Shimi is your own personal robot DJ

This is one of our favorite Kickstarter projects seeking funding. An amazing speaker dock with personality!



First of all, Shimi is a high-quality speaker dock. And because we love music as much as you do, we packed Shimi (rhymes with "Jimmy") with high quality 6 Watt speakers and optimized his shape for best sound quality. But that’s just the beginning. Shimi doesn’t just play music, but actually uses your iPhone as his brain to become your own personal robotic musical companion. Not only does Shimi love to move to the music, but he knows and understands what moves you.

Shimi can dance

Shimi has five motors strategically placed, and will dance to the beat of any song using a rich variety of dance moves that fit the specific song and genre. We packed years of our research in expressive robotic movement into an app that makes Shimi groove like nobody’s business.

Shimi can follow you

Using face recognition software, Shimi will always know where you are in the room and point the speakers to you. No matter where you are, Shimi will always deliver the best stereo sound to you.

Shimi can listen

Shimi uses natural language processing to understand and respond to your musical (and other) requests. Shim also uses sophisticated music intelligence algorithms to understand and respond to your rythmic taps and claps and select music with the same rhythm and tempo.

Shimi is more than just what we can imagine

We will keep developing new applications for Shimi. We are already working on applications that will allow Shimi to respond to your facial expression, learn your musical tastes, and recommend new music to you. Expect apps for gaming, education, music making, tele-presence and more, very soon. We are also developing an API to let third-party developers make apps for Shimi.

How you can help

We are a team of roboticists from Georgia Tech, IDC, and the MIT Media Lab, working together for several years in academic settings. We have managed to put together a rockin’ prototype that knocks everyone we show it to off their feet. Even after thousands of hours of developing and demoing Shimi, we still can’t help bobbing our heads and smiling when Shimi starts moving.

In order to be able to share the magic of musical robots with the world, we need to make this prototype into a real product that can be manufactured for a reasonable price.

Specifically, we are now planning to:

Move from the Android-based prototype to the iPhone platform (don't worry, for you Android lovers, we'll launch an Anrdoid version as well)
Redesign Shimi components for low cost and durability
Create tooling and parts to mass produce Shimi
We also want to know if there are enough people out there who want one at home as much as we do.

For that we need your help: if you back our project at the $149 reward level, you will receive one of the first commercially available Shimi robots at a price well below our expected retail price.






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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Spixi a better way to charge & sync your iPhone and Android

"Introducing Spixi a new kind cable for smartphones. It is slim and sleek- unlike any cable you've seen before.





Spixi features a unique, retracting 2-foot cable made from an eco-friendly thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) that is stronger and more durable than polyvinyl chloride, the commonly used material for cables. Because of TPE's superior characteristics, we can design a thinner cable without sacrificing quality and performance.

Yes, we've heard about iPhone 5

Spixi comes in 3 different connector flavors: iPhone 5 (8-pin), iPhone 4/4S (and previous versions), and Micro-USB (Android, Blackberry, Windows).




The world's FIRST jam-free retractable USB cable for smartphones

A high level of design and quality- is unheard of, in the retractable USB cable world. It's our pleasure to change that.



How big is it really?

Let's take a look.




Product features

A connector like you've never seen before



The connector is sideways. This helps minimize the compactness of the design. Because the connector is oriented on its side, the chance for damaging the connector is greatly reduced.

USB flips up, up, and away



The USB connector folds away. This allows Spixi to maintain it's streamline design so it won't get caught with other items while you're taking it out of your bag.

Stays in shape to impress you



Spixi is slim. So slim that it will not interfere with the other USB ports on your laptop, so you- the user will never have to compromise. It's just slightly wider than your typical USB flash drive.

Made for on-the-go



The case is made of polycarbonate, similar to the macbook chargers. This gives protection to the cable when it is stowed and on-the-go. It will give users peace of mind, knowing that their cable is housed around solid construction.

Let's talk AND charge



Don't sacrifice freedom for portability. The popular emergency and short cables are great for certain situations, however, they put your phone in a paralytic state. Spixi's 2-foot cable is long enough to take calls or open apps comfortably, all while charging and syncing through your laptop.

