Since most companies’ mobile technology patent portfolios are woefully untested, now is a time of the survival of the fittest in the smartphone biosphere. Smartphone companies are suing each other to test the sharpness of their fangs and claws.

So imagine panther-like Apple with agate eyes stalking through the foliage, hunting the biomechanical wildebeest of Android OS. Now imagine, right before the panther sinks its fangs into the wildebeest’s flanks, the wildebeest suddenly rearing about and bleating: “You’re just jealous!”

Well, in real life, the wildebeest has bleated just that, and it came off as stupid as it sounds. According to Google chairman Eric Schmitd, Apple is suing HTC and other Android makers out of jealousy. Oh, right! And a lack of innovation.

Could Apple’s introduction of iCloud to store music and other data online hurt demand for flash memory? That’s the concern of some who forecast the new service could “make a serious dent” in the NAND marketplace.

Those shameless Smart Cover rip-off cases for the Galaxy Tab 10.1? Samsung wants everyone to know that despite the presence of their official certification logo, they had nothing to do with copying Apple’s designs… well, this time.

Apple’s upcoming OS X Lion release is expected to launch tomorrow, and when it does, it will be available exclusively through the Mac App Store. That means you’ll no longer be able to walk into an Apple retail store and purchase the release on DVD.

That’s great for the environment, but it can make recovering your machine a little more difficult. Apple’s new recovery plans for Lion, however, could make the whole process a walk in the park.

After commemorating its 10th anniversary in retail earlier this year, it seems Apple retail now has another impressive milestone to celebrate, having welcomed over 1 billion visitors into its retail stores worldwide.

Are you stressed?

Of course you are. We’re all stressed. What with global economic meltdown, internet security rapidly becoming a joke, unrest in Libya and the Middle East, gas prices soaring, even our beloved newspaper barons under attack from pretty much everyone. It’s a stressful time.

What we need is something soothing to calm our furrowed brows. What we need is a cup of tea. And some pictures of kittens.

Despite our previous warnings advising you to avoid the latest Duke Nukem release, if you’re still keen on purchasing the title for your Mac, it’s now available to pre-order.

When the doors of Apple retail stores close tonight, some employees will be arriving for an overnight that is expected to see preparation for the launch of Mac OS X Lion tomorrow.

If you are one of CNN’s 50 million subscribers, you now have access to 24/7 live streaming of the main and Headline News CNN channels on your iPhone and iPad.

CNN has announced that its customers can visit CNN.com for mobile streaming 24/7, and that this same feature has been made available to the CNN for iPad and CNN for iPhone and iPod touch app in the App Store.

Some of us probably remember the Apple I. Then there was the Lisa, followed by the first Macintosh. Apple products have evolved rapidly in the last 35 years, and now Apple has become much more of a mobile company.

Mashable has put together a wonderful infographic, called “The Apple Tree.” What would Apple products look like if they were placed into a family tree? Find out after the break!

The Grey Leather Sleeve for iPad ($33) from newcomer Case Factori is likely the most precisely average case we’ve ever reviewed. It does the job politely, and without fanfare. Or much personality.

The violations of Apple’s verboten on third-party iPad giveaways just keep getting better: it seems  there’s now a push to incite women to strip in support of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s presidential bid.

The Telegraph reports that there’s a group of lovely young Putin backers bearing their fronts and other bits to earn him votes.

It’s almost here, folks! After weeks of anticipation and rumors about OS X Lion’s public launch, we’ve heard word that copies of Lion are shipping to Apple Stores for the Mac demo units on the store floor. Additionally, Lion is also getting installed at AppleCare support centers.

Lion is rumored to be dropping this Wednesday morning at 8:30 AM ET.

The state of software patents in the US is very reminiscent of the feudal system during the medieval ages. In terms of the US app development scene, you have large companies, like Apple and Google, that provide the platforms for developers to create and innovate on.

Innovation on these platforms (platforms like iOS and Android) is regulated by communication and frequent lawsuits between patent holders. As of late, attacks by large patent companies on mobile indie developers have caused devs to flee the US to escape otherwise-unnecessary legal fees and infringement ramifications.

We loved Mac Magazine’s previous mockups of what they thought the iPhone 5 would look like, but I think their concepts of the rumored October addition to the iPad family — the Retina Display packing iPad 2+, otherwise known as the iPad 3 and the iPad HD — is even better.

Tomorrow’s earnings call should be an upbeat affair, if AAPL’s latest results are anything to go by: Apple’s stock just reached an all time high of $373 a share, up about 2.5%, and the company now has a market cap of just short of $350Bn. Wow.

[via 9to5]

Every time there’s an anticipated release — a movie, a book, a new gadget — there’s always someone clamoring to be first in line to get it. Some of these people are just honest fans literally counting down the seconds until release. Some are just addicted to seeing their names in the paper. And some are just there to cash in on the notoriety of being first.

That all being true, we’re not surprised that even though the iPhone 5 hasn’t even been announced yet, there’s already someone camped out in line for one. What is surprising is he’s so open about why he’s doing it: for the publicity.

The App Store has seen some awesome game releases in the last 7 days, and our favorites include two huge new titles from Gameloft, a thrilling new racer from the creators of Reckless Racing, and Captain America’s iOS debut. We’ve also got an awesome new dual-stick dungeon-crawling RPG from Crescent Moon Games that’s guaranteed to get you drooling.

What peels away from your tablet’s display, folds to allow you to prop it up or type on it, comes in five pastel colors and has a product name that starts with the word ‘smart?’

Apple’s Smart Cover for iPad 2 is a good guess. But that’s not what we’re talking about here: we’re talking about the Smart Case for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1. And hey, no surprise here: Samsung’s officially certified the copycat Smart Cover to be used with their copycat iPad.

Want ultimate protection for your iPhone when you are hurling yourself out of airplanes? Get an Incipio case, which helped the unlucky iPhone 4 pictured above survive a two mile free fall, albeit not without some war wounds.

Following our report earlier in the month that iPad 2 online order shipping times were on the decline, the iPad 2 shortage seems to now officially be over: you can now get any iPad 2 through Apple’s online store and have it shipped in a standard 1-3 business days.

OK, Wraparound is going to be one of those love it or hate it utilities.

Strengthening those claims that Apple is set to launch updated MacBook Airs this Wednesday, Amazon UK has completely sold out of the low-end 11-inch ultraportable with 64GB of storage.

OS X Lion didn’t drop last week as expected, but Apple promised it this month and it’s now a whole new week. So could OS X Lion drop on Wednesday, along with new MacBook Airs?

Apple released its promised iOS 4.3.4 software towards the end of last week to fix a security vulnerability in mobile Safari that made the latest JailbreakMe exploit possible. It goes without saying, then, that updating your device will eliminate the possibility of jailbreaking with JailbreakMe, but it will also kill all other untethered jailbreaks too!