Apple patents ranging from portable electronic devices to battery charging systems have appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Following is a summary of each.

Patent number 7,673,238 is for a portable media device with video acceleration capabilities. Improved techniques for performing accelerated video presentation on a media device are disclosed. The improved techniques enable smooth, uniform accelerated video presentation by displaying key frames from a video file in a periodic fashion. The rate and direction of accelerated video presentation can be controlled. The improved techniques are well suited for use with portable media devices. The inventors are Muthya K. Girish, Aram Lindahl and Joseph Mark Williams.

Patent number 7,673,083 involves a method and system for controlling video selection and playback in a portable media player. It involves a a system that allows a portable media player to control settings of the...

Will the day come when we'll see closer integration between the iPhone OS and Mac OS X? Some folks think so.

But let's back up. The iPhone OS is actually a derivative of Mac OS X. They share the Darwin foundation. Darwin is an open source POSIX-compliant computer OS released by Apple in 2000. It's comprised of code developed by Apple, as well as code derived from NeXTSTEP, BSD, and other free software projects.

In other words as John Gruber wrote three years ago at "Daring Fireball" (http://daringfireball.net/2007/01/os_x) the iPhone’s version of OS X contains everything from Mac OS X that’s applicable to a mobile phone, plus new bits specific to the phone. It’s a “full” version of OS X not because it contains everything from Mac OS X, but because it contains everything you’d actually want from Mac OS X, he noted.

I would think it's even possible that a device...

Over the weekend it was reported that Apple admitted that child labor had been used at the Chinese factories that build its Macs, iPods and iPhones. Now the company is being urged to disclose more details about its suppliers. But is that necessary?

At least eleven 15-year-old children were discovered to be working last year in three factories that supply the company. Workers' rights groups want Apple to disclose more info on its suppliers, reports "Bloomberg" (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aUbDxIWdQCKg).

“The suppliers are breaking the law,” said Debby Chan, project officer at Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior in Hong Kong. “Apple should disclose its suppliers list to NGOs to allow more effective monitoring of the situation,” said Chan, referring to non-government...

According to BoomBox, a month report from Myxer on mobile entertainment consumption habits, iPhone dominates states across the country, but Android users have closed the gap and have actually surpassed iPhone users in eight states, with seven of them coming from West and Midwest states including Arizona, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Myxer is a consumer destination for mobile entertainment and personalization. The results were provided by Myxer’s BoomBox report for January 2010, which also revealed the latest demographic and consumption habits based on more than one million unique Myxer users from Android and iPhone operating system.

This month’s BoomBox report offered a breakdown of content downloads by music genre
Overall, Motorola DROID handsets were the most diverse in terms of downloading different genre types, consuming 64% of their content from the Rock, Comedy, Pop, Country, and Other categories. Conversely, 81%...

Several Apple patents have appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Here's a summary of each.

Patent number 201004862 involves personalized streaming digital content. It's for a method for generating personalized streaming content, the method including the steps of analyzing a digital library of a user associated with a user account, generating recommended digital media based on analysis of the digital library, generating personalized streaming content that includes digital media from the digital library and recommended digital media. The inventor is Rhan Graeme Dixon.

Patent number 2010049836 is for automatic configuration information generation for a distributed computing environment. A method and system for configuring information for a distributed computing environment is provided. The method and system comprises providing a job containing a list of tasks to a controller, the tasks including a bootstrap tool and configuration information related to the...

An Apple patent (number 20010045627) at the US Patent & Trademark Office shows that Apple is at least considering touch screen displays on some Macs. The patent is for a shape detecting input device.

More particularly, the present invention relates to shape detection by an input device for a computer system. The patent involves a system and method for recognizing a signet and for performing an action associated with the signet, wherein the signet is an inanimate object. In one embodiment, the method includes generating a touch signal with a signet, the touch signal representing a particular signet pattern, recognizing the particular signet pattern, and performing an action associated with the particular signet pattern. The inventor is Peter Kennedy.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "There exist today many styles of input devices for performing operations in a computer system. The operations generally correspond to moving a cursor and/or...

I'll be very surprised if we don't see USB 3.0 on Macs by the second half of the year. And when that happens, it will be interesting to see what happens with FireWire.

