Recent Samsung Patent Filing Includes Images of Apple Watch
In a recent patent filing detailing smart watch band swapping mechanisms, Samsung appears to have cut some corners and borrowed a few familiar looking images from Apple.
The South Korean company’s patent application for a “Wearable Device” features several design drawings of the Apple Watch that appear to be based on Apple Watch marketing materials and images, as was discovered by Patently Apple and Business Insider.
Samsung uses Apple Watch drawings alongside its own product drawings as examples of methods for attaching a band to a smart watch. The Apple Watch’s lug attachment site is clearly depicted along with bands like the Classic Buckle, Modern Buckle, Milanese Loop, and Leather Loop, suggesting Samsung’s product designers and engineers are drawing inspiration from Apple’s wearable device.
Figures 10A to 10F and 11A to 11F are views illustrating diverse shapes, structures, and materials of a first strap portion or second strap portion in a wearable device according to am embodiment of the present disclosure.
Samsung has a long history of copying Apple designs and is often ridiculed for its tendencies to emulate Apple, so the use of Apple Watch design images for its patent examples is a curious choice.
One of Samsung’s images (right) compared to a marketing image of the Apple Watch (left). Via BusinessInsider.
Apple and Samsung continue to be embroiled in a long-running lawsuit that found Samsung guilty of infringing on iPhone design patents, and Samsung has already paid Apple $548 million as a result. Just today, more than 100 designers wrote an amicus brief supporting Apple in its ongoing battle with Samsung, describing how the visual design of a product has “powerful effects on the human mind and decision making processes.”
Tag: Samsung
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Apple Launches Bug Bounty Program, Offers Up to $200,000 for Software Vulnerabilities Discovered
At today’s Black Hat Conference, an annual event designed for the global InfoSec community, Apple’s head of security engineering Ivan Krstic announced the launch of a bug bounty program that will see Apple paying money to individuals who discover major bugs and security flaws in the company’s software.
Many major technology companies like Google and Microsoft offer bug bounty programs to encourage people to discover and report major vulnerabilities, but until now, Apple has declined to provide a similar program.
At #BlackHat2016, Apple just announced a new Security Bounty program and has promised to prioritize pushing updates. pic.twitter.com/1jXW1tNMrb
— Jay Freeman (saurik) (@saurik) August 4, 2016
According to TechCrunch, Apple’s new bug bounty program is part of Apple’s effort to open up to hackers, researchers, and cryptographers who want to help improve the company’s security.
Apple will be offering bounties of up to $200,000 to researchers depending on the vulnerability that’s discovered. Secure boot firmware components will earn $200,000 at the high end, while smaller vulnerabilities, like access from a sandboxed process to user data outside of the sandbox, will earn $25,000.
Although each category of vulnerability maxes out at the given rate, Apple will determine the exact reward amount based on several factors: the clarity of the vulnerability report; the novelty of the problem and the likelihood of user exposure; and the degree of user interaction necessary to exploit the vulnerability.
Apple plans to launch its program in September. To be eligible for a reward as part of the program, researchers will need to provide proof-of-concept on the latest versions of iOS and the company’s newest hardware. Apple will also encourage researchers to donate their earnings to charity and will match all bug bounty donations.
The program will be invite only for the time being, limited to a few dozen researchers. Apple plans to make it more open as it grows, and if a non-member discovers a significant bug, they’ll be invited to the program.
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Latest Apple TV rumor points to a TV guide for video apps
At the WWDC 2016 event, Apple revealed a number of improvements on the way for the Apple TV, including a new feature called single sign-on. That would let cable TV subscribers log in once, and immediately have all their supported apps authorized without needing to log in (often repeatedly) within each individual app. Now Recode cites industry sources saying that Apple is working on “digital TV guide” for the Apple TV and its other devices that would display content from sources like Netflix and HBO all in one place.
The plan is described as growing from Apple’s previously rumored plan to offer a TV package of its own. In this iteration, Apple wouldn’t sell content, just create a showcase for others, and it has reportedly requested metadata from the providers to fill out its guide.
The Xbox OneGuide at launch in 2013.
If the plan comes to fruition, then Apple will be retreading ground covered by others. Microsoft may have the most ambitious attempt with the Xbox One’s OneGuide that blends live TV and apps while relying on an HDMI passthrough and IR blasters to pull in content from the cable box, but the UI and universal search on devices like Amazon’s Fire TV and the Roku platform serve similar functions.
