Apple Seeks to Trademark ‘IWatch’ in Japan for Devices  —  Apple Inc. (AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, is seeking a trademark for “iWatch” in Japan as rival Samsung Electronics Co. readies its own wearable smartphone device.  —  The maker of iPhones is seeking protection …

Mozilla and Partners Prepare to Launch First Firefox OS Smartphones!  —  First Open Web Devices Powered by Firefox OS Make Smartphones More Accessible; Regional announcements coming soon  —  Mountain View, Calif. - July 1, 2013 - Mozilla, the mission-based organization dedicated to keeping …

Microsoft launches web-based Xbox Music, available for subscribers now  —  We expected Microsoft to launch its Xbox Music web version this week, and it appears the site is online and ready to use.  Xbox Music Pass subscribers can access the web player from music.xbox.com, with a responsive design that adapts to your browser size.

Android, Led By Samsung, Continues To Storm The Smartphone Market, Pushing A Global 70% Market Share  —  Google is grappling with an ongoing antitrust case in Europe over its online search business, and if its rivals have anything to do with it, that might extend into Google's power in the mobile sphere, too.

Apple France raided by antitrust investigators  —  Apple France was searched by French antitrust watchdog investigators last week, local news claims, after allegations that the iPhone maker discriminates against independent retailers by offering better deals with its own stores.

Startup Investing Trends  —  Y Combinator has now funded 564 startups including the current batch, which has 53.  The total valuation of the 287 that have valuations (either by raising an equity round, getting acquired, or dying) is about $11.7 billion, and the 511 prior to the current batch have collectively raised about $1.7 billion.

With new ICANN agreement, you'll need to verify email and phone to register a domain  —  Domain registrars like GoDaddy will soon be held far more accountable for information on those who are signing up for web domains.  In the future, users will need to verify both their email address …

Stealth Wear Aims to Make a Tech Statement  —  THE term “stealth wear” sounded cool, if a bit extreme, when I first heard it early this year.  It's a catchy description for clothing and accessories designed to protect the wearer from detection and surveillance.  I was amused.

Microsoft starts selling its Surfaces through resellers  —  Summary: Microsoft is further expanding distribution of its Surface RT and Pro devices, starting with authorized resellers in the U.S.  —  Microsoft is expanding distribution of its Surface tablet/PC devices via authorized distributors …

HP Still Plotting a Return to Smartphone Market  —  Hewlett-Packard's ignominious first run at the smartphone market won't deter it from taking a second.  Nor will some formidable incumbents who seem to have sucked all the air out the space.  According to Yam Su Yin, senior director …