Android

Google in a state of IP denial over Android, warns patent expert

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 16, 2012

Dispelling a notion that rivals are taking Google to court out of frustration over their inability to slow down the Android freight train, patent expert Florian Müeller makes a point in a post over at his FOSS Patents blog that a collective market capitalization of the various corporations suing Google is approximately $1.06 trillion versus Google's $188 billion market cap.

More important than that, he says, "the companies who claim that Google's Android infringes on their intellectual property are too diverse to believe in a conspiracy". Müeller also notes that the Japanese giant Fujifilm, which mostly played defensive role in litigation, has also sued Google subsidiary Motorola Mobility for Android's alleged infringement of four of its patents...

Apple involved in 60% of all major mobile patent suits

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 7, 2016

When Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPhone back in 2007, he commented "and boy have we patented it." The CEO knew that Apple had something special on its hands, and that everyone else was going to try and replicate it.

He was right. Those patents he was referring to have since been involved in hundreds of lawsuits around the globe. In fact, a new report suggests that Apple is actually at the center of 60% of all major mobile litigation...

WSJ confirms Amazon has smartphone in the works

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Rumors that Amazon is working on its own smartphone have been bouncing around for nearly a year now. But the speculation has really ramped up over the past couple of weeks.

Following a scoop from Bloomberg last week, a new report is out today claiming that the online retailer is currently testing an Android handset with a 4-5-inch display...

Sprint intervenes, opposes Galaxy Nexus ban

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 10, 2012

The iPhone-friendly carrier Sprint, the nation's third-largest telco, today filed amicus brief (a legal opinion) with the Federal Circuit concerning a sales injunction against Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone sought by Apple. Sprint is arguing that no party, Apple included, should be allowed to leverage a sales ban as "a staple of the smartphone wars".

The carrier paints itself as an "unwitting victim" of the large-scale Apple-Samsung legal wrangling, saying it just wants the issue to be fully resolved without an immediate ban...

The exodus begins: corporate America abandoning BlackBerry for iOS and Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

As Research In Motion's woes deepen amid lay offs, outrageous losses five times bigger than projected and news that its long-expected BlackBerry 10 software won't arrive until next year, a significant number of high-profile and profitable corporate customers are readying contingency plans, a tell tale sign that, unfortunately, the window of opportunity for the BlackBerry as we know it is closing fast...

AT&T opens up its Watson speech engine via SDK for iOS and Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Realizing Apple and Google are moving swiftly to mainstream speech recognition on mobile devices, U.S. carrier AT&T today announced that it is opening up its own Watson speech engine to iOS and Android platforms via a software development kit (SDK), now available on the AT&T Developer website.

Much like Apple's Siri or Google Voice Actions in Android (and Google Now), Watson takes input, analyzes it, performs one or more services and returns a result. Input can be audio files, speech, gestures, face recognition and text. Here's a video of Watson in action...

Witty Judge likens Apple’s war on Android to “constant struggle for survival”

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 5, 2012

The U.S. Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner is known for his witty remarks in the courtroom. As in, he tossed the Apple-Motorola suit out of the window and told parties that they have to prove injury, adding "I’m sorry that it seems to be petering out like this".

And in announcing the dismal, he proclaimed that “no more can Apple be permitted to force a trial in Federal Court the sole outcome of which would be an award of $1”.

He's back now with candid remarks regarding technology giants going after each other's throat in the courtroom. He also opined that companies like Apple are acting as if they were in "constant struggle for survival". And wait 'till you hear his take on the broken patent system...

Former Apple exec advised Nokia to fire Elop, drop everything and go Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 4, 2012

Jean-Louis Gassée, a former Apple executive (1981-1990), the founder of the BeOS computer operating system and former PalmSource chairman, had a word of advice for Nokia, the struggling Finnish cellphone vendor. Hiring Stephen Elop as its CEO was an expensive mistake, he argued, as this former Microsoftie has basically destroyed Nokia's software platforms before new devices reached the marketplace. At the rate of cash bleeding going on at Nokia, I wonder how long the company can afford to ignore its cardinal mistake and keep Elop on board...

Galaxy Nexus pulled from Google Play Store in wake of Apple injunction

Cody Lee ∙ July 4, 2012

That didn't take long. Less than 12 hours after Judge Lucy Koh denied Samsung's request to stay the Galaxy Nexus injunction, the handset disappears from Google Play Stores.

Last week, Apple was able to convince Koh that the Nexus was infringing on its patents — enough to warrant a preliminary ban. And it looks like that ban is already in effect...

Judge denies Samsung’s request to lift Galaxy Nexus ban

Cody Lee ∙ July 3, 2012

Just 24 hours after denying Samsung's motion to stay the Galaxy Tab injunction, Judge Lucy Koh has rejected the company's request to lift the ban on the Galaxy Nexus.

As it stands, Samsung will be forced to stop selling both the tablet and handset in the United States, unless the Court of Appeals steps in. But Google has a plan...

ITC denies Apple’s request for emergency import ban on 29 HTC devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) denied Apple's emergency request to temporary detain all shipments of 29 different HTC devices at the U.S. border, including the EVO 4G LTE and the flagship One X smartphone, Bloomberg reports. Apple last week demanded an emergency import ban of HTC phones, arguing the Taiwanese vendor lied to Customs in order to free up shipments...

Judge rejects Samsung’s motion to stay Galaxy Tab injunction

Cody Lee ∙ July 2, 2012

U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh has rejected Samsung's motion to stay the Galaxy Tab ban this evening. Koh handed down the injunction ruling last week, citing "clear patent infringement."

Apple has already posted a $2.6 million bond to push the ban into effect. So as it stands right now, it looks like Samsung will soon have to stop selling its marquee tablet in the United States...