Apple already set up its move by bringing the Siri remote and voice search with its new Apple TV box, and when it announced single sign-on in June it mentioned the feature would work on iOS as well. The major remaining questions are if customers will be able to use the feature, and if they can, will they want to? On Xbox, Microsoft had limited success working with the cable TV guard. It did manage to get Comcast to allow logging in with HBO Go and other apps, but Comcast killed its Xbox 360 app after a while, and Verizon’s FiOS TV app for Xbox One suffered a similar fate earlier this year.
The revamped OneGuide that launched last year.
Apple’s challenge could be to build a guide that’s easier to access than simply diving into apps like Netflix or Hulu and poking around there. On Xbox, app channels do a good job of highlighting what’s best inside each app, but they’re not especially personal or deep. The OneGuide got a lot of attention during the Xbox One’s initial introduction a few years ago and is a big part of the new experience rolled out at the end of 2015, but it didn’t merit a mention in details of the latest mid-year update.
I don’t even see an app channel for Netflix on my Xbox One, and securing support from such a major provider would be key for Apple to launch any kind of guide. The only problem is getting all of those different providers to accept sharing space in a UI that none of them control — good luck doing that.
Source: Recode
Best apps for Android Auto
We wish more apps were compatible with Android Auto, but right now here’s the list.
Whether you recently got into Android Auto thanks to a new vehicle purchase or are looking for a new app to try out in your car, here is a list of Android apps that will work. Most of the apps are used to stream music or play other media in the car, but there are some others that you can use as well. Google has limited the selection and removed the ability to utilize apps that you sideload, so let’s take a look at what you can get from Google Play to test in Android Auto.
Audio
The Best Audio Apps
Odds are that if you are in your car, you want to listen to music. Luckily, there are a number of awesome music services that have already added Android Auto support. Some of the best include:
Google Play Music
Google Play Music is already installed on just about every Android phone, and it gives you an easy way to store your existing music collection for free. With Android Auto, you can access new music through search, or your existing music to stream and keep you occupied and entertained in the car.
Download Google Play Music from Google Play
Pandora
With Pandora on Android Auto you are able to listen to your favorite tunes through your car with ease. Whether you like to switch it up on the fly, or listen to the same genre of music, accessing your existing collection is easy.
Download Pandora from Google Play
Spotify
Spotify is a big one, and many people use it. With Spotify on Android Auto you can access your existing playlists, create new radio stations or browse the artists and other music you’ve previously listened to.
Download Spotify from Google Play
Pocket Casts
Not everyone wants to listen to music all the time in the car, so Pocket Casts breaks that up for you. With this app you can listen to your favorite podcasts through your car during your commute. It pulls from your existing subscriptions and lets you select the episodes you want to listen to.
Download Pocket Casts from Google Play
MLB.com At Bat
Sports are extremely popular, and if you hate the thought of missing out on what your team is doing, this is the app for you. You can listen to live commentary, recaps and more through your speakers when you are unable to watch it.
Download MLB.com At Bat from Google Play
Honorable Mentions
There are a ton of other audio apps that support Android Auto. Some of the others include:
- Audible
- Amazon Music
- Open Radio
- Player FM
- Audiobooks.com
- BeyondPod
- Slacker Radio
- iHeartRadio
- NPR One
- Stitcher
- TuneIn Radio
- Deezer Music
- BBC Media Player
- DoggCatcher
- OverDrive
Messaging
Android Auto is meant to offer a safer driving experience, though that doesn’t mean you should feel left out of the loop. There are a bunch of messaging apps that support Android Auto, so you can have your texts read out to you, and reply to them without touching your phone.
The Best Messaging Apps
Hangouts
Hangouts is great for keeping in touch with friends, family, and even co-workers. With its Android Auto integration, you can have your messages read out loud, and reply to them easily with just your voice. This makes keeping in touch on the go extremely easy.
Download Hangouts from Google Play
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging services available, with tons of people around the world using it. With Android Auto integration you’ll be able to have messages read to you and then use voice commands to reply and keep in the conversation.
Download WhatsApp from Google Play
Honorable Mentions
These are just some of the most popular messaging apps that support Android Auto. There are a bunch more, which include:
- Telegram
- Kik
- Skype
- Text Me
- textPlus
Developers have been adding support for Android Auto since its release, so odds are this list will continue to grow. As we see Google add more functionality to the in-car system, developers will be able to integrate it in their apps in different ways. Are any of your favorite Android Auto apps not listed above? If so, let us know which they are in the comments!