According to the In-Stat research group more than three billion USB-enabled devices are currently being shipped. USB 3.0 is specified to transfer at five gigabits per second, or 10 times faster than USB 2.0. Plus, USB 3.0 products are backward-compatible with USB 2.0 devices and will interoperate with them, as well, so there's no reason for Apple not to include USB 3.0 on upcoming Macs.

As for FireWire, I'm not willing to bet on its inclusion in any Macs beyond the Mac Pro and 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro. Although it could survive on the 27-inch iMac, which has to be considered, by any criteria, a prosumer machine, if not a professional machine. As for FireWire on the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the MacBook and the Mac mini, I wouldn't count on it since USB is more popular and cheaper.

Apple...

Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook spoke today at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference and made several interesting statements, including that the Apple TV is still (sigh) a hobby, the iMac is the best computer in the world and that Apple isn't worried about the iPad cannibalizing sales of its laptops.

Among the things he mentioned:

° Though Apple is the world's largest seller of digital content, the Apple TV remains a "hobby." Sales of the Apple TV did grow in the latest quarter by 35% on a unit basis year-over-year and Apple's "gut tells us there is something there." But there are no plans to move it beyond the hobby stage yet, as "we have not interest in the TV market." (Which, of course, based on Apple's past statements of things it's not interested in, means Apple IS interested in the TV market.)

° The iMac is the best desktop computer in the world and Apple will continue to invest in it. The iMac is, and will continue to be, "very...

"Technology Review" -- an independent media company owned by MIT -- has announced the 2010 TR50, the first annual list of the 50 most innovative companies in the world. Not surprisingly, Apple is on the list.

Spanning energy, computing, the web, biomedicine, and materials, each company on the list has been evaluated based on its business model, strategies for deploying and scaling up its technologies, and the likelihood of success, according to Jason Pontin, editor-in-chief of "Technology Review." Each company in the 2010 TR50 has excelled not only at inventing technology but also at using it to transform how we live and work.

“As varied as the companies in the TR50 collection are, they all demonstrate the power and potential of innovative thinking for a better tomorrow. We will be increasing our coverage around how businesses are creating and adapting to new technologies,” said Pontin. You can find the entire list here:...

Apple looks like its planning to use the iPhone OS to power more than the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, according to a new job posting for a full-time engineering manager to work on the iPhone OS platform.

Apple’s ad is looking for an engineer to focus on the iPhone OS’s underlying architecture who will work with teams focusing on hardware, software and custom silicon. The ad says the employee will will work on “a range of hardware platforms, including iPhone and iPod”. That suggests that Apple is looking to bring the iPhone OS to more devices, and "the prime candidate would be the Apple TV," according to the "Electricpig" tech site (http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2010/02/23/apple-to-use-iphone-os-on-other-platforms-–-apple-tv-next/).

Apple has been awarded a patent from the US Patent & Trademark Office for a device that looks like an iPod classic with dialing capabilities. The invention relates generally to portable communications devices, and more particularly, to portable communications devices that include a click wheel.

Apple patent 7,667,148 is for a method, device and graphical user interface for dialing with a click wheel. One aspect of the invention involves a computer-implemented method in which a portable communications device with a click wheel and a display detects a plurality of finger contacts with the click wheel. Each finger contact includes an angular displacement of the finger contact on the click wheel between an initial location and a final location of the finger contact. The device displays an image that includes digits arranged in a circle. The image rotates, in response to each finger contact, by an amount determined in accordance with the angular displacement of the finger...

What is a smartbook? That depends on who you ask. “Smartbook” isn’t a product category, nor is it a brand. But they're growing in popularity. And the iPad is technically a smartbook, according to ABI Research (http://www.abiresearch.com).

According to ABI Research senior analyst Jeff Orr, “As ABI Research defines it, a smartbook is a low-powered device running a mobile operating system that is always connected, either via Wi-Fi or (more often) using cellular or mobile broadband. Smartbooks can take many different shapes. They are a subset of MIDs (mobile Internet devices) and netbooks, and address the same potential users, usage, pricing, and market needs. The difference is that they don’t use x86 processors.”

By that definition, the analyst estimates in a new research study, 163 million smartbooks will ship worldwide in 2015 -- a significant rate of growth given that the very first models...

I know what you're thinking. I know that when you read "holster," you figure the word "NERD" is going to follow soon. But sometimes, holster can mean a "fashion object." It can also mean "convenient" and "reliable," and I think Trexta (http://www.trexta.com) is right on track when it comes to a solution that combines all three of those.