And here's how you can help

We need to raise $30,000- to make Spixi come to life. The funds raised will be used to cover the tooling costs of the production molds.

A rigorous effort has been made to choose the right supplier for this product. And we're proud to say, that we've found a good match. We've been in communication with Spixi's supplier for the past 6 months, and can confirm that the our high level of quality can be met. They make product for some of the biggest names in technology, so we are confident. The supplier is located in China and we have a planned visit in the coming weeks- very exciting!

If funding is successful by November 1, we plan to ship in February 2013.

Why does it take so long to make?

We are all about transparency, so here is the breakdown: it takes 2 months to make the tooling, about 1 month to produce the units and address production quality, and an additional month for the products to arrive to our shores. So if tooling starts in November, we're looking at February to delivery Spixi to our awesome supporters!

Spixi specs



Dimensions: 2" x 2.25" x 0.75" (50.8mm x 57.2mm x 19.1mm)
Cable Length: 2' (0.61m)
USB 2.0
iPhone 5 Connector: 8-pin
iPhone 4/4S Connector: 30-pin
Android, Blackberry, Windows Connector: Micro-USB
White/Black Edition Materials: Polycarbonate, TPE
Limited/Angel Edition Materials: Anodized Aluminum, Polycarbonate, TPE
We are really proud of our product, and that's why we have a patent pending."



One amazingly simple solution to tangled and torn cables! With a great attention to detail, it is an attractive design(if you can say that about a USB cable, idk).


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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Drop Test: Apple iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S III [Video]

The first drop test video comparing the Apple iPhone 5 to the Samsung Galaxy S III has been posted by Android Authority.

This morning in Hong Kong, Darcy dropped the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5 a total of four times, each time from an increasing height. To make our drop test more realistic, we tried to recreate the accidents that happen most often in real life. We ruthlessly let the two devices fall to the hard pavement, just to see what happens. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty. See for yourselves. Dayum!

The hard aluminum shell of the iPhone 5 withstood the impact pretty well, and the glass protecting the display remained intact. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S3 predictably lost its back cover and suffered damage to the casing and the front glass. Sad, sad, sad.

Take a look at the video below!



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*thanks iclarified*

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

SmartThings makes it easy to connect the things in your physical world to the Internet

YOUR WORLD, SMARTER



SmartThings makes it easy to connect the things in your physical world to the Internet. You can monitor, control, automate, and have fun with them from anywhere - at home, office, or on the go.

We've made it possible to install apps that interact with your SmartThings, as well as online and other services. This unlocks a world of possibilities and and unlimited potential to make your life easier, more convenient and fun.
We call these SmartApps.



SMARTAPP POTENTIAL IS LIMITLESS

SmartApps are able to mash up and interact with connected things in your physical world, as well as online and other services, allowing for incredible creativity.

Get notified immediately if your pet runs out of your yard without you with the "Oh No, My Pet Is Loose!" SmartApp.
Get an early warning or directly contact a plumber when there is a leak somewhere (bathroom, basement), before damage gets out of hand with the “It’s Leaking!” SmartApp.
Monitor drawers and cabinets that contain precious or dangerous items with the "My Stuff is Secure" SmartApp.
Brighten, dim, or flicker the lights when you get another fan or follower on social networks with the “Buzz Barometer" SmartApp.


Even more SmartApps...





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- Posted using my iPhone 4

How to Fake a Leaked iPhone 5 Video or Picture

Given the recent news and the available parts this is how to fake a leaked iPhone 5 picture or video. With news from yahoo about the GooPhone and the iphone5 mod kit.

With just a few over the counter parts (so to speak) you can make your very own iPhone 5 look alike. First purchase the GooPhone i5 from here.
Then try to find one of these back doors that will fit the GooPhone i5(I'm petty sure that wouldn't be the hardest part)



Then replace the GooPhone honeycombs back door with this one and there you go! You have yourself a iPhone 5 look alike before anyone and go ahead and post it online as leaked pictures and video of the iPhone 5.