All About Android Auto
- Getting started with Android Auto
- List of compatible phones and cars
- Android Auto news
- Apps that work with Android Auto
- Join the Android Auto discussion!
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 vs. iPhone 6s Plus: First impressions
The latest pairing in an age-old rivalry: Our first impressions of two phones a world apart.
It’s been a while since you could reasonably say Samsung was straight up copying Apple in its smartphone designs. In the market of 2016, the two camps are very clearly differentiated: Samsung with its glass-backed designs, curved panels, super-slim bezels, big batteries and wireless charging. And Apple arguably doing more with less: shipping super-slim metal handsets with its own tightly controlled hardware and software, where performance and ease of use is king.
And so as we compare the iPhone 6s Plus and Galaxy Note 7, we see the embodiment of two different smartphone philosophies.
Samsung puts a bigger screen in a smaller phone.
In the Note 7, Samsung packs a subtly curved 5.7-inch Quad HD (1440p) panel into a device with a smaller footprint than the iPhone, with a higher resolution and basically no trade-offs in terms of color accuracy, brightness or daylight visibility. The iPhone’s 5.5-inch 1080p panel still ranks among the best, but Samsung’s been making QHD screens for more than two years now, and its latest is arguably the best we’ve seen on any smartphone. What’s more, Samsung packs a bigger, higher-res screen into a smaller body, making the 6s Plus’s bezels seem enormous by comparison.
Galaxy Note 7 vs. iPhone 6s Plus specs comparison
| Operating System | Android 6.0 Marshmallow | iOS 9.3 |
| Display | 5.7-inch 2560×1440 (518ppi)Super AMOLEDDual edge screenGorilla Glass 5 | 5.5-inch 1920×1080 (401ppi)IPS LCD Ion-strengthened glass |
| Processor | Quad-core Snapdragon 820 (U.S)Octa-core Exynos (international) | Apple A9 chip |
| Storage | 64GB | 16-128GB |
| Expandable | microSD up to 2TB | No |
| RAM | 4GB | 2GB |
| Rear Camera | 12MP f/1.71.4-micron pixelsOIS | 12MP f/2.21.22-micron pixelsOIS |
| Front Camera | 5MP f/1.7 | 5MP f/2.2 |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 ac MIMOBluetooth v4.2 LEANT+, USB 2.0, NFC | Wi-Fi 802.11 ac MIMOBluetooth v4.2 LE USB 2.0, NFC (Apple Pay only) |
| Charging | USB-CFast Charge | Lightning Fast Charge |
| Wireless charging | Yes, Qi wirelessPowermat wireless | No |
| Input | S Pen stylus4096 pts of pressure sensitivity | Passive stylus only |
| Battery | 3500 mAh | 2750 mAh |
| Water resistance | IP68 rating | Unofficial water resistance |
| Security | One-touch fingerprint sensorIris scannerSamsung KNOXPrivate folder | Touch ID fingerprint sensor |
| Dimensions | 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm | 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 169 g | 192g |
Both phones have plenty of power — the iPhone is Apple’s own A9 processor and 2GB of RAM, Samsung with a homegrown octa-core Exynos chip or Snapdragon 820 depending on where you buy, paired with 4GB. The nature of Android as an OS means it’s more RAM-hungry than iOS, the Note 7’s lead on paper shouldn’t be overstated. Regardless, you’ll need to resort to benchmarks to tell the difference between between the two. Both are blazingly fast in day-to-day usage — though some gaming benchmarks put the iPhone ahead, at least until Vulkan support ramps up.
As for physical hardware, it’s a familiar mix of compromises. Samsung’s glass back is easy to grip onto, despite the slipperiness of the metal sides, but gets gunked up easily with fingerprints. Meanwhile the iPhone is fashioned from luxurious but slippery aluminum, punctuated by unsightly antenna bands. While both phones make engineering compromises with camera bumps — Apple’s is smaller and easier to ignore; Samsung’s is less prominent and squared off, and thus less wobbly when the phone is lying flat.
Apple has the edge when it comes to OS updates.
Software is another huge point of contrast. On the Note 7 you’ve got Samsung’s latest TouchWiz UI — tuned up and refreshed from what we saw on the Galaxy S7, atop Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. We’re less than a month away from the launch of Android 7.0 Nougat, so there’s a good chance that by the time the Note 7 hits in some countries it’ll be running an “old” OS. Then again, many current Android phones will be in that boat. And carrier-specific models in markets like the U.S. only add to the uncertainty.
