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Google acquires Word Lens app recently featured in Apple’s iPhone ad “Powerful”

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 17 May 2014 19:04:00 +0000

Google just bought the company behind a smartphone app called Word Lens that visually translates text in real life scenarios right on your device using the camera and some behind-the-scenes intelligence.

With Word Lens, we’ve seen the beginnings of what’s possible when we harness the power of mobile devices to “see the world in your language.”

By joining Google, we can incorporate Quest Visual’s technology into Google Translate’s broad language coverage and translation capabilities in the future.

As a thank you to everybody who supported us on our journey, we’ve made both the app and the language packs free to download for a limited time while we transition to Google.

We’re looking forward to continuing our work at Google – stay tuned!

The kicker? Word Lens was recently featured rather prominently in Apple’s latest iPhone ad “Powerful” and even listed on Apple’s microsite promoting the film as an app to explore.

Google, of course, offers a lot of apps on the iOS platform (36 alone if you just look at iPhone) so there’s no reason to suspect Google will remove the app from the App Store as Apple would likely do if it were to purchase the software (based on previous buys like Siri).
And it’s really a good fit for Google’s portfolio as far as acquisitions go. Word Lens even boasts support for Google Glass for translating words on the fly using visuals and its feature set somewhat resembles that of Google’s own Google Goggles app which can translate text by snapping a photo. As per their own announcement, Quest Visual, the company behind Word Lens, will work as a part of the Google Translate team.

As for acquisition details, no price has been disclosed for the purchase but Word Lens appears to reside on the more casual side of recent mergers and acquisitions unlike Google’s $3.2 billion deal for Nest (which is still being sold by Apple). Google has confirmed the acquisition to multiple outlets.

Word Lens first debuted in 2010 and is available on the App Store as a free download with packs to unlock for additional translations. Previously, these packs were sold as in-app purchases.

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Wireless Companies Agree to Add ‘Kill Switches’ to Smartphones to Prevent Theft

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 19:52:00 +0000

A trade group for wireless providers said Tuesday that the nation’s biggest mobile device manufacturers and carriers will soon put anti-theft tools on the gadgets to try to deter rampant smartphone theft.

CTIA-The Wireless Association announced that under a “Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment,” the companies including Apple, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, U.S. Cellular, Sprint, and T-Mobile have agreed to provide a free preloaded or downloadable anti-theft tool on smartphones sold in the U.S. after July 2015.

Owners’ options will include remotely removing a smartphone’s data and preventing reactivation if a phone is stolen or lost, the association said.

It appears the wireless industry has somewhat reversed course as law enforcement and elected officials in the U.S. demand that manufacturers implement a “kill switch” to combat surging smartphone theft across the country. Industry officials have previously said putting a permanent kill switch on phones has serious risks, including the potential that hackers could activate it.

“We appreciate the commitment made by these companies to protect wireless users in the event their smartphones are lost or stolen,” CTIA CEO Steve Largent said in a written statement. “This flexibility provides consumers with access to the best features and apps that fit their unique needs while protecting their smartphones and the valuable information they contain. At the same time, it’s important different technologies are available so that a ‘trap door’ isn’t created that could be exploited by hackers and criminals.”

The wireless industry’s announcement comes nearly two weeks after Samsung announced that it had added two anti-theft features, “Find My Mobile” and “Reactivation Lock,” to its recently released Galaxy S5 smartphone.

Apple created a similar “Activation Lock” feature for the popular iPhone last year and has offered a free tool called “Find My iPhone.”

Almost one in three robberies in the U.S. involve phone theft, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Lost and stolen mobile devices — mostly smartphones — cost consumers more than $30 billion in 2012, the agency said in a study.

Earlier this month, California legislators introduced a bill that, if passed, would require mobile devices sold in or shipped to the state to be equipped with the anti-theft devices starting next year — a move that could be the first of its kind in the United States. Similar legislation is being considered in New York, Illinois, and Minnesota, and bills have been introduced in both houses of Congress.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who have given the manufacturers a June deadline to find solutions to curb smartphone theft, said in a joint statement Tuesday that while CTIA’s plan is “a welcomed step,” it still falls short of effectively ending smartphone theft because the measures will rely on consumers to seek out and turn on the technology.

Gascón added, “This approach is a losing strategy, and that’s why this commitment falls short of what American wireless consumers need to effectively end the epidemic of smartphone theft.”

