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Tag: Samsung

  • iPhone 5 Added to Samsung Patent Lawsuit

    iPhone 5 Added to Samsung Patent Lawsuit

    Samsung had already announced in a court filing that it was going to take on the iPhone 5 for suspected violations of patents it holds, and the company has stayed true to its word.

    Apple Insider is reporting that this week Samsung officially added Apple’s latest smartphone to a different lawsuit than the one Samsung lost last month. This lawsuit is the same one in which Apple was granted an abbreviated preliminary injunction against the Samsung Galaxy Nexus being sold in the U.S. Samsung is alledging that Apple’s iPhone products violate two UMTS standards patents and six other feature patents Samsung holds.

    The report states that Samsung obtained an iPhone 5 as soon as the smartphone was available, then determined that it has “the same accused functionality as the previously accused versions of the iPhone.”

    This trial is currently very young, and is still deep in the discovery phase. It’s likely that Samsung may even get the chance to add the next version of the iPhone to the lawsuit, as the trial isn’t scheduled to begin until 2014

    Samsung recently lost a different patent dispute to Apple. In that lawsuit, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $1 billion in damages, though the judge in that case did lift the U.S. sales ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that had been in place since June.

  • Verizon Finally Gets Jelly Bean, But Only For Galaxy Nexus

    Verizon Finally Gets Jelly Bean, But Only For Galaxy Nexus

    Android 4.1, or Jelly Bean, has been out for over a month now. The Nexus 7 was the first Android device to ship with it and carriers are now beginning the slow process of updating phones to the new OS. Verizon was a little slow to push Jelly Bean out to users, but they’re somewhat rectifying that today.

    Verizon announced that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus would be getting its promised Jelly Bean upgrade starting today. The Galaxy Nexus originally shipped with Android 4.0, but Google announced at I/O that it would be getting an upgrade to Jelly Bean soon. Apparently soon for Verizon meant three months later.

    Like with all major updates, not all Galaxy Nexus users will be getting Jelly Bean today. Verizon is pushing the update over Wi-Fi in phases. It’s only a temporary measure to prevent a mass of Galaxy Nexus users clogging up Verizon’s servers.

    Those wanting to upgrade need only head over to the Settings page on their phone. From there, go to About Phone, and then tap System Updates. The phone will tell you if the overseers at Verizon have deemed your territory worthy yet. If not, you’ll have to wait until it’s your turn. They haven’t given us a timetable, but you will probably be able to get Jelly Bean in the next few days.

    Verizon has compiled a nice list of all the new features that Android 4.1 adds. Many Android fans are probably familiar things like Google Now and Voice Search, but newcomers will definitely want to check it out.

  • German Court Rules In Favor Of Samsung And Motorola In Apple Patent Lawsuit

    German Court Rules In Favor Of Samsung And Motorola In Apple Patent Lawsuit

    The German court system has been busy this week. Just yesterday, a judge ruled that Motorola had infringed upon Microsoft’s patent. Motorola now faces a sales ban in the country. They can at least be thankful that a German court didn’t rule against them twice in one week.

    FOSS Patents is reporting that Apple has lost a patent case they brought against both Motorola and Samsung in Germany. The patent in question covers “multi-point and multi-touch enable devices in general, and more specifically in recognizing single and multiple point and touch events in multi-point and multi-touch enabled devices.” FOSS points out that a win for Apple would have required Motorola and Samsung to rewrite several apps since the patent in question covers basic core functionality.

    This is a win for Samsung and Motorola against Apple’s global patent litigation, but it hardly wins the war. There are still multiple lawsuits going on around the world. The significance of this case lies in the fact that Apple has lost every lawsuit in regards to this particular patent so far. It’s been proved in courts around the world that Apple’s patents either don’t apply or are invalid when it comes to core functionality.

    Apple has numerous other patents that they are going after their rivals with. The other parents also relate to core functionality that we have come to expect in smartphones. If Apple wins these cases, Android phones will be forced to change their core functionality to something far more unintuitive.