This post is intended for humor purposes only, we are not implying or directing anyone to do this. We just wanted to show how easy it is to fake all of these pictures floating around online of the iPhone 5.

If you take a look at this video and then the following pictures you may notice a pattern. Non of the pictures and or videos of the so called leaked iPhone 5 match each other! One of these could be real or non of them, we won't know until next week and stay tuned we will have a live blog of the iPhone 5 event by Apple.



























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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Chinese Company Used Leaked iPhone 5 Specs to Build Knockoff and Hopes to Sue Apple for Patent Infringement in China

Just the other day, we were hearing about Samsung getting in legal trouble over patent violations with Apple. A federal court decision ruled that Samsung owes Apple more than $1 billion in restitution. Samsung plans to appeal the decision, saying it never attempted to steal anything from Apple's iPhone.
Next week, on September 12, Apple is expected to introduce its highly anticipated iPhone 5, but the company may find itself on the receiving end of a patent-infringement battle. Chinese tech companyGoophone is launching the Goophone I5, which looks suspiciously like an iPhone in the company's video on YouTube.
In recent months, tech blogs all over the world have released leaked photos and videos of what is rumored to be Apple's iPhone 5. The pictures show what appears to be a longer, thinner, but altogether similar version of previous models of the best-selling smartphone in the world. The Goophone I5 will run a version of the Android operating system that mimics the look of Apple's IOS. Goophone claims to have already patented its phone in China and vows to sue for patent infringement should Apple try to release the iPhone 5 in China as well.
One commenter on Goophone's YouTube account wrote, "the clone wants to sue the original...THIS IS THE FUTURE!" Of course, since the new iPhone 5 does not technically exist for the public yet, we'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks Yahoo


Tell us what you think about this interesting turn of events. What do you think Apple should do.


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*thanks iClarified*



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- Posted using my iPhone 4

It's Now Possible to Run Android Apps on the iPad

Myriad has announced that it's now possible to run Android apps on the iPad thanks to Alien Dalvik v2.0.

Myriad's latest Alien release will not only enable Android apps to run across non-Android smartphone platforms, but will now enable the Android ecosystem to be extended across multiple devices and screens such as tablets, e-books, TVs, automotives and even avionics, says the company. Myriad will be showcasing Alien Dalvik 2.0 and its multi-screen strategy, demonstrating Android apps on Apple iPad for the first time at CTIA Enterprise & Applications 2011 next week.

"We have seen incredible momentum in Android adoption, but we are just scratching the surface," said Simon Wilkinson, Chief Executive Officer, Myriad Group. "Digital screens such as Internet- enabled TVs and in-vehicle displays, along with other consumer devices like tablets and e-books are proliferating at an astounding rate. Consumers are driving multimedia evolution and are demanding more converged multi-screen services. With Alien Dalvik 2.0, we are creating a more flexible, consistent user experience by mobilizing content such as live sports, recorded TV shows and on-demand movies, so users can enjoy content seamlessly from one device to the next."

Alien Dalvik 2.0 is the first step towards creating a single app standard and marks yet another key milestone for Myriad Android innovations. Alien Dalvik 2.0 enables the majority of Android apps to run unmodified using Android Package (APK) files. This in turn allows app store owners and publishers to quickly transcend multiple platforms and screens, leveraging existing software and middleware, all without compromising performance. Furthermore, Alien Dalvik 2.0 enables developers to create once and use many times, while allowing operators, OEMs, and even enterprise to streamline app rollout - taking the headache out of platform fragmentation and content management.

From a user perspective, Alien Dalvik 2.0 is completely transparent and installed without user disruption. Users simply enjoy the same rich Android ecosystem they have become accustomed to via mobile on other key screens, such as playing Angry Birds on HDTV. This all while gaining faster access to a wider range of apps, thus encouraging a higher frequency of downloads and increased ARPU.





*thanks iclarified*

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Samsung Agrees to Pay Microsoft for Using Android

Microsoft announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement with Samsung, to cross-license the patent portfolios of both companies, providing broad coverage for each company's products. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will receive royalties for Samsung's mobile phones and tablets running the Android mobile platform. In addition, the companies agreed to cooperate in the development and marketing of Windows Phone.

