The cases were initially filed back in late July, and placed under seal so as to avoid tipping off the counterfeiters to the fact that their stock might be seized. Apple Story and Fun Zone are the two stores in question, and Apple has apparently had its staff make regular visits on “multiple occasions over several weeks” where they discovered unauthorized use of the Apple logo and the claim that the accessories were “Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China.”

A later filing allowed for the stock to be seized, and a preliminary injunction has been granted that prevents – for the moment – any sales taking place. Apple is looking for triple monetary damages as recompense, as well as a full roster of those further up and down the supply chain.

It’s not the only recent clampdown on what Apple sees as infringement on its IP. Earlier this week it was revealed that the company is seeking to ban sales of all of Samsung’s phones and tablets across the EU in an escalation of the design infringement case ongoing in European courts.

Trade officials in China started investigating after the story of the fake stores broke and found that there were five stores in Kunming posing as real Apple Stores. Two of those five stores were closed when it was discovered that they lacked the businesses licenses needed to operate. The store in the photo here wasn’t closed.

It’s still not clear where the store in the photos here, the location described as a very convincing fake, gets its product. The product could come from grey market sources or the gear could come from Apple wholesalers. Even some of the staff at the store was convinced they actually worked for Apple. The shoddy construction in the store and the fact that Apple Store was printed on the front were the tip offs that the store was fake.

[via BBC News]

The original image ran over on androidcentral with all those details we already knew such as the 4.3″ display, dual-core TI OMAP processor and more, but then they added a photo that was the DROID DOES landing page we all know — it just looked different. The leak also showed a suggested price tag of $299 for the Bionic and that lines up with previous pricing on LTE handsets for Verizon such as the Droid Charge, but with the Bionic being both dual-core and LTE the price could very well be different. It pains me to see sites throw things like the above image up just for hits, or whatever it may be but at least the community was quick to spot the differences.

Without getting too deep into details it looks as if the image was pieced together by a few tricky photoshop users. I don’t fully understand this next link but I’ll let you guys be the judge. This is a test to see how many layers an image has, and how many times each layer has been saved — check it out. Pretty interesting results to say the least. Images like the one below also just seem a bit odd and totally different don’t you think?

We are all excited to see what the Droid Bionic brings to the table. It recently passed the FCC, then we saw leaks from Best Buy and we already knew it was coming soon so why get everyone excited for nothing until it’s actually official? Verizon has a sign-up page for those interested in hearing more details as well. With no other details other than these few links above it pains me to see something like the price leaked only to find it not to be completely accurate.

Either way we are all excited about the upcoming Droid Bionic and can’t wait to get our hands on the blazing fast dual-core and 4G LTE working together in harmony. The entire launch of this device has been a bit of a mess but once we get it in for review I’ll probably forget all about the leaks, delays, and other gibberish. Stay tuned as we will have it for review as soon as possible.

[via Android Community]

While ripping off products is common, what’s not very common is a rip off of the Apple Store in such a detailed manner as you see in these shots from China. Apparently, the store you see in these pics is located in Kunming, China and it looks the business for sure. It’s hard to tell that this isn’t the real deal. The person that shot the photos said that the store was very convincing and that the little details were the only real giveaways the store was fake.

For instance, the paint job on the walls was lacking in quality, as was the staircase it seems. The other tip off was that all the advertising hanging on the walls and signs with detail on the products was the old stuff, not the new Apple 2.0 where iPads are the signs for the gear inside. The photographer also said that all the people working in the store thought they actually work for Apple.

[via Apple Insider]

That will mean that an app store of some sort will be coming by Microsoft for Windows users at some point. With that in mind, no one was surprised when the screenshots for what was allegedly the app store for Windows 8 surfaced earlier this month. The leaked screenshot showed game apps like Angry Birds and other software that would allegedly be available for Windows 8 users to take advantage of when the new OS launches.

Today a Chinese application launched called Appmarts and the app is the spitting image of the leaked screen shots claiming to be the Windows 8 app store. The Appmarts app is in Chinese and is a fully functional app that can be used by Chinese geeks looking for new software, but it has nothing to do with Microsoft or Windows 8. The images we saw with the English writing and apps on them had been manipulated to appear to be from Microsoft for Windows 8.

[via istartedsomething]

Inside were two heavy nuts to make the drive feel suitably weighty, along with a mere 128MB flash drive rather than the few hundred gigabytes expected. That was apparently set into a clever “looped” mode which, when it runs out of space, starts to over-write the oldest data. Despite that, it still claimed to be the size it had been sold as in the system settings.

The end result is an external drive that will only play back, say, the last few minutes of a movie, despite having claimed that the whole thing was stored. Moral of the story is that if something seems too cheap to be real, it very well may be. Backup safe, humans.