    For now, we’ll continue to watch these cases as they evolve. The lawsuits may be happening across Europe, but they could have an effect on how U.S. patent lawsuits are decided. Samsung is appealing a jury’s decision to award Apple $1 billion in damages. It will be interesting to see how the case is decided if, and when, it reaches higher courts.

  • iPhone 5 Added to Samsung vs. Apple Lawsuit

    iPhone 5 Added to Samsung vs. Apple Lawsuit

    According to Foss Patents, Samsung this week filed a case management statement with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California stating that it believes the iPhone 5 will infringe on 8 of its patents “in the same way as other accused iPhone models.” It also states that it plans to add the iPhone 5 to the list of Apple products it claims infringe on its patents as soon as it can get its hands on the smartphone and examine it.

    The document is actually a joint case management conference statement, showing the results of a pre-trial meeting between the judge in the case, Apple lawyers, and Samsung lawyers. Foss provided a screenshot of the portion of the statement in which Samsung announces its intentions to add the iPhone 5 to its claims. The statement reads:

    “Samsung anticipates that it will file, in the near future, a motion to amend its infringement contentions to add the iPhone 5 as an accused product. On September 12, 2012, Apple announced that it will release the iPhone 5 on September 21, 2012. Based on information currently available, Samsung expects that the iPhone 5 will infringe the asserted Samsung patents-in-suit in the same way as the other accused iPhone models. Samsung plans to file a motion to amend its infringement contentions to address the iPhone 5 as soon as it has had a reasonable opportunity to analyze the device.”

    This all pertains to a different lawsuit than the one that Apple won last month. According to Foss, the trial the statement is a part of is currently scheduled to begin in 2014.

    (via BGR)

  • Galaxy Note Chosen for American Airlines Flight Attendants

    Apple may have won the fight for the cockpit, but Samsung has gotten its devices into the hands of flight attendants.

    American Airlines this week announced that their flight attendants will begin using the Samsung Galaxy Note later this year to keep tabs on passengers. Using the devices, flight attendants will be able to access a customer’s name, seat number, and loyalty program status. The Galaxy Note will also be used to record the meal preferences of premium class flyers, and identify “high-value” passengers or those who need special assistance. Pending U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval, the devices will also provide information on flight connections, delays, and weather.

    “This is a huge step towards a new, modern American Airlines, as our tablet program is the first of its kind in the airline industry, where our flight attendants will have the most up-to-date customer information in the palms of their hands, allowing them to better serve our customers from boarding to deplaning,” said Lauri Curtis, vice president of flight service for American. “By giving a device to all of our active flight attendants we are better enabling our people to deliver an exceptional customer experience.”

    American also intends to use the Galaxy Note for in-flight purchases, pending FAA approval. American cited the device’s enterprise-ready features and security as the reason for its choice.

    This announcement comes just one week after American announced that it had received approval from the FAA to use Apple iPads during all phases of flights. The company hopes to use the tablets to replace the heavy, bulky paper kitbag manuals that pilots carry onto their flights. It estimates the move will save $1.2 million on fuel costs annually.

  • Samsung Once Again Goes After Apple Fanboys in a New Ad

    Samsung has never been one to shy away from directly making fun of Apple and their fans in product advertisements. See exhibit A, this ad for the Galaxy S II that digs at Apple’s lack of turn-by-turn navigation and crappy battery life. Or exhibit B, this teaser as for the Galaxy S III that takes the original position of referring to iPhone owners as sheep.

    When the Galaxy S III finally launched in the U.S. earlier this summer, Samsung released a couple of ads for the device that didn’t even mention Apple or the iPhone. But of course, we knew that Samsung’s marketing people would have to take a swipe at Apple when the iPhone 5 launched.

    Now, the iPhone is hitting stores in two days and Samsung is on the offensive.

    Earlier this week, they took out full page ads in multiple U.S. media outlets with their “it doesn’t take a genius” ad campaign that compared the Galaxy S III to an iPhone 5-esque smartphone. “The next big thing is already here,” said the ad.

