Apple, Google, Samsung and others meet today - not in a courtroom but in neutral Switzerland. The discussion, moderated by the UN's International Telecommunications Union, focuses on whether the key principal of patent licensing is preventing products from coming to market.
The talks follow Apple and Samsung high-profile patent dispute and the EU investigating whether a number of companies are abusing the patent guidelines...
Handset maker Motorola Mobility, a Google subsidiary, has pulled all of its phones and tablets from the German market, following unfavorable rulings over patents. This has got to be a huge blow as the search Goliath has been struggling to return Motorola to profitability after it had acquired the ailing cell phone company for $12.5 billion, gaining a treasure trove of 17,000 mobile technology patents. Motorola reported an operating loss of $233 million during the second quarter so you could imagine that any disruption in sales is not going to look good in its next earnings report...
We've been receiving vague hints that Microsoft, which is currently busy for the big Windows 8 launch scheduled for October 26, is also working on bringing the Office suite to the iPad. Today, a new report quotes a Microsoft executive as confirming that the software giant is in fact hard at work developing a native Microsoft Office suite for both iOS and Android. The software should hit the two mobile platforms "sometime after March 2013"...
As Microsoft gears up to launch Windows 8 later this month, arguably the most important software release in Redmond's history, first television commercials have surfaced, revealing how the company will communicate the benefits of its first touch-focused operating system to the general public.
Windows 8 has a new tile-based interface consistent with the Metro design language, can run both legacy apps and those optimized for the touch interface, includes a digital store akin to the Mac App Store, features a unified kernel and scales up from the tiniest to the biggest screens and much more.
True to its form, Microsoft plans to offer Windows 8 in a bunch of flavors, including ARM and x86-based tablet versions, Windows Phone 8 for smartphones and standard desktop and server versions. Three more ads are right below the fold...
When Apple unveiled its new Passbook app this summer, the tech world, for the most part, wasn't sure what to make of it. It seemed like a good idea on paper, but would companies, and more importantly users, take advantage of it?
Fast forward to today, three weeks after the public release of iOS 6, and we haven't quite seen the adoption we were hoping for. However, it does appear that the companies that have added Passbook support are seeing positive results...
With all of the criticism and complaints Apple has received over its new Maps application in iOS 6, you have to wonder, how did it not know that it had all of these issues? Isn't that what the three month beta testing period was for?
Well apparently, Apple was aware of the problems. A number of developers have come forward this week saying they submitted several bug reports to the company regarding Maps issues in the months leading up to its launch...
The best part of all everlasting iOS games is quick, addicting fun. In addition, easy controls and a lovable list of protagonists are always part of the equation. The Doodle Jumps and Cut the Ropes of the world all have a quick learning curve and endless fun with a little bit of complication.
The newest edition to the clan was launched around a year ago, but was updated earlier this month and has yet to hit primetime. Perhaps, let me be the first to introduce you to SuperRope, the hot new game, that isn't quite new, or hot. Yet...
After being snubbed by Apple as an iPhone partner for several years, T-Mobile finally decided to take matters into its own hands. It started updating its network to be more compatible with the handset, and launched a nationwide "bring your own device" campaign to attract unlocked iPhone users.
The marketing has caused quite the buzz in the media, but only time will tell if it resonates with consumers. Unfortunately, T-Mobile may not get to find out. According to a new report, the carrier has sent out an internal memo indicating that it can no longer use the iPhone to drive sales...
It's been almost three weeks since the iPhone 5 went on sale here in the US, and it's practically impossible to find the handset. Apple's website still shows shipping time estimates of 3-4 weeks, and both Verizon and AT&T show the phone won't be available until November.
On the surface, it seems that Apple is once again a victim of its own success: it simply can't make iPhones fast enough to meet demand. But apparently there's more to it than that. Word is that the phone's aluminum backing has been a major factor in the supply constraints...
Yesterday we showed you how to hide the maligned Newsstand app using StifleStand — a new Mac app from developer, Filippo Bigarella.
What makes StifleStand special is that it doesn't require a jailbreak in order to use it, which means that it even works with the new iPhone 5. No doubt, hundreds of users who despise Newsstand flocked to the app, but Windows users were sadly left in the cold...that is, until now.
As promised by Bigarella, and as noted by iOS blog ModMyi, a Windows version of StifleStand has been created, and it is now available for download. Check inside for a brief video demonstration of StifleStand for Windows, along with the download link.
New iPhone owners on the nation's largest LTE network might be interested to know that the carrier gives its customers 30 days to opt-out of participating in a user data sharing program with advertisers.
The program tracks smartphone users, recording things like location data (though it's anonymized), age, dining habits and other demographics, and shares them with advertisers for targeted marketing...
Despite Samsung's efforts to portray the iPhone as a device for older consumers, the iPhone is still extremely popular among teenagers. Piper Jaffray says that 40% of US teens now own the handset.
Gene Munster, an analyst with the firm, released a report today on his survey of US teenagers regarding what gadgets they're using. And judging from the results, Apple's iPhone and iPad are still on top...