Sponsored
Engadget News |
- Razer punts Tiamat 7.1 surround sound headset release from Christmas to January
- AOC reveals iPhone-compatible e2343Fi monitor, boosts your Dock Connector peripheral count by one
- Google's letting it shine as it nears $1 billion investment in solar energy
- Disney-branded AppClix camera for iPad turns you into the world's happiest shooter
- Air Force planning holographic quantum computers to help Sam Beckett leap home
- Apple alleges more Samsung IP infringement in Oz over copycat tablet and phone cases
- It's not TV, it's HBO Go, and it's finally coming to Cablevision
- The Engadget Interview: ARM co-founder John Biggs
- PhoneGap v1.3 brings better cross-platform app coding to Windows Phone
- Super Bowl to be streamed online and to Verizon phones for the first time
- Engadget's Holiday Blues-buster 2011: win an unlocked iPhone 4S, courtesy of Wyse!
- Archos launches 70b Honeycomb tablet, expected to ship next month for $199
- T-Mobile USA and AT&T's seven-year UMTS roaming agreement gets detailed
- Ford USB Music Box adds mass storage playback, smartphone charging to AUX-enabled receivers
- Team Win Recovery Project 2.0 goes gold, tells your volume rocker to kiss off
- Bluetooth SIG, NFC Forum come together, right now, over pairing
- Swivl intros companion iPhone app, we make sweet video with it
- Finland, Finland, Finland: it's still the country for Nokia
- LG's Magic Remote enables voice control for its smart TVs
- Seagate shores up its hard drive business, finalizes Samsung purchase
- IBM says mind control next big thing in human-computer interaction; GLaDOS offers cake reward
- HTC Fireball getting ready to scorch Verizon's 4G lineup?
- Netflix snags classic BBC shows in UK deal
- PlayStation Vita launches in Japan, shifts 321,400 units in two days
- Samsung Galaxy S II and Note get late ICS Christmas presents, arriving Q1 2012
- Nokia publicly acknowledges Lumia 800 battery bug, promises fix in next update
- Kindle Fire's 6.2.1 update breaks root, disables SuperOneClick utility
- Firefox 9 now available, boasts speedier JavaScript handling, Lion optimizations
- Nexus ninjas return in retro game, give you the skills to perform your own epic unboxing
- iPhones, iPod Touches still on iOS 3.1.3 can't download new apps directly from the App Store
- Skype turns into Santa, gives you free airport WiFi during the holidays
- 'Lite version' of Ubuntu takes Nook Tablet for a spin, ROM can't come soon enough (video)
- Google offers updates for Google+ this holiday season, fruitcake en route
- Auto-insurance researchers: 'Cell phone bans don't help reduce crashes'
- Toshiba debuts Windows 7-based Dynabook WT301/D tablet for Japan
- Must See HDTV (December 19th - 25th)
- Corsair's Sandy Bridge E-compatible liquid coolers get plumbed in and tested
- Nokia reveals CES 2012 press event, Windows Phone the obvious focal point
- ITC sides with Apple, bans sale and import of some HTC phones (updated)
- AT&T abandons T-Mobile merger plans (updated)
| Razer punts Tiamat 7.1 surround sound headset release from Christmas to January Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:58 AM PST  [Thanks, Zach] |
| AOC reveals iPhone-compatible e2343Fi monitor, boosts your Dock Connector peripheral count by one Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:32 AM PST  |
| Google's letting it shine as it nears $1 billion investment in solar energy Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:08 AM PST  Google's feeling charitable this holiday and has pumped $94 million into a Californian solar-energy project. The photovoltaic power plant (which is a posh way of saying "lots of solar panels in the Sacramento desert") currently being built by Recurrent Energy will generate 88MW, enough juice for 13,000 homes. Additional investment is coming from equity fund KKR, who has already sold the first 20 years of energy to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. It brings the search giant's investment in clean energy projects to $915 million -- with the company expected to cross the billion dollar mark some time next year, when we hope it'll get a nice loyalty bonus from Mother Nature. |
| Disney-branded AppClix camera for iPad turns you into the world's happiest shooter Posted: 20 Dec 2011 09:43 AM PST  |
| Air Force planning holographic quantum computers to help Sam Beckett leap home Posted: 20 Dec 2011 09:18 AM PST  Did you know that light is a better transmitter of quantum computer information than any sort of cabling? Because it isn't altered by electric and magnetic fields, it would be perfect for carrying data if photons would stop being so snobby and interact with one another. Only highly-sensitive interferometers can overcome that problem, and they're so fussy that a mild sneeze near to one would wreck its calibration. Air Force researcher Jonathan McDonald thinks he's got a solution: project holographic interferometers onto glass where it'll "freeze" and become much more stable. There are only two downsides: you can't edit the programming, nor would it scale very well, because you'd need physical space to set up the individual glass plates. On the other hand, the materials required to build one are all commercially available, and we're sure the Air Force has a hangar or two going spare, so perhaps we could see holographic quantum computers in the near future -- or at least a very decent laser light-show. |
| Apple alleges more Samsung IP infringement in Oz over copycat tablet and phone cases Posted: 20 Dec 2011 08:55 AM PST  In case you hadn't heard, relations between Apple and Samsung aren't exactly peachy keen these days. Their global legal conflict has been particularly fierce in the land down under, and it seems Apple just poured a bit more gas on the fire by alleging that Sammy's infringing its designs for tablet and phone cases. According to Bloomberg, Cupertino informed the Australian court of its latest legal allegations in a hearing in which it was attempting to push back the case's March trial date. Apple's already issued a notice of this newly alleged infringement to the Korean company, and a statement of its new claims is forthcoming, so details of the infringed-upon IP aren't yet available. What we do know is that it looks like Samsung's attorneys in Oz just got a lot more work to do over the holidays. |
| It's not TV, it's HBO Go, and it's finally coming to Cablevision Posted: 20 Dec 2011 08:35 AM PST  Being a Cablevision customer was hard. Watching your colleagues with FiOS subscriptions stream Carnivale on their iPads, the guy who pays Dish Network for his programming could get Cinemax on his smartphone -- and all you had was YouTube for entertainment. Fortunately, the final major provider not to carry Home Box Office's online services has relented and you'll be able to enjoy both HBO Go and Go Max as soon as it's launched in "the next few months." Just remember that while you can now enjoy all those episodes of True Blood in public places, it doesn't necessarily mean that you should. CABLEVISION REACHES AGREEMENT TO OFFER CUSTOMERS HBO GO® AND MAX GO® –HBO GO Offers More Than 1400 Titles To Customers Who Subscribe to HBO, With More Than 400 Additional Titles Available to Cinemax® Subscribers Through MAX GO – BETHPAGE, NY-December 19, 2011 – Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) today announced an agreement to offer its iO TV® customers access to HBO's authenticated online video destinations, HBO GO® and MAX GO®. Cablevision