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Motorola wants 2.25 percent of Apple sales, in exchange for patent license

February 6th, 2012
New details have emerged about the ongoing Apple-Motorola drama in Germany, courtesy of a court document uncovered by FOSS Patents. The two companies have been engaged in a patent battle of swelling proportion these past few months, with the most recent wrinkle unfolding on Friday, when Apple promptly removed (and returned) its 3G / UMTS-enabled iPads and iPhone 4s from its online German store, in response to a court ruling. At issue in this particular case is a Motorola patent that Apple wants to use under FRAND obligations, but Moto apparently isn’t willing to license its technology for free. According to a court filing, the handset maker is asking for 2.25 percent of Apple sales in return for the license, though it remains unclear whether this pertains to sales of all products or, more likely, the 3G-enabled devices under consideration in court. Either way, though, Motorola would stand to see quite a bit of extra revenue, especially considering that Apple’s iPhone sales have totaled about $93 billion since 2007. Under Motorola’s request, the company would have made about $2.1 billion from these sales alone — not to mention the payments it’d see from iPad sales, as well. Apple, meanwhile, has filed motions to access Motorola’s licensing agreements with Nokia, HTC and other manufacturers, in the hopes of exposing a double standard.

Motorola wants 2.25 percent of Apple sales, in exchange for patent license originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TUAW  |  sourceFOSS Patents  | Email this | Comments

NPD: iPhones recover market share in Q4 2011, but Android draws the first-timer crowds

February 6th, 2012
NPD: iPhones recover market share in Q4 2011, but Android draws the first-timer crowds

According to the latest research from the NPD group, Apple has got its second wind in smartphone sales. In the same quarter that saw the iPhone 4S reinvent the wheel obey our every vocal whim, the trio of available models soaked up a total of 43 percent of the US smartphone market in Q4 2012, apparently knawing away at Android’s market share of 53 percent held during the rest of 2011. However, Google’s mobile OS appears to be the debutante smartphone of choice, cornering 57 percent of new purchases, with 34 percent going for Apple. The remaining 9 percent is distributed between the smartphone also-rans, with the likes of Windows Phone and BlackBerry languishing in that anonymous grey bar at the top. The top five handsets from NPD’s Mobile Phone Track service is an Apple and Samsung love-in, with iOS devices claiming the three top spots, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S II (we assume collectively) and the Galaxy S 4G. NPD’s blow-by-blow commentary on this increasingly two-horse race awaits below.

Continue reading NPD: iPhones recover market share in Q4 2011, but Android draws the first-timer crowds

NPD: iPhones recover market share in Q4 2011, but Android draws the first-timer crowds originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lillyhammer (or: ‘Silvio in Norway’) now streaming on Netflix

February 6th, 2012
Lillyhammer, Netflix’s first original series (shortly to be followed by the probably awful remake of House of Cards and Arrested Development Series 4) commenced streaming today. Little Steven (Van Zandt, of E-Street Band and Sopranos fame) plays wholly against type as a mafioso despatched by the witness protection program to Lillehammer. Unlike the HBOs and AMCs of this world, you’ll be able to binge-watch the whole show as soon as you get in from work, just make sure the under-18s are in bed before you begin as freed from the network censors, it’s a little coarse. Oh, and if you’re wondering, those of us in the know have decided to nickname the show “Paulie Silvio in Norway,” in the hopes that it’ll catch on before the already confirmed season two begins filming.

Lillyhammer (or: ‘Silvio in Norway’) now streaming on Netflix originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Super Bowl 2012 Ad Roundup: Galaxy Note, Hulu Plus, Best Buy and more

February 6th, 2012
Super Bowl 2012 Ads Roundup: Galaxy Note, Hulu Plus, Best Buy and more
By now, we’ve become accustomed to the circus of elite advertising that takes place during America’s biggest game, and this year was no exception. Last night’s Super Bowl made room for over 50 commercials during its air time, some of which included the likes of Samsung’s whopping Galaxy Note, the usual Go Daddy domain teasers, a bit of Best Buy “innovation” and the Hulu Plus Mushy Mush campaign, just to mention a few. Needless to say, we put together a small collection of some we believe you might enjoy, so take a virtual jump past the break to catch the big-ticket advertising in action. You can also find the rest of the ad pack at the source link below.

Continue reading Super Bowl 2012 Ad Roundup: Galaxy Note, Hulu Plus, Best Buy and more

Super Bowl 2012 Ad Roundup: Galaxy Note, Hulu Plus, Best Buy and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAd Blitz  | Email this | Comments

Sony patent sketches reveal Wii U-esque controller system, keeps it vague

February 6th, 2012

Sony patent sketches reveal Wii U-esque controller system, keeps it vague

While Nintendo is darn proud of its attempts to differentiate itself from other console manufacturers with its unusual hardware choices, it looks like Sony also had plenty of touchscreen-toting, TV-connected ideas way back in 2010. These patent sketches explain a handheld device that bares a foggy resemblance to Nintendo’s incoming Wii U. The “position-dependent gaming, 3-D controller, and handheld as a remote,” would act as the “input to a video game” — or controller, as we technical types like to call it — adding in some augmented reality functionality as an overlay to camera input on the device. The PS Vita is already capable of doing most of what’s posited above, including the ability to hook up to its older (bigger) brother, the PS3 — possibly that anonymous box you can see above. If such a mystery device device does appear, at least it looks like Sony’s got its bases covered, again.