"Microsoft and Samsung see the opportunity for dramatic growth in Windows Phone and we're investing to make that a reality," said Andy Lees, president, Windows Phone Division, Microsoft. "Microsoft believes in a model where all our partners can grow and profit based on our platform."

"Through the cross-licensing of our respective patent portfolios, Samsung and Microsoft can continue to bring the latest innovations to the mobile industry," said Dr. Won-Pyo Hong, executive vice president of global product strategy at Samsung's mobile communication division. "We are pleased to build upon our long history of working together to open a new chapter of collaboration beginning with our Windows Phone "Mango" launch this fall."

FOSS Patents notes that "This is the most important Android-related intellectual property deal in its own right, and even more significant against the background of Google's proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility. If Samsung truly believed that Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility was going to be helpful to the Android ecosystem at large, it would have waited until that deal is closed before concluding the license agreement with Microsoft. But Samsung probably knows it can't rely on Google. It decided to address Android's intellectual property issues on its own."

Interestingly, it appears that Samsung was able to negotiate a lower licensing fee by promising to work with Microsoft to promote Windows Phone 7. Microsoft's mobile operating system has received good reviews but has seen low adoption rates and the company working hard to negotiate deals with manufacturers to push the OS.



*thanks iclarified*

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Why are there Apple logos in the backdrop of a Samsung store? UPDATED: Replaced with “S” icons

UPDATE [Monday, September 26, 2011 at 11:30am ET]: The Sammy Hub blog pointed out that Samsung has replaced all the wrong icons by an “S,” as seen in another image after the break.

Spotted by the folks over at CNET, an Italian Samsung store actually has Apple logos in the backdrop. You’ll noticed circled that there are App Store and Safari logos. Alright we’re just going to put this out there, Samsung — what the hell happened here? With all of the legal proceedings going underway, we’d think Samsung would try to step away from this kind-of thing.


*thanks 9to5mac*

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Motorola's Threats Against Android Drove Google Acquisition?

Google's purchase of Motorola may have been driven by Motorola threats against Android, reports FOSS Patents.

Google offered $12.5 billion for Motorola, a 60% premium, not because it needed the company's patents but because it wanted to prevent Motorola from taking four actions that would have seriously damaged Android.

This wasn't about MMI telling Google: "buy us, and together we'll protect the Android ecosystem". This was more like MMI telling Google: "buy us, or else we'll immediately do three or four things that will make sense for us but be absolutely devastating for Android".

The four things Motorola reportedly planed to do were:

1. MMI would have taken a royalty-bearing patent license from Microsoft, and possibly also settled with Apple.

2. MMI would have revisited its exclusive focus on Android and possibly adopted Windows Phone.

3. MMI would have attacked other Android device makers with its patents to make their products more expensive.

4. MMI would have conducted a public or private auction of the entire company or large parts of its patent portfolio.

FOSS Patents concludes that "the $12.5 billion price represents protection money. But not in the way most people seem to think."

Hit this link for a much more detailed analysis.




*thanks iclarified*

Cross posted on 24/7Droid.com

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Samsung targets iOS devices in France as Apple puts brakes on Motorola until Google merger is completed

This is a Samsung-branded Windows 8 tablet Microsoft is giving away to BUILD attendees today.

The latest in the ongoing patent saga involving Apple, Google, Motorola and Samsung includes an unexpected twist as Samsung goes after iPhone and iPad with a complaint filed before a Paris district court in July. The filing alleges infringement of Samsung’s three technology patents, reports AFP. The first hearing is expected in December of this year.