But Jeff Kagan, a longtime tech analyst in Atlanta, said Tuesday that the wireless industry’s commitment may be the closest to solving the smartphone theft problem. He believes the industry’s commitment occurred because it saw that government is in the process of making sweeping changes.

“I’m sure there will be a lot of back and forth, but this is the next natural step,” Kagan said. “I don’t think the wireless industry would’ve done this if there wasn’t pressure from lawmakers and the public to come up with some solutions. Sometimes it takes a nudge.”

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Court of Appeals Rules Apple Did Not Violate Motorola Patent

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 00:28:00 +0000

Apple did not infringe upon a patent held by Motorola, ruled a United States Court of Appeals today. The ITC had previously ruled that Apple did not violate Claim 12 of Patent Number 6.272,333, however Motorola appealed the decision to federal courts.

The patent describes a wireless communication system used for delivering notifications. The specific disagreement was focused on the deletion of apps that had push notifications enabled, and therefore must send a status update to the network to suspend any further notifications.

Apple has been in many legal battles over the past few years regarding the iPhone, most notably with Samsung.

You can read the full ruling at this link...

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Corning Announces Manufacturing Readiness of 3D-Shaped Gorilla Glass

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 18:18:00 +0000

Corning, one of the suppliers of Gorilla Glass found in Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod has announced the manufacturing readiness of 3D-Shaped Gorilla Glass. Essentially, the company has developed the product and is ready to manufacturer the glass.

Corning Incorporated today announced the manufacturing readiness of a novel 3D glass-forming technology to shape Corning Gorilla Glass. Corning is targeting commercialization of finished 3D-shaped Gorilla Glass parts in 2014 and is working with G-Tech Optoelectronics Corp. to establish a vertically integrated operation in Taiwan.

Product design continues to drive the consumer electronics industry. More than half of the top 10 smartphone manufacturers already market devices that incorporate cover glass with subtle curves, and the demand for even more-dramatic form factors is increasing. Corning’s 3D-forming technology meets this demand and expands the design possibilities for industrial designers.

The relationship with GTOC allows Corning to provide a “one-roof” solution. “We can now take Gorilla Glass all the way from flat sheet to a finished 3D-shaped product in Asia, expediting turnaround times and minimizing logistical complexity,” said James R. Steiner, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Specialty Materials. “That’s a win for Corning and our customers.”

Corning’s 3D-forming technology can achieve precise tolerances and high throughput on a platform that is more economical than alternative two-mold forming methods. This technology uses Gorilla Glass of uniform thickness, assisting designers to introduce thinner and lighter devices and leverage the emergence of conformable displays for mobile and wearable applications.

Such glass could be used in an iPhone with curved display, which has been a wish. Even the rumored iWatch could make use of such curved glass, which is also rumored to be in the works at Apple.

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AT&T Offering T-Mobile Customers up to $450 Credit Per Line to Switch

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 22:09:00 +0000

It seems as that T-Mobile's uncarrier initiatives are starting to hit AT&T a bit, as the carrier giant announced today a special incentive for those who switch from T-Mobile.

Starting today, AT&T is offering T-Mobile customers up to $250 per line in service credit when they trade in a qualifying smartphone. In addition to the $250, customers switching over can receive an additional $200 credit per line when they choose an AT&T Next plan and buy a device at full retail price.

Beginning Jan. 3, under the limited-time offer, T-Mobile customers who switch to AT&T can trade-in their current smartphone for a promotion card of up to $250, which can be used toward AT&T products and services. Trade-in values will vary based on make, model and age of the smartphone, but many of the latest and most popular smartphones will qualify for a value of $250. T-Mobile customers can receive an additional $200 credit per line when they transfer their wireless service to AT&T and choose an AT&T NextSM plan, buy a device at full retail price or activate a device they currently own.

At CES 2014, T-Mobile is expected to announce more 'Uncarrier' plans, which will reportedly "remove customer pain points."

T-Mobile CEO John Legere had this to say about AT&T's move:
This is a desperate move by AT&T on the heels of what must have been a terrible Q4 and holiday for them. I'm flattered that we have made them so uncomfortable! We used AT&T's cash to build a far superior network and added Un-carrier moves to take tons of their customers - and now they want to bribe them back! Consumers won't be fooled...nothing has changed; customers will still feel the same old pain that AT&T is famous for. Just wait until CES to hear what pain points we are eliminating next. The competition is going to be toast!