Trexta is a company based in Turkey, where many of their products are hand-made; it specializes in phone, camera, and laptop cases. Their offerings for the Apple market, especially the iPhone market, are extensive. I visited the Trexta booth during the recent MacWorld 2010, where I was given a look at some of these aesthetic offerings and obtained a review unit of the Ursa. The Ursa stood out to me most with its thick, attractive leather (chocolate-colored, with a smooth, bright finish), suede lining, extremely tough belt clip, and magnetic closure.

Given Valentine's...

In some ways, the 2010 Winter NAMM show was a different show, but the larger vendors were not missed nearly as much as one might imagine. Attendance was actually up, according to the NAMM press office, and anyone who was there will attest to the fact that the floor was jammed every single day of the show.

The bonus was that the less corporate vendors and manufacturers really shined with some excellent new products in many cases. While some companies did not present anything really new, there were some very impressive items that caught the attention of the attendees.

Why did we wait so long to release our "Best of Show" Macsimum Awards? We wanted to try many of these products off the show floor and away from the noisy environment that can make it tough to know what you are really listening to when sound quality really counts. So, without any further ado, the 2010 Winter NAMM "Best of Show" Macsimum Awards.

Sony PCM-M10 Portable Digital Recorder (...

It hasn't been released yet, but the iPad is already helping create jobs it seems. Elance (http://www.elance.com) -- a site where companies find, hire, manage and pay contractors online -- says that, within 24 hours of the iPad announcement, 20 iPad application development jobs were immediately posted on their site.

As I write this, there are over 70 open iPad jobs on Elance. This trend is likely to follow the fast growth of iPhone projects that saw more than 8,800 iPhone jobs completed on Elance in 2009. In addition, Android is rising fast in the ranking of skills in demand -- up 400% in the past six months with more than 170 projects posted in the last month alone.

This is merely the tip of a digital iceberg. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of people who are self-employed increased to roughly 42 million at the end of 2009. Data introduced by Elance shows that workers in all 50...

An Apple patent (number 2010039530) has appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office that shows that Apple plans on beefing up its picture and video recording performance on portable devices. Also, a look at the patent shows that future iPhones and/or iPod touches and/or iPads could sport a forward facing camera.

The invention relates generally to digital cameras and, more particularly, to calibrating digital camera components to minimize manufacturing variations in such components. Per the patent A method of manufacturing a digital video camera is provided. The method comprises acquiring video images of colored light, and measuring a light intensity response of the video camera to the colored light. The method further comprises comparing the intensity of the measured response to a desired colored light intensity for determining a color intensity bias and storing the intensity bias for the colored light in the camera so that the bias can be applied when the camera is...

New Apple patents at the US Patent & Trademark Office show that Apple is planning on tweaking its input devices -- and apparently has new devices at least in the planning stages.

Patent number 2010039381 is for a rotatable input device. Think of the Magic Mouse on steroids. In an example embodiment, a computer mouse is provided. This computer mouse includes a surface tracking sensor that detects movement of the computer mouse along the support surface. Additionally included are one or more orientation sensors that detect a movement of the computer mouse relative to a pivot point. The computer mouse also includes a controller that is configured to translate the movement along the support surface into a two-dimensional coordinate and to translate the movement relative to the pivot point into a magnitude of rotation. The inventors are Michael Andrew Cretella Junior and David Thomas Amm.

Here's Apple's background and summary of the invention: "As is well-known, a...

As the number of smartphone customers has continued to grow during the past six months, call quality performance has declined during that same period of time, according to the J.D. Power and Associates' (http://www.JDPower.com) "2010 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study(SM)—Volume 1."

The semiannual study measures wireless call quality, based on seven problem areas that impact overall carrier performance: dropped calls; static/interference; failed call connection on the first try; voice distortion; echoes; no immediate voicemail notification; and no immediate text message notification. Call quality issues are measured as problems per 100 (PP100) calls, where a lower score reflects fewer problems and higher quality. Call quality performance is examined in six regions: Northeast; Mid-Atlantic; Southeast; North Central; Southwest; and West.

The study finds that, after several consecutive six-month...

Food, food, glorious food. From the finest dining experience to the most satisfying of burgers, we all crave one type or another. And when that craving hits - where to go? What type -- Chinese, Italian, Mediterranean? I don't want to spend time debating the issue -- I WANT TO EAT!! How about just the local pub? I don't care - I JUST WANT TO EAT!

