Watch PlayStation’s E3 2016 event in a movie theater
It’s almost E3 time, and that means something big for theater-going PlayStation fans: Sony’s PlayStation E3 Experience is back. This year, you can watch the company’s gaming presentation on June 13th at over 85 theaters in not only North America, but Latin America as well. Everyone who gets in will walk out with some obligatory swag, including a currently-mysterious digital “gift basket.” Tickets will be free when they’re up for grabs on May 31st at 1PM Eastern, so you’ll want to move quickly — there will be plenty of gamers curious to see Sony’s future products on the biggest screen possible.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Caltech Accuses Apple of Violating its Patented Wi-Fi Technologies
Apple and Broadcom have been jointly named as defendants in a legal complaint filed by the California Institute of Technology last week over alleged infringement of its various patented Wi-Fi-related technologies.
Caltech’s patents, granted between 2006 and 2012, are highly technical and relate to IRA/LDPC codes that utilize simpler encoding and decoding circuitry for improved data transmission rates and performance. The technologies are implemented in both the 802.11n and 802.11ac Wi-Fi standards used by many Apple products.
In the court filing with the U.S. District Court for Central California, Caltech accused Apple of selling various iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models, along with other Wi-Fi products, that incorporate these IRA/LDPC encoders and/or decoders and thereby infringe upon the four asserted patents in question.
Apple manufactures, uses, imports, offers for sale, and/or sells Wi-Fi products that incorporate IRA/LDPC encoders and/or decoders and infringe the Asserted Patents. Apple products that incorporate IRA/LDPC encoders and/or decoders and infringe the Asserted Patents include, but are not limited to, the following: iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Pro, iPad Mini 4, iPad Mini 3, iPad Mini 2, MacBook Air [and] Apple Watch.
Apple has at least temporarily pulled stock of its AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule Wi-Fi base stations from its U.S. stores, but it’s unclear if the move is related.
Broadcom, as one of Apple’s main suppliers of Wi-Fi chips, is also named in the complaint. Apple currently uses Broadcom chips in the Apple Watch, iPhones, and iPads, as well as its line of Macs that support 802.11ac, including the MacBook Air, Retina MacBook Pro, and iMac.
Apple is one of Broadcom’s largest customers. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, sales to Apple represented 14.6%, 13.3% and 14.0% of Broadcom Corp.’s net revenue, respectively. […] During this timeframe, Broadcom’s Wi-Fi products that incorporate IRA/LDPC encoders and decoders and infringe the Asserted Patents were incorporated into Apple’s key products including iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. […] Broadcom and Apple are jointly and severally liable for infringement of the Asserted Patents.
Caltech has demanded a jury trial against Apple and Broadcom, along with a preliminary and permanent sales injunction in the U.S. against the aforementioned products. The university also seeks “adequate” damages, and other relief that the court deems “just and equitable,” but it did not provide a specific settlement target.
The asserted patents include U.S. Patent No. 7,116,710, U.S. Patent No. 7,421,032, U.S. Patent No. 7,916,781, and U.S. Patent No. 8,284,833.
Tags: lawsuit, wi-fi, Apple, patent, Broadcom, Caltech
Discuss this article in our forums
India Turns Down Apple’s Request to Sell Used iPhones
In March, Apple submitted a formal request to the Indian government in relation to selling refurbished iPhones in the country. Today, however, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that she is “not in favor” of accepting that proposal (via The Economic Times).
On Apple’s proposal to import refurbished phones and sell in India, Sitharaman said, “We would not be in favour of whatever you may call them — used but refashioned, remodelled, updated… used goods. We are not in favour of bringing them here.”
The decision comes just days after the Indian government decided not to exempt Apple from a local rule requiring that 30 percent of goods sold by foreign companies be manufactured or produced within the country. India last year exempted retailers selling state-of-the-art goods from the rule, prompting Apple to file a new application in hopes of opening single-branded retail stores in India.
Apple is opportunistic about increasing its presence in India, where its market share is estimated to be only around 2 percent. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who visited India earlier this month, said the country provides a “really great opportunity” for growth, particularly after sales in the U.S. and China have slowed. Apple’s revenue grew 56 percent in India last quarter, passing the $1 billion mark for the first time.
India has price-sensitive consumers, however, so Apple’s inability to sell refurbished iPhones in the world’s second most populous country may hinder it efforts to grow in the region. Cook has admitted that iPhones are too overpriced in India, compared to equivalent U.S. pricing, due to local tariffs.
“The duties and the taxes and the compounding of those takes the price and it makes it very high. Our profitability is less in India, it’s materially less — but still I recognize that prices are high,” said Cook, in an interview with Indian network NDTV. “We want to do things that lower that over time, to the degree that we can … I want the consumer in India to be able to buy at a price that looks like the U.S. price.”
At least for now, those plans will seemingly not involve the sale of refurbished iPhones.
Tag: India
Discuss this article in our forums
The Frog Who Travels is too difficult for its target audience [Review]
When I first saw The Frog Who Travels I was hopeful that it would be a throwback to Frogger. Not so much. What I did find was a cute little jumping game that is much too difficult for its target audience.
Gameplay
This game is a side-scroller that has you controlling a frog who leaps from column to column trying to avoid falling into the water. Why a frog needs to avoid water is beyond me. We receive no background or storyline to follow and have no real goals to accomplish, although it does have achievements for Google Play Games.
Home Screen
Level Selection
Timed Mode
The game mechanics are simple to understand but very difficult to put into practice. To make the frog jump simply press down on the screen and hold, then release when you have charged the jump to your liking. I know what you guys are thinking, “Seriously? How is this hard?” but I’m telling you, this mechanic does not make it easy at all to tell if you have charged the jump enough to make it anywhere near the next pillar.
There are three different game types to choose from: easy, which is portrayed by a baby bottle; normal- the large “play” button at the center of the home screen; and timed- portrayed by the clock icon to the right of normal.
Easy mode gives you a charging icon above the frog so you know just how much jump he has, but in my experience, this is not as useful as it might sound because the height and distance of every single pillar are different. Normal mode just allows you to play the game as intended, an endless sea of pillars to jump to, and you can obtain points and coins along the way. Timed mode is just what it sounds like, play the game with a timer and see how far you can get.
Graphics
The graphics of this game are my favorite part by far. The fabulous 2D backdrops of cityscapes and grassy hills are great. The developers used bold color choices in the foreground and some more muted colors to display backdrops. The animations are great here as well, from the subtle movement of the water to the jumping action of the frog.
Score
Nice Backdrop
Conclusion
To be clear, I do enjoy the theme and gameplay that the author is reaching for, I simply feel that the learning curve is a little steep to capture the attention of what I feel to be its target audience, pre-teen children. If you have a child that enjoys a challenge in the games you let them play by all means give The Frog Who Travels a download.
Download The Frog Who Travels
AIVAnet 