    Today, Samsung has gone back to their old ways of making fun of hipsters waiting in line for Apple products with this new ad that, among other things, suggests that the iPhone is the phone of your mom and dad. Check it out:

    [h/t 9to5Google]

  • Samsung Takes on the iPhone 5 in New Ad

    Samsung Takes on the iPhone 5 in New Ad

    Samsung had been riding high all summer. After HTC stumbled on the U.S. release of their One X smartphone, Samsung’s Galaxy S III became the new must-have Android smartphone. Just last week the company announced that over 20 million of the devices have been sold. But then came the iPhone 5 announcement last week, and it seems the entire world has forgotten there are smartphones that aren’t iPhones.

    While Apple’s brand will certainly sell millions of iPhones in the coming weeks, Samsung still thinks the Galaxy S III is a winner. To emphasize this, the company took out full-page ads in publications across the U.S. this weekend. The ad, seen below, directly compares the features of the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S III. The message at the top, “It doesn’t take a genius,” is a double entendre that refers to both Apple Genius’ and how clear Samsung believes it is that the Galaxy S III beats the iPhone 5 on features.

    There are, of course, a few things that Samsung neglected to include on their comparison. Most notably, there is no mention of the Apple A6 processor that will run the iPhone 5. It was one of the few features that Apple managed to keep secret until launch day, and it will almost certainly out-class the 1.5Ghz dual-core processor in the Galaxy S III. Also, while Samsung manages to pack all of its software onto the list (including silly features such as “shake to update”), only Apple’s Siri manages to make the list of iPhone 5 features. Passbook is conspicuously absent.

    Samsung's

  • Samsung Galaxy S IV to be Revealed in February

    It seems that Samsung is now doing well enough to be worthy of some rumors of the impending announcement of its next Galaxy S smartphone. Usually these types of rumors are reserved for Apple’s iPhones, but it appears that the Galaxy lineup is now prolific enough to rate for months-out rumors.

    Today, ZDNet is reporting that Samsung will reveal the Galaxy S IV at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain next February. ZDNet is citing an anonymous “company official” as saying the device will then be released “a month later at the latest.” A March release date for the Galaxy S IV seems early, but the official is also evidently confident that the new smartphone will be able to compete with the iPhone 5 and told ZDNet that it will be Samsung’s most powerful smartphone to date. Specifically, it is rumored to sport a quad-core processor and a larger 5″ screen with an OLED display.

    If it seems that Samsung’s current flagship Galaxy device, the Galaxy S III, just launched, you are right. In the U.S. at least, it has only been out for around three months, and its launch was less than smooth. Still, in the time it has been available, Samsung claims to have sold 20 million of the devices. That doesn’t touch the expected 250 million iPhone 5’s that are expected to be sold, but it is a sign that Samsung is on the right track with their smartphones.

  • Galaxy Note II Sales to Top 20 Million, Says Samsung Mobile Head

    While Apple continues to believe that the width of the new (and old) iPhone is perfect for human hands, there are customers who have clearly taken the view that “bigger is better” when it comes to the size of smartphone screens. Case in point: Samsung’s Galaxy Note smartphone, with its massive 5.3-inch screen, was an unexpected hit.

    The next version of the Galaxy Note will be even larger – 5.5-inches. With the launch date of the device creeping nearer, it appears Samsung is confident in their behemoth. This week J.K. Shin, head of mobile at Samsung, told a Korean news agency that the Galaxy Note II is likely to sell twice as well as the previous model. With the original Galaxy Note having sold, according to Shin, more than 10 million units, it appears Samsung thinks it will sell more than 20 million of the new devices.

    That’s quite impressive, considering that Samsung’s current flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S III, has already sold 20 million units since its debut on May 29. Even so, these numbers seem paltry compared to the expected 250 million iPhone 5s that Apple is expected to sell. In order to keep up with Apple the way they have, Samsung has had to put out a plethora of Android devices, none of which can individually compete with the iPhone in terms of sales.

    Shin also confirmed that an October release for the Galaxy Note II is still on track, denying rumors that Samsung would change the date because of Apple’s iPhone 5 announcement.