customers who subscribe to HBO and/or Cinemax will have free, unlimited access to the corresponding online services at any time, on any computer in the U.S. with a high?speed Internet connection as well as iPad®, iPhone®, iPod touch® and select AndroidTM devices. The company expects to launch these services in the next few months. "Given the success and popularity of our own Optimum App, we know our customers want the flexibility to watch the programming they receive as part of their cable television service in new ways, on a variety of devices, so we are very pleased to have reached agreement to offer HBO GO and MAX GO to our digital cable customers," said John Trierweiler, executive vice president of product management. "With the Optimum App and other TV Everywhere agreements, Cablevision is leading the way in empowering customers to watch what they want, when and where they want it, on an expanding array of television platforms." "Cablevision shares an appreciation for TV Everywhere and therefore recognizes the incredible value HBO GO adds to the HBO subscription," said Eric Kessler Co-President of HBO. "With the addition of their iO TV® customers, HBO GO will now be available to 98% of HBO subscribers." HBO GO, which offers more than 1400 titles online, allows Cablevision's authenticated HBO customers to instantly watch every episode of every season of the best HBO shows including current series like Game of ThronesSM, True Blood®, and Boardwalk Empire®, classics like The Sopranos®, Sex and the City® and Deadwood®, plus HBO original films, miniseries, sports, documentaries, and specials as well as a wide selection of blockbuster theatricals. HBO's sister service, MAX GO, adds more than 400 titles of Cinemax programming online, providing instant access to hundreds of Hollywood hit movies, indies, cult favorites, the MAX After Dark series as well as new and exclusive, primetime high?impact drama series like Strike BackSM, specifically created for the channel. With the online services, Cablevision customers will have access to most new titles simultaneously with their premiere on the networks; the ability to create a "Watchlist" that keeps track of bookmarked content for later viewing; bonus content including interviews, recaps, and behind?the?scenes extras; and customizable views showing titles in slideshow, grid or list format. In addition, HBO GO can be personalized through a "Series Pass®" capability which automatically alerts viewers to new episodes of favorite HBO programs when they arrive on the service. HBO GO and MAX GO are the latest additions to HBO's digital offerings and a perfect complement to HBO On Demand® and Cinemax On Demand® with even more viewing choices. On both services, most programming is available in high definition. To access online, when the services launch, Cablevision's HBO and Cinemax subscribers will be able to go to HBOGO.com and MAXGO.com, sign in with their Optimum ID and password, make their viewing selection and begin watching. About Cablevision Cablevision Systems Corporation is one of the nation's leading media and telecommunications companies. In addition to delivering its Optimum?branded cable, Internet, and voice offerings throughout the New York area, the company owns and operates cable systems serving homes in four Western states. Cablevision's local media properties include News 12 Networks, MSG Varsity and Newsday Media Group. Cablevision also owns and operates Clearview Cinemas. Additional information about Cablevision is available on the Web at www.cablevision.com. |
| The Engadget Interview: ARM co-founder John Biggs Posted: 20 Dec 2011 08:01 AM PST  You played around with computers and chips as a teenager, but how did you first become involved with Acorn, the parent of ARM? A friend of my brother got a job at Acorn to write the manual for one of their new computers, called the Electron. He bluffed his way into it, but then realized he had very little idea about computers, so he asked me to help him with the technical stuff. So I spent the summer of 1982 at Acorn, and then during university breaks I went back there to do different things, until they finally promised that they'd give me a proper job when I graduated. Once that was lined up, I didn't even bother looking for other jobs. But then the whole home computer market went 'pop' between '84 and '85 and Acorn really suffered. Someone called me up during my finals and said: "you know that job we promised you, well, it doesn't exist anymore." Hermann Hauser [Acorn's CEO] felt bad about it and wrote me a glowing reference, which helped me to get a job at Cray Research. I didn't enjoy the corporate environment there at all, so a year later I used Hermann's own reference to get myself back into Acorn.  That was in just in time for you to help Acorn develop its first chip -- the "Acorn RISC Machine." How did that get off the ground?Acorn needed more CPU power in its machines. 8-bit was no longer enough, so it was looking at 16-bit. Initially, we asked Intel for samples of their 80286 processor, but they refused. That's funny, because ARM is now perceived as a competitive threat to Intel, and you can trace that all the way back to the seminal moment when they refused to give us those samples. We somewhat arrogantly thought 'we can do this ourselves' and we decided to build our own 32-bit silicon. If Intel had been more generous, Acorn might have built its Archimedes computer around the 80286 processor -- it would have changed the whole landscape. Why did Acorn let its chip division split away in 1990 to become a separate company, Advanced RISC Machines? It was a bit like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, when this great civilization decided to get rid of all its insurance salesmen, telephone sanitizers and other useless people, by ferrying them off to another planet. It convinced them that their home world was about to be hit by a terrible catastrophe -- a giant mutant star-goat -- and that they needed to escape on a space ship called the 'B Ark' to save themselves. Our chip design unit was losing too much money and Acorn wanted shot of us, so they sent us off in our own B Ark: twelve engineers who went away to start the new company. Luckily, we jelled with Apple, who really wanted access to ARM processors and so decided to invest in us. Another company called VLSI Technology became our foundry, contributing the design tools and then manufacturing our chips. As it turned out, there really was a mutant star-goat -- we survived and Acorn didn't. When did things start to turn around? And when did your shares become valuable?  