Meanwhile, patent expert Florian Müller notes on his blog FOSSPatents that Apple has filed motions to temporarily halt two Motorola lawsuits until Google completes its $12.5 billion acquisition, which shook the technology world last month. Put simply, Apple argues Motorola waived its rights to sue when it transferred patents to Google. Apple wrote:

To further its pending acquisition by Google, Motorola has surrendered critical rights in the patents-in-suit, such that Motorola no longer has prudential standing to pursue this action. According to the publicly-filed Merger Agreement, Motorola has ceded control of the most basic rights regarding the patents-in-suit
As you know, Google has transferred some of the Motorola patents to HTC, in addition to the ones acquired from Palm and Openwave Systems. HTC then used those patents to counter-sue Apple. Back to Apple vs. Samsung…

Financial Times today opined that Samsung needs to hit the reset button, predicting a licensing agreement of sorts provided Apple succeeds in blocking Galaxy products in the U.S. next month. Contrary to the reports, the publication thinks “Apple is restricted from taking its chip business to Samsung’s rivals in Taiwan because Samsung offers a complete package of components that other firms cannot match”. However, there are indications that Apple’s been lowering Samsung orders for some time and it’s widely believed the company is eager to take its silicon business to TSMC beginning next year.

*thanks 9to5mac*

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

HTC boss: College kids don’t want an iPhone ‘because their dad has one’

Martin Fichter, the acting president of HTC America, has a daughter down at Steve Jobs’ alma mater, Reed College, where he conducted the very scientific focus group:

On the iPhone 5 hype: “Apple is innovating. Samsung is innovating. We are innovating. Everybody is innovating. And everybody is doing different things for the end consumers. I brought my daughter back to college — she’s down in Portland at Reed — and I talked to a few of the kids on her floor. And none of them has an iPhone because they told me: ‘My dad has an iPhone.’ There’s an interesting thing that’s going on in the market. The iPhone becomes a little less cool than it was. They were carrying HTCs. They were carrying Samsungs. They were even carrying some Chinese manufacture’s devices. If you look at a college campus, Mac Book Airs are cool. iPhones are not that cool anymore. We here are using iPhones, but our kids don’t find them that cool anymore.”

They also have no interest in dad’s Porsche.

*thanks 9to5mac*

I don't know what college students he talked to but all I see are iPhones, iPod touch, and iPads all over. iPod touch for those who use prepaid phones such as Metro pcs, Virgin mobile and others. iPads for textbooks and iPhones for everything else.
On the MacBook Air front, I have seen more airs than pros recently, however I have seen more iPads than any Mac.

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Samsung Galaxy S II clocks the fastest GPU in any current smartphone, but it likely won’t be a match for iPhone 5

Image courtesy of Anandtech

Anandtech has published some interesting findings based on their extensive Samsung Galaxy S II review. It’s the first smartphone to use the graphics processing unit based on the Mali-400 core from ARM Holdings, a fables chip maker from the UK. In fact, Samsung has engineered and manufactured its own system-on-a-chip solution for the handset.

They call it the Exynos 4210 and it combines a dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU core and the aforementioned Mali-400 GPU sporting four cores. The resulting performance, says Anandtech, is comparable to Texas Instruments OMAP 4 chip that incorporates Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR SGX540 GPU core. However, the quad-core 1.2GHz Exynos 4210 probably won’t hold a candle to iPhone 5, which will likely carry the same dual-core processor-GPU combo as the iPad 2′s 1GHz A5 chip:

Samsung implemented a 4-core version of the Mali-400 in the 4210 and its resulting performance is staggering as you can see above. Although it’s still not as fast as the PowerVR SGX 543MP2 found in the iPad 2, it’s anywhere from 1.7 – 4x faster than anything that’s shipping in a smartphone today.
Interestingly, and per the GL Benchmark included below, the Exynos 4210 is more than twice as fast compared to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that runs Nvidia’s Tegra 2 chip and nearly four times speedier than iPhone 4′s 800 MHz A4 chip that sports the PowerVT SGX535 GPU core. However, the 4210 falls short in the triangle throughput department, a big disadvantage over the iPad 2′s A5 processor that clocks nine times the graphics performance of the original iPad’s A4 chip.

Triangle throughput is important in graphics-intensive games and will become key in “future games that may scale along that vector rather than simply increasing pixel shader complexity”. The video of Anandtech’s Samsung Galaxy S II review below..





