UPDATED 08:00 EDT / MARCH 01 2012

Apple Bullies EPAD Over iPad Trademark, AMD Acquires SeaMicro

Today’s mobile roundup includes Apple’s EPAD complaint and the expected launch of the new Apple TV and 14-inch MacBook Air.  We’ll also discuss the blocking of eBooks, AMD acquiring SeaMicro and Sprint’s new app offering for the visually impaired.

Apple

As the Apple-Proview dispute looms on, the iPad maker filed a separate complaint against another company for the EPAD trademark.

EBox Digital Technology Product makes laptop luggage, and uses the EPAD trademark on their products.  Apple filed a complaint against them asking the company to drop the EPAD trademark because it closely resembles the iPad trademark.

EBox spokesperson stated that they have no plans to use the EPAD name for any electronics or tablet devices.

“The iPad trademark is not Apple’s, so now they want to take ours,” said EBox’s spokeswoman. “Apple has been a bully.”

Though Apple is knee-deep in trademark suits, that’s not slowing them down on the product side.  March 7 is just a few days away and everyone is anticipating what Apple will be unveiling at their upcoming event, with more rumors surfacing.  Some sources say that the iPad 3 launch will be accompanied by a new Apple  TV that has the ability to stream 1080p video from iTunes, Netflix and other video services.

Apple is said to be considering launching a 14-inch MacBook Air, which will begin mass production sometime in the near future.

And Apple reportedly started rejecting eBooks containing links to rival Amazon for publication in its iBookstore.  According to reports, Apple rejected his “new manifesto Stop Stealing Dreams and won’t carry it in their store because inside the manifesto are links to buy the books I mention in the bibliography.”  Godin also stated the reason Apple gave him for the rejection, “Multiple links to Amazon store. IE page 35, David Weinberger link.”

Simply put, Apple won’t carry an ebook that contains a link to buy a hardcover book from Amazon or any other competitor sites.

AMD to Acquire SeaMicro

AMD announced that they have agreed to buy SeaMicro, a pioneer in energy-efficient, high-bandwidth microservers, for approximately $334 million, of which approximately $281 million will be paid in cash.

With the acquisition, AMD’s strategy will be accelerated to deliver disruptive server technology to its OEM customers serving cloud-centric data centers, and with SeaMicro’s fabric technology and system-level design capabilities, AMD will be uniquely positioned to offer industry-leading server building blocks tuned for the fastest-growing workloads such as dynamic web content, social networking, search and video.

“By acquiring SeaMicro, we are accelerating AMD’s transformation into an agile, disruptive innovator capable of staking a data center leadership position,” said Rory Read, president and CEO, AMD. “SeaMicro is a pioneer in low-power server technology. The unmatched combination of AMD’s processing capabilities, SeaMicro’s system and fabric technology, and our ambidextrous technology approach uniquely positions AMD with a compelling, differentiated position to attack the fastest growing segment of the server market.”

Sprint’s Wireless Accessibility

Sprint announced that they have officially launched a free downloadable application, “Wireless Accessibility,” to provide easier access to an Android smartphone’s functionality for customers who are blind or have low vision.

“Having the ability to gain greater access to information on smartphones through the use of a free suite of applications is a very positive development in the blind community’s quest for more affordable choices,” said Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American Council of the Blind (ACB). “The American Council of the Blind commends Sprint for its willingness to take another positive step toward full product accessibility.”

Wireless Accessibility, formerly known as Mobile Accessibility, is available for $99 in the Android Market, but is now available for free to Sprint, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile USA customers.  Developer Code Factory brought the full suite of Mobile Accessibility features to Sprint’s Wireless Accessibility.


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