Apple Phone / NNf

This week's NEW NET issues list is longer than usual as a result of the MacWorld conference and CES in Las Vegas, as well as lots of other interesting developments in the tech world.

The most talked about tech item this past week was the new Apple Phone, which Steve Jobs introduced as the iPhone. Many people had been wondering what Apple would call their iPod phone when it was finally announced, because Cisco already owned the trademark for the iPhone name. Apparently, Steve's RDF (Reality Distortion Field) couldn't let a silly thing like a trademark get in the way of using the name he preferred. Yesterday I finally saw an article (# 8 below in Mobile Computing and Communicating) that voiced the same thought I'd had upon hearing about the Apple "iPhone."

Steve's no dummy, and there are lots of lawyers at Apple responsible for making sure things like patents and trademarks are in order. Additionally, Apple has been talking with Cisco for several years about an agreement to use the iPhone name. Hence, the primary reason for calling the iPod phone an "iPhone" without a signed agreement with Cisco was likely for the publicity that will result. If Steve's RDF extends its reach to the legal system, Apple might even get to keep the iPhone name for their phone. But if Cisco ends up winning the legal tussle, and Apple either has to change the name or pay Cisco a licensing fee, the Apple phone will still have gotten a lot of mileage out of the controversy over who can use the name "iPhone."

(To give a flavor of different impacts of the Apple Phone, ten articles in this week's issues list are about the new phone.)

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Below is the final list of issues for the TUESDAY, 16 January 02007, NEW NET (Northeast Wisconsin Network for Economy and Technology) 6:50 pm weekly gathering upstairs at Tom's Drive In, 501 N Westhill Blvd, Appleton, Wisconsin, USA.

The ‘net

1. GravityZoo: It's a WebOS Jim, But Not As We Know It http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/gravityzoo_review.php
2. 2007: The year of the "expert wiki"? http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070112-8604.html
3. Chinese Web could remain slow until late January http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070111/tc_afp/asiaquakeinternet
4. Weebly offers free, easy Web site creation http://venturebeat.com/2007/01/14/weebly-offers-free-easy-web-site-creation/
5. Findory rides into the sunset http://glinden.blogspot.com/2007/01/findory-rides-into-sunset.html
6. Wikipedia battle over iPhone trademark http://www.tuaw.com/2007/01/15/wikipedia-battle-over-iphone-trademark/

Security, Privacy & Digital Controls

1. Senator to FCC: Don't even think about a broadcast flag http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070111-8596.html
2. Canadian coins bugged, U.S. security agency says http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/01/10/rfid-defence.html
3. Choosing Secure Passwords http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/01/choosing_secure.html
4. Canada unveils $432m border [security] plan http://archive.gulfnews.com/world/Canada/10096695.html
5. Do-it-Yourself Phishing Kit Found Online http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,128524-c,cybercrime/article.html
6. 'Pocket phisherman' kit discovered by RSA http://tech.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1242377.php/Pocket_phisherman_kit_discovered_by_RSA
7. Senators introduce bill to restrict Internet, cable, and satellite radio recording http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070112-8609.html
8. AntiVir personal edition http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/01/14/antivir-personal-edition/
9. Privacy rights and pinpoint surveillance: the TWAIN meet http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070115-8617.html

Mobile Computing & Communicating

1. Apple’s iPhone http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/16425155.htm http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/01/09/BAGIBNFK493.DTL&type=tech http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16566968/site/newsweek/ http://www.sauria.com/blog/2007/01/09/what-is-iphone/
2. UPDATE on Cisco's iPhone Trademark http://blogs.cisco.com/news/2007/01/update_on_ciscos_iphone_tradem.html http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070110-8594.html
3. Hands on with the Nokia N800 http://arstechnica.com/nws.ars/post/20070109-8575.html
4. Verizon Draws More Attention To Telco's Dubious Math Skills http://techdirt.com/articles/20070110/094524.shtml
5. Skype says time is not ripe for cellphone version http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070111/wr_nm/electronics_show_skype_dc
6. Want an iPhone? Beware the iHandcuffs http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/14/business/yourmoney/14digi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
7. Apple Bullies Bloggers, Again http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/01/13/apple-bullies-bloggers-again/
8. Apple Will Use iPhone Trademark Lawsuit For Publicity http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20070113/tc_cmp/196900716
9. Delays in Transferring Land Line Phone Number to Cell Phones http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/2007-01-15-number-usat_x.htm
10. AT&T To Phase Out Cingular Name, Reclaim Its Wireless Brand http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20070113/tc_cmp/196900400

Open Source

1. The MVPs of Open Source http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=906
2. Sun's Fortran replacement http://news.com.com/Suns+Fortran+replacement+goes+open+source/2100-7344_3-6150063.html
3. Open Source Developers Build on Amazon Web Services http://www.techweb.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196900347
4. Campcaster - Open Source Radio http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/01/campcaster_open_1.html
5. Oldies but Goodies: The Network Really Is the Computer http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/01/oldies_but_good.html

SkyNet

1. Google 3D drawing tool: SketchUp 6 Is Out http://blog.outer-court.com/archive/2007-01-11-n37.html
2. Mock-up: What if Google Made a Yahoo-like Start Page? http://googlewatch.eweek.com/content/today_in_stupid/mockup_what_if_google_made_a_yahoolike_start_page_1.html
3. Google, Microsoft Improve Online Mapping Apps http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20070111/tc_cmp/196802780
4. Google Talk + AIM = When? http://juberti.blogspot.com/2007/01/google-talk-aim-when.html

General Technology

1. iRobot releases bot for modding http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070110-8586.html
2. BitTorrent accelerator chip to power home media devices http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070112-8605.html
3. John Carmack on the State of the Game http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070111-8601.html
4. ATI brings CableCARD to the PC with Digital Cable Tuner http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070109-8576.html
5. Apple announces AppleTV http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070109-8581.html
6. AMD announces DTX open standard for SFF PCs http://www.digitimes.com/mobos/a20070110PR203.html
7. Lack of interoperability stunts powerline networking http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20070111/tc_infoworld/85064
8. Int’l Space Station: Indian students chat with Sunita Williams http://www.andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=17144
9. Removal Tool for OEM Garbage Software http://www.yorkspace.com/pc-de-crapifier/
10. PCI-SIG releases the PCIe 2.0 spec http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070115-8623.html
11. DisplayLink: wireless USB monitor ICs announced http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070115-8621.html

Economy and Technology

1. Scoble: Netflix is Dead http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2007/01/scoble_netflix_.html
2. PayPal to combat phishing with key fobs http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070112-8608.html
3. New PayPal key to help thwart phishers http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/01/10/HNpaypalphishers_1.html
4. eBay buys StubHub, online ticket reseller, for $310M http://venturebeat.com/2007/01/11/ebay-buys-stubhub-online-ticket-reseller-for-310m/
5. PayPal expands protection coverage for eBay customers http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070110/wr_nm/ebay_coverage_paypal_dc
6. No cellphone? No BlackBerry? No e-mail? No way? (It's true.) http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20070111/tc_usatoday/nocellphonenoblackberrynoemailnowayitstrue
7. TechStar Launches http://www.feld.com/blog/archives/002136.html

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