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>> What's happening? I'm Brian Tong, and welcome to the Apple Byte, where we're dishing out all the good and bad inside the world of Apple. Now, you'll be happy to hear that the Apple Byte will be in the house for next week's Apple event. We received our imitation, and that means I won't have to crawl through the ventilation system. And if you hear any girly-like shrieks during the announcement, they'll be coming from Apple's own employees in the audience.
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[ Clapping and cheering ]
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And I'm serious about that one, too. Now, we've heard a lot about the potential tablet, but what will they be naming the thing? Will it be the iTablet or the iSlate? Mac Rumors has done some real good digging and revealed that Apple has been applying for a trademark for the name "iPad" under a dummy corporation called "Slate Computing, LLC." And similar trademark applications have been filed in Canada, Hong Kong, and the UK. Fujitsu owns the US trademark that was basically abandoned in April of 2009 and then revived it in July, but Apple has filed three requests to extend the time for parties to oppose the trademark. Now, this could all be Apple trying to prevent any confusion with the iPod name, but it's got to be more than that when there's this much activity around the iPad name. Now, if you guys don't remember, it was the Apple Byte that first touted it as the Maxi Pad, so we might have a part in naming Apple's newest toy, and that's how you know you've made it in life. And if you've heard rumors that the potential tablet might have docking abilities, check out this patent filed by Apple in January of 2008. It shows a MacBook or tablet-like device that can slide into the back of an iMac to be used to display its content. It's a very real idea Apple has in mind, and we probably won't see this at the announcement. It pretty much won't happen, but this could be a peek into the future a year or so from now. Now what else can we look forward to on the 27th? The Boy Genius report claims we'll be seeing plenty of the new iPhone OS 4.0 at the event. Some of the key features are new ways to run apps in the background for multitasking. We've been waiting for a real multitasking solution forever. It will also have multi-touch gestures across, a revamped-looking user interface, and it will only be able to run on the iPhone 3G or 3GS. Now, in another recent report, Business Week claims that Apple and Microsoft are in negotiations to potentially replace Google as the default search engine with Microsoft's Bing on the iPhone. Two bitter rivals now joining together to fight a common enemy? It sure sounds like a Hollywood movie script, but the deal would help Bing get plenty of exposure on iPhones. And really, it's Google's entry into the mobile space and its squabble for mobile ads with the big A that has added fuel to this fire.
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All right, let's take a look at the iPhone app of the week.
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We're showcasing survival apps after reading an article in the unofficial Apple web blog about a Colorado Springs man who used his iPhone to help him survive after being trapped in the rubble from the earthquake in Haiti. He suffered a broken foot and cuts on his leg and the back of his head, but use the light of the iPhone and the medical app to help him treat his wounds. So here are a few apps from the article to check out. The US Army has their first aid manual for $1.99, and they also have a survival manual for $1.99 as well. Both have in-depth information for specific situations and diagrams. You guys will also want to check out WebMD Mobile. It's a free app that helps you look up symptoms you're feeling and treatment for basic first aid needs. Having any of these apps handy will always be helpful, unless your phone is out of battery juice, which would not be a good thing.
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Now, a quick byte, Amazon is making a preemptive strike before Apple's announcement by modeling its revenue share with some concert providers after Apple's own App Store with a 70/30 split in favor of the publisher. This won't apply to all digital books sold from the Amazon store, only those falling in between $2.99 and $9.99. But with Apple potentially offering a similar package to the big book publishers, Amazon needs to do this to keep its library growing and prevent some publishers from defecting over to Apple. All right, that's gonna do it for this week's show. We are excited about the announcement next week, so send me your e-mails, any questions you have with the applebyte@cnet.com. I'm Brian Tong. Thanks for watching and come back next time for another Byte of the Apple.
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