10 hours ago | Posted in: industry, Apple
Google-owned Motorola Mobility is appealing the US International Trade Commission's dismissal of a complaint filed against Apple, according to newly-published court documents discovered by FOSS Patents. A single patent was left in the complaint at the time of the final ruling, one involving using a proximity sensor to disable a touchscreen when a phone is held close to a person's ear. It's not clear what basis Motorola might be pursuing for the appeal.
more
The US branch of Best Buy is planning to launch a $50 discount on iPhones starting on Sunday, says AllThingsD. The sale should last for four weeks, and cover the iPhone 4, 4S, and 5. All phones must, however, be tied to a new two-year contract with AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint, ruling out carriers like T-Mobile.
more
The US Food and Drug administration has begun investigating an iOS medical app available on the App Store to find out why it wasn't pre-approved by the agency and has begun the process of setting up guidelines for apps that make health- and medical-related claims. Currently, the agency only closely regulates some specific apps tied to medical hardware that would have dire consequences if they didn't work as advertised.
more
Gmail for Android may be seeing a redesign in the near future, after a slide from a Google I/O showed a new navigation drawer. The revised and larger drawer, spotted by Android Police, is anchored to the left hand side and pulls in instead of dropping down from the top, and the action bar at the bottom of the screen is removed and replaced by buttons that perform the same tasks elsewhere in the interface.
more
More images of the Huawei Ascend P6 have leaked, showing the thin smartphone in a range of colors. The Ascend P6, previously said to have a thickness of just 6.18mm (0.24-inches), has also had a potential launch date mistakenly revealed by Huawei Device chairman Richard Yu to readers of his Sina Weibo account.
more
Microsoft will be using its new 300,000-server cloud system to help the Xbox One with game calculations. The cloud architecture will be performing "latency-insensitive computation" on behalf of the console, with it being used as an incentive for users to keep their game consoles connected to the Internet while they play games.
more
18 hours ago | Posted in: industry
Nokia has filed more claims of patent infringement against HTC with the US International Trade Commission (ITC), yesterday. The new suit, the second ITC complaint from Nokia against HTC, appears to be targeting the HTC One, along with a number of other devices in the HTC catalog, with another six patents being used for the legal attack.
more
Digg will not be releasing a separate app for its Google Reader replacement, instead rolling it into the existing Digg app for iOS. Development of the Digg Reader, which would offer much of Google Reader's functionality along with an API, has also shifted onto production servers, and is said to be close to its goal of launching by the end of June.
more
An official unveiling of Samsung smartphones running on Tizen may be on the horizon, following a number of leaks. A Samsung user agent profile for the GT-i8805 running on the mobile operating system has been discovered, while images have surfaced of a phone that is claimed to be the GT-i8805 running on Tizen 2.1.
more
HTC is still planning to release a version of the HTC One with a stock installation of Android, according to a rumor, despite an official denial from the company. Sources of the rumor place an announcement of a vanilla HTC One within the next two weeks and a release sometime in the summer, with internal teams apparently already working on making it possible.
more
23 hours ago | Posted in: gadgets
US Cellular is planning to provide a home phone service, using a base station that connects to the carrier's wireless network. The system, similar to the Home Phone Connect service provided by Verizon, will allow calls to be placed through a normal corded or cordless home phone attached to one of its two telephone ports, as an alternative to having a home phone line installed.
more
Four parties have allegedly placed bids to purchase streaming service Hulu, with the first round of bidding apparently due to end this week. Guggenheim Digital Media, DirecTV, and Time Warner Cable are said to be interested in the company, following a bid from former News Corp president Peter Chernin for a reported $500 million.
more
Enterprise-oriented cloud storage firm Box has acquired Folders, an iOS app used to manage files from cloud storage services. The purchase, for an undisclosed amount, will see the technology behind the app rolled into Box's own iOS app, with Folders developer Martin Destagnol being drafted in to help with its integration.
more
Thu May 23, 2013 | Posted in: iPhone
AT&T's prepaid GoPhone brand is set to get a major upgrade on Friday, MacRumors claims. This includes official support for the iPhone, and access to LTE and HSPA+ networks. People have been able to sign up to GoPhone with an iPhone in the past, but until now had to sacrifice cellular data access.
more
Thu May 23, 2013 | Posted in: industry
Reports have surfaced that Google is considering a competitive bid for map software developer Waze. The move comes after sources indicated that Facebook had held talks to buy Waze. Reportedly, no one company is close to closing the deal, and Waze itself may choose to use venture backing to expand its services rather than seek a buyout.
more
Thu May 23, 2013 | Posted in: industry
Faced with the prospect of tens of millions of idle retail square footage from closures and relocations, Sears Holdings has generated a new division to market closed Sears and Kmart stores as a home for data centers, wireless tower locations, and disaster recovery locations. The new initiative leverages the nearly seventy percent of US citizens that live within 10 miles of a Sears or Kmart location to make the locations appealing to big data, wireless carriers, and industry.
more