*thanks 9to5mac*

Cross posted on 24/7Droid.com

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

HTC sues Apple with Google’s patents

In a report from Bloomberg, HTC has apparently filed claims of patent infringement against Apple after acquiring patents from Google last week.

The patents were apparently snatched up by Google sometime over the last year from the original owners including Motorola Inc., Palm Inc., and Openwave Systems Inc. According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, they were then transferred by Google to HTC on September 1st.

Six days after acquiring the nine patents, HTC today filed a suit in Delaware against Apple claiming patent infringement on four of the patents (originally issued to Motorola) that they acquired from Google. However, they aren’t letting the remaining patents go to waste either, they also filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission for five of the others (two originally owned by Palm and three by Openwave).



While there aren’t many more details regarding Google’s specific motivation, Apple’s ongoing infringement claims against Android vendors (notably HTC and Samsung) certainly doesn’t help. Perhaps Google is really serious about protecting Android and its partners. This isn’t HTC’s first time entering litigation with Apple. As of July, HTC’s general counsel made the company’s stance on Apple’s “constant attempts at litigations” clear after Apple attempted to block imports of HTC devices with the International Trade Commission:

HTC is disappointed at Apple’s constant attempts at litigations instead of competing fairly in the market. HTC strongly denies all infringement claims raised by Apple in the past and present and reiterates our determination and commitment to protect our intellectual property rights.

*thanks 9to5mac*

This is a fine line google is drawing. Apple has stayed away from google for now and gone after the handset manufacturers, I guess Apple will have to go directly after android!

Cross posted on 24/7Droid.com

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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Apple successfully blocks Samsung from showing off Galaxy Tab 7.7 at IFA in Germany

(We got a look at the Tab 7.7 before it was pulled)

Apple won a pretty significant victory today in its attempts to block Samsung from selling its iPad competitor products in Germany and in greater Europe. This week’s IFA show is a CES-like pan-European event which showcases new consumer products from just about everyone except Apple.

Most of the buzz this year however is around two of Samsung’s new products, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and the Galaxy Note 5.3. Both have 1280×800 SuperAMOLED Displays and run Android 3.2 but the Tab falls under the line of products that Apple is trying to block and is currently under a set of injunctions in various parts of the world.

Interestingly, Samsung was originally showing the 7.7 devices to reporters with “not for sale in Germany” stickers attached. However last night, Samsung started removing the devices from the floor and covering up the advertisements like the product never existed (below).



It appears that Apple got Samsung to block the whole Tab line. The Tab 7.7 is much smaller than the iPad weighing only 334 grams, yet has a higher resolution screen – so it appears that Apple’s injunction is very broad.

Bloomberg reports:

Samsung, Apple’s closest rival in tablet computers, pulled the just-unveiled Galaxy Tab 7.7 out of the IFA consumer- electronics show in Berlin after a Dusseldorf court on Sept. 2 granted Apple’s request to ban sales and marketing of the product, James Chung, a Seoul-based spokesman for Samsung, said by telephone today. “Samsung respects the court’s decision,” Chung said, adding that the company believes it “severely limits consumer choice in Germany.” Samsung will pursue all available options, including legal action, to defend its intellectual property rights, he said.
It will be interesting to see what direction this goes. Will Apple be able to successfully block Samsung’s (and others’) tablets for sale across the world? There is some concern that if Apple doesn’t win in these cases, damages to Samsung could be significant.



Images via ThisismyNext

*thanks 9to5mac*

Cross posted on 24/7Droid.com

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Send us a story or tip @ TipsForLimerain.com@gmail.com and follow our pages for the latest limera1n, rubyra1n, and all tech stories, follow us on Twitter at @iphonepixelpost or @limerain_com
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- Posted using my iPhone 4

Obama could override ITC in any device import blocks by Apple or Google

Didn’t know this:

But another peculiarity of the ITC is that its rulings can be waived by the president. Verizon thinks it would be great if President Obama, in a blanket statement, made clear he would not let stand any decision blocking importation of consumer wireless devices. The parties then would have to recur to normal patent litigation, and whatever rights and wrongs are discovered could be settled by exchanges of cash. Mobile is a rare industry exhibiting growth, job creation and animal spirits. Who needs a paralyzing meltdown?
It will be interesting to see if the President will override if Apple wins any of the blockades it is seeking against Android devices in the ITC. IF he does, Apple/Google/Microsoft/whoever will have to go through the longer patent dispute process.

