robwebb2k » Apple

Blended iPhone

Rob Webb — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:52:00 +0000

This is going to be all over the place today and I saw it on TechCrunch, but it’s too funny to not post it.

Parallels update = good.

Rob Webb — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 01:26:00 +0000

I’ve had Parallels installed on my MacBook Pro for a while and used it to connect to my employer’s VPN for a while (for some reason I could only get a Cisco VPN on a PC to connect) but haven’t used it much since. My buddy Lew also has a MacBook Pro and when I mentioned to him that I wasn’t a huge Parallels fan, he asked if I had loaded in the updates. I hadn’t, and while loading the update could have been easier, the end result is awesome. I wish I had thought of checking a while ago – the update was back in October of ’06. I can now run OSX and have a Windows bar on the bottom of my screen as well as specific windows open that are running Windows, and others running OSX. This eliminates much of the clunk from running a specific Windows window with all Windows windows open within that…window. It also allows me to have PC versions of PowerPoint and Excel open in windows on my Mac desktop that are no different than every other window I have open. Hopefully the sluggishness that came from having Parallels open and running will be gone too, but only time will tell on that one.

BumpTop: the future of GUIs

Rob Webb — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 22:31:00 +0000

Saw this on Valleywag – it came from TED. Pretty slick. If Apple wasn’t already headed in this direction, I bet they are now.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0ODskdEPnQ">

…and the hip-hop version.

iPhone suit follow-up

Rob Webb — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 04:58:00 +0000

Here’s an IP attorney that thinks iPhone is too commonly used to be held by anyone. That is a possible outcome, although if Apple makes that argument and they really did try repeatedly to buy it from Cisco, they will have significantly undermined their position. This will be interesting. If I were Cisco I would be pretty pissed right now.

Cisco sues Apple over use of "iPhone"

Rob Webb — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 01:38:00 +0000

This is pretty interesting. Cisco holds the tradmark “iPhone”, which they acquired when they bought Infogear a while back. There is actually already an iPhone and according to Cisco, Apple knew about it and repeatedly asked them if they could buy it. It will be extremely interesting to see what comes of this. Either Apple will try to say that “iPhone” is too much like “iPod”, etc. and Cisco is ripping them off by selling something that consumers could perceive to be an Apple product, or they will settle. Since “iPhone” isn’t an actual word in the english language, it is a strong trademark, “i” aside.

Edit: Apple told MarketWatch that they think the Cisco suit is “silly”. They contend that lots of companies have used the “iPhone” name for VOIP phones and that Apple is the first to use it for cell phones. It seems possible that the mark has been used widely enough that it is not protectable…it seems very unlikely that the distinction between a VOIP handheld phone and a cell phone are great enough such that consumers would not be confused between them and the USPTO would see a valid difference.

iPhone + Schmidt + Jobs = crashed Blogger

Rob Webb — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:14:00 +0000

Blogger, the blogging platform run by Google that I use for this blog, crashed right when Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google joined Steve Jobs on stage at MacWorld to help him announce the iPhone. I guess that combo is a little too much heat for the blogosphere…

Google + CBS…..+ Apple TV?

Rob Webb — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 15:50:00 +0000

So NBC and Google announced yesterday…that they will announce today at CES…that NBC will be going straight to the net with some of it’s prime time shows, a move foreshadowed by the uncensored SNL release of the JT “D*ck in a Box” skit last month…

The word is that Apple is going to be releasing the iPhone tomorrow. Apparently it will have two batteries – one for music and one for the phone – I’m sure it will be sleek and snazzy as well. However, I would be far more interested in an Apple TV. A phone will certainly shake things up in the telecom world a bit, especially if there was some sort of VOIP capability, but an Apple TV would be pretty wild. They could easily put Mac Mini (or the yet to be released iTV) hardware into one of their high quality huge flatscreens, and bam, you would have your music, podcast, youtube, DVR and DVD/hometheater hub. I guess you would still need a set-top-box to get your cable/satellite, but who needs a STB when networks going straight to the net?