Meanwhile iPhone owners will get iOS 10 on launch day regardless of operator. Although Samsung has been diligent with pushing out Android’s monthly security patches to the GS7, only Google’s Nexus phones can match the speed with which Apple rolls out OS updates.
When it comes to cameras, we’re dealing with known quantities here. The Galaxy Note 7 is a repeat performance of the S7, with the same camera modules front and back. Samsung focuses on low-light performance in 2016, with larger pixels in a 12-megapixel shooter with optical image stabilization behind an f/1.7 lens. Meanwhile the iPhone’s 12-megapixel OIS shooter makes do with a less spectacular f/2.2 lens, but still manages to boast one of the best smartphone cameras on the market.
Want photo samples? Check our 2016 smartphone camera shootout, featuring the iPhone 6s Plus and Galaxy S7, which uses the same camera as the Note 7.
Each device also has its own collection of unique hardware strengths. On the Note you get Samsung’s S Pen, now with 4,096 levels of sensitivity, giving you the ability to sketch notes on the screen when it’s off, easily annotate screenshots, draw your own pretty pictures — or even make GIFs. Samsung also introduces iris scanning in the Note 7, allowing you to unlock the phone or secure apps and files without using the fingerprint scanner. The iPhone counters with a faster fingerprint unlock technology, in the form of Touch ID, along with 3D Touch, which lets you bring up contextual menus and peek into messages and web links with a harder press.
A more important question: How will the iPhone 7 measure up?
Both phones are a world apart in terms of design, internals and user experience, representing two very different smartphone philosophies. But they’re also a generation apart — the iPhone 6s Plus is almost a year old, and the Galaxy Note 7 will be going on sale right as Apple’s refreshing its iPhones. So we’ll save an extended, more meaningful comparison for a future date, with a possible iPhone 7 Plus in-hand.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
- Samsung Galaxy Note 7 hands-on preview
- The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
- Here are all four Note 7 colors
- Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
- The Galaxy Note 7 uses USB-C
- Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!
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Google Search has made it easier to find a great place to eat
Google has announced that users of its Search app for Android will now be able to bring up reviews and “best of” lists of restaurants when they search for a great place to eat.
In a blog post, Google stated:
If you’re craving dim sum, but not sure which place is a top spot, a search for “chinese restaurant” may bring up Michelin favorite RedFarm in the West Village. Looking further at the search result, you’ll see it also appears on more than 10 best-of lists, including Eater, CBS Local and Refinery29.
Google added that some restaurant listings even offer a way to check how long people stay at their location. This seems like a great way to cut through the clutter and find the perfect place for a quick bite or a long-planned meal.
Android Wear smartwatches can now access stored passwords via Enpass
The popular password manager Enpass is now available on Android Wear smartwatches, via an update to its Android app.
The new 5.4.0 version of the app allows Android Wear device owners to view any stored passwords on their watch, when paired with an Android phone. In addition, the update includes more improvements:
- Database compatibility with Android N.
- Item’s icon will be updated on editing URL.
- Globe key removed from Enpass Keyboard.
- While autofill using notifications if URL value is empty/different, you’ll be asked to add URL in that item.
- Box and WebDAV sync issues fixed.
- Issue with TOTP secret key fixed.
LG unveils the first Android Nougat phone on September 6th
Earlier this month, LG announced its quirky V20 smartphone would be the first to ship with the latest Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, beating the upcoming Nexus refreshes to the nougat-y punch. Now we know the dual-screen, dual-selfie camera successor to the V10 will officially be unveiled in San Francisco on September 6, 2016.
Although LG has yet to share many details about the new phone’s features, we do know it will be once again sporting dual displays: a main 5.7-inch display, plus a second, always-on ribbon display at the top for notifications and quick app access. In practice, Engadget found the V10’s second screen to be one of the best implementations to date, with easy access to audio controls or a quick glance at an email subject line. Other features, like those two front-facing cameras seemed like overkill for anyone who doesn’t need two lens options when shooting a selfie.
As for the rest of the internals, those details will land next month, when we expect the V20 to start retailing around the same $600 price point as its predecessor.
Calvin Klein thinks Apple was paid fairly in Samsung patent case
The exhausting brawl between Apple and Samsung over patents simply refuses to die the horrible, gruesome death it deserves. Samsung is the more bloodied, you may recall, having paid Apple a $548 million settlement for violating a bunch of patents (not that Cupertino is done squeezing money from the Korean company). That big payout is due to be reviewed and potentially reduced by the US Supreme Court, however, with Samsung arguing it shouldn’t have had to hand over every cent of profit it made on devices that were found to specifically infringe Apple design patents. Naturally, Apple disagrees, and now it’s got none other than Calvin Klein fighting in its corner.
