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Adore Your Android: Cover with a Case from OtterBox
10 February 2012 12:01 AM | No Commentsvar AdBrite_Title_Color = '0000FF'; var AdBrite_Text_Color = '000000'; var AdBrite_Background_Color = 'FFFFFF'; var AdBrite_Border_Color = 'CCCCCC'; var AdBrite_URL_Color = '008000'; try{var AdBrite_Iframe=window.top!=window.self?2:1;var AdBrite_Referrer=document.referrer==''?document.location:document.referrer;AdBrite_Referrer=encodeURIComponent(AdBrite_Referrer);}catch(e){var AdBrite_Iframe='';var AdBrite_Referrer='';} document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,83,67,82,73,80,84));document.write(' src="http://ads.adbrite.com/mb/text_group.php?sid=2053203&zs=3436385f3630&ifr='+AdBrite_Iframe+'&ref='+AdBrite_Referrer+'" type="text/javascript">');document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,47,83,67,82,73,80,84,62)); FORT COLLINS, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Known as an innovator of protective solutions, OtterBox® introduces cases for newest Android™ smartphones...
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Isobar’s NFC Hackathon Winners Create Applications for Gaming, Gifting and Music Remixing
09 February 2012 5:10 PM | No CommentsBOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Isobar, a global communications agency, announced today the winners of Isobar Create 32, Silicon Valley’s first hackathon exploring Near Field Communication (NFC) technology...
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WeatherBug 2.0 for iPhone Mobile App Launches in iTunes Store
09 February 2012 12:00 PM | No CommentsGERMANTOWN, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Earth Networks SM, the owner of WeatherBug® products and services and operator of the largest weather, lightning and climate observation networks, announces...
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Digi-Key’s Android App Listed as a Top App
08 February 2012 9:58 PM | No CommentsTHIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry’s largest selection of electronic components available for...
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Infonetics Research: Mobile Broadband, Smartphones, LTE Drive Diameter Signaling Controllers to 106% CAGR to 2016
08 February 2012 4:40 PM | No CommentsCAMPBELL, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Communications market research firm Infonetics Research (www.twitter.com/infonetics) on Friday released its Diameter Signaling Control Worldwide and Regional Market Size and Forecasts ...
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Adore Your Android: Cover with a Case from OtterBox
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Patent Archive
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Motorola and RIM settle patent dispute with a good old cross-licensing deal
Posted on June 14, 2010 | No CommentsWe always like to hear of companies burying the hatchet (and the lawyers with it, if at all possible), and our latest source of good vibes are two North American phone makers that have been at each other's throats over patents since early 2008. Motorola and RIM had a previous intellectual property-sharing deal that expired at the end of '07 and with the companies unable to come to a suitable extension agreement, it all spiraled out into a big and silly legal discord. That has at long last been settled now, with RIM paying a one-off fee and regular royalties, as well as licensing some of its own patent catalog out to Moto, in exchange for using the Americans' knowhow in WiFi and other areas. All in all, an inevitable conclusion to an unnecessarily legalized negotiation. Now how about both you guys get back to building us those QWERTY sliders and 2GHz Androids?
Motorola and RIM settle patent dispute with a good old cross-licensing deal originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LG flexible display patent application includes fever-dreams of future devices
Posted on May 25, 2010 | No CommentsWe're still a ways out from real-world applications of flexible displays, but LG is preparing for the future: it's just filed a patent application that details changing a flexible display's touch sensitivty depending on the state of the display, and it's included some intriguing drawings of potential devices with the application. Specifically, the patent application includes claims referencing cylindrical, prism, folding, "rolling," "freestyle," and "hybrid" body shapes, which all sound pretty intense -- especially the hybrid body, which is a "combination of the folding body and rolling body." Of course, patent applications don't always turn into granted patents, let alone shipping products, but if you're in the mood to stare wistfully at line art and dream about the future, the full PDF is at the source link.
LG flexible display patent application includes fever-dreams of future devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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CSIRO’s patent fight targets more victims: AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile
Posted on May 21, 2010 | No CommentsIs anyone safe from the wrath of Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization? It's looking unlikely, with the company expanding its patent lawsuit furor to cover three more major players: AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile. These three are the latest cherry-picked to be on the receiving end of CSIRO's mighty 802.11a/g patent hammer. Companies like Dell, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony all chose to settle rather than challenge this patent bully, giving it the encouragement (and cash) to bring the fight to these three new players, apparently named simply because they sold WiFi devices. Sadly, there are more to come according to Executive Director Niger Poole:
Ever pass on an old WiFi-equipped gadget on eBay or gave it to a friend in exchange for a case of beer? Lord Humongous is coming for you next.I'm not going to be exposing what the legal strategy is to a journalist. There's a legal strategy here that has been thought through very carefully and to a lay person it looks like a pincer movement. You've got court action against upstream chip makers and you've got court action against downstream carriers.