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LG's webOS TV Revealed Ahead of CES In Leaked Image

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 00:04:00 +0000

LG's webOS TV has been rumored for some time now, and was expected to be revealed at CES next week. However, evleaks has posted an image of what they claim to be the LG webOS TV.

The image shows the webOS Cards interface, featuring thumbnail of any apps and content running on the TV. Apps such as YouTube, Facebook, Skype and Twitter are all listed in the photo as well as a web browser.

Rumors point to the television set being powered by a 2.2GHz dual-core processor as well as 1.5gb of ram. LG has also said that it plans to support Enyo, the Javascript framework that apps are built on for webOS. As for pricing and availability, we'll have to wait until CES to find out.

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Sony to Launch Vaio Branded Windows Phone in 2014?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 10:49:00 +0000

Sony is reportedly considering the launch of a Windows Phone in 2014, according to The Information.

Sony, whose mobile unit has exclusively made smartphones powered by Google’s Android software for nearly four years, has considered launching a Windows phone as soon as mid-2014, according to a person who was involved in the talks and a person briefed about the device.

The two companies have reportedly held numerous discussions with Sony even drawing up designs for a prototype device. If released the phone is said to be branded under Sony's Vaio line.

Talks over the device have continued despite Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's devices; however, nothing has been finalized yet. The deal could fall through if the two disagree over licensing fees, preloaded software, and other topics.

Microsoft's Windows Phone platform is finally starting to get see some growth; however, getting other manufacturers on board is important. Apparently, Microsoft has also had discussions with ZTE to produce low-end Windows Phone devices in the U.S., China, and Europe.

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U.S. Carriers Agree to Adopt Voluntary Set of Principles for Unlocking Phones and Tablets

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 04:39:00 +0000

CTIA has announced that AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless have agreed to adopt a voluntary set of six principles for unlocking of consumers’ mobile phones and tablets.

CTIA and these five leading companies will also recommend this set of principles for inclusion into the CTIA Consumer Code for Wireless Service ("Consumer Code", in accordance with CTIA's bylaws. Upon adoption, these companies will move quickly to implement these principles, committing to implement three of these principles within three months and the remainder within 12 months.

The full set of principles are detailed in the document below...

-----
Mobile Wireless Device Unlocking Voluntary Commitment:
Each signatory of this “Mobile Wireless Device Unlocking Voluntary Commitment” will abide by the following standards regarding the ability of customers, former customers, and individual owners of eligible devices to unlock phones and tablets, (“mobile wireless devices”) that are locked by or at the direction of the carrier.

It should be noted that carriers typically use different frequencies and air interface technologies to provide wireless network access. Accordingly, a device that works on one carrier's network may not be technologically compatible with another carrier's network. "Unlocking" a device refers only to disabling software that would prevent a consumer from attempting to activate a device designed for one carrier's network on another carrier's network, even if that network is technologically compatible. In other words, "unlocking" a device will not necessarily make a device interoperable with other networks - a device designed for one network is not made technologically compatible with another network merely by "unlocking" it. Additionally, unlocking a device may enable some functionality of the device but not all (e.g., an unlocked device may support voice services but not data services when activated on a different network).

1. Disclosure. Each carrier will post on its website its clear, concise, and readily accessible
policy on postpaid and prepaid mobile wireless device unlocking.

2. Postpaid Unlocking Policy. Carriers, upon request, will unlock mobile wireless devices or
provide the necessary information to unlock their devices for their customers and former
customers in good standing and individual owners of eligible devices after the fulfillment of the applicable postpaid service contract, device financing plan or payment of an applicable early termination fee.

3. Prepaid Unlocking Policy. Carriers, upon request, will unlock prepaid mobile wireless
devices no later than one year after initial activation, consistent with reasonable time, payment or usage requirements.

4. Notice. Carriers that lock devices will clearly notify customers that their devices are eligible for unlocking at the time when their devices are eligible for unlocking or automatically unlock devices remotely when devices are eligible for unlocking, without additional fee. Carriers reserve the right to charge non-customers/non-former-customers a reasonable fee for unlocking requests. Notice to prepaid customers may occur at point of sale, at the time of eligibility, or through a clear and concise statement of the policy on the carrier’s website

5. Response Time. Within two business days after receiving a request, carriers will unlock
eligible mobile wireless devices or initiate a request to the OEM to unlock the eligible device, or provide an explanation of why the device does not qualify for unlocking, or why the carrier reasonably needs additional time to process the request.

