Google has filed a request with the United States Patent on Trademark Office (USPTO), asking that 2 of the patents Lodsys is using the troll iOS and Android developers be re-examined.

"We've asked the US Patent Office to reexamine two Lodsys patents that we believe should never have been issued," Google senior vice president and general counsel Kent Walker told Wired.com in a statement. "Developers play a critical part in the Android ecosystem and Google will continue to support them."

While re-examination could get the patents thrown out, the more common result seems to be a narrowing of focus. Likewise, while the ongoing Lodsys lawsuits could be paused pending the re-examination, there’s no guarantee of that either.

It’s nice to finally see Google take some action, though Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents seems non-plussed:

While I agree with Google’s senior vice president and general counsel Kent Walker that those patents should never have been issued, I don’t consider those reexamination requests — unless they will be accompanied by more forceful and useful measures very soon — a serious commitment to supporting Android app developers against trolls. If this is all that Google does, it’s too little, too late, and calling it “half-hearted” would be an overstatement.

Apple, by contrast, has filed a motion to intervene in the cases. Apple, Google, Microsoft and others are already licensed under an agreement with previous patent holder, Intellectual Ventures. There was a theory that the Intellectual Ventures license might prevent Apple et al from trying to invalidate the patents, so either that’s not the case or Google is going for it anyway.

Meanwhile, the whole situation continues to cost developers time, money, attention, and sanity. (Which is part of why this matters.

[Wired, FOSS Patents]

Apple opened a handful of new Apple Stores today, none more amusingly placed than the one in Waterloo, Ontario, the hometown of BlackBerry maker RIM. Starting today, anyone in Waterloo who wants an iPhone rather than Bold, iPad rather than PlayBook can just wander on over. And according to @Steve_Gamble, they seem to be doing just that:

At the new Apple Store in Waterloo today. The number of Blackberries going dark is astounding!

Anyone else attending the opening of Apple in Waterloo? Any CrackBerry.com-led protests going? Let us know!

[@Steve_Gamble]

Cupertino.org has posted a bunch of PDF files pertaining to Apple’s very Pixar-flying-saucer-esque new headquarters, planned for the old HP lot they acquired. The building, formed like a giant ring with apricot orchards, massive underground parking, and room for 20,000 employees, will make use of the same kind of leading edge design and manufacturing Apple has used for everything from their products to their Apple Stores, especially in constructing those huge, rounded glass panels.

If you haven’t already, watch the video of Steve Jobs pitching the idea to Cupertino City Council. You get the idea it might be able to detach and break earth orbit if our world ever becomes too annoying or aesthetically displeasing for Apple…

More pics after the break, or if you’re the patient type, hit up the PDFs linked below.

[Cupertino.org via @havvac]

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they're iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they're fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

Especially with school starting back tomorrow, I figured it would be smart to get it in early. Now put it somewhere safe!!!

Google+ – @Alli_Flowers

I jumped on the Google+ bandwagon early. I never liked Facebook, and I was tiring of Twitter. If you haven’t already tried Google+, there’s a great forum thread where you can get an invite, if you can’t already get yourself in there.

The app works a lot like the web client, only it provides notifications. So the real question is – why do I like Google+. And the answer is simple: it’s like having any of your other social networks mixed with a forum, and real time updates. Take away the games from Facebook, take away the spam from Twitter – that’s Google+.

Now that you have a working iOS app for Google+, there’s really no reason NOT to try it. Right?!

[Free - App Store link]

Screens – @sethclifford

I’m away at the beach this week, so I thought it only right that my pick be something super-useful when you’re away from home. Screens is a VNC client for iOS that works as a universal app on all your devices. What sets it apart from the many other apps that do the same thing in the App Store is that it was designed from the ground up with touch devices in mind. Where other VNC clients try to emulate your desktop exactly as a traditional client would, Screens makes excellent use of multi-touch gestures and different touch patterns to provide a really seamless remote experience.

The other feature I really like is the super easy and fast setup for connection using Screens Connect, a server assistant app you download and run from the computer you wish to control. In doing this, you’re able to assign the computer a dedicated name instead of having to remember a long IP address (which may be changed without you realizing it by your ISP) and you also gain some more specific controls that make the app even more useful. Since I stream all my media now, it’s invaluable for monitoring those server apps that sit on my Mac mini, and I can restart or tweak them if need be, from wherever I am.

It’s a bit on the pricey side, if you’re one of those people who balk at anything over $.99, but if you’re a fan of solid, functional software that makes your life easier (as I am), it’s worth a look.

[$19.99 - App Store link]

LiveScore – @chrisoldroyd

LiveScore is a fantastic free app that provides real time scores from many sporting events around the world; with a particular emphasis on soccer scores. As the English Premier League Football Season starts again this Saturday. The timing of this weeks pick of the week is perfect!

Every match in the UK league is covered along with most other countries. With this app you will know about goals, yellow cards, red cards, substitutions, you name it, seconds after they happen.