It really took off in the mid '90s. That's when the ARM7-TDMI was licensed by Texas Instruments and designed into the Nokia 6110, which was the first ARM-powered GSM phone. The company moved out of our little barn and then we were listed on the stock market around 1998. At first, none of us believed our shares would go anywhere -- if you looked at examples like Acorn and Tadpole, many Cambridge technology companies were financially not very successful. Nothing was certain, but we were lucky to be in right place at the right time.That must have been a pretty good period in your life? Yes, it was. I bought an old rectory and renovated it. I got married in 2001 and we traveled to places like the Galapagos, Ecuador and Peru. And then in 2003 we had twin boys, the first of our four sons. When the company floated, it stopped being Advanced RISC Machines and simply became ARM Holdings. But will ARM always design reduced instruction set chips? Yes, we'll always be RISC. For a given amount of money, you get a great deal more performance. Or you can have slightly more performance for a lot less money. The low-power thing was a happy accident, which of course became important  for handheld devices with limited battery life, but it wasn't initially the prime concern when we started at Acorn.The idea of RISC is that you focus on instructions that the chip does 80 percent of the time, and you make those instructions run really fast. You don't worry so much about the other, less common instructions. So you end up with a machine that runs a bit slower 20 percent of the time, but is faster on aggregate. With a complex instruction set computing [CISC], you build silicon that can cope equally well with all instructions, but it's slower on aggregate. The main reason Intel is doing complex instruction set chips is because of its legacy -- the whole RISC concept only came on stream after it had established 8086. It couldn't easily switch due to backwards compatibility issues with existing software. How does it feel to be in a company that doesn't actually make anything? Isn't it risky to reveal your designs to other companies and potential customers who can build chips themselves? No, because of patents. In order to make an ARM chip, even though we call it an open architecture, we believe you cannot implement an ARM core without violating our patents. So you need a license agreement with us. Then we negotiate how much you pay for the license agreement, which may be a few million dollars, plus something else for royalties, but that compares to the hundreds of millions of dollars you'd need to design a chip from scratch. Then our customers can get on with their product differentiation. How can you design chips when you can't make them? What about trial and error? We can simulate how a chip will behave: its performance and energy consumption. It's not completely predictable, but we can factor uncertainties into our models. Plus, we do build stuff too -- it's not completely cold. We just don't make stuff to sell it. We work with our primary licensee partners to develop test chips. What's the best thing about being at ARM? I mean, in your career, you only have one other company -- Cray Research -- to compare it to. The atmosphere here. Cray Research was all suits and ties, and it had a hierarchy based on length of service. ARM is more like a Californian company; shorts, t-shirts, sandals, whatever you want. It's a culture that goes all the way back to Robin [Saxby, ARM's first CEO]. We had great parties and Robin would always sign off bar bills because he believed the best deals were done over a pint. |
| PhoneGap v1.3 brings better cross-platform app coding to Windows Phone Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:41 AM PST  |
| Super Bowl to be streamed online and to Verizon phones for the first time Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:20 AM PST  |
| Engadget's Holiday Blues-buster 2011: win an unlocked iPhone 4S, courtesy of Wyse! Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:01 AM PST  Day two of our week-long contest is upon us, and we're just getting started! Today we'll be giving away an unlocked GSM / HSPA+ iPhone 4S thanks to Wyse, the company behind PocketCloud. The usual rules apply, with one caveat: in the comments below, simply state how you plan on using PocketCloud this holiday season (keep it family friendly, please). Sound good? It's just going to keep getting better and better throughout the week, so keep coming back every day! Note: The above picture is not the actual iPhone being given away. The unit we have is an unlocked GSM iPhone 4S, though gift receipts are available if the winner prefers to exchange it out for a CDMA model. The contest: December 19 - Roku 2 from Broadcom December 20 - Unlocked GSM iPhone 4S from Wyse December 21 - Unlocked Samsung GT-I9100 Galaxy S II (international version) from Broadcom December 22 - Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy Nexus LTE from Appitalism December 23 - iPad 2 WiFi 16GB from Broadcom The rules:
|
| Archos launches 70b Honeycomb tablet, expected to ship next month for $199 Posted: 20 Dec 2011 07:00 AM PST  There's something good waiting in the desert at CES -- and you won't need an interesting vision quest to find it. Archos has announced its 70b Internet Tablet, the company's first Honeycomb-based slate for less than two hundred bucks ($199, to be exact). The 70b IT will be lightweight (though we're not sure exactly how lightweight), and ship with a 1.2 GHz processor, 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, 8 gigs of flash storage, 512MB of RAM and WiFi connectivity. There's also Android Market access, unlike with some tablets, along with HDMI output and a microSD slot. Are you sold? You'll need wait only a few more weeks to take one home -- the 70b is expected to hit stores in January, and those of you lucky enough to be trekking out to Vegas next month can check it out at the company's booth at CES. Jump past the break for the full PR. DENVER, CO – (December 20, 2011) – ARCHOS, an award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, announced today the upcoming availability of the first android 3.2 ''Honeycomb'' tablet under $200, the ARCHOS 70b internet tablet. The new ARCHOS 70b IT is an enhanced version of the ARCHOS 70 IT Gen 8 that features an upgraded capacitive touch screen and a powerful processor at 1.2 GHz. The ARCHOS 70b internet tablet runs Android 3.2 Honeycomb, Google's full suite of mobile applications with Android Market, giving users access to over 250,000 applications such as games, books, social media and news. With Honeycomb, users will have faster and smoother transitions between different applications, and more intuitive navigation to and from home screens. Very slim and light, the newest version of the ARCHOS 70 internet tablet Gen 8, offers the best performances in terms of portability, immediate internet access, multimedia, apps and affordability. This new version has a higher resolution capacitive screen (1024 x 600) for vibrant colors and crisp clarity and has doubled the RAM to 512 MB for a smoother web experience and more efficient multi-tasking. This connected mobile device with a sublime user interface, 3D Graphics accelerator and Wi-Fi connectivity, also comes with a full pack of connected apps such as a web browser and email application, HDMI output and Micro SD connectivity. With this enhanced Android tablet, users will benefit from: • An affordable price starting at $199 for 8GB • Smoother multi-tasking and faster web experience thanks to the upgraded RAM • Brighter colors with a high resolution capacitive screen • Android 3.2 Honeycomb, the Android version designed for a tablet • Access to a full array of apps with the Android Market and its 250,000 apps such as news, eMagazines, eBooks, social media, games and more • A full multimedia experience with upgraded multimedia ARCHOS apps for video and music • HDMI output, giving users full access to their Android experience on their TV including all the pre-loaded apps, video playback, 3D games, photos and all the Android Market apps Availability & Price: The ARCHOS 70b internet tablet will be available in stores starting in January with the recommended retail price of $199. About ARCHOS: ARCHOS, pioneer in the portable audio and video player market, and now specializing in Android Tablets, has repeatedly revolutionized the market for consumer electronics since 1988. Today, ARCHOS offers Android Internet Tablets, Tablet PCs and MP3/MP4 players. In 2000, ARCHOS launched the Jukebox 6000, the first MP3 player combined with a hard disk. Then in 2003 ARCHOS introduced the first portable multimedia players with TV recording. In 2006 Wi-Fi is implemented and then touch screens in 2007. In 2008, ARCHOS launched the first generation Internet Tablets, and then the first ever Android powered tablets in 2009. ARCHOS has offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. ARCHOS is quoted on Compartment C of Eurolist, Euronext Paris, ISIN CodeFR0000182479. Website: www.archos.com. Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ARCHOS.EntertainmentYourWay Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ARCHOS_US |
