Apple Ordered to Pay $625 Million in VirnetX Patent Dispute

Apple was today found guilty of willfully infringing on four patents in an ongoing dispute with VirnetX and has been ordered to pay $625 million in damages, reports CNBC.

The patents in question relate to virtual private networking (VPN) protocols and in today’s ruling, the jury decided that Apple’s FaceTime and iMessages service, along with the iOS devices that support those services, infringe on VirnetX’s intellectual property.

The patent dispute between Apple and VirnetX dates back to 2010, with a jury intially awarding VirnetX $368 million in 2012 after Apple was found guilty of infringing on VirnetX patents. That decision was thrown out in September of 2014 after the damages were found to have been incorrectly calculated, but a damages retrial that started last week led to the decision handed down this afternoon.

VirnetX originally requested $532 million in damages, an amount that was inflated to $625 million taking into account the willful infringement ruling and royalties.

Ahead of the jury’s decision, Apple filed a request asking U.S District Judge Robert Schroeder to declare a mistrial, accusing VirnetX of misleading and confusing the jury during its closing arguments. Schroeder has not yet made a ruling on the request.

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Pebble Update Introduces Custom Messages, Health Improvements

Pebble today announced multiple updates for its line of Pebble smart watches, introducing new messaging options and new health features for Pebble owners.

Pebble owners who use iOS devices are now able to reply to incoming text messages with custom messages instead of the standard canned responses. Custom text replies are available to all iOS users who have text replies enabled from a compatible carrier.

Pebble Health, the fitness tracking app Pebble introduced in December for Pebble Time watches, has a new API that lets Pebble Health stats be added to apps and watch faces. The health tracking feature is also more accurate and is able to show distance in kilometers or miles.

New Pebble Time Firmware 3.9 introduces incoming MMS messages with descriptive icons and text, and it introduces speed improvements for Pebble Time and Time Steel. There’s also an improved Watch-Only mode, which introduces better power saving options when the watch battery is critically low.

The update is available through the Pebble Time iOS app, available from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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Sony’s Dual Camera to See Inclusion in Devices From ‘Major Smartphone Players’

Sony, the manufacturer behind many the camera sensors used in Apple’s iOS devices, recently confirmed that its dual-lens camera platform will be featured in devices from “major smartphone players” in 2016. The information was shared by Sony CFO Kenchiro Yoshida during the company’s recent Q3 2015 earnings call and was highlighted by Xperiablog.

Sony’s camera technology is used by a wide range of smartphone manufacturers, including Apple, and Yoshida declined to name specific companies that would take advantage of Sony’s dual-lens camera platform. Dual-lens technology has previously been used in smartphones such as the HTC M8, but it may soon become a more popular option following rumors that Apple plans to incorporate a dual-lens system into its iPhone 7 Plus.

iPhone 7 mockup with dual-lens camera system (Image: Computer Bild)

Apple is said to be planning to use dual-lens technology it acquired from Israeli camera company LinX in the iPhone 7 Plus, but Apple may still be incorporating Sony sensor components into its camera module. Apple is also said to be testing dual-lens camera samples from a range of manufacturers in Taiwan, Japan, and China.

According to Yoshida, dual-lens camera systems will be coming from multiple major smartphone manufacturers this year, but because of slowdowns in the high-end smartphone market could impact production, 2017 will be the year when the dual lens camera platform really takes off.

Well, for next year, our so-called dual lens – dual camera platform will be launched by, we believe, from major smartphone players. However, as I said previously, recently, our smartphone market is growing and particularly, our high-end smartphone market is now slowing down. So, that may impact the demand or production schedule of dual camera smartphones by the major smartphone manufacturers. So, we believe the real start, the takeoff of smartphone with dual lens camera will be in the year of 2017.”

Rumors have suggested Apple is planning to incorporate a dual lens camera system into the iPhone 7 Plus to differentiate it from the iPhone 7, which will continue to offer a more traditional single-lens camera. Should Apple follow through with its plans, its first dual-lens system will debut towards the end of 2016, likely in September.

The launch of the iPhone 7 is still multiple months away, but details about the new device have been steadily trickling out. Yesterday, MacRumors shared information on the device’s design, which is expected to be similar to the iPhone 6s design but with a flush rear camera and no antenna bands across the back. Other rumors suggest it will have improved water resistance and no headphone jack.