There are no push notifications, which is a shame however the app does auto-refresh when open. The application comes directly from LiveScore Ltd., the inventors of real-time delivery of live sport data and owners of the no.1 ranked football / soccer web site globally. No country restrictions either! Fast access and my app of choice for keeping in touch with the games that matter to me. Come on Newcastle United!

[Free - App Store link]

RedLaser – @iMuggle

QR codes are extremely convenient for many business owners, especially small businesses. We just started utilizing it for our business as well as some of our local organizations we are a part of in our community. There are several apps available for all platforms. For iOS, my favorite is RedLaser. It’s simple to use and best of all, it’s free. Simply open the app, tap the lightning bolt at the bottom to scan a code, and place the code between the lines.

Not only does it read them, it’ll save all QR codes you scan. This is convenient for when you want to go back and view information from a code you previously scanned.

So if you live in an area where QR codes are starting to crop up, give RedLaser a spin and start scanning!

[Free - App Store Link]

Tiny Tower – @skeetobite

My pick of the week is Tiny Tower. This is one of those free games, where you spend time trying to build/earn/make something. In this case, you are building a tower, and trying to populate it with a series of stores, entertainment, services, and restaurants. All this is done to make your "bitizens" happy. As with all these games, if you get tired of waiting you can buy some additional "Tower Bux" to help speed the process along, but that isn't much fun! Right now my tower is 34 floors tall, and slowly building up. The nice thing here is that you can check back periodically and just make sure things are progressing smoothly in your tower. It does require some attention (for example, moving bitizens in the apartments must be done manually) but it doesn't take a huge amount of time.

[Free - App Store link]

Screens for Mac – @reneritchie

I’ve been using Edovia’s excellent Screens for iPhone and iPad since it was in beta and still find it to be the best looking, best feeling VNC client for iOS in the App Store. So when developer Luc Vandal told me they were doing Screens for Mac, I was thrilled.

I’d been using a combination of Back to my Mac for OS X and Microsoft’s Remote Desktop for Windows, but Screens puts everything — including Linux — in one beautifully styled, well thought out, buttery smooth place. And for OS X Lion users, you get full screen mode and a ton of multi-touch gesture support.

It works so well, in fact, a couple times I’ve sat down on my laptop and worked for a few minutes before realizing I was actually using my desktop via Screens. No better praise than that.

If you want the same great Screens experience from iOS on OS X, go grab Screens now.

[$19.99 - Mac App Store link]

Your pick?

You're part of the team as well, so we will be choosing one reader to make a submission each week! Just look for the announcement on [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/llofte] or our Facebook page each weekend for a chance to be picked! In the meantime, jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

NxtApp 4 Kids, an educational math app, has updated with universal support for iPhone and iPad. The goal of the game is to complete number sequences by choosing which number comes next.

I’ll admit, the misspelling of the word “next” in this app’s name really bothers me, especially since it’s an educational app targeted towards children; but putting that aside, NxtApp 4 Kids looks like a great app for learning about sequences.

[App Store link]

Details and screenshots after the break.

Come play at the farm and have lots of fun completing number sequences. NxtApp 4 Kids is an exciting interactive game that helps kids practice basic math in a smart and fun-filled atmosphere.

• Easy and fun gameplay.
• Different set of questions every time. So it never gets boring!
• You will get a "dancing" gold star for providing correct solutions to sequences.
• Interactive gold star system measures the child intermediate progress.
• Interactive feedback: correct answer is provided.
• Colorful game with fun sound effects.
• You can listen to your favorite iPod playlist while playing NxtApp 4 Kids.
• Surprise reward when you complete any stage.
• Universal app. So, it runs natively on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
• Game Center-enabled.
• And much more!

NxtApp 4 Kids is available on the iPhone and iPad for $0.99.

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Meon, by Manbolo, is an iPhone puzzle game where the goal is to direct beams of light into the Meons with the help of tools such as prisms and splitters.

Even though I personally find the music in this game to be a little annoying, I really do enjoy playing it. Meon is challenging, fun, and addicting.

Details and screenshots after the break.

[App Store link]

In 1997, Professor Tagishaki, from Tokyo Quantum Mechanics institute, found new elementary particles that he called Meons. In this puzzle game, you must solve more than 120 levels to free Meons. Use Prism, Splitter and other various tools to light all the Meons and solve the Light Quest!

• Cute Meons
• Magical musics
• Game Center support, with 29 achievements
• Additive puzzles
• More than 120 levels to solve
• Two challenging modes : Classic and Time Attack

Meon is available on the iPhone for free.

Have an app you’d love to see featured on TiPb? Email us at iosapps@tipb.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

Marco Arment decided to compare the sale of non-iPad tablets (excluding the TouchPad, as no numbers are available) with those of obscure gaming devices past. The result is the graph above. Note:

I didn't include the iPad's approximately 30 million units on here because it distorted the graph's scale too much.

[Marco.org]