| T-Mobile USA and AT&T's seven-year UMTS roaming agreement gets detailed Posted: 20 Dec 2011 06:45 AM PST  The carrier's population coverage will increase from 230 million potential customers at present to 280 million. As a result of the deal with AT&T, coverage will be extended to many regions of America in which T-Mobile USA previously had neither its own high-speed mobile communications network nor the associated roaming agreements. As if that weren't enough, T-Mobile USA will also receive a large package of AWS mobile spectrum in 128 Cellular Market Areas (CMAs), including 12 of the top 20 markets (Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Washington, Boston, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Baltimore and Seattle). Oh, and Deutsche Telekom gets $3 billion in cash. #winning AT&T and Deutsche Telekom terminate agreement on the sale of T-Mobile USA Dec 19, 2011 Deutsche Telekom receives record high break-up fee AT&T will pay Deutsche Telekom USD 3 billion in cash T-Mobile USA will receive a large package of Advanced Wireless Solutions (AWS) spectrum and long-term national UMTS roaming agreement Deutsche Telekom's guidance and planned dividend policy remain unchanged U.S. telecommunications company AT&T Inc. and Deutsche Telekom have terminated the agreement on the sale of T-Mobile USA to AT&T. As a result, AT&T will pay Deutsche Telekom the break-up fee agreed in the contract signed by both companies dated March 20, 2011. This is one of the highest payments ever agreed between two companies for the termination of a purchase agreement. It includes a cash payment of USD 3 billion to Deutsche Telekom, which is expected to be made by the end of this year. In addition, it contains a large package of mobile communications spectrum and a long-term agreement on UMTS roaming within the U.S. for T-Mobile USA. Both companies are in agreement that the broad opposition by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and the U.S. telecommunications regulator (FCC) is making it increasingly unlikely that the transaction will close. Both companies are of the opinion that important arguments in support of the transaction have been ignored, such as the significant improvement in high-speed mobile network coverage for the U.S. market, as well as the positive employment effects. In addition there was no indication that either authority would move away from it's non-supportive stance in return for concessions from the parties in terms of the scope and structure of the transaction. As part of the break-up fee, T-Mobile USA will receive a large package of AWS mobile spectrum in 128 Cellular Market Areas (CMAs), including 12 of the top 20 markets (Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Washington, Boston, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Baltimore and Seattle). The UMTS roaming agreement for the U.S. in T-Mobile USA's favor has a term of over seven years and will allow the company to improve its footprint significantly among the U.S. population and offer its customers better broadband coverage for mobile communications services in the future. Population coverage will increase from 230 million potential customers at present to 280 million. As a result of the agreement with AT&T, coverage will be extended to many regions of the U.S. in which T-Mobile USA previously had neither its own high-speed mobile communications network nor the associated roaming agreements. The termination of the agreement means Deutsche Telekom will go back to reporting T-Mobile USA as continuing operations in future. Deutsche Telekom's guidance for the 2011 financial year remains unchanged as a result of this development, with adjusted EBITDA of around EUR 19.1 billion expected. At EUR 6.5 billion, free cash flow is forecasted to remain at the prior-year level or increase slightly. The guidance includes the T-Mobile USA contribution based on the average exchange rate in 2010 of USD 1.33 per euro. The free cash flow forecast does not include the settlement payment of EUR 0.4 billion relating to PTC in Poland or the cash payment of USD 3 billion from the break-up fee to be paid by AT&T. Deutsche Telekom's dividend policy also remains unchanged. The annual dividend payments are subject to the necessary board resolutions and other legal requirements. Even following the termination of the agreement with AT&T, Deutsche Telekom exepects to remain within the communicated ranges for certain financial performance indicators used to assess the financial performance of the company. These are as follows: The ratio of net debt to adjusted EBITDA of the Group is to be between 2 and 2.5, the equity ratio is to be between 25 percent and 35 percent, gearing (ratio of net debt to shareholders' equity) between 0.8 and 1.2, and liquidity reserves is to cover maturities of at least the next 24 months. The cash component of the break-up fee directly reduces Deutsche Telekom's net debt, thereby by strengthening the financial performance indicators affecting the company's rating. Deutsche Telekom would like to express its gratitude to AT&T and to Randall Stephenson and his team for the positive cooperation over the past few months. Our working relationship was characterized by fairness and respect at all times. |
| Ford USB Music Box adds mass storage playback, smartphone charging to AUX-enabled receivers Posted: 20 Dec 2011 06:13 AM PST  Plug In, Turn Up, Rock Out: Ford Creates Sound Solution For Tapping Into Music - Ford USB Music Box is an aftermarket accessory enabling drivers of vehicles not factory-fitted with a USB port to connect any USB mass storage device to their vehicle's stereo - Songs and albums can be selected via the steering wheel-mounted controls - Devices such as phones and MP3 players recharge when connected COLOGNE, Germany, Dec. 16, 2011 – As anyone who has spent a long journey endlessly flicking through radio stations will testify, sometimes only your own music collection will do. However, if your vehicle doesn't have a factory-fitted USB port, connecting your MP3 player can often result in a maze of wires, inferior sound quality, and no remote control function. Thankfully, Ford is now offering an aftermarket accessory that provides the solution – the USB Music Box. Offered through Ford dealers across Europe, the USB Music Box enables drivers and their passengers to plug their MP3 player, or any USB mass storage device, into the car and listen to their choice of music in razor sharp quality. Axel Wilke, director, Vehicle Personalisation, Ford Customer Service Division Europe, explained: "Many of our