Apple, HTC in Trademark Tangle !

Apple Computer has an uncanny knack for getting in the way of trademarks... or so it seems... Previously, when the company unveiled it's eagerly anticipated iPhone, Cisco slapped a lawsuit against it over use of the 'iPhone' trademark. Incidentally, Linksys' VoIP phone is also called iPhone, and Cisco, which happens to be Linksys' parent company, owns the 'iPhone' trademark.
Now with the launch of iPod Touch, Apple is once again in danger of having stepped on someone else's toes... This time round, it's Taiwan-based HTC's turn to feel the heat... HTC launched the HTC Touch well before Apple's iPod Touch. The HTC Touch features a TouchFLO sweep launcher sitting atop Windows Mobile. It's a keyboard-free and button-free Windows Mobile phone that sports an unraised bezel and a solid glass face among others. HTC chief executive officer and president, Peter Chou, reportedly said that HTC has registered 'Touch' as a worldwide trademark, and that the company "is proud to share the same vision as Apple over touch screen functions". While Chou said nothing about whether HTC would sue Apple over use of it's trademark, a top HTC official reportedly made a pointed reference to the ability of Apple and Cisco to 'reach a mutually satisfactory agreement' before footnoting the need for 'further observation' around the 'Touch' trademark rights question. Meanwhile, as far as precedents go, Cisco's suit against Apple ended in a mutually convenient agreement -- one wherein both would continue to make use of the 'iPhone' trademark in the market.

Boomtune Mini Tripod Speakers for iPod !

Japanese company Focal Corp. has an innovative design for iPod speakers. They're designed as a tripod and dock the iPod right on top of it.

This new concept adds style and suspense to your iPod. Not everyone will be able to guess the function of the tripod; for all you know, people will think you're flaunting the most common MP3 player in the world. This product being sold in the east for $39 (Rs. 1560), and is available in a wide range of color options.

Apple Concerned for Customers!

In a last-ditch attempt to pacify all those Apple iPhone loyalists who went from calling the gizmo a 'God phone' to a mere 'chump phone' -- crying foul over the unexpected $200 price cut announced by the company -- Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, reportedly said this in a letter posted on the company Web site: "Even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of the iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers, as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price."
And while Jobs might have all the good intentions at heart, Apple has sure succeeded in angering several early buyers of it's iPhone by slashing prices from the original $599 to $399 just 2 months of the gizmo going to market. In a bid to do the 'right thing' for it's valued customers, Apple is now offering every iPhone customer -- who purchased an iPhone either from Apple or AT&T, and who is not getting any rebate or any other consideration -- a $100 store credit towards purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. The details of which, Jobs said, are being worked out, and will be posted on Apple's Web site next week. In his letter, Jobs further said that change and improvement are a part of technology, and that there would always be someone who buys a product before a particular cut-off date, and misses the new price or the new operating system or the new whatever. He said the good news is when people buy products from companies that support them well, Apple being a case-in-point. All said, reams get written daily about how the consumer is king, and so on, and so forth. But can we mention one clear instance of a consumer having been taken seriously enough? Not really! Think India, and you get the picture -- customers being taken for granted royally... Forget price drops and taking blame for those who got left out of it, vendors don't even take credit/blame for faulty products/services... So where does that leave us? Maybe only an Apple Computer can help make it all look like a little more than lip service...

Apple Unveils the iPod Touch !

Putting an end to all the speculation of these past weeks, Apple Computer yesterday launched its all new iPod, the iPod Touch. The reported whoops and hollers might go to justify Apple CEO, Steve Jobs' claim that 'the seventh wonder of the world' had just been unveiled. Also dubbed as 'the God machine', the newbie iPod looks a lot like the iPhone -- except that it is no phone.
A sleek looking touch-controlled iPod, the iPod Touch sports a 3.5-inches color screen, built-in WiFi Internet access, and Apple's Safari Internet browser. The iPod Touch will come in 2 versions: an 8GB version priced at GBP 199; and a 16GB version costing GBP 269. Both versions are expected to be on the British market this month.