[via HardMac and via Jitbit]

I can say from the writer’s side of being tricked, that sort of thing can really piss off a writer. Some publications take geeks covering things that turn out to be fake very seriously, people can end up in trouble, and then there is the inevitable post to readers to tell them you were fooled. I have learned to loathe April over the years because companies tend to start posting fake products two weeks before and for the entire month after.

The fake product has supposed to make the iPhone into a 90,000 volt stun gun that could shock someone without really hurting them. The point of the campaign was to illustrate the power of a single idea according to the company behind it. All I can say is after getting fooled some outlets might be leery of anything that the company shows off in the future even if it is legitimate. Still, the product was interesting even if it was an utter lie. Check out the video below.

When the images from the Vietnamese blog were brought to the world’s attention, the software wasn’t activated. In fact, they admitted that they couldn’t even get the current version of iTunes to recognize it outside of recovery mode. And then, suddenly, today they start saying that they could, actually, get it turned on. And sure enough, it’s running iPhone OS 4. Well, some sharp-eyed individuals used their skills to pick apart the image, and they found some very disheartening things.

For example, on the left-side of the device, it seems that the space between screen and bezel is far too thin, and therefore leads most to believe that it was a bad judgment call from the person who sent it through Photoshop. And then there’s supposed to be a grey strip that extends the length of the screen, but that does not. So, if these are to be believed, then it looks like the iPhone HD prototype over the seas, which might’ve been running iPhone OS 4 at some point in time, is not actually running anything at all. A real shame, if you ask us.

[via Mac Stories]

According to ThinkGeek’s faux description, the iCade cabinet would be used with the company’s own retro gaming app, expected to hit the App Store on April 3rd.  That would include a MAME emulator, though you’d have to find the game ROMs yourself.  Otherwise there’s a 10W PSU to keep things charged up, a 2.1 speaker system, and authentic arcade-quality controls.

If they really could deliver all that for $149.99 we reckon ThinkGeek could actually have a surprise hit on their hands; only the game ROM licensing issues might come back to haunt them.  Still, it wouldn’t be the first time a fake product from the company would end up getting manufactured: that happened to the Tauntaun sleeping bag, their Personal Soundtrack Shirt and 8-Bit Tie.

Of course, we know we’re not the Slash in question; the real story – which turned out to be fake – was that Axl Rose was demanding Guns N’ Roses fans take off any Slash-themed clothing before they went in for the concert.  Still, we’ll have some words to say to the GNR crew if we catch up with them at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month…

[Thanks Wayne!]

Video after the cut

This time around, rather than an interactive home furnishing system we’ve got what looks to be a digital magazine or news site, with various touchable elements that call up separate stories and video.  The Cover Flow style navigation system makes another appearance, and there are various gestures used to move between pages.

Interestingly, SlashGear reader Aidin Brown identified the app on the last video as IKEA’s free home planner, but fellow commenter Adam Bartholomew spotted that the app doesn’t actually run on OS X – you’ll need a PC instead.  Check out the first video here.

Video after the cut

As for why we don’t believe a moment of it, not only does Apple’s secrecy machine tend to clamp down tightly on anything so large as video access to such a prototype, but the content on-screen all seems a little to “perfect”.  We can’t imagine Apple putting together some sort of IKEA-esque room decor tool, and it’s unlikely that any third-party site would be quite so well integrated with any Apple Tablet’s interface system.

Nonetheless, as concepts go we think it’s pretty slick, and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t like the idea of a thin, touchscreen slate – whether it’s an Apple Tablet, a JooJoo or one of the numerous Android-based devices that are proliferating these days – for sofa-surfing.  Rather than scream “FAKE” at us in the comments, let us know what you think of the concept design or UI instead.

[via BeGeek]

For a start, there are none of the close-up shots we’re used to from unboxings.  Secondly the purported X3 is always partly hidden, and there are no side or rear pictures; surely if you have a chance to play with Sony Ericsson’s 8.1-megapixel handset, you’d show the nifty optics on the back?

Much more likely to be real – and far more mundane – are the leaked images over at the SE-NSE board.  They’re just as blurry as these leaks always are, but at least they show a working device.

[via Unwired View and via SlashPhone]

In fact, HMRC decided that, since a UK trademark would require an intention of trading, items not headed for UK shelves could not be seized.  The shipment was allowed to continue on its way to Columbia, and Nokia brought the case before the High Court arguing that HMRC had interpreted the Counterfeit Goods Regulations in an “unduly restrictive” manner.