newer vehicles are fitted with a USB port as standard, but drivers of older vehicles don't have to miss out anymore. The USB Music Box lets you connect any USB mass storage device, it produces a great sound quality very similar to that of the radio - and it also gives you the ability to flick between songs and albums via the controls on their steering wheel. And it can charge the device too!" The USB Music Box consists of a USB socket, which can be placed out of sight in the glove compartment, centre console or armrest. Any USB mass storage device, such as a mobile phone, MP3 player or USB stick, can be connected. Stored music can then be played through the AUX channel on the car's stereo. Songs, albums and folders can be selected through the steering wheel-mounted controls, while devices such as mobile phones, MP3 players and cameras will automatically recharge whenever they are connected. Simple Plug and Play wiring means the device can be fitted and ready to play your favourite tunes in less than an hour. Specifications: The USB Music Box is compatible with all Ford audio and navigation systems with AUX button in these models: Fiesta 2006 - 2008 Fusion from 2006 Focus 2004 - 2011 C-MAX 2003 - 2010 Kuga Mondeo from 2004 S-MAX Galaxy from 2006 Transit Connect from 2006 Transit from 2006 |
| Team Win Recovery Project 2.0 goes gold, tells your volume rocker to kiss off Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:49 AM PST  |
| Bluetooth SIG, NFC Forum come together, right now, over pairing Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:24 AM PST  Personally, we wish the NFC Forum and Bluetooth SIG behaved like the elder robots of Chapek 9, controlling the world from an underground bunker. Instead, the two industry bodies ensure interoperability and standards of their respective technologies. Now they've gotten 'round the table and hammered out the dryly titled "Bluetooth secure simple pairing using NFC," a guide for developers to ensure hassle-free hook-ups 'twixt smartphone and device. The paper includes breakdowns on ensuring the kit will team up pedometers, headsets, car dashboards and push content from your phone to your TV -- something we've been told we watch too much of, given our Futurama fantasies. NFC Forum and Bluetooth SIG Publish Developers Guide to Using NFC for Bluetooth® Pairing First in Series of New Application Documents Helps Developers Leverage Both Technologies to Benefit Consumers WAKEFIELD, Mass., USA – Dec. 19, 2011 – The NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the trade association responsible for the development, promotion and protection of the Bluetooth specification, today announced the publication of Bluetooth Secure Simple Pairing Using NFC. The new document provides developers with examples of how to implement Bluetooth Secure Simple Pairing (SSP) using NFC to take maximum advantage of both technologies when they are present in the same device. The publication is available for free download. Bluetooth Secure Simple Pairing Using NFC describes the interaction of Bluetooth technology and NFC during SSP in detail and provides examples of both negotiated and static handover in the most feasible use cases involving both technologies. Developers will find the examples useful guides for their own work, including: Pairing devices with little or no user interface (such as headsets and pedometers) to smartphones Pairing devices with extensive user interfaces (such as cars) to smartphones Pairing devices such as TVs and smartphones to share photos or to use the phone as a remote control "Since its founding, the NFC Forum has worked hard to advance the market for NFC solutions – first by creating 16 technical specifications, and now, through collaboration with groups such as the Bluetooth SIG, to guide the development of solutions that build upon those specifications," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "Working with the globally recognized and embedded Bluetooth standard makes perfect sense for NFC. It reaffirms our commitment to broadening the commercialization of NFC solutions and providing new benefits to consumers." "With over four billion Bluetooth technology enabled devices in market today and nearly two billion coming online in 2011 alone, Bluetooth technology has massive scale, support and runway for aggressive growth, and we're excited to help developers leverage NFC in the right scenarios," said Michael Foley, Ph.D., executive director, Bluetooth SIG. "The beauty of this collaboration is that the SIG, working with the NFC Forum, provides developers with even more design options for connecting Bluetooth devices. For those scenarios that make sense, and where both technologies are available, designing with Bluetooth Secure Simple Pairing using NFC should further empower developers to create great consumer experiences." NFC Forum Application Documents are informative technical documents designed to promote NFC solutions in vertical markets and to foster best practices, by describing proposed solutions based on NFC Forum specifications. |
| Swivl intros companion iPhone app, we make sweet video with it Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST  We'll start with the dock, which is where most of Swivl's magic happens. It's a plastic pod that can intuitively fold flat, yet also houses a crevice where any device less than 11mm can be securely fastened. That variance in space is reduced or enlarged by an adjustable wheel and then locked into place with the clickable lime-green piece. Other than a cable with an iPod dock connector, a micro USB port and a tray for AAs, the only other things on the unit are a pair of buttons: one for power and another to pair the marker. Thus, after strapping in your capture device of choice and turning on (or pairing) the included marker, Swivl will track you as long as you're within its 50-degree field of view and less than 10 meters (30 ft) away. It'll also charge your iPhone if you attach the dock cable, but be forewarned that when tethered it'll lose its 360-degree turning ability -- instead intelligently stopping to avoid tangling.  So how does the base "know" where the marker is? While its creators played coy as to the actual tech employed behind the scenes, we were told Swivl uses a combination of infrared plus a proprietary 2.4GHz protocol to figure out its location in your surroundings. Having a multitude of sensors mean that even if one is becomes obscured it can still continue tracking, albeit with less precision.  Our only gripe concerns fast panning which wasn't as smooth as we'd like. When moving slowly, the unit kept up just fine, but don't expect buttery smooth cinematographic pans for a fast acts en-scene. Oh and while we're on the subject of panning, noise emitted while moving side to side was virtually nonexistent, yet adjusting tilt did produce audible noise. You'd clearly want to futz with the vertical axes before hitting record.  That leaves us with a pretty compelling and novel solution to panning video hands-free -- at least for those of us toting iPhones and iPod touches. Yes, Swivl is certainly capable of mounting devices sans-dock connector -- Flip camera's included -- but we're not entirely convinced on the value proposition of having to manually start and stop recording on non-Cupertino hardware. It's not all doom and gloom though, as solutions for those of you rocking green robots are supposedly in the pipeline. If you're rocking an iPhone and are a lone cinematographer, we'd consider Swivl worthy of your shortlist. That, or hang tight for our full review. Myriam Joire contributed to this report. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Finland, Finland, Finland: it's still the country for Nokia Posted: 20 Dec 2011 04:39 AM PST  Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has heard what a few little birdies have been talking about lately: the future of the phone manufacturer's headquarters. Enough rumors have been floating around the possibility of Nokia picking up and moving, in fact, that the man in charge made it perfectly clear on Finnish TV station YLE that the company isn't going anywhere. Said Elop: "As long as I'm the CEO the headquarters is in Espoo... That's our home, our sense of belonging." So there you have it -- Nokia will continue to call Finland its home. Now, what can be done about all of those lost jobs from this past year? |
