Briefly: Reviews, CompUSA discounts, Zannel on iPhone...

In brief: A CompUSA in Lexington, Kentucky is discounting its entire stock of Apple merchandise, Zannel has optimized its web-based multimedia sharing site for the iPhone, and MacNN has posted reviews of a website creation app called Shutterbug, and the leather Cobra iPod CoverCase. CompUSA is offering discounts of 5-percent on Apple desktops, laptops, and iPods, 10-percent off of Apple Cinema Displays, 15-percent on Apple software, and a 20-percent discount on Apple accessories. While CompUSA is currently having a sale on its website, it is unclear if this is the same offer, or if this is being offered outside of Lexington.

JAVOedge, iSkin cases for new iPods...

JAVOedge recently unveiled some new leather cases for the iPod nano 3G, Touch and Classic [80GB|160GB], while iSkin released a new incarnation of its eVo3 lineup for the iPod classic. The JAVOedge cases are made from hand-stitched, designer-grade leather that provides a soft, but durable case for the iPod. The cases feature a color-coordinated pull-out loop made from soft fabric, with a matching lanyard. Ports and most controls are accessible even when the player sits in the case, while other controls can be used by pulling slightly on the loop to sortie the iPod from its protected state. The cases are available directly from JAVOedge, with prices ranging from $25 to $30, and come in black, red and pink.

Analyst: Apple will hit $600 in 18 months...

Apple's stock price repeatedly rose this week to finally break the $200 mark yesterday in afternoon trading, but one financial analyst expects the Cupertino-based company to reach $600 within 18 months. "There's so much growth to look forward to for the iPhone," said Stephen Coleman, chief investment officer at Daedalus Capital. Coleman said Apple gets roughly 30 percent of iPhone fees charged by carriers, according to Bloomberg, while Wall Street estimates place Apple's slice of the revenues somewhere between 5 percent and 20 percent.

Little girl opens iPod, gets book instead...

A little girl in Maryland this Christmas opened a box that was supposed to contain an iPod classic, only to discover a book and a strange note in place of the portable player she thought she had received, according to myfoxdc. The box, which her father purchased at a local Wal-Mart store, contained "Awakening Loving-Kindness" by Pema Chodron accompanied by a strange letter, which reads: "Reclaim your mind from the media's shackles. Read a book and resurrect yourself. To claim your capitalistic garbage go to your nearest Apple Store."

Apple patents describe 10 new inventions...

No less than 10 Apple inventions surfaced today at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, with three new applications filed alongside seven documents that were officially granted to the Cupertino-based company. Apple's latest inventions include 'Pulldown correction for progressive display of audiovisual recordings,' as well as two patents related to iPhoto that create computer generated mosaics and touch up photos to remove blemishes. Seven previously-filed patents detail technology for DVD Web system, MagSafe, speech synthesis, and more.

Apple patents video, speech, clickwheel tech...

A number of patents proposed by Apple, or already awarded to the company, were this week published by the US Patent and Trademark Office. Two of these revolve around correcting video images; these include Pulldown correction for progressive display of audiovisual recordings, and Color correction of digital video images using a programmable graphics processing unit. The first of the two relates to the framerate and interlacing of videos, and detects any cadences or duplicate frames in order to first determine a video's format, and then process it properly while converting to progressive scan where possible.

Brooklyn Apple Store location narrowed?...

A new location has been suggested for Apple's long-rumored retail store in Brooklyn, New York City. Added to the list of possible sites is 345 Adams Street, a formerly city-owned plot bought for the creation of upper-class shops and restaurants. Sources in the real estate industry claim that Apple is one of several retailers considering a portion of the 40,000 square feet being made available for retail, located inside a former court building.

Apple beats HP, Dell, others in holiday satisfaction...

Apple's holiday customer satisfaction through its online and brick-and-mortar stores remains high this year, leading both sales categories, while experiencing a slight dip since last year. According to a recent study by ForeSee Results, Apple received a 79-percent overall satisfaction rating out of the top 40 companies in the report, showing no loss or gain from last year's numbers. In terms of of satisfaction by sales channel, Apple netted 75-percent satisfaction in the "Manufacturer Direct" sales and 73-percent with its physical retail locations. These numbers are down 1.3-percent and 1.4-percent from last year, respectively, but were still high enough to earn Apple the top spot on the ForeSee study.