6. Deployed Personnel Unlocking Policy. Carriers will unlock mobile wireless devices for
deployed military personnel who are customers in good standing upon provision of deployment papers.

Carriers reserve the right to decline an unlock request if they have a reasonable basis to believe the request is fraudulent or the device is stolen.

Carriers further agree to implement three of the standards articulated above within 3 months of adoption of this commitment and to implement this commitment in its entirety within 12 months of adoption.
-----

The commitment comes after Tom Wheeler, the new FCC Chairman, penned a letter to the CTIA (The Wireless Association) urging them to make cell phone unlocking legal before the holidays, or have the FCC step in to regulate.

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Judge Denies Samsung's Emergency Motion to Stay Apple Patent Trial

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 20:22:00 +0000

Judge Lucy Koh has denied Samsung's emergency motion to stay the damages trial which awarded an additional $290 million to Apple for the infringement of its patents.

Samsung filed an emergency motion to stay all proceedings in this case pending the
ex parte reexamination of U.S. Patent No. 7,844,915. As part of that reexamination, and triggering Samsung’s instant motion, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) issued an Advisory Action affirming the final rejection of all claims of the ’915 patent as invalid. Samsung claims that “this decision by the PTO jeopardizes the jury’s findings in the damages trial and may render all of the post-trial proceedings a waste of time and resources.”

Apple has filed a response, arguing that a stay is not required and would substantially prejudice Apple. Having fully considered the parties’ arguments and briefing, and the record in this case, the Court agreed with Apple and denied Samsung’s renewed motion for a stay.

The Court found that it would not be an efficient use of judicial resources to stay the entire case, thus further delaying appellate review, simply to account for the possibility that the PTAB and subsequently the Federal Circuit will invalidate one of the many patents at issue in this case, namely the ’915 patent. The appeals process to the PTAB may take a significant period of time, and any appeal to the Federal Circuit after the PTAB decision would only serve to determine the validity of one patent in this entire case.

Koh determined that it would be most efficient for the Court to move forward with post-trial motions concerning the damages retrial and finally enter a final judgment in this case so that the Federal Circuit may review the entire case on appeal including the validity of all of Apple’s patents as soon as possible. The validity of the ’915 patent will reach a faster resolution if this case is not stayed, given that the Federal Circuit’s review of this entire case on appeal will include a determination of the validity of the ’915 patent.

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Eric Schmidt Posts 'Converting to Android from iPhone' Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 14:48:00 +0000

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt has posted a guide on 'Converting to Android from iPhone'.

Schmidt posted his guide to Google+ saying, "Many of my iPhone friends are converting to Android. The latest high-end phones from Samsung (Galaxy S4), Motorola (Verizon Droid Ultra) and the Nexus 5 (for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile) have better screens, are faster, and have a much more intuitive interface. They are a great Christmas present to an iPhone user!"

Notably, Schmidt compares the switch from iOS to Android to the switch from PC to Mac.

Like the people who moved from PCs to Macs and never switched back, you will switch from iPhone to Android and never switch back as everything will be in the cloud, backed up, and there are so many choices for you. 80% of the world, in the latest surveys, agrees on Android.

At one point Schmidt was actually on Apple's board of directors; however, when Google became a direct competitor he had to resign.

At the time, Steve Jobs said, “Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple’s core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric’s effectiveness as an Apple Board member will be significantly diminished, since he will have to recuse himself from even larger portions of our meetings due to potential conflicts of interest. Therefore, we have mutually decided that now is the right time for Eric to resign his position on Apple’s Board.”

The full post/guide can be found at this link...

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Jury Verdict: Samsung Owes Apple $290 Million in Additional Damages

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 00:47:00 +0000

A federal jury has ruled that Samsung owes Apple $290 million in damages for infringing on its patents, reports AllThingsD.

The award concludes a partial retrial of last year’s landmark case between the electronics giants. A jury in that case ruled in Apple’s favor and awarded $1 billion in damages. However, Judge Lucy Koh ruled that more than $400 million of that award was improperly calculated, necessitating the current retrial. Apple had argued it was due a further $379 million, while Samsung maintained it should only owe $52 million for the portion of damages being reconsidered. Barring a successful appeal, Samsung also owes roughly $600 million in damages from the original verdict as well.