Both iPhones and Android devices could be blocked by pending ITC rulings.

Some background:



In its 2006 eBay decision, the Supreme Court made it harder for companies to win injunctions against infringers—to ban their products. This, and the fact that most cellphones are assembled overseas, sent many disputants running to the International Trade Commission, an administrative agency largely empowered by the 1930 Tariff Act. The ITC can also hear patent disputes, and while it can’t award damages, it can drop the nuclear bomb of blocking infringing devices from being imported.



*thanks 9to5mac*

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Google’s Schmidt: “I was on the Apple board until I couldn’t stand it anymore” Updated

Update: According to Google, Eric actually said that he was on the Apple board until he couldn’t stay on the board anymore.


Salesforce.com’s rock concert style Dreamforce 2011 conference has attracted industry heavy-weights, such as Google chairman Eric Schmidt who openly lauded Apple chairman Steve Jobs’s industry-defining achievements. In a chat with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff on stage at San Francisco’s Moscone West center, Apple’s preferred venue for product launches, Schmidt said this of Apple’s former chief executive:

What Steve has done at Apple is certainly the best performance of a CEO for over fifty years, maybe a hundred years. But not only did he do it once, he did it twice. We’ve all benefited from the tremendous innovation at Apple. And I say this as a very proud former board member at Apple.
Of course, the comment earned Schmidt an instant applaud from the audience. He then addressed the question of his stay on Apple’s board at a time when Apple had already been deeply involved with the development of the original iPhone. He said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle:

I was on the board until I couldn’t stand the board anymore.
He wouldn’t elaborate, but it’s worth remembering that Schmidt resigned from Apple’s board of directors on August 3, 2009, years after Apple had finished the original iPhone development and well into the third-generation of the iconic handset. Steve Jobs was quoted in Apple’s official statement explaining Schmidt’s exit:




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.
Of course, Jobs wouldn’t shy away from touching on the subject in later public appearances. For example, he made it clear it was Google who decided to compete with Apple, not the other way round. He told the Walt Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg at D8 conference last year that “we didn’t enter the search business”.



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Amazon prepping Android-powered tablets for “hundreds less” than Apple’s iPad

According to the New York Post (via BGR), Amazon is getting ready to launch their rumored Android-powered tablets with a price tag “hundreds less” than Apple’s current $499 base model iPad 2. “Hundreds less” sounds a lot like $299.

The devices, expected to launch sometime in October, will more than likely be the result of the entry-level tablet codenamed “Coyote” and it’s pro-model counterpart the NVIDIA T30 Kal-El powered “Hollywood”. We told you about these devices back in May, which will most likely be powered by a highly customized Amazon version of Android (bringing with it Amazon services like the Appstore, Kindle eBook store, Amazon Videos, music and possibly brought together by the Cloud Drive).

Amazon is clearly prepping a huge move into the tablet market. We reported this week that the company signed up a third touch panel supplier, and that was after recently becoming the second largest buyer of tablet-related parts – without yet having released a tablet.

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Competitors react to Steve Jobs’ resignation

Yesterday’s news that Steve Jobs decided to stand down as the CEO of Apple wasn’t entirely shocking to seasoned Apple watchers who knew this day would come. The writing has been on the wall for quite some time, if you were willing to read early signs, such as an open-ended sick leave nearly stretching into its ninth month. Wall Street understandably sent AAPL down 4.6 percent to $358.75 in early New York trading in what one investor described as “an emotional trade in the short term” that also affected Nasdaq-100 Index and Standard & Poor’s 500 Index which both declined a fraction of a percent on the news. Meanwhile, companies Apple counts as competitors gained. Both shares of Samsung and LG Electronics, which compete fiercely with Apple on smartphones, gained 2.4 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively, in Seoul trading.

