Unlike some Web-based phenoms, the location check-in service Foursquare has an obvious potential business model: local ads based on your geographic location, perhaps coupled with inferred interests from your previous check-ins.

FORBES: Foursquare's Dennis Crowley: It's Still About Growth, Not Ad Money (Yet)

Hilariously, it appears that the co-founder of Microsoft didn't provide his lawyers with basic scanning technology, because the PDF of the exhibits they uploaded to the court's web site is just epically bad -- check out everything they say infringes in the gallery below.

ENGADGET: Paul Allen files amended complaint, points out exactly where patent infringement is hiding

Some have unplugged their web connection and found that SimCity can last for 20 minutes before it needs to check in with back-end servers.

BBC: Gamer hacks SimCity to run offline

Thanks to its simplicity, gOS Cloud boots in mere seconds, allowing people to check their e-mail and perform other simple web tasks without having to boot a full operating system.

ECONOMIST: Tech.view: On the web at warp speed | The

The latest generation offers e-mail and basic Web browsing so that busy users can stay in touch with the office, check flight times and get the latest stock quotes wherever they are.

CNN: Cross My Palm With Silicon

Some shoppers visit a mall or big-box location to check out merchandise and then find lower prices on the Web, sometimes while using smartphones right in the store's aisles.

WSJ: Best Buy Jumps Into Small Business IT Services