Immersion sues Apple for infringing on haptic feedback patents
Apple’s the star in the latest chapter of Immersion’s court drama. The California haptic feedback developer known for going to court to guard its technologies has filed a lawsuit against Apple and AT&T. It says the haptic feedback systems of the Apple iPhone 6/6Plus, iPhone 6/6s Plus and Watch/Watch Sport/Watch Edition infringe upon two of its patents. Those are no. 8,619,051, which is named “Haptic Feedback System with Stored Effects,” and “Method and Apparatus for Providing Tactile Sensations” that’s filed under no. 8,773,356. The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus allegedly infringe upon a third patent, as well: no. 8,659,571 named “Interactivity Model for Shared Feedback on Mobile Devices.”
As Apple Insider notes, Apple’s devices have always had haptic feedback systems. However, it upgraded its newer devices’, introduced the “Taptic Engine” to its smartwatches and latest iPhones and gave them their 3D Touch/Force Touch features.
Immersion’s CEO Victor Viegas says:
While we are pleased to see others in the industry recognize the value of haptics and adopt it in their products, it is important for us to protect our business against infringement of our intellectual property in order to preserve the ecosystem we have built and the investments that we have made in continuing to advance haptic experiences. We will vigorously defend the intellectual property we have developed when it is infringed.
Besides the lawsuit in which it’s seeking damages, Immersion has also filed a complaint with the ITC “seeking an exclusion order preventing the importation, sale for importation, and sale after importation of infringing Apple devices into the United States by the defendants…” In other words, it’s requesting a sales injunction.
Back in 2008, Immersion had a better relationship with Cupertino, and it was even rumored that it would provide haptic tech for the iPhone. Apple isn’t the only tech giant that had been sued by Immersion — it also fought court battles against Microsoft in 2007 and against Motorola/Google in 2012.
[Image credit: Will Lipman]
Via: Apple Insider
Source: Immersion
UCLA open sources image detector that can see what we can’t
UCLA has released the source code to powerful image detection software that can see an object’s every detail at high speed — key for applications like fingerprint and iris scanning, or self-driving cars. It starts by identifying an object’s edges and then looking for and extracting its other, fainter features. For instance, if there are items with textured surfaces in the image, the algorithm can recognize and enhance them, as you can see in the example below the fold. It can even see through bright lights to detect their sources’ structures, such as lamps, LED lights and even the moon.
The Phase Stretch Transform algorithm was developed by UCLA professor Bahram Jalali, senior researcher Mohammad Asghari and their team. Their project is a spin-off of the university’s research on photonic time stretch that can be used to detect cancer cells. It’s also the secret behind what UCLA once called the “world’s fastest camera” that can capture events that happen very, very fast. The algorithm is now up and available to the public on GitHub and Matlab Central.
Source: UCLA
Samsung will reportedly include a Gear VR with your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge
Leaks are coming fast and furious about the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Today we have a couple of tidbits of information to pass along that you may find interesting. First and foremost, we might be getting a hint into a major selling point for the new flagships from Korea’s largest business.
AndroidWorld.nl, a Dutch Android site, is reporting that when you purchase a Samsung Galaxy S7 or Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, you’ll also receive a free Samsung Gear VR. This offer will apply to those who pre-order the phone between February 21 and March 10. You will then have to register your purchase on Samsung’s website.
This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen Samsung throw out some pretty crazy incentives to get people into their ecosystem. They were very generous in their gifts to those who signed up with Samsung Pay. Packages ranged from a fast wireless charger valued at $50 to a $200 e-coupon you could use on Samsung’s website to purchase accessories.
The Gear VR currently retails for $99.99.
The other bit of information stated in the AndroidWorld article would seem to confirm the pre-order date of the S7 and S7 Edge. In our What We Know post about the Galaxy S7, we’ve written that the phones would be announced on February 21, 2016. This date is one day before Mobile World Congress starts in Barcelona. Samsung will reportedly then hold several events around the world on February 22 to show off the new devices, including one in New York City.
Be sure to keep your eyes glued to AndroidGuys.com to stay up to date on all the leaks of the early year flagships coming out. We have posts up about the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the LG G5, which we are constantly updating.
Source: AndroidWorld via SamMobile
The post Samsung will reportedly include a Gear VR with your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Standalone Google VR headset is also being worked on behind the scenes
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There have been quite a few rumours floating around the past few weeks that relate to Google working on a VR headset that would rival the Samsung Gear VR in the marketplace. While that VR headset would require a surrogate smartphone to work, a new report has suggested that a standalone Google VR headset is also being worked on within the walls at Google’s HQ.