NH Investment & Securities Co. analyst Seo Won Seok says Cook, Apple’s newly appointed CEO, “may try to improve the relationship with Samsung” or even work out a settlement of sorts. The notion has its merits as Steve Jobs was a strong advocate of intellectual property protection as Apple banned the copyist Samsung from selling smartphones and tablets in Australia, the European Union and elsewhere. Jobs exit could also turn into “lease of life” for Sony, Nokia, Hewlett-Packard, HTC and ZTE Corp – all companies under tremendous competitive pressure stemming from Apple’s successes in multiple markets. While Samsung and HTC spokespersons wouldn’t come on the news, top dogs from Sony, Nokia and ZTE would. Here’s how they complimented Jobs’ achievements…



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Apple granted injunction banning Galaxy smartphones EU-wide by October 13 UPDATED 2x

Update 1: Samsung comments below the fold

Update 2: Judge declares Apple’s “slide-to-unlock” patent invalid

A Dutch court today issued an “EU-wide preliminary injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy” devices (excluding the Galaxy tablets), according to a report from FOSS Patents who just posted the official court order.

From the report:

The Rechtbank ‘s-Gravenhage (a Dutch court in the city of The Hague) today issued an EU-wide preliminary injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones — but not the Galaxy tablets — at Apple’s request. The decision follows a hearing held on August 10 and 11, 2011.
While the majority of Apple’s claims have reportedly been rejected by the court, one patent detailing swiping gestures between images in a gallery has apparently lead to the court’s ultimate decision (according to Tweaker via MacRumors). The “EU-wide” ruling will take effect October 13 and will ban Samsung subsidiaries from selling several devices including the Galaxy S, Galaxy S II, and Ace smartphones. However, “EU-wide” in this case is not necessarily all of Europe, rather only in countries where that specific swipe gesture-related patent (image below) is valid. Foss Patents explains:



This relates to countries in which one particular European software patent (EP 2059868) is valid. (Formally it’s a “device” patent, but it doesn’t represent any innovation on the hardware side, so the nature of the invention is that of a software patent the way I define that term.) The status of that patent varies between various countries as this list shows…there are many countries in which the application wasn’t turned into a valid patent because Apple didn’t make the necessary administrative effort and pick up the related costs. Those countries in which Apple didn’t successfully pursue and complete a local registration include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Spain.
This comes on the heels of Samsung appealing a similar preliminary injunction (which has been temporarily lifted) granted by a German court halting sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the EU, claims that Apple doctored images of the Galaxy S in a Netherlands court, and some pretty crazy tactics on Samsung’s part regarding prior art arguments. We’re not sure what this means for Samsung’s upcoming line up of newly branded Galaxy devices slated to launch at IFA. We’ll keep you posted as more info becomes available.

[UPDATE 1, August 24 at 2011 8:55am PDT]

Samsung released the following statement in response to the injunction (via BBC):

“Today’s ruling is an affirmation that the Galaxy range of products is innovative and distinctive…With regard to the single infringement cited in the ruling, we will take all possible measures including legal action to ensure that there is no disruption in the availability of our Galaxy smartphones to Dutch consumers…This ruling is not expected to affect sales in other European markets…”
[UPDATE 2, August 24 at 2011 1:24pm PDT]

Another interesting bit of info (via FOSS Patents) from the court’s ruling. The Dutch judge concluded Apple’s “slide-to-unlock” patent was invalid after Samsung submitted prior art of the Neonode N1m phone running Windows CE. This is a patent that Apple is also using here in the U.S. to sue HTC and others.

The report explains:

The Dutch judge concluded that the Neonode N1m already implemented the entirety of Apple’s claimed invention with only one difference remaining: Apple’s slide-to-unlock patent also claims an unlock image that moves along with the finger as the sliding gesture is performed. But that difference didn’t convince the judge that Apple was entitled to a patent. He said that the use of an unlock image was “obvious” (in Dutch he said it was “lying on the hand” in terms of “not far to seek”).




Image from photo swipe-gesture related patent (European software patent (EP 2059868)

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