| LG's Magic Remote enables voice control for its smart TVs Posted: 20 Dec 2011 04:18 AM PST  LG was quick to introduce Wii-style motion controls and pointing to its smart TV controllers, but its new Magic Remote also adds voice recognition, allowing you to enter search terms without ever contemplating the alphabet. In a radical move, it also conjures up a scroll wheel -- perhaps for no reason other than to spite Samsung's now dowdy-looking QWERTY rival. The fact that it can control your LG Cinema 3D TV without forcing you to star-jump is a happy bonus. There's a full PR after the break, although no sign yet of availability or pricing. With Four Control Functions, Improved Magic Remote Upgrades CINEMA 3D Smart TV User Experience SEOUL, Dec. 20, 2011 -– LG Electronics (LG) unveiled a new remote control for its CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, the Magic Remote. The new remote control maximizes user convenience with a new set of additional functions, namely Voice Recognition, Wheel, Magic Gesture and Pointing. "LG has been striving to constantly improve the comfort and convenience with which our customers use the CINEMA 3D Smart TVs," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Home Entertainment Company. "The new Magic Remote is our latest example, incorporating new functions that will make it easier for users to approach and use the CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, particularly our Smart TV function which now has over 1,000 apps and a growing abundance of premium content." The Magic Remote's most obvious difference with conventional remote controls is that push-buttons constitute merely one dimension of the intuitive user experience. By implementing voice recognition technology into Magic Remote, users can enter text –- such as search terms -– with voice commands, speeding up the overall Smart TV browsing experience. The Wheel located at the center of the Magic Remote enables users to swiftly scroll up and down various menus and apps, allowing users to make quicker selections. Meanwhile, the Pointing function (formerly known as Point and Click) allows users to simply point the Magic Remote toward the TV screen and drag the on-screen cursor to make selections. Through Pointing, users can also navigate through LG's Smart TV ecosystem without having to use multiple buttons and arrow keys. Additionally, physical Magic Gestures can be inputted as commands, enabling users to control CINEMA 3D Smart TVs with simple arm or wrist movements. In addition to the four control functions, the Magic Remote also offers the 3D button, which undertakes 2D to 3D conversion with a single click of the button. Due to its arched ergonomic design, the new Magic Remote is easier to grip and hold onto, allowing for a more comfortable CINEMA 3D Smart TV experience. |
| Seagate shores up its hard drive business, finalizes Samsung purchase Posted: 20 Dec 2011 03:56 AM PST  Seagate Completes Acquisition of Samsung's Hard Disk Drive Business Strategic Agreement Including Extensive Supply and Cross-Licensing Arrangements Now Fully Operational CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ:STX), a world leader in hard disk drives and storage solutions, today announced the closing of the transaction to acquire the hard disk drive (HDD) business of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology. "Together, Seagate and Samsung have aligned our current and future product development efforts and roadmaps in order to accelerate time-to-market efficiency for new products and position us to better address the increasing demands for storage" Under the terms of the transaction, Seagate has gained select elements of Samsung's HDD business, including assets, infrastructure and employees that enable Seagate to drive scale and innovation. These assets include Samsung's leading M8 product line of high-capacity, 2.5-inch HDDs. Samsung employees joining Seagate include a number of senior managers and design-engineering employees from Samsung's Korea facility, who will focus on development of small form-factor products for the mobile compute market. N.Y. Park, senior vice president and general manager, will oversee Seagate's product development activities in Korea and serve as country manager of the Korea design center, reporting to Bob Whitmore, Seagate's executive vice president and CTO. "Together, Seagate and Samsung have aligned our current and future product development efforts and roadmaps in order to accelerate time-to-market efficiency for new products and position us to better address the increasing demands for storage," said Steve Luczo, Seagate chairman, president and CEO. "It is an exciting time in the industry with rapidly evolving opportunities in many markets including mobile computing, cloud computing, and solid state storage." This transaction was announced in April 2011 along with a series of other agreements between Seagate and Samsung. Seagate is supplying disk drives to Samsung for PCs, notebooks and consumer electronics devices. Samsung is supplying its market-leading semiconductor products for use in Seagate's enterprise solid state drives (SSDs), solid-state hybrid drives and other products. The companies have also extended and enhanced their existing patent cross-license agreement and have expanded cooperation to co-develop enterprise storage solutions. "The strategic relationship will open new opportunities for the two companies by mutually complementing each other's creative technology solutions for a broad diversity of IT applications," said Oh-Hyun Kwon, vice chairman of Device Solutions of Samsung Electronics. The transactions and agreements substantially expand Seagate's customer access in China, Southeast Asia, Brazil, Germany and the Russian Federation. Seagate and Samsung also have been working together to ensure that customers continue to receive a high level of service, support and innovation, including activities to align the two companies' supply bases and delivery infrastructure. To ease the transition of products and technologies, Seagate will retain certain Samsung HDD products under the Samsung brand name for 12 months, and maintain or establish a number of independent operations including sales staff, key production lines and R&D. Customers can find more information at www.seagate.com/samsung. The combined value of these transactions and agreements is approximately US $1.4 billion, consisting of 45,239,490 Seagate Ordinary Shares and the remaining balance settled in cash. In addition, Samsung will designate a nominee to join Seagate's Board of Directors. Seagate does not presently expect significant restructuring costs and expects to achieve considerable reductions in overall operating expenses for the combined business while minimizing the integration costs. As previously stated, Seagate expects that the transactions and agreements will be meaningfully accretive to non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and cash flow in the first full year following the closing. Seagate will provide additional financial information for the combined company on its fiscal second quarter conference call in late January. |