The underwear mogul, seminal designer Dieter Rams and architect Lord Norman Foster are some of the better-known names among over 100 signatories of an amicus brief published today by Apple (PDF). These documents are submitted to courts as supporting evidence — supporting Apple’s agenda, in this instance — and often feature the opinions of interested parties that aren’t directly involved in the case at hand. Unsurprisingly, the key takeaway of the report is the Supreme Court shouldn’t revisit the settlement after “the jury properly awarded to Apple all of Samsung’s profits from selling its copycat devices.”
The amicus brief gives us a bitesized history lesson on the importance of product design. Coca-Cola wouldn’t have become “the most widely distributed product on earth” if its contoured bottle hadn’t contributed to its appeal, is one example. Similarly, General Motors would never have outpaced Ford if it hadn’t focused on attractive vehicle designs. The document goes on to argue design has never been more important, since tech products like smartphones all do more or less the same thing. “The iPhone did not fundamentally alter the core functionality of the smartphone.”
Take that quote with a pinch of humblebrag, though, as Apple does go on to say that the design of the iPhone is what elevated it so very far above competing products. Add in a ton of cognitive science research, and the message is that design is basically the only thing that gives a device meaning. A consumer doesn’t see components, features or functionality; their initial impressions are rooted in visual design. In other words, they judge a book by its cover. “Appearance becomes identified with the underlying functional features and with a particular level of product quality and safety.”
“Thus, when a consumer encounters a known product (or an infringing copy), the consumer identifies the look of the product with the underlying functional features.” Apple is saying here: Yes, we were entitled to the total profits from infringing Samsung devices because everything that makes iPhones great is embodied by their design. Samsung was piggybacking on Apple’s legacy, and profiting. “Indeed, Samsung’s infringement covered the most important design elements of the iPhone. The rectangular face with rounded corners, and the home screen with colorful icons…”
This is just Apple’s position, of course, which is apparently shared by numerous designers, relevant academics, experts and the like who would rather not see the value of design patents eroded by a partial refund. “We all share a strong professional interest in seeing that design patent law continues to protect investments in product design.”
Much like lobbying, the extent to which amicus briefs effect court proceedings is indeterminable. This document was put together by Apple in support of Apple’s interests, after all, but it’s also just one to Samsung’s many. In fact, seven pro-Samsung amicus briefs have been submitted thus far, including one undersigned by Google, Facebook, Dell, HP, eBay and other tech companies. You see, there is widespread worry that awarding the total profits for products deemed to violate design patents sets a dangerous precedent.
Samsung likens it to handing over profits on the sale of a car with a patent-infringing cup holder. It’s the obvious counter-argument: That design is just one element of a product, not the be all and end all. Furthermore, such cases could inspire trolls that will attempt to take credit for a complex piece of hardware or software based on one relatively inconsequential design similarity. It’s important to note that even the Department of Justice has chimed in with a (neutral) amicus brief of its own, recommending the case be sent back to a lower court so more evidence can be collected to inform a verdict.
Whichever way the cookie crumbles, it’ll be interesting fuel for patent reform debate, and it’s important that it’ll be decided in the Supreme Court. It’s basically unheard of for design patent cases to be decided at this level — the first in over 120 years, to be more precise.
[Inline image credits: Janitors/Flickr & Shutterstock / Brandon Bourdages]
Source: Apple (PDF)
The next Google Maps update could show how bad the parking is
Google’s next iteration of its popular Maps app looks to be adding a whole bunch of new functions, if the recently released 9.34 beta is any indication. The big news is that the update could include text-based alerts informing users to parking shortages at their destination. This will allow you to account for not just enroute traffic but also fighting for a spot once you get there. It’s not like Google can actively track open spaces so the service will more likely be based on the total number of spaces available in given area while taking into account time of day and nearby public sporting/concert events. Still, that’s valuable information especially if you aren’t a local.
The new update may also finally fix the issue where you accidentally reorient the map with an errant finger swipe and get yourself completely turned around. This beta includes an “Always point North” option that effectively locks the compass and prevents the map from turning. We’ll have to wait for the official update release to see if these new features actually make it into Maps — and whether they’ll be joined by any surprises.
Source: Android Police