[Thanks, Chris]CSIRO's patent fight targets more victims: AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 07:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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RIM working on a Blackberry for the blind
Posted on May 13, 2010 | No Comments
RIM recently filed a patent application showing a very interesting change to their basic Blackberry design. The patent talks about something called a "multi-tap keyboard user interface". The intent appears to be adding auditory feedback when pressing keys to help visually impaired users.
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HTC’s complaint against Apple examined
Posted on May 12, 2010 | No CommentsOkay, we've just gotten the full complaint HTC filed with the International Trade Commission this morning, alleging that the iPhone, iPad, and iPod infringe five of its patents and asking for sales and imports to be halted. What's odd here is that HTC hasn't yet filed a lawsuit in federal court, which could mean a lot of things -- HTC could just be banking on the ITC's somewhat faster process to force Apple's hand, or it could be less sure of its patent claims and avoiding the harsher scrutiny of a courtroom in favor of an administrative decision. We can't say for sure what the reasoning is -- but we can read the ITC complaint and break down the claims, and that's exactly what we're going to do. It's all after the break, grab the PDF or check out the gallery and follow along.
Continue reading HTC's complaint against Apple examined
HTC's complaint against Apple examined originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 May 2010 18:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HTC files patent complaint against Apple, asks for ban on iPhone, iPad, and iPod
Posted on May 12, 2010 | No Commentsdigg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/HTC_files_patent_complaint_against_Apple'; We'd been wondering how and when HTC would respond to Apple's patent lawsuit, and here we go: the Taiwanese phone manufacturer just filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission, asking for importation and sales of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod be halted due to alleged infringement of five patents. ITC complaints like this are pretty familiar territory -- you'll recall that Nokia and Apple have both asked for similar bans in their lawsuit against each other -- but the interesting wrinkle here is that HTC apparently hasn't filed a corresponding federal lawsuit. We'll see if that's the next step for HTC down the line -- for now, we're digging into what patents are involved in the ITC complaint, so stay tuned.
Continue reading HTC files patent complaint against Apple, asks for ban on iPhone, iPad, and iPod
HTC files patent complaint against Apple, asks for ban on iPhone, iPad, and iPod originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 May 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nokia sues Apple again, says the iPad 3G infringes five patents
Posted on May 7, 2010 | No Comments
Looks like settlement negotiations in the various Nokia / Apple patent lawsuits aren't going too well -- Espoo's just hit Cupertino with a second federal patent lawsuit, this time alleging the iPad 3G and iPhone infringe five patents related to "enhanced speech and data transmission, using positioning data in applications and innovations in antenna configurations that improve performance and save space, allowing smaller and more compact devices." Interestingly, Nokia's filed this one in the Western District of Wisconsin, a so-called "rocket docket" that's well-known for bringing patent cases to settlement or trial in just over a year. That means we could see some real movement in this dispute within our lifetimes, but we're not holding our breath for a definitive conclusion -- by our count, Apple and Nokia now have some five pending legal actions between them, including one that's been placed on hold pending an ITC decision. Anyone want to bet how long it takes for Apple to add another countersuit to the mix?Nokia sues Apple again, says the iPad 3G infringes five patents originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple’s Seamlessly Embedded Heart Rate Monitor could turn the iPhone into a new-age mood ring
Posted on May 6, 2010 | No CommentsNike is making millions from its Apple-friendly wares, designed to turned technophiles into fitness freaks. Imagine the possibilities if the iPhone could not only track your running stride but also monitor your heart rate while doing it. That's one of a suite of potential uses for this patent app from Apple, a Seamlessly Embedded Heart Rate Monitor. The design is for a series of electrodes that are, well, seamlessly embedded into the shell of a given device in such a way that they are "not visibly or haptically distinguishable on the device." The device could then, with a touch, measure heart-rate, uniquely identify a user, and even "determine the user's mood from the cardiac signals." Just imagine the new flood of EKG-related apps: iPalpitate, Murmur Maker, Cardiac Arrest... the possibilities are endless.
[Thanks, Staska]Apple's Seamlessly Embedded Heart Rate Monitor could turn the iPhone into a new-age mood ring originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nikon patents strange LCD screen
Posted on April 29, 2010 | No Comments
Patents are always so much fun, and such a source of random speculation. Take for example this new LCD display from Nikon. What could it be? Is it for a DLSR? Maybe for video? No one knows, and of course Nikon isn't talking, but it's interesting to put your best guess out there.
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Apple patents using USB ports for venting
Posted on March 5, 2010 | No Comments
Word on the net is that Apple is working on some cooling related patents, specifically related to venting via the USB and firewire ports. In a way it makes sense, but there's definitely a potential for disaster. What if all your USB ports are filled up with novelty devices?
