iPhone Winterboarder

Website operator IAC has acquired Urbanspoon, the iPhone App that provides online local restaurant guide. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Urbanspoon aggregates restaurant reviews across the web, from newspapers and professional food critics to bloggers and diners. The company claims that millions of iPhone users have downloaded an application that brings Urbanspoon content to users of Apple’s mobile phone.
IAC said that Urbanspoon will remain an independent brand, and will report to Jay Herratti who oversees the company’s Citysearch, InsiderPages and Evite brands.
IAC said that Urbanspoon rounds out a portfolio of local brands that include Citysearch, ServiceMagic, InsiderPages, and investments in OpenTable and MerchantCircle.
New York-based IAC operates around 35 internet businesses in 40 countries.

Popularity: 2% [?]

CEO Steve Jobs’ lawyer took his place at a scheduled town council meeting to discuss the demolishing of a mansion he bought in 1984. According to the Palo Alto Daily News, Jobs’ lawyer said, “I don’t think he would be strong enough if we were here until 1 a.m., and I think there’s a strong possibility of that.” He ended up being correct about the length of the meeting, which was still going strong three hours after its 7:30 p.m. start. Still, the CEO’s absence raises questions after Apple declared during last week’s quarterly earnings call that he would be returning to work in late June.

Popularity: 1% [?]

This theme features 6 rotating artworks by Pablo Picasso. Artistic genius Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) co-founded Cubism and produced a monumental 20,000 artworks during his 70-year career. Picasso’s torrential outpouring of work was so extensive and complex that art historians have divided it into individual periods. A prodigy in his youth, Picasso enrolled in advanced classes at Barcelona’s Royal Academy of Art at age 15. The strong geometric forms of his groundbreaking Cubist works redefined art as a medium that could digress from literal images of reality. Passionately creative in every genre from primitive art to sketches to Surrealism, Picasso profoundly impacted 20th century art.

1.png ◄ Back Next ► Picture 1 of 6

Popularity: 10% [?]

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and San Francisco Law Firm Keker and Van Nest filed suit against Apple today in defense of the First Amendment rights of OdioWorks, who runs BluWiki. BluWiki is a website that allows users to build free websites with no advertisements that other people can edit.
The front page states, “Imagine a world where everyone can publish online. Without censoring, popups, or banner ads. And you wouldn’t even have to know html! Thats right, just good old-fashioned publishing.” The parent company was warned by Apple lawyers to remove discussions about making iPods and iPhones interoperate with software other than iTunes.
EFF said that the lawyers “claimed the discussions constituted copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s prohibition on circumventing copy protection measures.” Sam Odio, owner of OdioWorks stated that Apple “should not be able to censor online discussions by making baseless legal threats against services like BluWiki that host the discussions.” The EFF is an international non-profit advocacy group dedicated to preserving free speech.

Popularity: 1% [?]

MARSHALL, Texas, The national law firm of McKool Smith is announcing a $19 million patent infringement verdict handed down in favor of technology provider Opti Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., against computer software giant Apple Inc.

The verdict in Opti Inc. v. Apple Inc., No. 2:07-cv-00021, was delivered on April 23, 2009, by a jury appearing before Judge Charles “Chad” Everingham IV of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall.

Jurors in the case found that Apple infringed a patent issued to Opti in June 2002. The contested patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,405,291, covers a computer operation that enables a “snooping” function designed to help computers more easily retrieve previously accessed data.

Opti was represented by a team of attorneys from McKool Smith and Chicago-based Winston & Strawn. The McKool Smith team included Rosemary Snider, Gary Kitchen, Jason Cassady and Carol Butner. The Winston & Strawn group included Michael Brody, Taras Gracey, J. Ethan McComb, Eric Mersmann and Sarah Frey.

In the verdict, jurors found that Apple willfully infringed the contested patent. The jury also rejected Apple’s contentions that the patent should be declared invalid. The $19 million verdict amount was awarded as fair and reasonable compensation to Opti for Apple’s willful patent violation, according to the verdict form.

Even with this loss it looks like that stealing technology remains very lucrative for Apple. With a very rough estimate you can quickly realize that Apple needs to sell around 45000 iPhones to cover the expense. First quarter of 2009 Apple sold 3.79 million iPhones, and if you think about the iTouch sales also, 19 million is a drop in the bucket.

Apple can absorb any lawsuit thrown at them, so patent theft will continue as long as it is profitable. “Good job” Apple,showing everyone that with the right marketing team crime does pay.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Lockscreen with original clear Unlock, Answer and PowerOff buttons, also with clear LCD. It features the Virgo zodiac sign. More to come in the Clear Tap series of lockscreens. Designed for use with Winterboard.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Lockscreen with original clear Unlock, Answer and PowerOff buttons, also with clear LCD. It features the Taurus zodiac sign. More to come in the Clear Tap series of lockscreens. Designed for use with Winterboard.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Lockscreen with original clear Unlock, Answer and PowerOff buttons, also with clear LCD. It features the Scorpio zodiac sign. More to come in the Clear Tap series of lockscreens. Designed for use with Winterboard.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Lockscreen with original clear Unlock, Answer and PowerOff buttons, also with clear LCD. It features the Sagittarius zodiac sign. More to come in the Clear Tap series of lockscreens. Designed for use with Winterboard.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Lockscreen with original clear Unlock, Answer and PowerOff buttons, also with clear LCD. It features the Pisces zodiac sign. More to come in the Clear Tap series of lockscreens. Designed for use with Winterboard.

Popularity: 4% [?]