Broadcom Intros New Wi-Fi Chip for Smartphones, Tablets
Broadcom today announced the BCM4335, a combo chip that houses 802.11ac (also called "5G Wi-Fi") and 802.11a/b/g/n/ Wi-Fi radios, in addition to Bluetooth 4.0 and FM radios on a single piece of silicon. The chip is platform agnostics, says Broadcom, and can be used in devices such as smartphones, tablets, ultrabooks, and other mobile devices. The 802.11ac spec boosts Wi-Fi speeds by up to 10% compared to 802.11n, while also contributing a six-fold improvement in power efficiency. The chip has been optimized to minimize interference with LTE radios, and is Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Miracast, and Wi-Fi Passpoint certified. The BCM4335 is now sampling to select customers and is expected to reach full production in early 2013.
Patent Licensing Firm Hits Phone Makers with Lawsuits
Alliacense today announced new patent litigation it is filing against 13 different companies, many of which make mobile products. Alliacense alleges that the companies involved are violating the patents held by MMP Portfolio, which is a patent-holding and licensing firm contributed to and run by a number of other organizations. The companies being sued include Acer, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Garmin, HTC, Huawei, Kyocera, LG Electronics, Nintendo, Novatel Wireless, Samsung Electronics, Sierra Wireless, and ZTE. Alliacense and MMP have filed complaints with the U.S. International Trade Commission seeking to prevent the companies involved from importing the infringing products. It also filed action seeking damages for past infringement that includes triple unpaid royalties and interest, plus attorney's fees; and injunctions barring future products from entering the U.S. Alliacense and MMP Portfolio didn't specify the nature of the patents involved in the litigation.
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FCC Gives AT&T; Permission to Purchase NEATT Spectrum
The Federal Communications Commission today concluded that AT&T;'s 2010 proposal to purchase 13 PCS spectrum licenses from NEATT won't result in competitive harm and will serve the public interest. The spectrum licenses in question pertain to five cellular markets covering 25 counties and approximately 690,000 points of presence across Arkansas. According to AT&T;, the PCS 1900MHz spectrum will help improve its UMTS/HSPA coverage in the region. The licenses were originally held by AT&T; and divested in order for AT&T; to gain FCC approval of its acquisition of Cingular Wireless in 2004. The FCC is, in effect, giving AT&T; permission to take the spectrum back. The spectrum is being purchased by AT&T; subsidiary New Cingular. The FCC said, "The proposed acquisition of NEATT's broadband PCS licenses is unlikely to cause competitive or other public interest harms and that it is in the public interest to grant the application." NEATT has been trying to sell this block of spectrum for several years, and AT&T; has thus far been the only bidder. If AT&T; were not allowed to purchase the spectrum, it would continue to law fallow, as NEATT has been unable to put it to use.
RadioShack Selling Low-Cost 'Remanufactured' iPhones
RadioShack today announced a new program whereby it is selling refreshed and remanufactured iPhone/iPhone 4S smartphones at a discount when compared to brand new products. Both AT&T; and Verizon customers can get a refreshed or remanufactured 8GB or 16GB iPhone 4 for free with an upgrade or new agreement. AT&T; customers can also get the 32GB model for free. The iPhone 4S costs closer to the price of new gear. RadioShack customers can purchase a refreshed or remanufactured AT&T; iPhone 4S 16GB for $99.99 or an iPhone 4S 32GB for $149.99. The refreshed or remanufactured iPhone 4S for Verizon Wireless costs $99.99 for the 16GB version, $199.99 for the 32GB, and $299.99 for the 64GB version. RadioShack explains that refreshed phones have been restored and repackaged internally but don't offer a manufacturer warranty. Remanufactured devices come from a third party that have been remanufactured with a new warranty. RadioShack is including a $50 gift card for all refreshed or remanufactured Verizon iPhone purchases. RadioShack is offering a $10 gift card to customers who purchase an AT&T; or Verizon 4GB iPhone 4 with AppleCare.
from RadioShack
Box Adds Windows Phone App to Marketplace
Online storage service Box today announced its first application for the Windows Phone platform. Box is offering support for Windows Phone 7 to start, and will support Windows Phone 8 when it arrives later this year. According to Box, the Windows Phone app will support most of the same features offered to other platforms such as Android and iOS. These include the ability to: view, upload and share files; invite others to shared folders and leave comments on files; access content via search; pin live tiles to the Start screen to see file updates; and manage files and folders with batch move, copy, and delete operations. The application is free to download, and Box offers both free and paid-for online storage options.
Nokia Completes Acquisition of Scalado
Nokia today announced that it has finalized its purchase of camera technology maker Scalado. The acquisition covers developers, technologies, and intellectual property from Scalado. The two companies have worked together for more than 10 years. Nokia has long focused on providing the best possible camera experience in its smart devices, and this acquisition should help it in those pursuits. Terms of the acquisition were not made public.
Apple and Samsung Chiefs at Loggerheads Over Patents
Apple CEO Tim Cook and top Samsung executives met recently to discuss the upcoming patent trial between them, but were unable to come to an agreement with respect to the patents. Citing sources familiar with the discussions, Reuters reports that the companies can't agree on the value of certain patents at stake. For example, some of the patents Samsung alleges Apple of infringing are standards essential. Apple believes they should be licensed at a lower rate than Samsung is offering. The company chiefs met as part of court-mandated mediation ahead of the July 30 trial. Reuters says the companies are unlikely to come to an agreement before the trial gets under way.