The courts decision in favor of HMRC was tempered by the judge’s admission that the situation took advantage of a legal loophole, and that he hoped it would be closed as soon as possible.  Nonetheless, trademark attorneys are already suggesting that the ruling places unfair burden on trade mark owners, and potentially positions the UK as a “safe passage” route for counterfeit goods:

“In addition, the ruling raises real concerns that the UK could be viewed as a ‘safe passage’ by counterfeiters seeking to transit Europe en route to their trading destination. Clearly, this poses a significant threat for trade mark owners globally” Tania Clark, trade mark attorney, Withers & Rogers LLP

There’s also dual SIM card slots, handwriting recognition, an FM radio and an MP3 player.  It seems a shame that the whole phone-section isn’t taken up by a touchscreen, as 2.2-inches is on the pokey side, but we guess budget concerns held it back.

We doubt it has 3G connectivity, either, but that doesn’t stop it being a great design.  Best of all, the Nokla E97 is available right now – if you’re willing to fly to China to pick one up – for just 800 yuan ($117).

[via Cloned in China]

After “carefully examining” the device, Otani decides there are a few differences between it and the Kindle, though when you’re scrabbling round flagging up differences in button shapes and logo it says a lot about the origins of your inspiration.  Inside the device there’s some form of wireless connection, probably GSM since it requires a SIM card, which can be used for downloading new ebooks while on the move.

According to Founder International this is a prototype, and the eventual product will arrive in China at the end of 2009, with a possible Japanese launch at some point after that.  It’s expected to be priced at around $210 and support the Peking University’s own Apabi ebook viewer software.

[via E-Ink-Info]

The listing mixes Intel’s Atom N270 and the company’s 945GSE chipset with VIA graphics, as well as showing the device running Windows XP rather than the Linux-based OS the official Crunchpad will deliver.  The first gen Crunchpad was intended to use a VIA CPU, though they’ve since switched to using an Atom processor.

Most damning, though, is the price.  TechCrunch insist that they’ll be bringing the Crunchpad in at roughly $300, while this Chinese firm is offering prices between around $278 and $365 depending on volume ordered.  Factor in mark-up costs for whichever brave firm decided to distribute them, and it’s not looking good.

[via Shanzai; via howtobemobile]

On the positive side, the box art does look very complete, and seems a whole lot of effort to go to if you’re producing a cheap knock-off console.  Everything else seems somewhat dubious, however: the casing pieces look cheap and sub-standard compared to Sony’s current-generation PlayStation 3, and then there’s the fonts and logos.

While “PS3″ has become the general reference term for the console, Sony have persisted in calling it by its full, proper name: the PLAYSTATION 3.  However both box and console in these photos are branded as PS3, which suggests either a significant change in Sony’s direction or a pratfall by the copycats.  Sony are yet to comment on the images, but have previously denied plans to create a slimline version of the PS3.

[via Kotaku]

That seems an unlikely tag for Nokia, who don’t generally refer to Transflash whatsoever.  Meanwhile Kumal also points out the absence of a flash, the inclusion of which you’d expect with the supposedly upgraded 5-megapixel camera.

His other points – the lack of Carl Zeiss branding on the camera lens, and the omission of 3G and a front video camera on the spec sheet – could be explained away by virtue of the handsets being pre-production prototypes, but all in all there’s still plenty of doubt hanging over the cellphone.  It looks like we may have to wait a little longer for the real Nokia 5800 XpressMusic successor.

What confuses matters is that an entirely different page is suggesting that, rather than the 5900 XpressMusic, the images are of the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, another media-centric touchscreen handset but not the 5800′s successor.  Instead, it’s said to use the same 3.2-megapixel camera, paired with a 2.9-inch display.

Of course a final interpretation could be that, like the Nokla N98, this is yet another fake handset attempting to cash in on Nokia’s design stylings.  Right now, there’s no real way of telling, unless someone from Nokia wants to come along and confirm it all as legitimate.  We doubt, somehow, that they’ll do that, however.

[via phoneArena]

Make-believe specs for the Nokia Aeon are listed as an OLED touchscreen, 32GB of onboard storage, a 12.1-megapixel camera, GPS and HSDPA.  It’s also supposed to measure 114 x 48 x 9mm and weigh a mere 92g.

Right now, we’re calling (early) April Fool, but we’d be quite happy to be shown wrong.  Sadly this is more likely a publicity stunt than a real launch; we’d be interested in hearing whether either the site or the free paper had permission from Nokia to use their Aeon renders.

[via portablegear.nl; via Unwired View]

Still, the VAINO uses that space to fit in a bigger, 10.2-inch 1024 x 600 display and a trackpad.  Like the Sony it uses one of Intel’s Atom processors, though in this case it’s the N270 1.6GHz chip, which if our experience is anything to go by could actually make it faster than the original.

There’s also 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard-drive and a multi-format card reader, together with a 1.3-megapixel webcam and WiFi.  No word on price, but don’t expect to see the VAINO anywhere in the US or Europe.