Apart from unveiling the iPod Touch, Apple revamped its iPod line that includes a reworked iPod Nano and the iPod Classic. The new Nano features 22 hours audio playback and 5 hours video playback. The flip side is the Nano suddenly looks as if it has put on some weight The 4GB iPod Nano comes in Silver for $149, while the 8GB iPod Nano comes in Silver, Black, Blue, Green, and a special Red edition for $199. Both new Nanos come with 3 fun games, and additional games can be purchased from the iTunes store (www.itunes.com). Both 4GB and 8GB iPod Nano models for Windows or Mac are immediately available worldwide through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple retail stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers. Meanwhile, the iPod Classic comes in Silver and Black in 2 versions; 80GB model and 160GB model. The 80GB iPod Classic is priced at $249 and the 160GB iPod Classic costs $349. Both models are immediately available worldwide. Interestingly, while Apple was making announcements, Microsoft announced a slash in the price of its Zune digital media player by $50 to $199. The software major claimed it had been planning a price cut all this while...

Apple also unveiled the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, offering fans the ability to browse, search, preview, purchase, and download songs and albums from iTunes over a Wi-Fi network directly onto their iPod Touch or iPhone, sans any computer as intermediary. When owners of the iPod Touch or iPhone connect their gizmos back to their PCs or Macs, the downloaded music would automatically sync back to their iTunes library. In case they have only partially downloaded a song or album onto their Touch or iPhone, the computer would complete the download automatically. Meanwhile, prices and selection on the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store would remain the same as on the regular iTunes Store. Both the new iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store and custom iTunes ringtones for iPhone will be available later this month. Additionally, Apple announced lowering the price of its iPhone (8GB) from $599 to $399 in the US. The iPhone 4GB model will be sold until supplies last, Apple said.

A Program that Unlocks the iPhone !

According to reports, an anonymous group of software developers claims to have developed a program that unlocks Apple's iPhone, thus making it operational on any GSM network across the globe.
As of now, the iPhone is available only in the US, and is operational only on the AT&T network, under an exclusive two-year agreement between Apple and AT&T.
The iPhone unlocking program was demonstrated by Los Angeles-based software consultant named Brett Schulte, who replaced AT&T with a T-Mobile SIM card, and within a few seconds, the iPhone became operational.
Schulte said the procedure doesn't require opening or disassembling of the device, and unlocking can be done in just about two minutes.
Apparently, the anonymous group includes six people from three different continents, who claim to have unlocked the device just as a hobby.
The developers plan to put the software on sale, though no price has been finalized yet. They have also created a Web site called iPhoneSIMfree.com, which has some information on the program but does not give a way to purchase it yet.
Meanwhile, an AT&T spokesman said that though they could not hypothesize on the authenticity of hacking the iPhone, they hurried to remind users that by buying the iPhone, they become contractually indebted to AT&T.
A similar incident took place about a week back, where a teenager claimed to have found the way to unlock the iPhone, though by disassembling the device.

New Apple iMacs Now in India !

Apple Computer has reportedly unveiled new all-in-one iMacs featuring 20- and 24-inches wide-screen displays encased in aluminum and glass enclosures. The new iMacs feature: the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, an ultra thin aluminum Apple Keyboard, built-in iSight video camera, iLife'08, and iWork'08.
Each iMac has only 3 cables -- one for the power supply, one for the keyboard, and one for the mouse. An optional wireless keyboard with a wireless mouse makes for a cable-free desktop. The 20-inch iMac is priced upwards of Rs 64,600, while the 24-inch iMac starts at Rs 96,100. Apple's iLife'08 features iPhoto'08 and iMovie'08. While iPhoto'08 automatically organizes photo libraries into events, iMovie'08 helps users make movies faster. Meanwhile, iWork'08 sports a new feature called Numbers'08 which allows users work with the help of spreadsheets. Each iMac includes iLife'08 and iWork'08 which costs Rs 4,050 each. Five user copies are available for Rs 5,110. Besides, Apple has announced significant enhancements to its .Mac online service, highlighted by the debut of .Mac Web Gallery, a new feature for sharing photos and movies on the Internet. The .Mac Web Gallery allows members share photos and movies directly from iLife'08 with anyone on a Mac, PC, or iPhone. Also, .Mac Web Gallery visitors can download high quality images for printing, and contribute photos using a standard Web browser or email. Other new .Mac features include: increase in .Mac storage to 10GB, support for personal domains for iWeb Web sites and enhancements to .Mac Mail. The .Mac Subscription to .Mac Web Gallery is optional. The annual individual subscription fee is Rs 4,800, and Rs 8,710 for a family pack that includes one master account and four sub accounts. Users can go to: www.mac.com for a free 60-day .Mac trial version.