    (via BGR)

  • These Phones Are Thinner Than The iPhone 5

    These Phones Are Thinner Than The iPhone 5

    Apple’s Phil Schiller proudly boasted today that the iPhone 5 is the world’s thinnest smartphone. At 7.6 millimeters thin, the iPhone 5 is quite thin. Is it the thinnest in the world though? That claim may be harder to back up.

    Released in November 2011, the Motorola DROID RAZR has a thickness of 7.1 mm. It doesn’t beat the iPhone 5 by much, but it’s still thinner. There are other Android phones out there that are even smaller.

    Chinese company Huawei claimed the thinnest smartphone title earlier this year at CES with Ascend P1s. Their Android-powered smartphone is measured at a ridiculously tiny 6.7mm thickness. The ZTE Athena came out swinging in May to claim the world’s thinnest smartphone title with a device that’s only 6.2mm thick.

    To give Apple credit, the iPhone 5 is the world’s thinnest iPhone. All the marketing on Apple’s site reflects that instead of Schiller’s possibly mispoken statement. It’s also the world’s thinnest 4G LTE phone. The iPhone 5 is really thin and Apple’s engineers deserve a hearty slap on the back for their work. It’s just not the thinnest in the world just yet. We’ll probably have to wait for the iPhone 6 for Apple to reclaim the world’s thinnest smartphone title.

    [h/t: Droid Life]

  • Galaxy S III to Get Jelly Bean Update in October

    Owners of Samsung’s Galaxy S III may have the latest in smartphone hardware technology, but their device is still stuck running Androind 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This is nearly two months since Google’s Nexus 7 tablet debuted with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

    Finally, Samsung has stated that the Galaxy S III will soon be getting an upgrade to Jelly Bean. CNET’s U.K. website has “confirmed” that the smartphone will recieve the update sometime in October. The site states that the info comes straight from Samsung. CNET quotes a Samsung as saying that Jelly Bean “will be available on the Galaxy S III from October.”

    After that, the burden of customer complaints shifts to mobile operators, who will have to implement their own restrictions and software into the update. While SIM-less Galaxy S III’s will be able to upgrade in October, those with heavy-handed carriers may have to wait weeks or longer for a chance to taste Jelly Bean on their smartphone.

    Of course, Galaxy S III owners who are a bit more adventurous know that Jelly Bean-based roms have been available for the smartphone for a while now, assuming it is rooted of course. Just yesterday it was announced that CyanogenMod, one of the most popular roms for Android smartphones, will be releasing monthly stable versions for quite a few top-tier devices, including the Galaxy S III. That should make it easier than ever for Galaxy S III owners to keep their phones running the latest Android operating system with cutting-edge features without having to wait months (or forever) for their phone manufacturer or wireless carrier to push out an update.

  • Windows Phone 8 Launch Hit By Delays

    Windows Phone 8 Launch Hit By Delays

    The iPhone 5 is going to be revealed today. We can also expect the device to actually launch later this month on September 21. There are other phones on the market, like Samsung’s Galaxy S III, that might challenge the iPhone 5, but Windows Phone 8 isn’t going to be one of them.

    A report out of The Verge indicates that Microsoft isn’t finished with the core software in Windows Phone 8. They put on a strong showing, even with faked ads, at a joint press event with Nokia. Other manufacturers, like Samsung, are also beginning to show off their Windows 8 handsets. It seems that the only company who’s not ready for the launch of Windows Phone 8 is Microsoft.

    Windows Phone 8 was expected to launch in early October. This would have put it ahead of the launch of Windows 8 and would have given Microsoft enough breathing room to effectively market both. That launch date is now gone and replaced with a tentative October 29 launch, only three days after the launch of Windows 8.

    The main culprit behind the delay is testing on the part of handset manufacturers and carriers. The Verge says that HTC seems to be the manufacturer having the most trouble with Windows 8, but carrier testing may push the launch back even further as they wait for HTC to get it together.

    A delay into late October/early November could really hurt Microsoft’s momentum in going forward with Windows Phone 8. They advertise it as the next best thing, but the iPhone 5 will have been on the market for a month before Microsoft is able to push out their Windows 8 handset. Any momentum they may have gained by showing off the Lumia 920 before the iPhone 5 reveal has just been killed.