The jury was made up of six women and two men. They took nearly three days before reaching a verdict. Judge Koh is giving lawyers for each side half an hour to look over the jury's calculations.

The damages trial made headlines yesterday after Samsung lawyers requested a mistrial on the grounds that Apple's lawyer, Harold McElhinny, made a prejudiced remark in his statement to the jury. That request was denied.

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Samsung Claims Apple Lawyer Made Racist Remark, Requests Mistrial

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 23:02:00 +0000

Attorneys for both Samsung and Apple made their closing arguments yesterday in a retrial to determine damages that Samsung owes Apple for infringing on its patents. Following the closing arguments, Samsung urged for a mistrial on the grounds that Apple's lawyer, Harold McElhinny, made a prejudiced remark in his statement to the jury.

McElhinny recalled watching TV on American made televisions, and because manufacturers didn't protect their property rights, those products no longer exist. “We all know what happened,” he said. “We all thought the same thing.”

Samsung's lawyer then asked US District Judge Lucy Koh to invalidate the trial since McElhinny failed to provide evidence that American manufacturers were forced out of business. Samsung's lawyer claimed McElhinny was “appealing to race, and that he thought "we [society] were past that.”

“I did not say a word about race, and I did not say Asian,” Apple's McElhinny reiterated to Judge Koh.

Bill Lee, another lawyer for Apple, defended McElhinny, “Actually, I’m Asian and I didn’t think the same thing,” Lee told Koh. He also noted that he understood McElhinny to be speaking about the importance of protecting intellectual property.

Koh denied the request for mistrial but brought back the jury to re-read an instruction advising that the panel “must not be influenced by any personal likes or dislikes, opinions, prejudices, or sympathy.”

The jurors are currently in the middle of deliberations -- deciding what the ultimate value of damages in the case will be.

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Samsung Patent Reveals Interface for Smartphone With Three-Sided Display

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 02:02:00 +0000

Samsung is reportedly planning to release a Galaxy smartphone with a three-sided display that wraps around the edges of the device. Now, a patent has surfaced that supports that claim and offers a look at how the device will work.

The patent is entitled, "Method and Apparatus for Operating Functions of Portable Terminal Having Bended Display," and is described as follows:

A portable terminal having a bended display divided into a main region of a front surface and a sub-region of a side of the portable terminal and operating functions of the portable terminal in connection with the main region and the sub-region, and a method of operating the same are provided. The method of operating functions of a portable terminal having a bended display, includes receiving an input of an event, determining a type of the input event, outputting event information, according to an internal event input based on the bended display, through at least one of a main region and a sub-region of the bended display when the input event is the internal event, and outputting event information, according to an external event input from an outside source, through the sub-region of the bended display when the input event is the external event.

The images below highlight some of the key interface functions that Samsung has patented.

Unlock by sliding your finger along the side display:

E-book chapter markers and bookmarks are presented on the side display.

Information about email attachments is shown on the side screen space.

A battery meter shows charging status on the side display.

Alphabetical subheadings for jumping quickly through contacts are pushed to the side.

A visual clipboard lets you drag items for clipping and sharing to the side display for reuse in different apps.

Similar to the contacts app, the side display is used as an index for quickly navigating through photos by date.

Instead of using a slider to unlock, you can place two fingers on specific areas of the side-screen.

If these concepts interest you, check out the real smartphone created by SEL to demonstrate their bendable display.

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Jailbreaking or Unlocking Your iPhone Would Be Illegal With Trans-Pacific Partnership Treaty

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 22:24:00 +0000

Jailbreaking or unlocking your iPhone would illegal if the Trans-Pacific Partnership Treaty is ratified, reports Slate.

The treaty is a proposed free trade agreement under negotiation by Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. It is being called the complete opposite of 'free trade', giving the executive branch a means of negating and pre-empting important legislation by elected representatives.

The public has been locked out of negotiations, with meetings held behind closed doors and the text kept secret. There has been no public discussion and no Congressional involvement in creating the treaty. Little information was known about it until WikiLeaks leaked the draft text last week, and it was worse than expected.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation warns that with TPP, the United States is trying to export the worst parts of its intellectual property law without bringing any of the protections for fair use, statutory exemptions, and other important checks and balances.

