Taking a byte: Inside a high-security air force manufacturing complex for jet fighters and weapons systems, Pakistan’s military is working on the latest addition to its sprawling commercial empire: a homegrown version of the iPad. It’s a venture that bundles together Pakistani engineering and Chinese hardware, and shines a light on the military’s controversial foothold in the consumer market. Supporters say it will boost the economy as well as a troubled nation’s self-esteem. Called the PACPAD 1, the devices run on Android 2.3—an operating system made by Google—and they’re given away for free. The Associated Press has the full story here.
Bit by bit As if those bootleggers in the Middle East weren’t enough, Apple’s international woes deepened today in China, with the company that’s claiming ownership of the iPad name saying it won a court ruling against sales of the popular tablet computer in China. A lawyer for Shenzhen Proview Technology says the Intermediate People’s Court in Huizhou, a city in southern China’s Guangdong province, ruled on Friday that distributors should stop selling iPads across China. The ruling, which was widely reported in China’s state media, may not have a far-reaching effect. In its battle with Apple, Proview is utilizing lawsuits in several places and also requesting commercial authorities in 40 cities block iPad sales. Apple says in a statement today that its case is still pending in mainland China. The company is also appealing a previous ruling in Proview’s favor. Apple insists it holds the trademark rights to the iPad in China. Read the full story here.
Getting pumped: Oil prices jumped to a nine-month high today—above $105 a barrel—after Iran said it halted crude exports to Britain and France in an escalation of a dispute over the Middle Eastern country’s nuclear program. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark March crude was up $1.91 to $105.15 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier in the day, it rose to $105.21, the highest since May. The contract rose 93 cents to settle at $103.24 per barrel in New York on Friday. Markets in the United States are closed today for the Presidents Day holiday.
Today’s poll question: If the election were today, who would get your vote for mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish?
