Month: August 2011

Motorola Kore: It’s going to be a pair of workout headphones, not a tablet

Post author By J.B.
Post date August 11, 2011
7 Comments on Motorola Kore: It’s going to be a pair of workout headphones, not a tablet

Motorola squashed any speculation that recent domain name registrations around the word “Kore” would be for the company’s next tablet device, after filing a trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for headphones that monitor a person’s physical activity and fitness.

The trademark filing came on August 3, the same day Motorola registered domains such as MotorolaKore.com, but the filing (Serial Number: 85388115) didn’t appear online with the USPTO until yesterday.

The mark is limited to the following goods and services: “ELECTRONIC NON MEDICAL PORTABLE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY MONITOR AND FITNESS DEVICE FOR MEASURING MOVEMENTS, INDIVIDUAL’S ENERGY EXPENDITURE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL AND ACCESSORIES THEREFORE, NAMELY, HEADPHONES; SOFTWARE FOR DEVELOPING AND MONITORING PERSONAL ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE PLANS, TRAINING PLANS, TRAINING GOALS AND GIVING FEEDBACK ON THE ACHIEVED RESULTS”.

Many people had speculated (including myself) that Motorola Kore would be the device maker’s next tablet. Given that one of the rumored features for Motorola’s upcoming tablet would include a quad-core processor, the name seemed fitting.

A day after registering the “Kore” domain names, Motorola also registered “Energia” domain names. As it turns out, Motorola has similar “headphone” plans for Energia as well, filing a trademark (Serial Number: 85388873) the same day it filed for “Motorola Kore”.

With Kore and Energia slated for headphones, it looks like we won’t know the name of the company’s next generation tablet for some time.

UPDATE 8/11/2011 2:40 AM EST:. Droid Life pointed out by email to me that “Motorola Kore” could very well be the company’s “all-in-one fitness and music personal fitness device”.

Discussion: Geeky Gadgets, SlashGear, Droid Life, Phone Arena, Xataka, Droid Forum, GottaBeMobile, geek.com, Phandroid, AndroidGuys, Electricpig and Stuff Middle East

Tags Energia, featured, Motorola, Motorola Kore, uspto, Workout Headphones

News

New feature for Amazon’s cloud on its way according to domains: Elastic Cache

Post author By J.B.
Post date August 10, 2011
1 Comment on New feature for Amazon’s cloud on its way according to domains: Elastic Cache

It looks like Amazon’s cloud services will be adding more functionality, this time in the way of a caching service for Amazon’s scalable cloud.

The company has registered a slew of domain names this week, including two mentioned in a post yesterday that tipped off the cloud caching service.

Here’s a look at the company’s latest domain name registrations, which also include more names for it’s newly introduced Kindle Cloud Reader spotted by TechCrunch.

The domains were all registered on August 8 by Amazon’s legal department through its registrar-of-choice MarkMonitor.

Tags Amazon Cloud, Amazon EC2, Elastic Cache

News

Apple personal video recorder? PVRApple.com emerges from privacy

Post author By J.B.
Post date August 9, 2011
1 Comment on Apple personal video recorder? PVRApple.com emerges from privacy

Since at least 2007, the domain name PVRApple.com has remained hidden behind Whois privacy through DNStination, Inc.

That all changed on July 29, 2011, when the registrant information switched to Apple Inc.

For years people have talked about an Apple PVR (personal video recorder) that offers Tivo-like recording, something the Apple TV has been lacking.

The update to PVRApple.com, could be a sign of things to come for the Apple TV or other Apple device.

The URL currently re-directs visitors to Apple’s website.

Here’s a look at the Whois record:

Registrant:
        Apple Inc.
        Apple Inc.
        1 Infinite Loop
         Cupertino CA 95014
        US

Domain Name: pvrapple.com

Registrar Name: Markmonitor.com
Registrar Whois: whois.markmonitor.com

Created on…………..: 2006-05-06.
Expires on…………..: 2012-05-06.
Record last updated on..: 2011-07-29.

Discussion: MacRumors

Tags apple, Apple Personal Video Recorder, Apple PVR

News

Does Amazon’s KindleAir.com domain registration hint at the next Kindle?

Post author By J.B.
Post date August 9, 2011
6 Comments on Does Amazon’s KindleAir.com domain registration hint at the next Kindle?

Rumors of a new Amazon Kindle have been brewing over the last week since prices were slashed on refurbished Kindle 3 models.

Now the company has made a few domain purchases in the past few days centered around the word Kindle.

Two of its purchases, kindlesocialnetwork.com and kindlesocialnetworking.com, come after news that Amazon quietly added social networking features to its Kindle support site, which can be found at kindle.amazon.com.

Amazon appears to also have acquired KindleAir.com via MarkMonitor after the domain name recently expired. Although the registrant name currently lists MarkMonitor, Amazon regularly uses MarkMonitor the brand protection company for new domain registrations, including its latest social networking purchases.

KindleAir.com used to be the homepage of a comic strip (view here) that hinted at a Kindle for the PC before it was released in late 2009.

While it’s entirely possible that Amazon registered the domain name as part of its overall IP strategy, the timing of the next generation Kindle rumors give it some possibilities, although it is a stretch to imagine Amazon calling its next Kindle something similar to Apple’s MacBook Air.

Amazon’s legal department also registered amazonelasticache.org and awselasticache.org.

Discussions: SlashGear, electronista, Geeky Gadgets, Good E-Reader Blog, @9to5mac, Engadget and PC Magazine

Tags Amazon Kindle, featured, Kindle, Kindle Air, Kindle Tablet, KindleAir.com

News Trademarks Video Games

RockYou files trademark for Hooked

Post author By J.B.
Post date August 7, 2011

RockYou, one of Facebook’s top 25 developers has filed a trademark for Hooked, for a yet-to-be revealed game.

There are no clues given as to what the game will be about, other than the limited details found in the trademark.

The trademark application was filed on August 2 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Word Mark HOOKED

Goods and Services IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Downloadable computer software for use on wireless devices and computers for social networking for use in the field of online and mobile gaming; Computer game software; video game software; interactive video game programs; computer software to enable uploading, posting, showing displaying, tagging, blogging, sharing electronic media or information regarding the fields of virtual communities, electronic gaming, entertainment, and general interest via the Internet or other communications networks with third parties

IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line computer games; providing information on-line relating to computer games and computer enhancements for games; Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line reviews of computer games; providing an Internet website portal in the field of computer games and gaming

Standard Characters Claimed
Mark Drawing Code (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number 85387704
Filing Date August 2, 2011
Current Filing Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) RockYou Inc. CORPORATION DELAWARE 425 Broadway Redwood City CALIFORNIA 94063
Attorney of Record Kelly Phair McCarthy
Type of Mark TRADEMARK. SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

I’ve reached out to RockYou for comment on Hooked and will update this post if I hear back.

Discussion: Gamezebo

(Photo of RockYou offices in Redwood City, CA via GlassDoor.com)

Tags Hooked, RockYou, uspto