Apple and Samsung Trying to Find ‘Common Ground’ in Efforts to End Patent War
Apple and Samsung are attempting to find “common ground” in efforts to end their ongoing legal battle, reports The Korea Times (via GforGames). Citing sources “familiar with the negotiations”, the paper notes that both firms are “trimming the number of disputed issues”, stating that both Apple and Samsung are attempting to become “more practical” about finding a solution.
Another source also claimed that Apple would like to keep Samsung as one of its main parts suppliers, with the report referencing the long-rumored iWatch:
“As technology shifts toward wearable devices, Apple still wants to keep Samsung as its top-tier parts sourcing channel,” another source said.
“The recent release of the Samsung OLED tablet is an indication that Samsung can manage OLED displays to be used in almost all wearable devices, a segment that Apple is greatly interested in.”
In the past two years, Apple and Samsung have been in two trials over the issue of patent infringement. The first trial in 2012 awarded Apple more than $1 billion in damages, however a damages retrial last November brought that amount down to $290 million. Meanwhile, the second trial wrapped up last month and found both companies guilty, although Samsung was ordered to pay $119.6 million while Apple was to pay just $158,400. Samsung has since filed an appeal to challenge the second verdict.
Last week, both companies also agreed to drop their cross-appeal rulings on an ITC ban for older Samsung products, which focused on patent 7,789,697, and dealt with the concept of accessories being recognized when they plug in to devices.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung Electronics CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon also reportedly attending a mediation session earlier this year, however both parties failed to reach an agreement in their ongoing legal battle. While a new agreement would take some time to reach, a move to end the ongoing legal battle would prove to be very beneficial for both Apple and Samsung.
Apple Launches New Cheaper 21.5-Inch iMac Starting at $1,099
While rumors last week indicated that Apple would be launching minor updates to its iMac line, Apple today unveiled a new lower-cost iMac at $1,099.
The new entry-level 21.5-inch iMac comes with a 1.4GHZ dual-core Intel i5 processor, a 500GB hard drive, 8GB of memory, and an Intel HD 500 Graphics chip for $1,099. All of Apple’s other 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs are still available as well.
Apple is also rumored to be working on Retina Display-equipped iMacs, as recent evidence in the OS X Yosemite developer preview suggested such models were in the works. While there is no specific release date for a Retina iMac, Apple could launch the new desktop computer later this year.
Apple’s new entry-level iMac is available today through Apple’s various retail locations and online store, and shows an availability of “within 24 hours.”
This robot’s customizable OS doesn’t make it any better at soccer
Softbank’s Pepper robot is hard not to love, even if we haven’t quite grasped the point of the adorable thing. We’re having much the same issue with the Asratec bot shown above, also part of Softbank’s broad robot business. As you can tell, it isn’t very responsive right now, and in fact it can’t even walk, but it possesses an OS that is claimed to be customizable enough for healthcare, entertainment or even construction robots. Asratec is hoping to make money from this software, rather than the 1.2-meter ASRA-C1 prototype hardware, but the robot still has a couple of notable features, including an extra pair of arms on the front, with which users can “drive” the robot around, or possibly teach it physical tasks by showing how it’s done. Though ASRA-C1 probably won’t be scoring any goals at the next Robot World Cup (it’s a thing), you can see its current skillset demonstrated in the videos below.
Filed under: Robots
Source: Spectrum IEEE, Bloomberg
This is what a $22,000 Android phone feels like
With Vertu finally offering an up-to-date luxury phone, we naturally had to check out the Signature Touch up close and personal. After all, it’s not everyday that one gets to play with a $21,900 phone for free (though you can do so at any Vertu boutique, as long as you’re nicely dressed). For those who haven’t caught up with the announcement, we’re looking at a 4.7-inch 1080p display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 chip, 64GB of storage, 13MP/2.1MP cameras, a 2,275mAh battery, Qi wireless charging, NFC and a handful of LTE bands. With the exception of the battery (which, to be fair, is already much larger than those on previous models), these are all very decent for an Android 4.4 device.
