CHINA: Teen Sells Kidney For iPhone

Five people in the southern China province of Hunan have been arrested and charged with intentional injury in the case of a teenager who sold a kidney so he could buy an iPhone and an iPad. The five included a surgeon, who removed a kidney from the 17-year-old boy in April last year. The boy, identified only by his surname Wang, now suffers from renal deficiency, the government-run Xinhua News Agency quoted prosecutors in Chenzhou city, Hunan province as saying.

According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, one of the defendants received about 220,000 yuan, $US35,00 to arrange the transplant. He paid Wang 22,000 yuan and split the rest with the surgeon, the three other defendants and other medical staff. The report didn’t say who received or paid for the kidney. Read the full article »»»»

STANDOUT! Apple FORCED To Offer iPAD Refunds 4G Non Compatibility

Our favourite tech behemoth Apple is once again in an übergadget pickle.  The beheomoth has been forced to offer a refund to people who bought its new iPAD, which it admits is not compatible with Australia’s Telstra 4G network. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission – ACCC – has taken legal action against Apple for what it claims are misleading statements over its new iPad.

Lawyers for the ACCC have accused Apple of breaching consumer law by promoting the device as being able to connect to high-speed 4G mobile networks using a sim card. The Australian Federal Court heard that Apple ignored warnings from the ACCC and was told the day before the iPad’s launch that it was misleading consumers. Read the full article »»»»

Oops! Samsung Galaxy Table Banned Again?

UPDATE!! The behemoth that is Apple has won another temporary injunction to stop rival Samsung from selling its Galaxy tablet computer in Australia. On Wednesday – just 2 days ago – we reported that the Federal Court had lifted a previous injunction, meaning Samsung could start selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 at 4pm (AEDT) today. But Apple later launched an appeal to the High Court. The injunction means Samsung cannot sell the tablet computer until the case goes before the court on December 9. Apple says the South Korean company’s Google Android based Galaxy range of tablets and smartphones is too similar to its iPad and iPhone. The companies have been waging a battle in 10 countries over smartphone and tablet patents since April.

Apple vs Samsung: Samsungs Henka Move

In the war that has been Apple vs Samsung, the latter has won what could be the final slap-down. Samsung has won the right to sell its Galaxy 10.1 tablet in Australia after the Federal Court overturned a ban on the sale of the computer. Last month, the court slapped a temporary injunction on sales of the Galaxy 10.1 after rival Apple said the Galaxy range of tablets and smartphones was too similar to its iPad and iPhone. The tech behemoths have been waging a battle in 10 countries over smartphone and tablet patents since April. The Australian dispute centred on touch-screen technology. The court ruled the ban would have had the effect of killing off the Galaxy 10.1 tablet in Australia because of the short commercial life of new technologies.

Saga: Apple vs Samsung, A Galaxy of Litigation

We missed out on the Cretaceous Period, got our start in the Devonian Period,  woke up to ourselves in the Pliocene and have been running straight toward the Litigious Period. As megaliths and behemoths battle it out over who owns what patent, and which gadget belongs to who, the consumer is likely to be the victim in what looks to be a long and fierce battle. There seems to be the distinct possibility that more products will be blocked from sale. Samsung says its mammoth tit-for-tat patent battle with Apple could have been avoided if the latter wasn’t so trigger happy. This latest round sees the Korean behemoth attempt to ban sales of Apple’s iPhone 4S in Australia. In the Federal Court in Sydney this week, it was decided that the patent infringement case would go to an early full hearing in March 2012,  in return Samsung agreed to pause its attempt to temporarily ban the iPhone 4S between now and then. In an amusing turnaround – Apple has consistently argued it wants litigation NOW, and has repeatedly stated it wants this hearing to go ahead immediately – In this latest case, Apple has argued that it could not be ready for such an early final hearing. In what seemed like a replay of arguments in the Samsung vs Apple Galaxy Tab case, Apple, which wanted to ban the Samsung tablet from sale due to patent infringement, was seeking an early final hearing, while Samsung was arguing it could not be ready in time. This time the shoe was on the other foot. READ MORE

Kickstarter: MobileMount by JR Sanchez

The phenomena that is Kickstarter – www.kickstarter.com - has  been the launchpad for thousands of budding business oppurtunities – see top 10 below – this novel approach to funding has raised from the hundreds of dollars to just under 1 million,  for projects from gadgetry to short films. Kickstarter was founded in April 2009 by Perry Chen, Yancey Strickler, and Charles Adler. The Miami New Times jokingly proclaimed “Kickstarter.com is one of the smartest ideas for a website since Al Gore invented the Internet.”  For those who don’t know, Kickstarter is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors, ranging from indie film and music to journalism, solar energy technology. Since it’s inception, Kickstarter has raised $75 million dollars for over 10,000 projects. The project success rate is 44% Check the wiki below. 

The latest project out of  Kickstarter is of the gadget variety, it’s clever, inexpensive and very now.  MobileMount: Project instigator JR Sanchez, set a goal to raise $US20,000 to get his gadget of the ground, at time of publication, the project had raised $US43,000. MobileMount is a universal mount/kickstand for virtually any hand held device – tablet pc, phone, smartphone – with a flat surface. Comprised of two twist-to-lock suction cups and one ball joint, this device’s unique design allows for superior suction and durability. The “Patent Pending“ Twist-to-Lock suction cups can hold devices for weeks at a time rather than simply a few hours like other competing mounts.  Additionally, the universal design allows for users to mount their phone without removing the case. 

CONTINUED: Read the full article »»»»