| IBM says mind control next big thing in human-computer interaction; GLaDOS offers cake reward Posted: 20 Dec 2011 03:33 AM PST  From the ongoing Google-Apple turf war on voice recognition to Microsoft's gesture tracking with Kinect, humans continue to push the envelope on how to interact with computers and devices. Now IBM says mind control will be the next field to see a big leap, predicting breakthroughs within the next five years. Keep in mind that they're not talking about controlling humans a la Gorilla Grodd ... yet. Instead, they're talking about controlling computer actions and devices via brain waves. IBM software guru and potential Borg recruit Kevin Brown (pictured right) has already been using a headset to move cubes on a computer screen at will. Given the ongoing progress with mind-controlled cars and BrainGate, IBM's prediction might not be too far-fetched. |
| HTC Fireball getting ready to scorch Verizon's 4G lineup? Posted: 20 Dec 2011 02:27 AM PST  Hey, we've always said that Verizon LTE is blazing fast, so it seems appropriate to name products in its lineup accordingly. A leaked screenshot of Big Red's internal system, brought to us by Droid Life, indicates that this very well may be the case, as a new device called the HTC Fireball (ADR6410L) just popped up. Aside from its inclusion of the next-gen data speeds, nothing else is known about the gadget; heck, we don't even know for sure if it's going to have the same name (we're half-expecting it to be renamed as something Beats-related). Regardless of its name, if the screenshot above is accurate, we may soon have another quietly brilliant device hanging out next to the Rezound. |
| Netflix snags classic BBC shows in UK deal Posted: 20 Dec 2011 01:46 AM PST  Starting Early 2012, Netflix Members In The UK And Ireland Will Be Able To Instantly Watch Many Previous Series of "Doctor Who," "Top Gear," "Little Britain" and more BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Dec. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Netflix, Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) and BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, today announced a new digital licensing agreement that will bring a broad range of great BBC series to Netflix members in the UK and Ireland. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101014/SF81638LOGO) Beginning early 2012, previous series of BBC shows such as "Torchwood" and "Spooks" will be available for Netflix members to watch instantly in the UK and Ireland streamed over the Internet to connected TVs, tablets, game consoles, computers and mobile phones. Financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed. Netflix announced in October that it would launch its service in the UK and Ireland early in 2012. "BBC shows are a big favourite of our over 20 million streaming members in the U.S., Canada and Latin America," said Ted Sarandos, Netflix chief content officer. "Members love watching back-to-back episodes of BBC series where and when they want, at the click of a button. We are incredibly proud to make these high quality programmes available to Netflix members in the UK and Ireland." Commented Steve Macallister, president and managing director, Sales & Distribution, BBC Worldwide: "With our content already available on Netflix in North and Latin America, we're delighted to be a launch partner for Netflix in the UK and Eire, offering viewers the chance to watch some of our best loved shows on the platform from day one. UK audiences have really grasped the experience that online viewing can bring, and our programming has proven to be particularly popular with this digital audience." Additional BBC titles available to members of Netflix in the UK and Ireland will include comedies like "Little Britain" and "Fawlty Towers," and dramas like "Miss Marple" and "Inspector Lynley." About Netflix: With more than 20 million streaming members in the United States, Canada and Latin America, Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] is the world's leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows. For about US $7.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV episodes streaming over the Internet to PCs, Macs and TVs. Among the large and expanding base of devices streaming from Netflix are the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3 consoles; an array of Blu-ray disc players, Internet-connected TVs, home theater systems, digital video recorders and Internet video players; Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, as well as Apple TV and Google TV. In all, more than 700 devices that stream from Netflix are available. For additional information, visit www.netflix.com. Follow Netflix on Facebook and Twitter. About BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company exists to maximise the value of the BBC's assets for the benefit of the licence fee payer and invest in public service programming in return for rights. The company has five core businesses: Channels, Content & Production, Sales & Distribution, Consumer Products and Brands, Consumers & New Ventures, with digital ventures incorporated into each business area. In 2010/11, BBC Worldwide generated profits of pounds Sterling 160 million on sales of 1158 million pounds and returned 182m pounds to the BBC. For more detailed performance information please see our Annual Review website: www.bbcworldwide.com/annualreview. More information visit www.bbcworldwide.com or twitter.com/bbcwpress. |
| PlayStation Vita launches in Japan, shifts 321,400 units in two days Posted: 20 Dec 2011 01:11 AM PST  Kaz Hirai probably had a sleepless weekend as he and the team waited for the two-day sales figures for Sony's PlayStation Vita. He can probably relax a little, knowing that 321,400 of the things were exchanged for cold, hard cash in the retail outlets of Japan. In comparison, Nintendo's 3DS sold 50,000 more units but sales soon stalled -- only to be rescued with a hefty price cut. Of course, now the company has to ensure that the performance issues that early-adopters have been facing are resolved -- we'd hate to experience the same teething trouble when it arrives over here in February. |
| Samsung Galaxy S II and Note get late ICS Christmas presents, arriving Q1 2012 Posted: 20 Dec 2011 12:07 AM PST Samsung has cemented its plans for the roll-out of Ice Cream Sandwich, and it looks likely to land on most of its top drawer Android devices. This (unsurprisingly) includes the Galaxy S II, its LTE variant, the Galaxy Note, the Galaxy R and whole range of Samsung tabs, from the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus to the Galaxy Tab 10.1. The update is penned to arrive first on both the Galaxy S II and Note in Q1 2012, with other devices following, although the Korean giant says that separate announcements will be made on the finer points -- depending on the "market situation and carriers' requirements". |
