product - Programming Blog

Posts Tagged ‘product’

21 Jan 2010

With rumours still flying left and right as we close in to Apple’s expected Tablet announcement next Wednesday, perhaps the most sought-after missing piece is still its name. Could it be iGuide, or iSlate?

Maybe — but it looks like iPad is definitely a strong contender as well, according to the Mac News Network. Apple has filed for a trademark on that name in Canada, Europe, and Hong Kong, but in the U.S. that trademark is already tied up by Fujitsu. The Japanese corporation has an existing product using that name: a handheld device used by workers in retail.

Yet while Fujitsu first filed for the trademark in 2003, at some point they stopped responding to the US Patent and Trademark Office’s requests for additional information. The USPTO never awarded the official trademark and ended up declaring the name “abandoned” in April 2009.

Although Fujitsu began pursuing the iPad trademark again last June, Apple has reportedly filed at least three requests to extend the deadline for presenting opposition to Fujitsu’s claim. The company now has until February 28 to submit evidence, potentially positioning itself as the rightful owner of the iPad trademark. Launching an actual product under the iPad name before that date may strengthen Apple’s legal claim to the mark, leading to logical speculation that iPad is the chosen forerunner for the tablet’s name.

What’s your favorite name for the still-mythical Apple Tablet? Place your bets now, people!

[img credit: TGR]

Tags: apple, Apple Tablet, fujitsu, gadgets, iguide, ipad, iSlate, trademarks

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Tags: Apple Tablet, Canada, Europe, Fujitsu, hong kong, ipad, mac news network, name, patent and trademark office, product, tablet fujitsu, trademark, U.S., US, us patent and trademark office

MySpace Cuts Three Senior Tech Execs

In: web resources

21 Jan 2010

MySpace has cut three senior tech executives from its staff, we’ve learned. We’re hearing that those affected are VP of Media & Entertainment Technology Kevin Freund, VP of Engineering Lucas Buck (who writes on his LinkedIn page that he was one of the original programmers who built MySpace), and VP of Engineering Sheetal Patel.

We’ve confirmed that those individuals are no longer with the company. MySpace provided the following statement:

“Our intent is to foster an environment of innovation and nimbleness that is centered on our user and our product. Today we’ve realigned our technology team against specific product lines to make it more efficient and allow us to bring new experiences to our users faster.”

We’re hearing that the cuts are part of a restructuring of technology and product that’s being conducted by Chief Product Officer Jason Hirschhorn and Chief Technology Officer Alex Maghen. Both are still fairly new to the company — Hirschhorn joined last April as part of the massive MySpace top management reshuffle, and Maghen joined in September. Hirschhorn, in particular, has made no secret of his desire to kill off products that no longer fit with MySpace’s core strategy.

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MIT Researchers Read Consumers’ Faces to Make a Better Taste Test

In: IT news

20 Jan 2010

It happens all the time: Companies spend large amounts of money on focus groups and market research, only to have a new product fail when it’s introduced to the public.

Researchers at MIT are hoping to help change that, using some high-tech tools that measure the emotional reactions of people as they’re testing a new product.

Part of the problem, the researchers say, is that people have a tough time accurately describing how they feel about something.

“We know that self-reported feeling is very inaccurate,” said Rosalind Picard, an MIT professor who directs research into computing and human emotion. “We’ve measured when people say they like something, but their face is leaking all kinds of disgust.”

Prof. Picard and PhD student Hyungil Ahn haven’t finalized their research yet but hope to have it published later this year. They said they aren’t looking to subject product testers to any sort of invasive, secret tests.

“There are companies that want to read people’s feelings without people knowing, and that’s not how we work,” Prof. Picard said. Instead, they are hoping to provide tools that help people report their feelings more accurately. The idea is based on devices the MIT lab developed for autistic people, who also have difficulty accurately identifying feelings. Those devices include instruments that record people’s facial images and tell the users how often they are showing interest, confusion, agreement and so forth.

Prof. Picard said the product-testing study was spurred by requests from companies that work with their lab, a roster that includes such names as PepsiCo and Bank of America. Representatives from these companies saw reports on the autism research and mentioned that the devices could be used in product testing. Prof. Picard said Pepsi was one company that influenced the lab’s decision to conduct the research: “They said, ‘We’ve got this problem. We’re trying to make healthier products. … We test them with people, and everybody says they love it … and then it flops.’”

In addition to evaluating facial expressions, the researchers also are using instruments that measure the electrical conductance of the skin, which can help indicate interest and memorability but which also changes depending on whether a subject is stressed — something that might be helpful for testing a product like, say, potato chips. “Most of us overeat when we’re stressed,” Dr. Picard said. “It’s interesting to look at with regard to why someone might be eating more. If your customers are eating more during your test, is it due to stress or due to actually liking what they’re eating?”