Enter Zagat ToGo (mobile.zagat.com/iphone.htm), which costs US$9.99.

"The most trusted guide to restaurants comes to the iPhone and WiFi iPod touch with over 45 Guides of Restaurant Reviews and Ratings for less than the price of 1 guide! Whether a cheap bite or a posh dinner, Zagat has shown the way for 30 years! Our Nightlife, Hotel and Shopping coverage also included where available."

A getaway weekend all planned in seconds with only your fingertips? Let's see.

The Juice

Zagat is a restaurant, travel and night life review guide started in 1979  by Tim and Nina Zagat as a way to collect and correlate the...

The iPad and the expected entry of others such as Google into the e-book space will cut Amazon’s share of e-book sales from 90% to 35% over the next five years, Credit Suisse analyst Spencer Wang told clients in a note on Wednesday.

"Near term, we suspect that the iPad and the new eBook agency pricing model, which requires that Amazon increase retail prices to be more consistent with Apple’s pricing, will provide Kindle with the most market share headwind," he writes. "Going forward, we can envision a scenario where Apple, Amazon, and Google eventually split the market. Therefore, we expect Amazon’s share of eBooks business to fall from 90% currently to about 35% over the next five years."

The "Wall Street Journal" (http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2010/02/16/analyst...

If you like to listen to audiobooks on your Mac, Splasm Software's Audiobook Builder (http://www.splasm.com/audiobookbuilder/index.htm), a US$9.95 Mac only tool (take that, Windows!) can make your life easier. It's a breeze to use. It's a timesaver, too, since it deals with the complexities of audiobooks behind the scenes.

Audiobook Builder lets you import your Audiobook CDs (or tracks that are already on your Mac), organize them and output one or two files that your iPod recognizes as actual audiobooks.

The results are automatically sent to a special playlist in iTunes. When you sync with your iPod or iPhone they appear in the Audiobooks section. The software offers audio file joining, adjustable quality settings and enhanced chapter stops.

By default, every CD you import becomes its own "chapter" in your Audiobook project. This means you...

Although there's some debate as to whether there's a real market for the iPad or not, Appel certainly made the right decision not to enter then netbook arena. And a new survey by PriceGrabber.com backs this up.

The survey looks at netbook and laptops and shows that most consumers (55%) don't see the former as a suitable replacement for the latter. This report includes survey responses from 1,680 online consumers from Jan. 7-25, 2010, and compares results from a similar survey of 1,545 online consumers conducted from Jan. 6-14, 2009. Survey data reveals that while netbooks are not a replacement for laptops, their popularity has influenced the pricing in the portable computing industry.

PriceGrabber.com's 2010 and 2009 netbook surveys define a netbook as having a screen smaller than 11 inches, costing less than US$500 and employing a low-power processing chip. This year, the percentage of online consumers who personally own a netbook has increased to 15%, compared with...

Shipments of consumer devices that can be powered or charged wirelessly are forecast to grow from just 1.5 million in 2009 to almost one billion in 2019, according to the latest analysis from IMS Research (http://ww.imsresearch.com).

According to IMS Research’s recent report, “The Growth Potential for Wireless Power and Charging”, activity in the wireless power industry has increased significantly over the last two years and the market is now poised for explosive growth. There are numerous start-ups offering solutions using conductive, inductive, magnetic resonance, RF and infrared wireless power technologies and although their shipments were very low last year; this is forecast to grow rapidly driven by the adoption in high volume applications such as cell phones.

"Initial adoption of wireless power will be for aftermarket add-on solutions, though we predict mass adoption will occur as major...

New Apple patents at the US Patent & Trademark Office involve multipoint screen that's obviously that of the upcoming iPad, the Apple TV interface, iChat and more.

Patent number 7,663,607 is for the multipoint touchscreen. A touch panel having a transparent capacitive sensing medium configured to detect multiple touches or near touches that occur at the same time and at distinct locations in the plane of the touch panel and to produce distinct signals representative of the location of the touches on the plane of the touch panel for each of the multiple touches is disclosed. The inventors are Steve Hotelling, Joshua A. Strickton and Brian Q. Huppi.

Here's Apple's summary of the invention: "The invention relates, in one embodiment, to a touch panel having a transparent capacitive sensing medium configured to detect multiple touches or near touches that occur at the same time and at distinct locations in the plane of the touch panel and to produce distinct signals...