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March 18, 2010

HTC Responds To Apple’s Patent Lawsuit – “Disagrees”

Filed under: AppAdvice — Tags: , , , , , , , , — @ 8:15 am

The folks over at HTC have finally released an official answer to Apple’s recent lawsuit against them over patent infringements and while we don’t know yet if they are planning to countersue, they apparently have the intention to “fully defend themselves”.

Their timid press release, released earlier tonight, mostly emphasizes on HTC’s “passion for innovation” while reminding about their long standing presence on the market. It’s pretty dull if you ask me, but here is it:

HTC Disagrees with Apple’s Actions

Seattle – March 17, 2010 – HTC Corporation today outlined its disagreement with Apple’s legal actions and reiterated its commitment to creating a portfolio of innovative smartphones that gives consumers a variety of choices. Founded in 1997 with a passion for innovation and a vision for how smartphones would change people’s lives, HTC has continually driven this vision by consistently introducing award-winning smartphones with U.S. mobile operators.

“HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible,” said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. “From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDA and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then.”

The industry has recognized HTC’s contributions through a variety of awards including Fast Company’s 2010 Top 50 Most Innovative Companies and MIT Technology Review’s 2010 50 Most Innovative Companies. The GSMA also recently awarded the HTC Hero as the “Best Phone of 2009.” Some of HTC’s technology firsts include:

First Windows PDA (1998)
First Windows Phone (June 2002)
First 3G CDMA EVDO smartphone (October 2005)
First gesture-based smartphone (June 2007)
First Google Android smartphone (October 2008)
First 4G WIMAX smartphone (November 2008)

In 2009, HTC launched its branded user experience, HTC Sense. HTC Sense is focused on putting people at the center by making phones work in a more simple and natural way. This experience was fundamentally based on listening and observing how people live and communicate.

“HTC has always taken a partnership-oriented, collaborative approach to business. This has led to long-standing strategic partnerships with the top software, Internet and wireless technology companies in the industry as well as the top U.S., European and Asian mobile operators,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. “It is through these relationships that we have been able to deliver the world’s most diverse series of smartphones to an even more diverse group of people around the world, recognizing that customers have very different needs.”

For more information on HTC’s history of innovation, please visit: www.htc.com/history.

[via Gizmodo]

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HTC Responds To Apple’s Patent Lawsuit – “Disagrees”

March 16, 2010

Shorthand Mobile Launches TextApps To Bring Web Content To Basic Mobile Phones

Filed under: techcrunch — Tags: , , , , , , , , — @ 3:00 pm

TechCrunch50 2008 DemoPit company Shorthand Mobile (formerly Smart Touch) aims to help consumers who don’t use mobile data plans to access SMS and web content. Upon launch in 2008, the startup had developed a suite of basic widgets for mobile phones that visualize SMS services, allowing users to navigate through an intuitive menu. Today, Shorthand Mobile is launching TextApps, a new category of apps that deliver content from websites via SMS in a rich, interactive interface, aiming to expand the capabilities of non-smartphones and provide access to web content for mobile users without data plans.

Launching in beta today on select Motorola and Nokia handsets on AT&T and on Windows Mobile phones, Shorthand TextApps use SMS to expand access to top brands and mobile content including social networks, local search, sports scores, weather forecasts, movie times, news and entertainment. TextApps is an app you download which then creates a more intuitive UI for text-based apps.

Once you download Shorthand, it uses your SMS text messaging plan to connect you to the web content you want. Apps in the TextApps library include CitySearch, Netflix, Facebook Mobile, Twitter, The New York Times and Yelp. Of course, Facebook, Twitter and others have independently integrate with SMS for their sites but Shorthand claims to add more functionality by almost recreating a basic smartphone app. Shorthand is also now available in India on all major carriers and will launch in Brazil this spring. The starup will offer localized TextApps for these countries. Shorthand is free to download, but you will be charged for SMS messages via your SMS plan with your carrier.

As we wrote in our initial review, year, the technology behind is very basic so users shouldn’t expect to see a iPhone like Facebook-app on their phone with TextApps. That being said, the fact that Shorthand has struck deals with Nokia and Motorola to include its offering on their phones and could become a useful way to incorporate extra functionality into basic mobile phones.

Information provided by CrunchBase


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Shorthand Mobile Launches TextApps To Bring Web Content To Basic Mobile Phones

39% of BlackBerry owners say they’d switch to an iPhone

By Sam Oliver

Published: 09:20 AM EST

A new study found that nearly half of all BlackBerry owners would be likely to switch to another smartphone, with a majority of those eyeing Apple’s iPhone.