    I still believe in a future where Windows Phone 8 will meet with some success, but Microsoft is getting off to a rocky start. They’re going to have to really push Windows Phone 8 this holiday season if they want to have a decent end of year showing.

  • Galaxy Note II to Launch on Verizon, Every Other Major U.S. Carrier

    It appears that Samsung is on a roll that can’t be stopped. BriefMobile this weekend reported that an anonymous “reputable source” told them Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note II will be sold through Verizon. That means the Galaxy Note II will be the second Samsung phone to be released across all major U.S. carriers this year, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular.

    Earlier this year, Samsung was able to release its current flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S III, on all the major U.S. carriers. Having this type of broad reach no doubt helped that smartphone sell more than 20 million units since the end of May.

    Even so, the Galaxy S III launch was still a confusing mess, with the different carriers offering different release dates, color options, and memory sizes. Sadly, this is common for smartphones in the U.S. Though HTC’s One X might have had the features and hardware to compete with Samsung’s hit, it was only released through AT&T (where it received a hardware downgrade from the European version) and Sprint (where it was heavily rebranded as an EVO product).

    BriefMobile’s source claims that Verizon’s version of the Galaxy Note 2 will have a quad-core processor and LTE capabilities. It will also, of course, have Verizon branding on the phone itself – even on the home button. The report claims that an announcement is imminent, but that each carrier will have their own release date, meaning the Galaxy Note 2’s launch will likely be as messy as the Galaxy S III’s was.

  • Galaxy S Relay 4G To Ship In Coming Weeks

    Galaxy S Relay 4G To Ship In Coming Weeks

    T-Mobile unveiled the Galaxy S Relay 4G from Samsung on Thursday, the latest in the Samsung Galaxy line, which will be offered exclusively by the carrier.

    It’s powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and leverages T-Mobile’s 4G (HSPA+ 42) network. T-Mobile is really touting the business features of the phone.

    “The Galaxy S Relay 4G is also a SAFE (Samsung Approved for Enterprise)-designated device that offers a full portfolio of enterprise-ready features and capabilities,” says T-Mobile. “Samsung SAFE offers comprehensive IT Policy support for top-tier mobile device management (MDM) solutions, on-device AES-256 bit encryption, and enhanced support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, as well as integrated support for a range of virtual private network solutions.”

    It has a ful 5-row QWERTY keyboard and 1.5-GHz Dual-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor. T-Mobile says this enables business customers to quickly view and edit documents and share files. It has Wi-Fi Calling and support for Smartphone Mobile HotSpot for up to five devices (with a qualifying plan).

    It has a 4-inch, Super AMOLED screen, a 5-megapixel rear camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera and 720p HD camcorder (1280×720) resolution. It comes with T-Mobile TV in mobile HD2, which lets you watch live TV, as well as Samsung Media Hub for renting and buying movies and TV show.

    “Consumers are increasingly looking for a powerful device that makes it easy to integrate their busy work and personal lives,” said Andrew Morrison, vice president of product management, T-Mobile USA. “The Galaxy S Relay 4G is the perfect addition to T-Mobile’s popular Galaxy smartphone lineup, providing our customers with a reliable and business-centric Android experience — and the easy access to entertainment for which Galaxy devices are known.”

    The Galaxy S Relay 4G will be available nationwide at T-Mobile stores, and other select retailers (and at T-Mobile.com, of course) in the coming weeks.

  • Galaxy S III Sales Top 20 Million, Says Samsung

    Samsung today announced that its flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S III, has sold 20 million units since the device debuted in Europe on May 29 of this year. The company claims that the Galaxy S III is its most successful smartphone ever, and that it has set sales record by generating sales quicker than any previous Galaxy phones. Though the smartphone’s release in the U.S. was stilted and confusing (due to carrier demands and exclusive deals), there is no doubt that U.S. sales are a large part of that 20 million.