[via UMPC Fever]

What mockup artist Yury Cassini appears to have done is taken the front panel of the Motorola E8 and cleared off the keys, adding some minor controls and an earpiece along the way.  For the rear panel, meanwhile, the ZN5 donated its camera assembly and with some Photoshop tweaking the Motorola Touch ZINE HD was born.

So it looks as though this specific device isn’t sitting on the Motorola design board, but we can only hope that something very similar is.  Going by co-CEO Greg Brown’s harsh words, and his new focus on Android, we can keep our fingers crossed that by the end of 2009 there’ll be something vaguely similar for us to legitimately squeal over.

[via Engadget]

Two separate incidents involving fighter jet malfunction are being unofficially blamed on fake chips billed as Maxim and Xicor products; the two manufacturers have denied any involvement with the shipments.  Yet another incident describes how fake routers, branded Cisco, were used by various military agencies, heedless to the fact that each could have a covert “back door” through which their makers could access classified information.

Over 400 such routers have been seized so far, from use in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines over the past four years.  It’s believed they were part of a shipment of multiple mis-marketed routers sold to the military by a electronics distributor in Texas; the proprietors have since pleaded guilty to misrepresenting their wares.

“Counterfeit products have been linked to the crash of mission-critical networks, and may also contain hidden ‘back doors’ enabling network security to be bypassed and sensitive data accessed [by hackers, thieves, and spies]“  Melissa E. Hathaway, head of cyber security in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence

The chips are apparently sourced from Chinese vendors who remove them from obsolete hardware, re-label them to disguise their age, and sell them on with fake branding.  A switch to using smaller brokers to source hardware for American projects began in the early 1990s, as a cost-saving exercise.

[via Guardian]

In fact, mciarlo is steadily improving his mockup, based on feedback from the MacRumors community.  Bizarrely, despite regularly posting on the relevant thread and referring several times to the fact that the image is not authentically Apple, a number of people are still showing up to shout “I’d buy that” or “that’s a fake!”

Click here to see the full-sized advert mockup.  Images purporting to be of the real MacBook Pro updated casings showed up earlier on this month. 

[via BoingBoing Gadgets]

On the inside, it continues looking like the iPod Touch with the same SpringBoard style layout as the iPhone and iPod Touch with the same glass-like rounded icons. But, thankfully, that is the end of the theft, everything else is fairly unique.

This is more or less a PDA with a camera and 4GB (or 2GB) of storage that is smaller than the iPod Touch and lacks the multi-touch functionality. So if that’s the perfect description of what you have been looking for, you can get it for $109, a fair bit cheaper than the iPod Touch.

Tiny, fake iPod Touch for $109 [via CrunchGear]

What am I talking about? Isn’t it obvious? That’s an anagram of Apple’s message “Mum is no longer the word.” They are obviously referring to a dwarf named Grum Redbeard located in Starfall Village in Winterspring. If you need it spelled out for you, they’re going to announce World of Warcraft for both the iPhone and iPod Touch.

At this point, you’re still a bit confused, but that’s ok. You probably think that London is a strange place to make this kind of announcement, since a good portion of the WoW players are located right here in the US. We don’t need any clever word games to solve this riddle. Blizzard Entertainment is owned by Vivendi, and we all know that Vivendi is a French company. London houses the closest stand-alone Apple store which makes it the perfect place to make such an announcement.

Steve Jobs thinks he’s so smart with his fancy phone and black turtlenecks, but we’re on to him. I bet by this time next month we’ll all be traveling the world of Azeroth on our new iPods and iPhones.

UK Apple announcement hints at World of Warcraft iPhone/iPod touch edition [via macenstein]

Medison assured the reporters that their laptop would in fact sell for $150 and that their e-commerce partner, 2Checkout hasn’t actually removed and money from customer’s accounts. They have merely “reserved the funds” and that the money won’t be touched until the laptops ship.

Medison also stated that the way they intend on making money off of the laptop is not the $150 selling price, but the ad supported accessories page. Apparently ad space on that page is going for a monthly fee anywhere from $15k to $3mil.

Medison comes out in open regarding Celebrity laptop [via PCLaunches]

Now it appears that there is a game that will let you show off your latent accordion abilities. Well, maybe there isn’t. Apparently someone thought it would be worth a few laughs to not only dream up this game and create corresponding artwork, but to also take out a full page ad in Computer Games Magazine.

They were just a little late for April Fool’s Day, but regardless, this is hilarious. They went above and beyond to pull off this gag. I’m sure that there are plenty of people that saw this and simply believed that this is an actual game. Kudos to the guys that cooked this one up!

Accordion Hero II [via chipchick]

Keepin’ it real fake, part LXIV: 2G Shuffle goes dark [via engadget]