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Samsung and Sharp settle dispute over LCD patents
Posted on February 8, 2010 | No Comments
They fought each other in courts in the USA, Europe, Japan and Korea since summer 2007, but now Samsung and Sharp finally settled [Sharp's official press release in English] all their ongoing lawsuits over LCD technology patents. The suits (initiated by Sharp) concerned a total of five different LCD-related technologies Sharp owned, i.e. regarding the “brightness, response speeds and viewing angles of LCD panels”.
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Nokia asks ITC to ban iPhone, iPod, and MacBook imports, files another lawsuit against Apple
Posted on January 4, 2010 | No Commentsdigg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Nokia_Wants_to_Ban_iPhone_iPod_and_MacBook_Imports'; Looks like Nokia is going all-out in its patent fight with Apple: in addition to the lawsuit it's filed over GSM standards and last week's International Trade Commission complaint, Espoo just filed a second complaint with the federal court, alleging that Apple's infringing several "implementation patents" that cover everything from camera sensors to touchscreens. That's three fronts in the same war, if you're counting -- the original regarding GSM patents, and these two latest over specific device technologies. The biggest bombshell so far is the ITC complaint, in which Nokia's asking the commission to ban imports of basically every Apple mobile product from the MacBook to the iPhone for infringing its device patents -- a strategy we've seen in other high-profile cases. Since the ITC has the ability to move quite quickly, we'd expect that case to be the primary battleground for the moment -- but remember that Apple has plenty of its own incredibly broad patents of its own to fight back with here, so don't expect a quick resolution. Looks like 2010 is going to be awfully good for these attorneys, don't you think?
[Thanks, Matt]Nokia asks ITC to ban iPhone, iPod, and MacBook imports, files another lawsuit against Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nokia brings Apple patent fight to the ITC, says most Apple products infringe
Posted on December 29, 2009 | No CommentsLooks like Nokia's pulling all the stops in its patent fight with Apple: in addition to the already-filed lawsuit, the Finnish company has now filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission, alleging that "virtually all" of Apple's products infringe one of seven patents covering user interfaces, cameras, antennas, and power management. Ouch. Of course, this is a pretty standard tactic as far as major patent disputes go -- this is just a second front of the same war, and we'd expect Apple to lodge an ITC complaint of its own in due time. What could make this interesting is the ITC's power to ban imports of infringing products in relatively short order, so we'll be keeping a close eye on this one.Nokia brings Apple patent fight to the ITC, says most Apple products infringe originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple countersues Nokia for infringing 13 patents
Posted on December 11, 2009 | No Commentsdigg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Apple_countersues_Nokia_for_infringing_13_patents'; So much for making nice. Apple just announced that it's countersuing Nokia for infringing thirteen of its patents -- slightly upping Nokia's claim that Apple's infringing ten. We haven't seen the case yet, but we'll post it up for you as soon as we find it -- and as we predicted in our breakdown of Nokia's complaint, this is shaping up to be a long and costly nightmare of a suit. Hey, do you think Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell might have a crazy lightning rod of a statement about the case for us?
Cool, thanks. We'll be in the corner under a Nomex blanket for the next few months."Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours," said Bruce Sewell, Apple's General Counsel and senior vice president.
Update: Here's the PDF of the reply -- we're still reading all 79 pages of it, but it's what we expected: Apple says Nokia's patents aren't actually essential to GSM / UMTS, denies infringing them, and says they're invalid and / or unenforceable anyway. Apple also says Nokia wanted unreasonable license terms for the patents, including a cross-license for Apple's various iPhone device patents as part of any deal, which Apple clearly wasn't willing to do. That's in stark contrast to what Nokia says it wants in its lawsuit -- all it's asked the court for is past due license fees on its patents. (Which is odd, if you think about it: Nokia wouldn't come to terms on a license that didn't include iPhone patents, but it'll spend the cash on litigation for past due fees? That seems silly.) Oh, and if you're just in this for the bitchy quotes, here you go:
We'll let you know if we see anything else of interest, but we'd say we're in for a long, bumpy ride here.As Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia's executive Vice President and General Manager of Multimedia, stated at Nokia's GoPlay event in 2007 when asked about the similarities of Nokia's new offerings to the already released iPhone:"[i]f there is something good in the world, we copy with pride." True to this quote, Nokia has demonstrated its willingness to copy Apple's iPhone ideas as well as Apple's basic computing technologies, all while demanding Apple pay for access to Nokia's purported standards essential patent.Apple countersues Nokia for infringing 13 patents originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Blockbuster and Netflix 1, rental queue patent holder 0
Posted on December 10, 2009 | No Comments
Good news in the lawsuit against Netflix and Blockbuster; the legal system for the great state of California has judged that the rental queue patent was not violated!