    “The Galaxy S III has enjoyed tremendous attention and popularity since its launch in May, and we are thrilled with its success,” said JK Shin, president of IT & mobile communications at Samsung. “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to customers who have chosen the Galaxy S III. We will never stop providing the latest smart mobile technologies to help users live a life extraordinary.”

    Note that 20 million in unit sales does not mean that 20 million customers worldwide have purchased a Galaxy S III. Rather, it is a measurement of how many of the smartphones Samsung has sold to its customers, who are retailers and wireless carriers.

    Samsung also recently announced that the Galaxy S III will soon come in a variety of colors, including “garnet red”, “sapphire black”, “amber brown”, and “titanium grey.”

  • Galaxy S III Beats iPhone 4S In U.S. Sales, May Soon Get Jelly Bean

    Samsung revealed that its Galaxy S III smartphone has hit 20 million sales in over three months. The phone launched in Europe in May, and the following month in the U.S.

    According to reports, the device outsold even Apple’s iPhone 4S to become the top selling smartphone in the U.S. in August. Apple Insider shares this data from the U.S. carriers, showing the Galaxy S III on top for Verizon, and Sprint and T-Mobile, and in second, behind the iPhone 4S for AT&T.

    Carrier device data

    The phone had reportedly already hit the 10 million mark in July. Some think Apple will sell 10 million iPhone 5s in its first week (though that remains to be seen).

    I wouldn’t expect the Galaxy S II to be on top for long.

    Rumor has it that the device will soon be getting the Android Jelly Bean update.

  • Samsung Labor Practices Under Fire Once Again

    Over the past two years, Samsung has achieved its goal of rivaling Apple in the smartphone space. According to the latest ComScore numbers, Samsung now sells a full quarter of the mobile handsets sold in the U.S. Samsung is now learning, though, that being an industry leader comes with increased scrutiny and oversight from watchdog organizations.

    One month ago China Labor Watch, a watchdog organization that defends the rights of Chinese workers, issued a report on one Samsung manufacturing facility in Huizhou, China. It reported claims of children under the age of 16 working at the facility. Samsung responded quickly to the report and followed up with a factory inspection and some changes to labor practices.

    This week, China Labor Watch has issued another report, this one concerning eight different Samsung factories, six of which are owned and operated by Samsung directly. The report details claims that workers in the factories are forced to work overtime, stand for 11 to 12 hours, and are working in unsafe conditions. There are also new claims of underage workers.

    A Samsung spokesperson acknowledged these claims, though he only addressed the overtime issue, saying that it is related to new product assembly lines and tight manufacturing deadlines. He stated that Samsung will be re-evaluating its working hour practices. Samsung will be conducting on-site inspections of its factories and suppliers, and said it would terminate the contract of any supplier found to have labor violations.

  • iOS, Android Continue to Dominate Smartphone Market

    ComScore, a leading digital metrics company, today released its metrics for July of this year, comparing its numbers to those from April of this year. As expected, Google and Apple continue to dominate the smartphone market with their iOS and Android platforms, while RIM’s Blackberry OS continues its slide toward irrelevance.

    According to ComScore, 114 million Americans now own smartphones. Of these smartphones, they estimate that 52.2% of them run a version of Google’s Android OS, a slight rise from April’s 50.8%. As proof that Apple’s iPhones are still what people want if they can get them, Apple’s iOS platform rose 2% from April to now run on 33.4% of U.S. smartphones.

    Comscore mobile platform numbers for July 2012

    As seen in the chart above, RIM’s Blackberry OS is still the third most pervasive smartphone platform, though it continues to fall in popularity. Blackberry OS has lost nearly 4% of its smartphone platform market share since February. The company is hoping that the release of its Blackberry 10 platform and hardware will turn around its fortunes, but RIM’s new OS isn’t coming until next year.

    When it comes to hardware, Apple seems to still be selling iPhones at a fast pace. Their share of the combined smartphone and non-smartphone mobile market rose 1.9% to sit at 16.3%. Of course, two other manufacturers top that percentage by selling lower-end smartphones and feature phones. LG holds 18.4% of the mobile market while over a quarter (25.6%) of U.S. mobile subscribers carry a Samsung phone.