As hinted by its name, the Signature Touch continues the legacy of the Signature series by carrying its iconic features. Under Vertu’s new lead designer, Ignacio Germade, the masculine “V-spine” design and the D-ring latch (for popping open the Micro SIM tray cover) remain; though the ceramic ear pillow is now smaller and makes way for a titanium chin, instead of being surrounded by a metallic bezel. Another notable change is that the stereo speakers — developed in partnership with Bang & Olufsen — are now facing the front, which makes a lot more sense than the sideway speakers on the similar-looking Ti.
The ringtones produced by the London Symphony Orchestra sounded exceptional on those speakers, which isn’t a surprise. According to Hutch Hutchison, Vertu’s Head of Concept Creation and Design, each ringtone is tuned for optimal effect on each model, rather than just copying the same audio files to the whole range. A new addition on this end is the set of Dolby Digital Plus effects, which should come in handy for watching movies and playing games.
Another big collaboration on the Signature Touch lies within its 13-megapixel and 2.1-megapixel cameras. We’re still surprised that Vertu managed to get renowned camera maker Hasselblad to help optimize the imaging performance; though sadly, we’ll have to wait for the final camera software before we can judge the results.
As with all Vertu devices, the Signature Touch has a dense, expensive feel with its 192g weight and hard metallic body. We didn’t dare to do any torture test, but the grade 5 titanium body, the fifth-gen sapphire screen and the conditioned leather should stand the test of time. In addition to the usual drop test and steel ball test, the company’s also made sure that this hand-assembled phone would operate just fine from as low as -45 degrees Fahrenheit all the way up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Signature Touch comes in a range of skins and colors. You start at $10,300/£6,750 with the basic “Jet Leather” (black and silver) or “Claret Leather” (red and silver), followed by other skin options (lizard or alligator) plus PVD coating option for the titanium frame, and capping at $21,900/£14,350 for the maxed-out “Pure Jet Red Gold” edition (black and gold). We actually liked the “Pure Navy Lizard” and the “Damson Lizard” the most for their unique textures, whereas Vertu’s CEO Max Pogliani currently carries an equally exotic “Jet Alligator” customized with a black PVD titanium body (by default it’s a bare metal body).
The lucky folks who have the cash to spare tend not to have a problem picking their favorite variants. In fact, some are known to buy multiple versions of the same model, thus also accumulating years worth of bundled one-year concierge service in the process (it’s otherwise “just” £2,000 or about $3,400 annually for the classic service, or double that to continue having a dedicated agent). If we were given a chance to try this service, we’d totally just get a butler to write up this article while we sit by the pool at an exclusive clubhouse.
Disclaimer: This article was not written by a butler.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Wikipad Announces ‘Gamevice’ iOS Game Controller for iPad Mini [iOS Blog]
Gaming peripheral company Wikipad has announced an iPad mini version of its Gamevice mobile game controller, reports Slide to Play (via TouchArcade).
The Gamevice sports a form-fitting design that cradles the iPad mini, and features console-style controls including dual-analog sticks, a directional pad, face buttons, shoulder bumpers, and triggers. The accessory is compatible with all iOS games that feature controller support, which currently includes titles like Limbo, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and The Walking Dead.
The Gamevice’s reveal comes after last week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, where a surge of new iOS controllers appeared. The introduction of so many new iOS controllers comes as rumors surrounding the gaming capabilities of the next-generation Apple TV have ramped up in recent months. Some have speculated that Apple could utilize iOS gaming controllers, a set-top box and an App Store ecosystem to become a major force in the console gaming industry. 
Wikipad’s Gamevice controller for the iPad mini is expected to be released later this year. Interested customers can sign up at the accessory’s official website for more information.
Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A gets announced with Quad HD display and Snapdragon 805
There has been a lot of noise lately being made about the Samsung Galaxy F, or Samsung Galaxy S5 Prime as it’s also known as. This device is supposed to build on the original Galaxy S5 with a bigger screen and a faster processor. Well, Samsung has today announced something like that, but it’s not quite what we expected. The Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A was announced today, and like the Galaxy S4 LTE-A that was released last year, looks like the original Galaxy device it’s based off with slightly better hardware specs and the ability to harness the speeds of LTE-Advanced networks.