A study released this week from Crowd Science found that 39 percent of BlackBerry owning respondents said they “definitely or probably would” switch to an iPhone if they had to buy a new handset “tomorrow.” Another 29 percent said they were unsure, while 31 percent are unlikely to buy Apple’s handset.

The survey carried even more good news for Apple, as 92 percent of iPhone users said they are satisfied with their purchase and would likely make their next smartphone another iPhone.

Users of the Google Android mobile operating system were also satisfied, with 87 percent saying they would buy another Android handset. In addition, 34 percent of BlackBerry owners would strongly consider buying an Android phone if they were to make an immediate purchase.

The study also found that 97 percent of iPhone users would recommend the product to their friends, and 52 percent of BlackBerry owners and 51 percent of other smartphone users would recommend the iPhone to others.

The study was of 1,140 respondents recruited via the Crowd Science Sample Beta program from Web sites serving more than 20 million unique visitors. Totaling 44 percent, most respondents were users of a traditional cellphone rather than a smartphone. iPhone users represented 17 percent of those polled, BlackBerry users amounted to 15 percent, Nokia 10 percent, Windows Mobile 4 percent, Android 3 percent and Palm 2 percent.

Crowd Science

It’s not the first study to find astronomically high satisfaction rates with the iPhone. Last August, one survey found that 99 percent of respondents said they were overwhelmingly satisfied with the latest iPhone model.

In fact, when compared with other companies in surveys, the Cupertino, Calif. company consistently outperforms its competitors in customer satisfaction and service.

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39% of BlackBerry owners say they’d switch to an iPhone

More Droids Sold In First 74 Days Than iPhones – Nexus One Sales Very Slow

Mobile app analytics company Flurry estimates that while Apple sold 1 million iPhone devices in its first 74 days of availability on the market, the Motorola Droid actually shipped more devices during that timespan. Sales of Google’s Nexus One, by comparison, kinda stunk: the company only sold an estimated 135k phones in 74 days. Flurry reaches its conclusions through applications using its solution for analytics reporting. Because applications embedded with Flurry are said to have been downloaded to over 80% of all iPhone OS and Android devices, the company claims it can make reliable estimates about total handset sales.


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More Droids Sold In First 74 Days Than iPhones – Nexus One Sales Very Slow

March 15, 2010

Nokia accuses Apple of ‘legal alchemy’

Editor’s Note: This story is excerpted from Computerworld. For more Mac coverage, visit Computerworld’s Macintosh Knowledge Center.

Nokia last week asked a federal judge to toss out Apple’s antitrust claims, saying the iPhone maker indulged in “legal alchemy” when it tried to divert attention from its “free-riding” of Nokia’s intellectual property.

The filing last Thursday was the latest salvo in a battle that began in October 2009 when Finnish handset maker Nokia sued Apple, saying the iPhone infringed on 10 of its patents ,and that the U.S. company was trying “to get a free ride on the back of Nokia’s innovation.” Nokia demanded royalties on all iPhones sold since Apple introduced the smartphone in June 2007.

Apple countered in December with a lawsuit of its own that not only claimed Nokia infringed 13 of its patents, but that Nokia also violated antitrust law by legally attacking Apple after it declined to pay what it called “exorbitant royalties” and refused to give Nokia access to iPhone patents.

It was the six non-patent claims by Apple that Nokia asked U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Sleet to throw out last week.

“These non-patent counterclaims are designed to divert attention away from free-riding off of Nokia’s intellectual property, a practice Apple evidently believes should only be of paramount concern when it is the alleged victim,” charged Nokia in the motion.

Nokia urged Sleet to dismiss Apple’s claims. “Sometimes a patent dispute is just a patent dispute,” Nokia said of its fight with Apple after licensing negotiations broke down. “Through what charitably could be called an attempt at legal alchemy, Apple employs revisionist history, misleading characterizations, unsupported allegations and flawed and contradictory legal theories to turn these fruitless negotiations into a multi-count federal lawsuit,” Nokia charged.

Both Nokia and Apple have also filed infringement actions with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to block imports of each other’s phones, and in the case of Nokia’s filing, virtually every Apple hardware product, including iPods and Macs. A separate lawsuit, which covers the patents alleged in the ITC complaint, was put on hold two weeks ago by Sleet pending the Washington D.C. agency’s ruling.

It will be some time before the original case is heard by a jury. According to a schedule proposed last week, the Nokia and Apple lawsuits won’t go to trial until April or May 2012.

