Apple is embroiled in a trademark suit over ownership of the iPad name, and the battle has taken a dark turn for Cook and company. Apple might have to shell out anywhere from $38 million to $1.6 billion if Chinese courts don't rule in its favor -- and it's looking like they won't.

A partnership between Microsoft and customer service company 24/7 may not exactly sound like the most exciting proposition on the face of things, but the two are making some fairly lofty promises, and Microsoft seems to be making a serious investment in the initiative. As ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley reports, part of the deal will see Microsoft send at least some of the 400 employees it brought on in its 2007 acquisition of TellMe Networks to 24/7, and it will also license some of its speech-related IP to the company (in addition to taking an equity stake in it). The goal there being to combine natural user interfaces with a cloud-based customer service platform, which Microsoft promises will "redefine what customer service looks like." To that end, it gives the example of a credit card company getting in touch with you to report suspicious behavior; rather than a phone call, you could get a notification with all the pertinent details sent directly to your phone, which could anticipate a number of potential actions and let you respond by voice (or touch, presumably). Unfortunately, while the two are talking plenty about the future of customer service, there's not a lot of word as to when that might arrive.

originally appeared on on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our .

         

Exactly twelve months after the unveiling of the , Pentax is now introducing the successors to its colorful and ruggedized shooters. And while its macho design hasn't changed much, the newcomers usher in a host of predictable spec bumps. The new all-terrain shooters are sporting a 16-megapixel, back-illuminated CMOS sensor, 1080p (30fps) movie mode, micro-HDMI for when you feel like sharing your adventures and a 3-inch, 460,000 -dot LCD to help you frame your shots. Of course, this wouldn't fall under the if it couldn't handle anything you threw at it, which is why any WG-2 is waterproof up to 40 feet, shock-resistant and dustproof. If you're thinking about taking one of these on the trails with you, be ready to unleash around $350 for the unguided model or about $50 more for a GPS-enabled number. Neither will be available until March, so you'll have to wait a while, but in the meantime we've got the full PR below along with some press shots.

Gallery:

originally appeared on on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our .

         

According to the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, telecom companies Rogers and Bell Canada have in their labs an early prototype of Apple's rumored television set. Although the possibility of an honest-to-goodness prototype being tested is exciting, the idea that it's being scrutinized by telco operators is actually the more interesting part of the report.

Want to print stuff from your iPad, but hate drivers and cords and stuff? Good news, Canon's offering up the Pixma MX512 and MX432, two all-in-one inkjets that offer up , letting users wirelessly prints photos, docs and the like from their iPad, iPhone and iPod touches running iOS 4.2 or later. Canon also used the announcement to reaffirm its commitment to the technology, ensuring that it "will be available with the majority of Canon PIXMA Wireless All-In-One inkjet printers launched from this point forward." A brief, fully printable press release can be found after the break.

Gallery:

originally appeared on on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our .

         

Google heeft een bčtaversie van de Chrome-browser voor Android gelanceerd. De nieuwe mobiele browser heeft een vernieuwd systeem met tabbladen ...

So, Google is finally making the move we've been expecting for some time now and bringing . Now, you'll need a device running Ice Cream Sandwich to get the new mobile browser up and running but, thankfully, we happened to have a Galaxy Nexus on hand. As you might expect, mobile Chrome (much like its desktop sibling) is fast -- a little buggy perhaps, but fast. It isn't, however, the fastest browser for the platform. Chrome Beta holds its own, but the standard Android browser, the stable version of Firefox and Dolphin HD all edged it out in SunSpider. Numbers don't tell the whole story though, so head on past the break for more.

originally appeared on on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our .

         

We've sorted through and now we're relying on you to determine the real tech winners from 2011. So, if your smartphone of choice didn't get all the love you hoped it would, hop on over to the voting page and cast your vote. Keep in mind you have until 11:59PM ET on Monday February 20th to let your voice be heard. Check back for the leading vote getters along with our Editors' Choice gadgets before the end of the month.

Hit the to submit your ballot.

originally appeared on on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:48:00 EDT. Please see our .

         

Microsoft heeft bekendgemaakt dat de in juli vorig jaar aangekondigde Star Wars-uitvoering van de Xbox 360 vanaf 3 april eindelijk verkrijgbaar is. He...

Still baffled by the existence? Well, Sony's here to help! Earlier today, our brethren over at Engadget Chinese met up with Takeshi Goto, the head honcho of and mobile product producing, to learn how the Android clamshell went from several mockups (one of which was made out of a $4 wallet) right after the PDA era to the final product today. Between those two pivotal points on the timeline, Sony explored screen sizes between five to seven inches before settling on 5.5 due to hardware limitation; though the entire device ended up being about the same size as the 7-inch mockup. Later on, the manufacturer hooked up a couple of to power a Nintendo DS-like dual-screen prototype -- that was when Windows and x86 were under consideration, before Sony eventually went with Android on ARM. Intrigued? Hit the link below to take a look at the aforementioned goodies.

originally appeared on on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our .