Macgasm

According to sources, Apple has purchased 200 patents from Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. While that may not be all that noteworthy, Freescale Secmiconductor, Inc. originally belonged to Motorola.

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Here at Macgasm, we need to take screenshots of Mac apps all the time. Whenever you take a window screenshot on the Mac (command-shift-4, followed by the spacebar), it captures the window contents and the drop shadow beneath the window, and saves it into a transparent PNG file on your desktop. This is really convenient, and the shadow is actually useful most of the time.

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TekGoblin is reporting that the next iPhone is due out in October. At least, according to what an AT&T representative has said online.

According to the site, when asked about the next iPhone, the AT&T customer service rep said, “Actually I just got back from a cooperate [sic] meeting discussing the new iPhone 5. They said it won’t be put in stores till October now due to the White iPhone 4. Apple wants as many sales as possible.”

I’m going to call shenanigans on this AT&T employee.

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It is no secret that Jim Dalrymple over at The Loop hasn’t been easy on RIM where the PlayBook is concerned.

Some people have felt that The Bearded One has been unfair to RIM, so Dalrymple has written a new comparison of the tablet — pitting it against an Etch A Sketch.

Admit it, we all love proclaiming we’re Apple fans, but have you ever considered how much of a common trait that is? The need to share is a huge part of the web today, and Apple is keen to placate that desire by providing convenient digital bumper stickers. They’re essentially an official stamp of approval for creative types who use Apple’s products.

The web badges help spread Apple’s proficiency for design work while at the same time showing a love for the brand. Obviously users are free to plaster their websites with as many badges as they want, granted they follow the usual strict guidelines.

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Several developers hit with Lodsys suits have been tweeting that they’ve been contacted by Apple concerning the issue. So far, Craig Hockenberry and Gedeon Maheux have mentioned it. The latter’s tweet seems quite positive, talking about “EXCITING” news from the company.

We’ll have more information as it becomes available.

Update: Macworld has the entire letter from Apple’s legal department. Bruce Sewell Senior, Vice President & General Counsel at Apple, writes, “Apple requests that Lodsys immediately withdraw all notice letters sent to Apple App Makers and cease its false assertions that the App Makers’ use of licensed Apple products and services in any way constitute infringement of any Lodsys patent.”

Thanks for the tips, readers!

Amazon’s Kindle has been doing extremely well, with sales of Kindle books surpassing sales of all print books on Amazon.com combined. The Kindle itself has long been the single best-selling product on Amazon.com for years. With Barnes & Noble struggling, and Borders Books suffering as well, it’s clear eBooks are the future.

Kobo started out as a little known startup trying to make headway in the fiercely competitive eReader market. The company’s big break came when Borders Books inked a deal with them, initiating a partnership. Borders agreed to adopt Kobo’s readers as their own, and sell them in all Borders’ brick-and-mortar store locations. The Kobo reader has been a nicely designed, affordable alternative to the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook since it’s introduction.

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For those of you who’ve never been there, Grand Central Terminal in New York City has a lot  of upscale stores and restaurants for people waiting for trains. The Terminal is an extremely expensive place for real estate, and one that few companies can afford. It looks like Apple may be in line to become one of those few.

Apple has expressed interest in opening an Apple Store in Grand Central Terminal, but until now that has been an impossibility due to the fact that there were simply no space openings there. However, that all changed recently when one of the existing stores in Grand Central Terminal announced that they are moving out. The lease for this store is up for grabs and will require a sizable deposit from whatever fortunate company ends up there. Apple is one of the few companies with the financial power to afford such a large deposit, and considering they have wanted to open a store there for so long, it looks like they might just pull the trigger on it.

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