Apple has also sued Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC for patent infringement. HTC makes Google’s flagship Nexus One, as well as nearly a dozen other phones that rely on Google’s Android mobile operating system.

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Nokia accuses Apple of ‘legal alchemy’

March 8, 2010

Best of Smartphone Experts, 7 Mar 2010

Best of Smartphone Experts, 7 Mar 2010 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

March 6, 2010

Skype pulled from Nokia’s Ovi store in the US, Verizon Wireless to blame?

verizon_is_evil

Skype users that own a Symbian-powered Nokia handset will have to go the extra mile to install Skype on their handset. As noticed following Wednesday’s debut of Skype in the Ovi store, Skype is reportedly not available for Nokia owners in the US. In response to an email from Venture Beat, Sravanthi Agrawal, a member of Skpye’s corporate communications team, said the following:

“Skype has made a decision in the United States to not promote the Skype for Symbian app through the Ovi Store. We did this so that we could drive more attention to the recently announced Skype and Verizon Wireless agreement. This was a marketing decision — plain and simple.

“Skype users in the U.S can still download Symbian by going directly to Skype.com.”

The supposed reason behind this removal is not surprising considering the controversy over the removal of the Windows Mobile version of Skype from Skype’s website, the removal of Skype from the Android Market, and the rumored delay of the 3G-enabled version of Skype for the iPhone. Unless this policy changes or is revealed to be incorrect, anyone unduly affected will have to search a little harder to find a version of Skype to install on their handset or sign up with Verizon Wireless.

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Skype pulled from Nokia’s Ovi store in the US, Verizon Wireless to blame?

MobileTechRoundup show #199, iPhone out, Palm in, Devour thoughts

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:26 pm

Categories: Android, Apple, Google, HTC, Palm, Podcast, T-Mobile, Verizon, WebOS, iPhone

Tags: MobileTechRoundup, Apple iPhone, Palm Inc., Smart Phone, Apple Inc., James, Kevin, Smart Phones, 3G, Cellular Phones

Listen here (MP3, 32.3 MB, 35:10 minutes)

Subscribe to the show with this link (RSS)

motr_cover.jpg

We missed recording last week while I was up on a shipcheck in Alaska, but James, Kevin, and I were able to record MobileTechRoundup show #199 today thanks in part to my Nokia N900 and T-Mobile 3G data connection. Kevin talked about no longer having an Apple iPhone, while I no longer have the Overdrive and moved to the Verizon Palm Pre Plus. James has the Motorola Devour and offered some initial thoughts on the device. We couldn’t avoid talking about the Apple lawsuit against HTC and sure hope it doesn’t have a negative impact on the smartphone world. Kevin has the Dell Mini10 with Intel N450 and talked a bit about his experiences with it.

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MobileTechRoundup show #199, iPhone out, Palm in, Devour thoughts

March 5, 2010

Mobile ‘time of turmoil’: Where do the students stand?

Posted by Zack Whittaker @ 8:11 am

Categories: Adobe, Apple, Gratuitous rant, Hardware, Legal and political, Microsoft, Mobile computing, Productivity, Social networking, University, University fun

Tags: Research In Motion Ltd., Phone, Microsoft Silverlight, Mobile, Student, Apple Inc., RIM BlackBerry, Microsoft Corp., Business User, Mobile Industry

The mobile market is in a mess at the moment. Apple is suing HTC, Nokia and Apple are slapping each other with lawsuits and Microsoft is always being shafted by somebody. It’s all getting very messy as they bring out competing devices with no major differentiating factors. The mobile industry is in turmoil, yet it carries on ticking over somehow.

Business users are not happy as Microsoft has broken backwards compatibility between Windows Phone 7 and Windows Mobile 6.5, meaning the applications for 6.5 will not work on 7. Yet with this, 7 will open up a whole range of other technologies such as Silverlight and XNA, meaning these new phones could well be more appealing to the younger demographic.

Silverlight, being the main competitor to Flash, is at least making an appearance on mobile devices. Flash won’t be installed as per default on the iPad but Adobe is working hard to try and support it. Meanwhile, the iPhone still doesn’t support Flash (but might soon) but Microsoft is trying to get Silverlight on there, even though Ballmer says “don’t bet on it”.

Yet, on the other hand, Microsoft said Flash will not be on Windows Phone 7 devices, as the two competitors continue to spit the dummy at each other. Apple at the moment is being stubborn as a mule, whereas Research in Motion, the BlackBerry manufacturer, is bumbling along ignorant of everybody else while it tries to snap up both Flash and Silverlight for its handsets.

