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The power adapter could adjust its voltage to properly charge a single or multiple devices, and would let users carry a single charger instead of individual ones for each Apple product they need to power up.One possible configuration for Apple’s multi-device charger conceptLike Apple’s current power adapters, the patent shows a MagSafe connector for Mac…

Apple auditing China factories over environmental concernsWord that Apple has been reviewing the environmental practices at factories in China followed a report that the company has been talking with local environmental groups such as the Institute on Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE). The company has already met with the organization twice, and started investigating factory…

While most of the attention this week may be paid to the Kindle Fire, Amazon also did something for book lovers out there by rounding out its Kindle family with the release of the Kindle Touch. For those consumers who primarily use their digital device to read and find LCD displays hard on the eyes…

  The patent was acquired from Xerox in 2009—it was originally filed in 1998 and issued to Xerox in 2000. According to CNet, Apple took ownership of the patent on December 17th, 2009. Apple refiled for the patent on September 1, 2010, and the U.S.P.T.O. reaffirmed it by reissuing it on November 15th, 2011. Not…

After working with iCloud features for the past several weeks, including the just released iTunes Match, I find myself shaking my head. If iCloud was intended to live up to Apple’s “design mantra,” someone forgot to send the memo. iCloud is far from a shining example of “intuitively obvious.” Some features are mutually exclusive with non-cloud…

The Beijing-based Institute on Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) is one of the organizations Apple has been talking with, according to The Industry Standard. The group has already met with Apple twice, and has even spoken with Apple supply chain managers, according to InfoWorld.China environmental groups call Apple to task Apple isn’t addressing specific concerns…

Apple’s Upper West Side store in Manhattan Along with Mr. Jobs, the patent also lists Karl Backus, Peter Bohlin, George Bradley Robert Bridger, Benjamin Fay and Ronald Bruce.Store rendering from Apple’s patent filing The multi-level Upper store is located at Broadway and 67th Street, and opened on November 14, 2009, as Apple’s fourth Manhattan location.…

iTwin from iTwin Inc. is a rather unique product and one for which a certain population will probably give thanks. It lets you move work back and forth between Macs and Macs, Macs and PCs or even PCs and PCs. The iTwin is secure and it fits in your pocket. iTwiniTwin supports Win XP, Vista and…

With the creation of the Xtand Go, Just Mobile has designed a phone car mount that meet the demands of almost any driver. It can be used on a window or on a dash. It can be used with any size iPhone or iPod touch or any other brand of phone. Phones can be in…

Dave Hamilton: So, you started Apparent Software yourself, didn’t you?Jacob Gorban: Yes. About five years ago, but it was a side project more or less. I was working full time as an electrical engineer at a large company, and ImageFramer became an evening and weekend project. [Jacob references early partner Kosta Rozen] And then, I…

Samsung pushing for Australia iPhone injunction in March“The case will be fixed for a hearing for three weeks, commencing in March, 2012, with the date to be fixed on Friday,” said Judge Annabelle Bennett, according to Reuters. She isn’t imposing any restrictions on iPhone 4S sales ahead of the hearing. Apple and Samsung have been…

According to Smartphone Technologies, it is the exclusive license holder for the patents, and the company claimed the “iPhone, iPads, iCloud, iTunes, MacBooks and/or Apple Sync Services, that integrated phone and PDA user interface on a single processor,” are all infringing on those patents. The patent list includes: 3Com’s 1997 patent 5,832,489 Method and apparatus…

Samsung on iPhone 4S in South Korea: Never Mind “We concluded that we should engage in legal battles with Apple only in the global market, but not in order to gain more market share in Korea,” a Samsung executive told The Chosun Ilbo. While Samsung may have decided against seeking an injunction in South Korea, that…

Some first gen iPod nanos have defective batteriesApple warned customers via email that: In very rare cases, the battery in the iPod nano (1st generation) may overheat and pose a safety risk. Affected iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006. The company also said that the risk of overheating increases with age,…

Michael Skopec’s Mug ShotSource: Kendall County Sheriff’s OfficePeople call 911 for the strangest reasons: no lemonade at Burger King, no McNuggets at McDonalds, or your drug dealer didn’t give you change. But The Smoking Gun reported that on Wednesday, Michael Skopec of Bristol, Illinois decided that 911 was where he needed to lodge a complaint…

Some first gen iPod nanos have defective batteriesIn an email to iPod nano owners, Apple stated:Apple has determined that, in very rare cases, the battery in the iPod nano (1st generation) may overheat and pose a safety risk. Affected iPod nanos were sold between September 2005 and December 2006.The likelihood that the defective batteries will…

Annabelle Bennett, the Judge overseeing the case in Australia, agreed that Apple only needed to show only relevant parts of its partner contracts with Vodafone, Optus and Telstra, and that Apple’s assurance that the specific clauses Samsung was hoping to find in the documents weren’t there is enough.Apple gives Samsung limited contract infoAccording to ZDNet…

Steam is an online service that delivers Windows and Mac games through direct downloads. The service also offers player matching for head to head and multiplayer gaming, leader boards, achievements, and more. The original attack occurred on Sunday, November 6th, and was first thought to involve forum accounts only. Valve Software, which operates the Steam…

For instance, Amazon could be looking to add some form of Siri-like voice controls to its $199 tablet, the Kindle Fire, which ships on November 15th. On the other hand, the company could be looking at ways to enable voice-activated shopping for its enormous online retail operations. The company could conceivably do so through telephone,…

In a separate full report (PDF), Greenpeace notes that Apple scores well on green products and sustainable operations, but scores poorly on energy use policy, especially with regard to advocating a clean energy policy.Apple’s Greenpeace Scorecard from the Greenpeace Report In positive news for Apple, the report strongly praised the company for its product line,…

Chart by The Mac Observer from comScore dataWhile the fourth quarter is the biggest quarter of the year, this year has shown strong, steady growth from 2010. Gian Fulgoni, the chairman of comScore, which released the data Wednesday, said “As we approach the critical holiday shopping season, we are optimistic about the continued health of…

The program as announced allows Kindle owners with an Amazon Prime membership the ability to borrow up to one title per month for free with no due date. Amazon created a Lending Library mostly from books that were self-published, published by Amazon or its affiliates, or from houses that published by the wholesale, rather than…

Samsung to Apple: Show us your contractsSamsung also asked for the iPhone 4S firmware source code to help prove Apple is infringing on its patents. Apple already handed over 220 pages of code-related documents, but Samsung still wants more.“Someone out there is attempting to obfuscate,” said Samsung attorney Cynthia Cochrane.Apple and Samsung have been locked…

Customers line up for the iPhone 4S in San Francisco“We believe the Commercial Times report is without merit and believe iPhone 4S demand is not an issue,” Mr. Um said. “Our recent checks indicate that iPhone 4S is still selling out and experiencing 1-2 week waits for online orders with demand also driven by accelerated…