.  With all of the counterfeits that are extending even to copies of its flagship stores.  “Apple is such a Goliath and has a good image, so people wouldn’t imagine that Apple could possibly infringe on our intellectual property rights,” said Xiao Caiyuan, a lawyer for Proview at Guangdong Guanghe law firm. “People always think its small companies infringing upon large companies’ IPR.”  If things continue to go as badly as they are for Apple, the company might end up having to market the iPad, in China, under a different name because of trademark rights that Proview Technology now has.

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Jacob Saslavsky

Grand Theft Auto 3 to come to smartphones

In the 10 years since the debut of "Grand Theft Auto III," several video games have upped the ante in the naughty category -- including some other "Grand Theft Auto" games.But the original open-world gangster-action game is doing a second drive-by with the December 15 release of "Grand Theft Auto: 10 Year Anniversary Edition."The game will be available for download on Apple's iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch and on Android tablets and smartphones. It will cost $4.99.Publisher Rockstar Games sells "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars" in Apple's App Store, but this is the first game in the series to be released on Google's Android platform. The Apple version works on all iPads, the latest iPod Touch and the iPhone 4 and 4S. Rockstar has posted a list of supported Android devices as well.From the first batch of screen shots released by the publisher, the game looks similar on the two mobile platforms. Instead of using a controller like on the original PlayStation 2 game, players will tap on-screen buttons to switch between weapons.Rockstar plans to release more details and a trailer video to coincide with the game's release next week, the company said. A spokesman didn't immediately respond to a question about whether the anniversary game would have different missions from the original.

                                -Gustavo 

The Old Is New Again

Microsoft recently released information that they will come out with a new update for the Xbox 360. It will come out on Tuesday, December 6. The update will drive their new wave of accessible media entertainment.  It will add new video streaming features, such as HBO and YouTube, as well as making the entire Xbox Kinect ready. The goal of the update was to make media and gaming as accessible and easy to use as possible, as well as only needing one device to meet all media needs. So far, Microsoft and the people at Xbox have done the best at constantly updating their internet media databases. New features are constantly becoming available and more companies than ever are designing programs around gaming consoles. With this in mind, some people see the Xbox and similar consoles being bought solely for non-gaming purposes. However, most of the market will probably continue to be dominated by internet capable DVD players and cable TV. While the future of the Xbox is uncertain, it is probable that internet-based media will continue to rise in popularity. For those interested in media, the update will mean fun for the whole living room.

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-- Ben Fagelman

Weekly Geek and Poke

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-Beck Goodloe

Is Apple Overaggressive?

Many are waiting for December 14 to come. This will mark the day when the International Trades Commission makes a public ruling on the Apple vs. HTC court case.

            Recently, Apple filed four lawsuits against the well-known Japanese company HTC on the basis that they were are stealing Apple’s technology. One of the specific programs under speculation is the one that allows the reader to touch a number on the keypad and then it is shown on the screen. Now it may seem like a small matter, but Apple says that they are stealing everything that is making their newer phones special.

            Analysts currently believe that the case is beginning to favor Apple, as the technology is almost identical in both phones.

            To show that this is no game, HTC recently counter-sued, saying that Apple is actually stealing their technology, not vice-versa. This is not the first accusation made against Apple though. Several months ago, Google Android also had problems with Apple, each company saying that the other stole their technology.

            This is not a problem that the common person can affect though. It is now up to the lawyers and CEOs to work this problem out, and now all we can do is wait.

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-Beck Goodloe

Microsoft on the Apple Frontier

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Recently, rumors arose that the popular Microsoft Office software will be available for the tablet that started it all - the iPad. Up until this point, Microsoft has been somewhat unsuccessful inside of Apple territory. A relatively boring Bing app has been all they have had to show for up until this point. If this transition could be made, it would be a win-win situation for both companies, at least for the time being. With the apps rolling out on the App Store, it would most likely be available for other phones and application stores as well. Microsoft Office would be contested by the current word, spreadsheet, and presentation apps, called Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. However, I think many people will drop the old apps for the classic programs included in Microsoft Office. The expected price is $10 and will most likely be implemented in early 2012. If the features of the Microsoft programs are upheld in their app forms, they will dominate their competition. Many people are fed up with the new systems apple has tried to put in, and will jump on this quickly. Lots of listeners were surprised when they heard this because of Apple's tightly closed off and privatized way of

doing things. For whether this is for the best, only time will tell.

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-- Ben Fagelman