It’s all very confusing. All the aforementioned companies are engaging in fistycuffs while Research in Motion is in the corner crying, overwhelmed with all the commotion yet feeling equally left out.

Where do the students stand in all of this? Apple loves that the iPhone has been so popular with students, but had no idea it was going to be. Microsoft is aiming their new “Pink” phone in students’ direction but the software capabilities aren’t hugely clear yet. And Research in Motion is pleased but surprised at the shift in demographics as students increasingly want and buy BlackBerry handsets.

Students want very few things in a mobile device. Aesthetics aren’t as important as they used to be but messaging is more important than anything else out there. BlackBerry Messenger seems to be the killer feature for the device which is why so many students are going BlackBerry.

Application support made the iPhone immensely popular, but also seems to be unique (or relatively affluent) with the iPhone. As BlackBerry and Windows Mobile (including Phone 7) devices either have a lacking or no marketplace to download free applications, this drags them way behind Apple.

Forget the Android. I have one friend who has an Android phone and he threw it against the wall in a fit of anger after a week of owning it. And this man, rest assured, is the most laid back, calm and non-violent gentleman I have ever known.

The QWERTY keyboard is one of the main things that grabs the attention of the student nowadays. As Microsoft’s Pink phone seems to have this, it could well make it a popular choice once it decides to show the light of day.

But frankly, I’m banging my head against a brick wall because Microsoft, RIM, Apple, and all the other major mobile corporations just don’t make it clear that they even care what students think. But with this wave of new design prototypes and detail focused on multiple communications, I’m starting to think otherwise.

Originally posted here:
Mobile ‘time of turmoil’: Where do the students stand?

iPad: Pre-orders start March 12th, available April 3rd

Filed under: zdnet — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 1:54 pm

Posted by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes @ 5:54 am

Categories: Apple

Tags: Apple Inc., iPad Available, iBookstore, Wireless LANs, 3G, Wi-Fi, Wireless And Mobility, Cellular Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology


Your wait is almost over! Official word from Apple on iPad availability.

Summary:

  • Pre-orders begin March 12
  • US availability of WiFi-only models April 3, WiFi + 3G late april
  • In Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, all models will be available from late April

iPad Available in US on April 3

Pre-Order on March 12

CUPERTINO, Calif., March 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today announced that its magical and revolutionary iPad will be available in the US on Saturday, April 3, for Wi-Fi models and in late April for Wi-Fi + 3G models. In addition, all models of iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK in late April.

Beginning a week from today, on March 12, US customers can pre-order both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models from Apple’s online store (www.apple.com) or reserve a Wi-Fi model to pick up on Saturday, April 3, at an Apple retail store.

“iPad is something completely new,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”

Starting at just $499, iPad lets users browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more. iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds-thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook-and delivers battery life of up to 10 hours.*

iPad’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ interface makes surfing the web an entirely new experience, dramatically more interactive and intimate than on a computer. You can read and send email on iPad’s large screen and almost full-size “soft” keyboard or import photos from a Mac®, PC or digital camera, see them organized as albums, and enjoy and share them using iPad’s elegant slideshows. iPad makes it easy to watch movies, TV shows and YouTube, all in HD, or flip through the pages of an ebook you downloaded from Apple’s new iBookstore while listening to your music collection.

The App Store on iPad lets you wirelessly browse, buy and download new apps from the world’s largest app store. iPad includes 12 new innovative apps designed especially for iPad and will run almost all of the more than 150,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone® or iPod touch®. Developers are already creating exciting new apps designed for iPad that take advantage of its Multi-Touch interface, large screen and high-quality graphics.

The new iBooks app for iPad includes Apple’s new iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile product. The iBookstore will feature books from the New York Times Best Seller list from both major and independent publishers, including Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster.

The iTunes® Store gives iPad users access to the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 12 million songs, over 55,000 TV episodes and over 8,500 films including over 2,500 in stunning high definition. All the apps and content you download on iPad from the App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore will be automatically synced to your iTunes library the next time you connect with your computer.

Pricing & Availability

iPad will be available in Wi-Fi models on April 3 in the US for a suggested retail price of $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available in late April for a suggested retail price of $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB. iPad will be sold in the US through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

iPad will be available in both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models in late April in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. International pricing will be announced in April. iPad will ship in additional countries later this year.

The iBooks app for iPad including Apple’s iBookstore will be available as a free download from the App Store in the US on April 3, with additional countries added later this year.

*Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

© 2010 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Multi-Touch, iPhone, iPod touch, iTunes and Apple Store are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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iPad: Pre-orders start March 12th, available April 3rd

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