Sony patent sketches reveal Wii U-esque controller system, keeps it vague originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceUS Patent and Trademark Office  | Email this | Comments

Rumor Mill: 7mm-thick Galaxy SIII coming in May?

February 6th, 2012

Korea’s ETNews is betting its reputation upon this raft of rumored details concerning Samsung’s Galaxy SIII. Since the only thing we know for certain is that it’ll be announced “After MWC,” lets take all of these tidbits with a strong pot of “We’ll believe it when we see it,” okay? According to the report, the handset’s going to be 7mm thick, helped by the company shrinking down its PCB, connector and chip sizes by between 10 and 20 percent. The only thing that hasn’t lost any weight is the camera, which may sit on a “protrusion” (like the Droid RAZR’s hump). It’ll be running a custom quad-core processor with HDMI and LTE baked-in, and rather obviously it’ll be running Ice Cream Sandwich. Here’s where things get a little confusing, either this is the first of a raft of models that will highlight different features (so we’ll see subsequent GSIIIs with an S-Pen, 3D display or souped-up camera) or the above perks will come with the flagship as standard. Parts are reportedly gearing up to be shipped, but the only time we’ll get confirmation is when that special event kicks off closer to the summer.

[Thanks, Erich]

Rumor Mill: 7mm-thick Galaxy SIII coming in May? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink OLED-Display  |  sourceETnews (Translated)  | Email this | Comments

Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, courtesy of MHL!

February 6th, 2012
Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, courtesy of MHL!

We’re well aware that you may be suffering from contest withdrawls, with our Holiday Blues-Buster far in our rear-view mirror. Fortunately we’re bringing the opportunity to you in a big way, as the Engadget Giveaway is now becoming a regular series! Each and every Monday we’ll be offering something new, and all you have to do is enter by leaving a comment. To get us started, the MHL Consortium (that’s Mobile High-definition Link, not the Mississauga Hockey League) is happy to throw the honorary first pitch by offering a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, along with an MHL adapter and cable (all valued at $700). If you haven’t heard of it before, MHL technology is an audio and video interface standard that allows you to connect your mobile device to an HDTV or other type of home entertainment while doubling as a charger at the same time.

Take a moment to review the rules under the break, and leave a comment to enter!

Continue reading Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, courtesy of MHL!

Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, courtesy of MHL! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC admits its bulky, quick-dying LTE phones kinda suck

February 6th, 2012
Thunderbolt

After a long streak of skyrocketing earnings, HTC’s climb towards the stars seems to have stalled. Q4 was not kind to the company and CFO Winston Yung thinks he knows the reason why. During the today’s earnings call Yung admitted that HTC “dropped the ball” with its selection of LTE devices. He conceded that the bulky handsets simply failed on a design and spec level — especially when it came to battery life — and were not selling nearly as well as expected. Unsurprisingly, the company promises to turn its fortunes around with the next product cycle, which is rumored to kick off at MWC with the Ville.

HTC admits its bulky, quick-dying LTE phones kinda suck originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSlashGear  | Email this | Comments

Mad Catz Cyborg M.M.O. 7 gaming mouse hands-on

February 6th, 2012
Mad Catz M.M.O. 7

Mad Catz’ Cyborg RAT series of adjustable computer mice has seen its fair share of minor revisions, and while wireless upgrades and whitewashed DPI tweaks have given consumers a hair of choice in transforming desktop pests, the differences between these devices has been modest, at best. Until now, at least. Enter the Cyborg M.M.O. 7, the outfit’s latest addition to its aggressively styled line of gaming mice, minus the RAT moniker. Despite shedding the name of its predecessors, Mad Catz’ latest point-and-clicker is as much of a RAT as the mice that came before it, but distinguishes itself with more buttons, more features and more color. Read on to see what’s new, what’s different and what should have stayed the same.

Continue reading Mad Catz Cyborg M.M.O. 7 gaming mouse hands-on

Mad Catz Cyborg M.M.O. 7 gaming mouse hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia Lumia 800 White hands-on

February 6th, 2012

Nokia Lumia 800 White hands-on

Today’s been all about the white phones, and Nokia’s new Lumia has forgone the matte finish that we saw on its near-identical twin, the white N9. Here, the unibody shell has an almost-enamel finish on what we’ve heard is still polycarbonate material. From our brief play with the device, it’s looking to be a pretty pervasive color choice to go alongside that pitch-black AMOLED screen. We know the phone is set to arrive later this month, blessing fans of blanc in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and another handful of European countries. See how its good looks stack up against the rest of the Lumia rainbow in our hands-on gallery below.

Nokia Lumia 800 White hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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