Slate notes that while the Obama Administration was speaking out for the right to unlock iPhones and other devices, it was secretly negotiating an agreement that would keep it illegal.

The leaked treaty draft shows that while the White House was championing restoring free market principles to phones, the U.S. proposed that the TPP lock in the process that allowed the Librarian of Congress to rule this technology as illegal through international law. This would make potential reforms like H.R. 1892 impossible.* It should be noted that Canada did submit an amendment proposal that could allow unlocking, but neither the United States nor any other country supported it. But the TPP draft doesn’t stop there. It would ban numerous other technologies that have beneficial uses. In particular, the legislation would ensure that jailbreaking—which is installing a different operating system on your phone, tablet, or e-reader—is illegal. It’s already on precarious ground in the United States, but under TPP it would be illegal in all circumstances. What type of nation would arrest 23 million people for installing a different operating system on their own device?

Check out the infographic from the EFF below and click here to take action against the treaty.

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Samsung Announces Shipments of 800,000 Galaxy Gear Smart Watches Worldwide

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 20:50:00 +0000

Following reports of poor sales, Samsung announced worldwide sales of 800,000 Galaxy Gear smart watches; however, that has since been clarified as shipments rather than sales.

The revelation comes after a KoreaTimes report yesterday, that reported only 50,000 in cumulative sales for the device. That 50,000 number was likely for South Korea only.

It's now unclear exactly how many units of the device have been sold. Recently leaked documents showed that the Galaxy Gear has a return rate trending above 30%. It's also not clear how many units of the shipped inventory have been sold.

Samsung says the device has exceeded its internal expectations and that it plans to boost
sales promotions for the holidays.

"It's the most sold wearable watch available in the market place...and we plan to expand its availability by expanding mobile devices that work with the Gear," Samsung said.

Apple has yet to introduce a smart watch; however, it's rumored to be working wearable devices including an iWatch.

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Nokia Shareholders Approve Microsoft Acquisition

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 20:30:00 +0000

Nokia shareholders have approved a deal that sees Microsoft acquire its mobile phone division, reports the AFP.

The 5.44 billion euro ($7.35 billion) sale was nearly (99.7%) unanimously approved by shareholders who voted ahead of a meeting in Helsinki. Nokia will now become a telecom equipment and services company.

Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will pay EUR 3.79 billion to purchase substantially all of Nokia’s Devices & Services business, and EUR 1.65 billion to license Nokia’s patents, for a total transaction price of EUR 5.44 billion in cash. Microsoft will draw upon its overseas cash resources to fund the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014.

It's unclear if Microsoft plans to rebrand the Nokia Lumia smartphones under its Surface brand or if it will continue as is.

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Samsung Has Reportedly Sold Less Than 50,000 Galaxy Gear Smart Watches

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 12:06:00 +0000

Samsung's sales of the Galaxy Gear smart watch are far below expectations, according to a new report from BusinessKorea. Daily sales are pegged at 800-900 units and cumulative sales are reportedly under 50,000 units.

The company is also seeing poor sales of its new Galaxy Round smartphone. Daily sales are reportedly under 100 units and its cumulative monthly sales fall under 10,000 units.

The related industry evaluates the purpose of Samsung’s rushed release of the Galaxy Round as not for large sales, but as a test product to earn the reputation of creating the world’s first flexible smartphone. In fact, Samsung was aware of this, and did not initiate global sales. It also decided not to produce any more units after the initial 50,000.

An industry representative said, “The Galaxy Round has a thick center because Samsung has not been able to mass produce curved batteries, and its display is not perfect with additional tempered glass, making the product thick and heavy.” Also, he added, “It shows no advantages of a flexible smartphone except its grip, which is being used as its only marketing point.”

Unlike the Galaxy Round, the Galaxy Gear did receive global marketing; however, it failed to impress reviewers.

Apple is widely expected to come out with a smartwatch of its own; however, it's said that the company is working to resolve battery life issues with the device. A recent report alleged that Apple is working on two versions of the iWatch, a 1.7-inch model for men and a 1.3-inch model for women. The device is also said to feature an OLED display; however, at this point it's unclear if it will be flexible.