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Fitbit Announces New ‘Alta’ Wearable With Apple Watch-Like Move Reminders

Fitbit today announced the “Fitbit Alta,” a new device in its fitness-focused wearable lineup that the company aims to be the intersection between personalized style and in-depth activity tracking. As with all Fitbits, the Alta will track a user’s daily activities, exercise, and sleep, but now the band includes “Reminders to Move,” which will push notifications to the wrist when you’ve been stationary for an extended period, similar to the Apple Watch’s standing notifications.

Thanks to Reminders to Move, the Alta will keep users active by encouraging the completion of a “mini step goal” of 250 steps every hour, or about 2-3 minutes of walking time. Additionally, the new band automatically tracks workouts without needing to tell the Alta when one has begun or ended, and all of your activity data syncs to the companion Fitbit app to keep watch over daily and weekly exercise goals.

Fitbit’s new wearable also has a few band accessories to choose from, including a $29.95 Classic Band, $59.95 Leather Band, and $99.95 Metal Bracelet. Each band surrounds the Alta’s OLED display, which lets users tap through succinct readouts of their daily calorie burn, sleep stats, and recent notifications. The screen can also be customized with unique clock faces, similar to the company’s “Blaze” activity tracker, which it announced last month.

The Classic Band (left), Leather Band (middle), and Metal Bracelet (right)

The Alta will be able to support call, text, and calendar notifications through vibrating alerts, and should last up to 5 days on one battery life, according to Fitbit. Although it won’t be released until sometime in March, those interested can pre-order the Fitbit Alta for $129.95 starting today on the company’s website. The Classic Bands will be available at launch, but the Metal Bracelet has a summer release window and the Leather Band is “coming soon.”

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Apple’s ‘Back to School’ Promotion in Australia and New Zealand Offers Free Beats Headphones

Apple today launched its annual “Back to School” promotion in Australia and New Zealand, offering higher education students, faculty members, parents of students, and select other staff a free pair of Beats Solo2 on-ear headphones with the purchase of a qualifying Mac with education pricing between February 3 and March 21.

Eligible models include the iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac Pro, including configure-to-order versions, while the Mac mini and refurbished Macs do not qualify for the offer. The eligible Mac must be purchased from the online Apple Store for Education or by calling 133-622 in Australia or 0800-692-7753 in New Zealand.

The qualifying student or faculty member will receive one pair of free Beats Solo2 on-ear headphones in Gloss Black, Gloss White, Gloss Red, or Gloss Blue, as an instant credit. Apple also offers a credit of AU$259.95 or NZ$339.95 for Beats Solo2 Wireless on-ear headphones, with the customer responsible for paying the remaining difference.

Apple’s “Back to School” promotion in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and elsewhere last July and August also offered students a free pair of Beats Solo2 headphones with a qualifying Mac purchase. Last year, students in Australia and New Zealand were offered an Apple gift card worth between $25 and $100 with the purchase of a qualifying Mac, iPad, or iPhone.

Read the terms in conditions in Australia and New Zealand for complete details.

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Apple Now Selling Square’s New NFC Reader for Apple Pay and Contactless Payments

Square has announced that its new NFC reader that enables small businesses to accept Apple Pay, Android Pay, and other contactless payments can now be purchased from Apple online or in stores for $49.

The reader is compatible with NFC-equipped smartphones, including the iPhone 6 or newer, and contactless Chip-and-PIN debit and credit cards based on technologies like American Express ExpressPay, MasterCard PayPass, and Visa payWave.

The small square-shaped reader functions like other NFC-enabled payment terminals, allowing users to wave an iPhone, paired Apple Watch, or contactless Chip-and-PIN card near the reader for a few seconds to complete a purchase.

Apple Pay is accepted at more than 1 million locations in the U.S., but its early rollout has mostly been limited to larger franchises. Square’s new NFC reader, and similar products, will help expand Apple Pay to smaller businesses across the country.

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Square is selling its NFC payment reader in Apple Stores

Last November, Square finally got on with the times and unveiled an NFC-friendly reader, but it was only available on Square’s website. Now, however, it’s available in Apple retail stores too. This means that anyone can go into an Apple store and buy Square’s appropriately square-shaped wireless reader without having to order it online. As a reminder, the point-of-sale system is compatible with not only chip-enabled debit/credit cards but also NFC payments like Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay. And, of course, you can use it with the regular ol’ swipe and sign cards too. This isn’t the first time Square has partnered up with Apple; its previous card-reader dongle was available in Apple stores as well as its Square Stand register. The NFC-friendly reader does cost $49, but that’s a small price to pay if you’re a small business who wants more ways for your customers to pay you.