NTP Resolves Mobile Email Spat with Apple and Others
NTP today announced that it has reached agreements with 13 different companies that it accused of violating its mobile email patents. The companies include wireless network operators: AT&T;, Sprint, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless; smartphone manufacturers: Apple, HTC, Motorola Mobility, Palm, LG, and Samsung; and email service providers: Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo. NTP holds eight patents regarding mobile email, and has signed licensing agreements with the 13 companies involved. As a result, NTP has dropped its lawsuits against the new licensees.
Qualcomm Ends Mirasol Production
Qualcomm recently revealed that it will no longer manufacture displays using its Mirasol technology. Instead, the company will license the technology to other manufacturing firms. "With respect to QMT, we're now focusing on licensing our next-generation Mirasol display technology and will directly commercialize only certain Mirasol products. We believe that this strategy will better align our updated roadmap with the addressable opportunities," said Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs during a recent earnings call. There are four Mirasol-based products available in the market, all of which are e-readers. Qualcomm's Mirasol displays have been under development for years and are meant to serve as a low-power alternative to competing technologies, such as OLEDs and LCDs.
from Qualcomm / SlashGear »
Apple and Motorola Appeal Tossed Lawsuit Ruling
Both Apple and Motorola have filed separate appeals looking to reinstate a patent-related lawsuit that was tossed in its entirety. U.S. Circuit Judge Richard Posner last month determined that neither company could adequately prove damages for the alleged patent infringement, and neither was entitled to injunctive relief. Posner dismissed the case, which was to be argued in front of a jury. Now that Motorola is owned by Google, it would have been the first time Apple and Google faced one another in court directly over smartphone patents. It is not clear if or how the case could be resurrected.
Court Hands Kodak a Loss in Case Against Apple and RIM
The U.S. International Trade Commission recently upheld a May ruling that exonerated Apple and Research In Motion from infringing on a digital imaging patent held by Eastman Kodak. The ITC cleared the two companies from violating the patent, which refers to previewing images on a digital device. Kodak is currently in bankruptcy protection and hopes to generate $1 billion in revenue through the sale of its 1,100 digital imaging patent portfolio. The ITC terminated the case. Kodak said it will continue to pursue its claims through other legal avenues.
Jelly Bean Headed to T-Mobile's Nexus S
Google recently revealed that the Samsung Nexus S for T-Mobile and a number of other global operators will soon receive the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update. Users will be notified when their device is ready for the update. Google said the update is being rolled out over time. Android 4.1 adds Google Now, the Project Butter performance optimizations, and improved notifications.
AT&T; Getting More Fusion From Huawei
The unannounced Huawei Fusion 2 for AT&T; made an appearance on the FCC web site this weekend. The user manual and photos submitted to the FCC describe a phone with features identical to the original Fusion, including a 3.2-megapixel camera, FM radio, Swype, and a memory card slot. The Fusion is a basic Android phone for AT&T;'s GoPhone prepaid service.
HTC Lowers The Volume On Beats Stake
HTC and Beats today announced that HTC has sold half of its stake in Beats back to Beats. HTC will maintain an approximate 25% stake in Beats and continue to hold exclusive commercial rights to Beats technology in mobile devices. Owning a controlling stake "provides Beats with more flexibility for global expansion", according to the companies. HTC bought a 51% majority stake in Beats one year ago.
Google Acquires Email App Maker Sparrow
Sparrow today announced that it has been acquired by Google for an undisclosed sum. Sparrow offers a Gmail client for Apple computers and for the iPhone. The company said that it will be joining Google's Gmail team, to "accomplish a bigger vision ... that we think we can better achieve with Google." Sparrow will continue to support its current products and customers.
HTC Says Jelly Bean On the Way for One X, One XL, One S
HTC confirmed that it is preparing Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for several of its devices. "We know HTC fans are excited to get their hands on Google's latest version of Android," said spokesperson Jeff Gordon in a statement to The Verge. "At this point in time, we can confirm that we have plans to upgrade our HTC One X, HTC One XL and HTC One S to Jelly Bean. Please stay tuned for more updates regarding device upgrades, timing and other details about HTC and Jelly Bean." HTC didn't specify if the U.S. variants of these devices will be updated or not. The One X is sold by AT&T; and the One S is sold by T-Mobile. Noticeably absent from the list is HTC's most affordable One series device, the One V. Few other handset makers have come forward with their plans for Android 4.1 updates.
Rebtel Launches App for Windows Phone
Rebtel made a version of its VoIP-based calling service available to the Windows Phone platform earlier this month. Rebtel for Windows Phone connects calls with local numbers and uses the owner's wireless plan minutes instead of their data plan. It does not pass VoIP calls over 3G or Wi-Fi as it does on the Android and iOS platforms, and Rebtel says local carrier fees may apply. Rebtel says the app provides low-cost calling, low-cost SMS, and native integration with the Windows Phone People Hub. Rebtel didn't indicate if or when the app would gain feature parity with those offered to Google's Android or Apple's iOS platforms. The application is free to download from the Microsoft Market for Mobile.
Sony Music Unlimited Gains New Phone and Tablet Powers
Sony today announced new updates for its Music Unlimited Android smartphone and Android tablet applications. Music Unlimited Android Mobile app version 1.4 lets device owners access the "My Channels" feature. This feature gives users the ability to create and control customized radio stations. The update for tablets adds the ability to cache music for offline listening. Both the smartphone and tablet versions of Music Unlimited are free to download and install, though some features require a monthly subscription in order to access them.