While this means that Google is working on two separate VR headsets at the same time, the two couldn’t be on more different timelines. While the headset that uses smartphones is said to be releasing in 2016, with a possible cameo at Google I/O possible, the standalone headset has a less defined timeline, with some sources saying 2016 is a possibility, with another saying that the standalone project is still very much in its early development days.
If true, that is pretty big news for the virtual reality industry as Google’s significant global presence could really push VR into the mainstream, particularly if its VR headsets are built with the Nexus device mentality. Still, it sounds like we’ll have to wait until Google I/O to at least get a better idea of what’s going on, but something tells us we could be in for a treat.
What do you think about a standalone Google VR headset? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Wall Street Journal via engadget
The post Standalone Google VR headset is also being worked on behind the scenes appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
GTA: Liberty City Stories is out now, 40% off for a limited time
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For Rockstar Games, the mobile gaming revolution has been a great time to dig out all its last-gen games (or in some cases last-last-gen) and repackage them for mobile platforms – and let’s be honest: it’s a win-win situation. The next game on Rockstar’s list of revivals is GTA: Liberty City Stories, which was originally released in 2005 on the Playstation Portable. For those aren’t experiencing a nostalgia trip, GTA: Liberty City Stories sees you take control of Toni Cipriani, who once worked for the Leone family. Liberty City is now in a bad state, with warring families, organized crime, and corrupt politicians all making it difficult for Cipriani in his quest to get the Leone family control of the city.
Rockstar says that it has streamlined the whole mobile experience with shortened missions, better controls and updated graphics, much like Rockstar’s previous efforts when reviving its older games. For a limited time, starting from today’s launch, GTA: Liberty City Stories is going to be 40% off, making it $3.99 USD during this discounted period – not a bad deal for a feature length game, and probably well worth the nostalgia. If you’re hankering for a trip back to Liberty City, we’ve got the Play Store link for you down below:
http://playboard.me/widgets/pb-app-box/1/pb_load_app_box.jsWhat do you think about GTA: Liberty City Stories? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Droid-life
The post GTA: Liberty City Stories is out now, 40% off for a limited time appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Facebook is testing SMS, multiple accounts in Messenger
Facebook has slowly beefed up its Messenger offering over the past year, with not only the ability to send payments and hail an Uber ride, but also the addition of an AI-inspired personal assistant (or at least the promise of). Now it looks like Messenger will have a couple of other features added in the near future: the integration of SMS plus support for multiple accounts. It was first seen on Android Police but we’ve since received confirmation from Facebook that the company is indeed testing these new features.
“At Messenger we are always trying to create new ways for people to communicate seamlessly with everyone,” said a Facebook spokesperson. “Right now, we’re testing the ability for people to easily bring all their conversations — from SMS and Messenger — to one place. It’s a really simple way to get, see and respond to all your SMS messages in just one app. By choosing to access your SMS messages in Messenger, they’re right alongside all the other enhanced features that Messenger offers.”
We should note here that SMS was actually a part of Facebook Messenger before, but it was removed a few years ago due to low adoption. But perhaps with the advent of messaging apps like WhatsApp and Google’s Hangouts, Facebook had a change of heart. From the Android Police screenshots, it looks like the SMS messages will be colored differently — purple instead of blue — and that it’s an optional feature that can be enabled or disabled in settings.
Screenshot credit: Android Police
As for multiple accounts on Messenger, Facebook had this to say: “Millions of people share phones with their family and friends. Until now, there hasn’t been an easy way for people to access their individual Messenger accounts from shared devices. To address this, we’ve launched a feature on Android to enable multiple people to log in and use Messenger from a single phone.”
We’re not quite sure why family and friends would want to share Messenger accounts on a single phone, but we can see this feature being more useful in a tablet, where it’s more likely to be a shared household device. It could also be useful if you have both a personal and a professional account. From the looks of it, you can add accounts to the Messenger app in settings and be able to switch between them as you wish. There’s no telling when these features will arrive for all Android phones, but we wouldn’t be surprised if they appeared on your device in the near future.
Source: Android Police
OK Go flies in zero G for its latest music video
Chicago-based band OK Go has released a fun and colorful music video shot entirely inside a parabolic plane. Since a parabolic flight goes up and down like a wave, it induces periods of microgravity and hypergravity (1.8 times the strength of gravity). Space agencies have been using the technique for decades to train their astronauts before shipping them off to space.
While it looks like the band had lots of fun — you can see them in the video floating weightlessly and doing acrobatics — these flights are no joke. They can be so intense that NASA’s first parabolic plane was dubbed the “Vomit Comet.” OK Go joined forces with Russian carrier S7 Airlines to shoot the video, but you have a choice closer to home that’s tried and tested by Stephen Hawking.
Source: OK Go
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