  • The Patent Wars Are An Absolute Mess [Infographic]

    The big news this week was a California court handing a massive patent victory to Apple. It finally brought mainstream attention to a problem that has been plaguing the tech world for quite a while now. There are just too many companies suing other companies over questionable patents.

    Of course, you may now be wondering about the extent of the patent wars. A handy infographic from Reuters condenses it into one easy to understand image. At one time, there were 20 companies involved in patent litigation. A number of those cases, usually involving Kodak, have been resolved over the past few years.

    The most interesting thing about the patent wars is that only one company has decided to license their technology out to others – Microsoft. That hasn’t spared others the wrath of the Redwood-based company though. Microsoft is currently suing Barnes & Noble, Foxconn and Motorola.

    In what should come as a surprise to no one, Apple is being sued the most out of any other company. They are also doing most of the suing. Of course, most of these cases are of Apple suing a company and then the other company countersuing. In total, Apple is suing four companies – Samsung, Motorola, Nokia and HTC. Their case with Nokia has been resolved, but the other three have filed countersuits against Apple. Kodak is also suing Apple, but the Cupertino-based giant hasn’t filed a countersuit.

    The Patent Wars Are An Absolute Mess

    Patent litigation is becoming more convoluted than the urban planning of Lexington, KY. The graphic from Reuters would grow even larger and more confusing if it were to include all the lawsuits from patent trolls. Even in its current state, it’s indicative of a system that’s hopelessly broken. It’s a firm reminder that patent laws need an entire reboot, instead of adjustments here and there.

  • HBO Nordic to Come Pre-installed on Samsung Products

    HBO Nordic to Come Pre-installed on Samsung Products

    Yesterday, we told you that Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark) was about to be the first major market to get a standalone HBO streaming service – which is pretty damn cool if you happen to live in one of those countries. Now, the news gets even better for Nordic residents who happen to enjoy Samsung products.

    Today, and IFA 2012, HBO and Samsung announced a partnership that will see HBO Nordic streaming service come pre-installed on a variety of Samsung devices. This includes, smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, and Blu-ray players. If Samsung makes it and it’s internet connected, it will come with an HBO Nordic application.

    The announcement has been confirmed by HBO Finland’s Twitter account:

    HBO Nordic marks the first time that HBO will offer their content without the requirement that the subscriber also have a pay-TV (cable) subscription as well. According to reports, it will cost Scandinavian subscribers less than 10 euros a month and will also include content from Starz and Showtime.

    Of course, cord cutters in the United States have to be less-than-thrilled to see this offered in Europe, as they’ve been clamoring for an HBO Go-like streaming service free of cable ties for awhile now.

    [TonisTechBlog via The Verge]

  • Samsung Waiting to Sue Apple Over iPhone 5’s LTE

    Though Apple managed total victory in its U.S. patent lawsuit against Samsung, the most valuable company in history hasn’t fared quite so well in places such as Korea and Japan. Still, Apple is taking its win and running with it, requesting that many Samsung smartphones, including varieties of the Galaxy S II, be banned from sale in the U.S. A hearing is scheduled for December to determine if Apple will get its wish.

    It turns out Samsung may have a counterattack planned, though. An article in the Korea Times states that Samsung has confirmed its intention to “immediately sue Apple” if it decides to release an LTE device, which the upcoming iPhone 5 is expected to be. The Times points to Thomson-Reuters data that states Samsung owns around 12.2% of LTE patents. If Samsung can manage to find one of their LTE patents that the iPhone 5 infringes upon, it’s a near-certainty the company will ask for an injunction against Apple selling the smartphone in the U.S.

    If Samsung could actually convince a judge to issue a well-timed injunction, it would be quite a reposte. With a manufacturing delay for the smartphone’s LCD panels already guaranteeing a supply crunch on the iPhone 5’s launch day, an injunction would drop a bomb on the tech world’s biggest product launch of the year. It might also, however, turn out to be a good thing, as the attention and outrage such an event would cause could be enough to finally get some movement toward U.S. patent system reform.

    (via BGR)