On the heels of an appeals court win that suggested that Samsung should have been barred from selling its copycat Galaxy Tab 10.1 from the get-go, Apple has now filed a motion for a new injunction against the tablet asking it to be pulled from US shelves. The two companies are scheduled to begin high-level settlement talks on Monday, but should they fail the new injunction request could be ruled on as early as June 7.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: iPhone
Apple may be preparing to enable its FaceTime video-chat service to be used over 3G networks. The company has yet to confirm such plans, however Romanian Apple website iDevice has reportedly observed new warnings in iOS 5.1.1 that appear to be geared for FaceTime calls placed over 3G networks rather than Wi-Fi.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: industry
Facebook's initial public offering remained the biggest story in tech throughout the day, overshadowing the social network's latest acquisition, Karma, a company that specializes in mobile social gifting. The startup has developed an e-commerce platform that enables mobile users to quickly find gifts, select a personalized card, and notify the recipient via text message, e-mail or Facebook.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: mobile phones
Samsung appears to be readying a Galaxy S III variant for T-Mobile's network, according to Federal Communications Commission filings. The carrier has yet to officially confirm plans to launch the Korean handset maker's latest flagship device, however the FCC test documents point to a new model geared specifically for T-Mobile's 1,700MHz AWS spectrum.
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A recent patent award reveals plans for further improvement in iOS cameras, allowing for two or more different zones of an image to be selected for focus and other settings, with the camera selecting a compromise point automatically if there is too much difference in the selected zones. The patent application also suggests that future iPhones might incorporate a dedicated image processor for photos and video.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: industry
Yahoo's new boss, appointed just four days ago, is wasting no time in reorganization and shaking up the company. Interim CEO Ross Levinsohn is consolidating a consumer commerce division created by ex-CEO Scott Thompson. Instead of operating separately, the commerce group will be folded into the company's global media force.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: industry
Microsoft has won an International Trade Commission ruling that may result in an import ban on several Motorola devices. The companies are involved in several separate intellectual-property disputes, though the latest ITC ruling focuses on a lawsuit filed by Microsoft over patented Exchange ActiveSync technology.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: iPhone, Apple
Continuing with a string of recent arrivals on US regional carriers, the iPhone has arrived to two news that cover northwest Oklahoma and Puerto Rico, respectively. Open Mobile, the Puerto Rico carrier, may be the first exclusively no-contract carrier in the US to offer iPhones. Oklahoma-based Pioneer Cellular is carrying only the iPhone 4S, while Open Mobile has both the 4 and 4S at various capacities.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: industry
ARM's CEO expects computers powered by the company's processors to hold 10 to 20 percent of the notebook PC market by 2015. Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Warren East said (sub. required) he expects that ARM will have a bigger impact on the PC market than competitor Intel will have as it attempts to enter the smartphone market.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: mobile phones
Motorola has updated its list of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) updates today. Eleven phones and tablets are scheduled to be updated to the new operating system between now and the end of the year. Two popular phones, the Droid X2 and Droid 3, won't see the upgrade to Android 4.0.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: industry, gadgets
Google has applied for a patent on an input system that relies on a finger ring to control for technology such as Project Glass. The application, made public by the USPTO on Tuesday, describes a “wearable marker for passive interaction” in the form of a ring, artificial fingernails or other wearable items that could interact with a head-mounted display, following another recent application for the glasses design.
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Facebook's record-setting IPO brought significant attention, however the company's stock price (NASDAQ:FB) ended up just $0.27 above the $38 offering price as the trading day came to a close. Shares started off the day trading at $42.05, 11 percent higher than the offering, however the price quickly fluctuated at lower levels before settling later in the afternoon.
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Facebook, having just yesterday completed its initial public offering to the tune of a $106 billion valuation, now faces a $15 billion lawsuit in federal court. The suit, Bloomberg reports, alleges that the social network invaded the privacy of the plaintiffs by tracking their Internet use even after they had logged off of the social network.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: gadgets, iPad
Amazon may delay the rumored 8.9-inch Kindle Fire and launch a 10.1-inch model instead. According to DigiTimes, sources speculate that the larger screen will help compete with the iPad, whereas the 8.9-inch variant was said to be designed to go against the Samsung Galaxy Note.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: industry
Location tracking and check-in service Foursquare has hired its first Revenue Chief. Ex-Apple iAd executive Steven Rosenblatt has been hired to fill the newly created position. Foursquare's former head of business development, Tristan Walker, filled the role of revenue chief before leaving early this month.
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Fri May 18, 2012 | Posted in: industry
Dish Network has warned the Federal Communications Commission that it may not be able to meet initial deployment goals for its LTE-Advanced network until 2016 or later. In a filing with the FCC (PDF), the satellite company is asking regulators to modify their official guidelines to accomodate a lengthier buildout schedule.
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