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Best Buy and Sprint Offer Students Free Year of Service With Purchase of iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 23:04:00 +0000

Sprint and Best Buy are offering students a free year of service with the purchase and activation of a new iPhone or other eligible smartphone.

The list of eligible phones includes the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy S 4 Mini, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, LG G2, Lexus Nexus 5, HTC One, Motorola Moto X, and more. You will need to purchase them at the full Best Buy Student Offer Price (see image below).

The plan includes:
● Unlimited talk, text and 1GB of data for smartphones (Reg. $70/mo.), or
● Unlimited talk, text and blocked data for basic phones (Reg. $50/mo.)
● Easily add unlimited data for just $10/mo.
● All lines can enjoy unlimited talk, text and data while on the Sprint network with the Sprint Unlimited Guarantee — not just for now, but for life

As you have to purchase the phone outright, no term agreement is required. Bonus months can be earned for referrals.

Add a new phone line on the Unlimited, My Way or My All-inSM plan to the same account at Best Buy, and the account gets an additional 12 months of free service for the student lines to share. Referral line requires 2-yr. service agmt.

More details at the link below...

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Global Smartphone Subscriptions to Reach 5.6 Billion in 2019

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 23:43:00 +0000

In its latest Mobility Report, Ericsson reveals that mobile subscriptions are expected to reach 9.3 billion by 2019, 5.6 billion of which will be for smartphones.

Right now, smartphones account for 25-30% of all mobile phone subscriptions; however, smartphones accounted for 55% of mobile phones sold in Q3 2013. To support the increase in smartphones, WCDMA/HSPA networks are predicted to cover 90 percent of the world's population by 2019. Moreover, almost two-thirds (65 percent) of the world's population will be covered by 4G/LTE networks.

Douglas Gilstrap, Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy at Ericsson, says: "The rapid pace of smartphone uptake has been phenomenal and is set to continue. It took more than five years to reach the first billion smartphone subscriptions, but it will take less than two to hit the 2 billion mark. Between now and 2019, smartphone subscriptions will triple. Interestingly, this trend will be driven by uptake in China and other emerging markets as lower-priced smartphone models become available."

According to the report, smartphone traffic will grow by 10 times between 2013 and 2019, reaching 10 exabytes. Video is growing 55 percent annually, and will represent more than 50 percent of the mobile data traffic, while social networking and web services will account for around 10 percent each in 2019.

Additionally, it's noted that have good mobile coverage is now an important aspect of life for many users. It's now ranked among the top five satisfaction factors of life in a city.

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Samsung Ordered to Explain Why It Shouldn't Be Sanctioned for Leaking Confidential Apple Documents

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 12:35:00 +0000

A judge has ordered to Samsung to explain why it shouldn't be sanctioned for leaking confidential Apple documents.

Early last month, Apple requested sanctions against Samsung after it was discovered that company executives were given details of a highly confidential Nokia-Apple patent license.

Judge Paul S. Grewal reviewed boxes of Samsung documents and determined, "having finally crawled out from under the boxes, it appears to the undersigned that if anything was breached, it was this court’s protective order, and that sanctions against Samsung and its attorneys are warranted."

Samsung and its counsel are invited to file a brief by December 2, 2013 to show cause why sanctions should not issue for these violations. Apple and Nokia also may submit a brief by this same date proposing appropriate sanctions. The parties shall address both the legal framework and the evidence relevant to any sanction to be imposed. All briefs may be up to twenty-five pages in length.

The full order can be found below.

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BlackBerry Abandons Sale, Replaces CEO, Gets $1 Billion Investment

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 21:14:00 +0000

BlackBerry has announced that will abandon plans to sell to the company to Fairfax Financial Holdings and has instead replaced CEO Thorsten Heins and raised a $1 billion investment from Fairfax and other investors.

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BlackBerry, a world leader in the mobile communications market, today announced that it has entered into an agreement pursuant to which Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (“Fairfax”) and other institutional investors (collectively, the “Purchasers”) will invest in BlackBerry through a U.S. $1 billion private placement of convertible debentures. Fairfax has agreed to acquire U.S.$250 million principal amount of the Debentures. The transaction is expected to be completed within the next two weeks.

