I was wondering when this would happen – Xoom Corp Sues Motorola

Xoom Corp sues Motorola Mobility for trademark infringement over iPad wannabe
[Via MacDailyNews]

Xoom Corp., operator of a money- transfer website, sued Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. for trademark infringement for naming its new tablet computer that went on sale today the Xoom,” Don Jeffrey and Hugo Miller report for Bloomberg. “Xoom Corp., based in San Francisco, said it has been offering its online service since 2003 and registered the trademark for the name in 2004, according to a complaint filed yesterday in federal court in San Francisco.”

[More]

Trademark litigation is always fun. I expect Mototola may have to make some financial payments here. xoom.com takes you to the Xoom Corp. site.

This should all be good for the lawyers.

Art from my DNA

DNA Ancestry Portrait: from saliva in your mouth to wall art
[Via Ars Technica]

What would you do with a giant QR code—you know, the kind of URL you can scan with your phone—of your DNA ancestry? When I was asked this question, I didn’t know the answer. Does anyone really have a need or want for a huge QR code that lets people see details about your family history? And for $440 (or more) a pop?

Balk at the price all you want, but someone is apparently buying these things. The company behind them, DNA 11, creates a number of different personalized portraits (some of which Ars has given away in the past, in fact), including standard DNA portraits, fingerprint portraits, and kiss portraits. Once you send in your required sample and choose a color, the company prints it out on canvas for you to hang anywhere or give as a gift. Does it seem a little self-centered to hang a portrait of your own DNA structure on the wall of your own home? Yes, yes it does.

But the DNA Ancestry portrait, which differs from the DNA portrait, is a slightly different story. After placing your order for a DNA kit and sending back your sample, DNA 11 creates an art piece that represents your maternal lineage “dating back thousands of years.” Okay, that’s kind of interesting. Ever since genetic testing company 23andMe became popular, people with a few hundred dollars to burn have been getting more interested in learning about their lineage, so why not do that in a colorful piece of wall art?

[More]

While they do not actually sequence all your DNA, this is a cute idea. They figure out what your mitochondrial haplotype is. This essentiually tracks your maternal family line back.

There are limited number of haplotypes. Once they identify your, they combine it with a specific web site address and create a 2D barcode, specific to you, and print the barcode onto a canvas for your art.

Whenever this barcode is scanned, it’ll take you to the specific web page created and you can find out about the haplotype.

While not as extensive a DNA check as 23 and Me does, this is a cute way to make art from your DNA.

Tiny Wings – what is it with iOS games and birds

by Martina Rathgens

Tiny Wings is everything perfect about iPhone games
[Via Ars Technica]

The world is filled with people who take pride in never having played Angry Birds, or who turn their noses up at iPhone games in general. Let them. There was a legitimate case to be made for the possibility of Angry Birds winning game of the year from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, no matter how simple or limited the concept. Now, Tiny Wings is the latest gaming success on the iPhone: $1 can buy you a little drop of happy for your iPhone.

Tiny Wings is a download small enough that you don’t need to be on WiFi, and the price tag is low enough that it’s the easiest of impulse buys. The gameplay takes one finger, and the game is mostly a matter of timing. This is why it’s so magical.

[More]

I’ve just about run my way through all 3 star levels of Angry Birds when this nifty game comes out.  It is a very short download but boy does it pack a punch.

It is a perfect game for spending a few – or more – minutes wasting time. It is so simple in execution but so difficult to get just right.

Angry Birds was the perfect game for sitting on the john. Looks like Tiny Wings will be filling that need now.

I wonder when the merchandising will be sold (eg cushy bird pillows)