Perhaps surprisingly, the Galaxy S5 LTE-A features a 5.1-inch Quad HD display giving it a pixel count of a whopping 577 ppi. Better still, the device is the first to benefit from the all new Snapdragon 805 which sprints along at 2.5GHz and houses the new Adreno 420 GPU. The remainder of the specs remain the same, and will be available in Charcoal Black, Shimmer White, Electric Blue, Copper Gold, Sweet Pink and Glam Red. Unfortunately, also like the Galaxy S4 LTE-A, the S5 iteration is also going to be an exclusive to South Korea, and will cost 940,500 won (or about $920 USD) when it goes on sale June 19th.
While some have already dismissed rumours of the Galaxy S5 Prime or Galaxy F in the light of the Galaxy S5 LTE-A’s release, something doesn’t quite add up, in particular the fact multiple rumours have specified a larger screen (5.2-inch) and a different back cover. While this might just all end up in the pit of dead rumours, I’m not quite willing to admit that this is all Samsung has in store till the Note 4. What do you think about the Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A? Do you think this is the Galaxy F/Galaxy S5 Prime that we’ve been hearing about? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: SamMobile
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You can now push YouTube live-events to Chromecast with your mobile device
Chromecast users have been able to throw live YouTube broadcasts to Google’s streaming stick via their PCs for a bit now, but the search giant recently added a perhaps more convenient way to do that task. Now, you can use your mobile device to push as-they’re-happening videos to your flat-screen via Mountain View’s HDMI dongle. Pretty neat, right? Google tells us that while the Google+ post is the first time its spoken publicly about the new mobile feature, the functionality soft-launched “a little while ago.” The ability could come in handy if you’d like to tune into live-broadcasts via PlayStation 4 this fall, or, in the more immediate future, you can rage along to this year’s Electric Daisy Carnival live from Las Vegas. And before you ask, the answer is most definitely no, you don’t have enough glow-in-the-dark headbands for Paper Diamond’s set at the Sin City EDM festival.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Google
Source: Google Chrome (Google +)
Twitter restores accounts and tweets previously blocked in Pakistan
The reversal of the block might answer critics that argued that the social network’s current policy gave too much power to the already powerful — allowing censorship from agencies and agents even if their country hasn’t afforded them the right to do so. We’ve added the rest of Twitter’s explanation after the break.
“We always strive to make the best, most informed decisions we can when we’re compelled to reactively withhold identified content in specific jurisdictions around the world. On May 18, 2014, we made an initial decision to withhold content in Pakistan based on information provided to us by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. Consistent with our longstanding policies we provided notice to all of the affected account holders and published the actioned takedown requests on Chilling Effects to maximize transparency regarding our decision.”
Filed under: Software
Source: Chilling Effects
Galaxy S5 LTE-A is Samsung’s first phone with a QHD display and Snapdragon 805 chip
Samsung has just announced a special variant of the Galaxy S5 for its home market. The phone — simply dubbed Galaxy S5 LTE-A — plays host to the manufacturer’s first 2,560 x 1,440 display, which produces an even higher pixel density than the LG G3 (577 vs. 538 ppi) due to the use of a slightly smaller 5.1-inch panel. We’re also seeing the first appearance of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805 chipset (rather than an in-house Exynos processor), which is accompanied by 3GB of RAM and is built to handle 4K video playback and faster graphics in general. This chip supports LTE-Advanced too, which will apparently deliver data speeds of up to 225Mb/s to stunned, jaw-dropped customers on South Korean networks. Meanwhile, there’s no word on whether this variant is headed to the West, or whether it’s the fabled Galaxy S5 Prime that has been rumored for so long. But even if this is a Korea-only product, it can still be seen as a test-run for the global release of the impending Galaxy Note 4, which will almost certainly pack many of the same specs and components.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: SamsungTomorrow (Flickr)
Snapchat now lets you collaborate with other users on evaporating pictures
In 2013, Snapchat launched My Story for those who don’t mind sharing their pics for just a bit longer, and now they’re expanding that feature for those who’d also like to share with more people. While the older feature lets you add images to a feed that friends can see for 24 hours, Our Story gives you the chance to contribute to a shared timeline with other users. All you need to do is send your picture to a particular event hub under the My Friends page, though be warned that you’ll have to activate location services so the app can check if you’re truly there. Sadly, it doesn’t look like you can make your own shared timeline with friends — hey, there’s Facebook for that — the feature only works with events Snapchat officially adds. You should be able to access Our Story right now without having to update the app, but you’d have to attend the Electric Daisy Festival in Vegas to test it out.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Snapchat
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