Under the terms of the transaction, the Purchasers will subscribe for U.S. $1 billion aggregate principal amount of 6% unsecured subordinated convertible debentures (the “Debentures”) convertible into common shares of BlackBerry at a price of U.S. $10.00 per common share (the “Transaction”), a 28.7% premium to the closing price of BlackBerry common shares on November 1, 2013. The Debentures have a term of seven years. Based on the number of common shares currently outstanding, if all of the U.S. $1 billion of Debentures were converted, the common shares issued upon conversion would represent approximately 16% of the common shares outstanding after giving effect to the conversion.

Upon the closing of the transaction, John S. Chen will be appointed Executive Chair of BlackBerry’s Board of Directors and, in that role, will be responsible for the strategic direction, strategic relationships and organizational goals of BlackBerry. Prem Watsa, Chairman and CEO of Fairfax, will be appointed Lead Director and Chair of the Compensation, Nomination and Governance Committee and Thorsten Heins and David Kerr intend to resign from the Board at closing.

In addition, Mr. Heins will step down as Chief Executive Officer at closing and Mr. Chen will serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer pending completion of a search for a new Chief Executive Officer.

Today’s announcement marks the conclusion of the review of strategic alternatives previously announced on August 12, 2013.

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BlackBerry Announces 20 Million New BBM Users Following Launch on iOS and Android

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 21:37:00 +0000

BlackBerry has announced the addition of 20 million new BBM users following its launch on iOS and Android.

One week ago we launched BBM for iPhone and Android. What a week it’s been! With the addition of more than 20 million new users on BBM, we are now at over 80 million monthly active users* of BBM across BlackBerry, Android and iPhone, and #teamBlackBerry is thrilled. During its first week, BBM was the top free overall app in 35 countries on Google Play and in 107 countries in the App Store and continues to maintain a strong position in key markets such as Canada, the US, the UK, Indonesia and much of the Middle East, to name a few.

BlackBerry says it will now focus on active use of BBM, "the connections being made and the conversations in which our BBM community engages".

It also highlighted their sharing tool at http://www.bbm.com/share, which helps our users quickly add new contacts to BBM. There is also a new way to share your PIN so that Android and iPhone customers can easily click it and add you to BBM: http://www.pin.bbm.com/.

You can download BBM from the App Store for free.

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A New Version of Google Glass is Coming, Current Owners Are Eligible for a Free Swap

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 11:17:00 +0000

Google has announced that it will be releasing a new version of Google Glass and offering current owners the ability to freely swap out their device for the new one.

We’ve learned a ton, and we’ve been working hard to make Glass software better with our regular #glassupdates each month. At the same time, we’ve been making the hardware better, too. We want to say “thank you” for all the amazing feedback we’ve been getting, so later this year, all Explorers will have a one-time option to swap out their existing Glass for a new one. This hardware update will allow your Glass to work with future lines of shades and prescription frames, and we’ll also include a mono earbud.

In addition, Google announced that over the next few weeks, Explorers will be able to invite three friends to join the program. They'll be able to buy the device online.

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Retina iPad Mini Supply to be 'Ridiculously Tight'

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 20:56:00 +0000

Analysts are already predicting that the Retina iPad Mini will be in severely short supply. Rhoda Alexander, director of tablet research at IHS electronics and media, claims that the supply of the Retina Mini will be 'ridiculously tight.'

The supply for that product is severely constrained. We don't expect to see meaningful volume until first quarter [of 2014]

The main issue seems to be making the 2048 x 1536 Retina Display. While it is the same resolution as the current iPad retina display (iPad 3/4, iPad Air), packing that many pixels into a 7.9" display is proving to be an issue for Apple in terms of manufacturing.

Currently, the iPad Air has a pixel density of 264 pixels per inch, while the new Retina Mini has 326 pixels per inch.

Apple vaguely states the Retina iPad Mini ship date as 'late November' while pointing to November 1 as the iPad Air release date. The vague 'late November' date is most likely intentional as Apple works to improve supply until then.

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Apple iPad Mini vs. The Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 20:50:00 +0000

Check out this chart that compares the specifications and price of the new iPad mini to the competition.

While Apple's display is 0.9-inches larger than its competitors, the device is priced $170 higher than Kindle Fire HDX and Google Nexus 7 II. It's $199 more than the Galaxy Tab 3 and $260 more than the Kindle Fire HD.

Notably, Apple decided to increase the price of the new iPad mini by $70 due to its new Retina Display.

How do you feel about the new $399 price tag?

Take a look at the chart below...

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