| Nokia publicly acknowledges Lumia 800 battery bug, promises fix in next update Posted: 19 Dec 2011 11:17 PM PST  Nokia's flagship Windows Phone may be a gorgeous slab of polycarbonate, but it's proving to meet its match with its own battery performance. It began with concerns about charging and overall battery performance as we reviewed the device, and the phone was given an update nearly a full fortnight ago to alleviate power management issues. We're still awaiting a maintenance release next month to take care of the charging portion of the problem, but it seems that yet another bug will need to be addressed at the same time. After word spread last week that something was causing the battery's capacity to show up as worse than it really is, Nokia did some digging and promptly admitted that something was awry. In the statement (found past the break), the company assured the masses that the battery itself was perfectly fine, but there was a bug in the software and a fix will be included in the next planned update. And then everything will be absolutely perfect... right? Nokia's statement:
|
| Kindle Fire's 6.2.1 update breaks root, disables SuperOneClick utility Posted: 19 Dec 2011 10:29 PM PST  [Thanks, Brad] |
| Firefox 9 now available, boasts speedier JavaScript handling, Lion optimizations Posted: 19 Dec 2011 09:49 PM PST  |
| Nexus ninjas return in retro game, give you the skills to perform your own epic unboxing Posted: 19 Dec 2011 09:04 PM PST  |
| iPhones, iPod Touches still on iOS 3.1.3 can't download new apps directly from the App Store Posted: 19 Dec 2011 08:24 PM PST  While fragmentation is a rare(r) problem on iOS there's still quite a few users rocking older versions on their devices. Unfortunately for them, ever since a recent update on the 16th they haven't been able to download any new apps from the App Store straight to their devices. While users of older iPod Touches and iPhones stuck on 3.1.3 by choice or incompatibility with newer OSes can still update the apps they already have and transfer software from iTunes on a computer, they can't buy or install new ones directly from the device. We were able to confirm the issue on one of our own devices, while there's a pretty lengthy thread in Apple's support forum about the issue, but no official response yet. We'll keep you posted if word comes that this is just a glitch or if the company has decided to leave those old versions on the outside looking in.[Thanks, Domo] |
| Skype turns into Santa, gives you free airport WiFi during the holidays Posted: 19 Dec 2011 07:06 PM PST   |
| 'Lite version' of Ubuntu takes Nook Tablet for a spin, ROM can't come soon enough (video) Posted: 19 Dec 2011 06:12 PM PST  [Thanks, orangejuice] |
| Google offers updates for Google+ this holiday season, fruitcake en route Posted: 19 Dec 2011 05:23 PM PST  Update: The Google+ Android app has also seen an update tonight, gaining the ability to start a hangout from a Messenger conversation, new photo album design and more. Hit the Android Market for more details. |
| Auto-insurance researchers: 'Cell phone bans don't help reduce crashes' Posted: 19 Dec 2011 04:26 PM PST All those fancy in-car docks and voice navigation? Utterly pointless. At least according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, who reckons that it's not the phone that's the issue, but "the full spectrum of things that distract." The IIHS (funded by a group of car insurers) compared crash data between states that had instituted cell phone bans and those that hadn't. According to its research, while the ban had reduced phone use (whoa, really?), it hadn't helped reduce crash rates. The National Transportation Safety Board has presented several studies linking cell phone use to an increased chance of crashing and their latest proposals would ban most hands-free systems found in major car makers' vehicles today. Hear that? That was the sound of hundreds of third-party accessory manufacturers recoiling in horror. |
| Toshiba debuts Windows 7-based Dynabook WT301/D tablet for Japan Posted: 19 Dec 2011 03:32 PM PST  Toshiba's tablet attention may be focused primarily on its Android-based tablets these days, but the company's not leaving Windows behind just yet -- at least in Japan. That steely-looking slate pictured above is its new Dynabook WT301/D, which packs a 10.1-inch display, an unspecified Atom processor, a 64GB SSD, and Windows 7 Professional edition for an OS. No indication of a North American release for this one, but those in Japan will apparently be able to pick it up sometime next month. |
| Must See HDTV (December 19th - 25th) Posted: 19 Dec 2011 02:51 PM PST  NBA After a delay due to the lockout, the NBA is ready to get underway Sunday by putting its best and brightest under the lights. Lebron, Dwyane, Kevin, Kobe, Dirk and all the rest will be playing so if you're a hoops fan you'll want to have the gifts unwrapped early so you can secure a spot in front of the TV. (Sunday, ABC/ESPN) Who's Still Standing With so much TV programming on winter break, NBC is sliding in this game show all week. It's yet another trivia show, however the twist in this one is that a wrong answer causes contestants to not only be eliminated, but also dropped out of sight below the floor. In a bit of of good or bad news, depending on your perspective, this probably puts us all one step closer to seeing The Running Man as a real show. (Monday-Thursday, NBC, 8PM) The League If you listen to the podcast, you know how fantasy football obsessed we are. Even if you're not, this show brings a lot more to the table as a group of friends antagonize each other both in their virtual league and in real life. While we don't know who will be league champion, we'd bet on at least one more appearance by El Cunado Rafi during the season finale this week. (Thursday, FX, 10PM) Blu-ray & Games
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
|
| Corsair's Sandy Bridge E-compatible liquid coolers get plumbed in and tested Posted: 19 Dec 2011 02:33 PM PST  |
| Nokia reveals CES 2012 press event, Windows Phone the obvious focal point Posted: 19 Dec 2011 01:51 PM PST  |
| ITC sides with Apple, bans sale and import of some HTC phones (updated) Posted: 19 Dec 2011 01:13 PM PST  The International Trade Commission did not find that HTC violated two other patents in question, which related to realtime signal processing and would have been much more difficult for HTC to circumvent. Of course, this saga is far from over and we expect these two (along with practically every other mobile manufacturer on the planet) to continue to duke it out in the courts as opposed to in our stores. You can check out the full PDF of the ruling at the source. Update: Looks like HTC already has a plan in place to make it all better. Not shocking, but there it is, check out its statement after the break. Update 2: HTC reached out to us to clarify that the company was not found to be violating a pair of patents, but that it was "two claims in a single patent." Statement from HTC:
|
| AT&T abandons T-Mobile merger plans (updated) Posted: 19 Dec 2011 12:42 PM PST  Update: And Sprint chimes in on the whole brouhaha: Update 2: Spencer Ante from the Wall Street Journal just tweeted a few more interesting nuggets: as part of T-Mobile's prize for the merger's failure, it will receive AWS spectrum in a grand total of 128 cellular markets (which includes 12 of the top 20 nationwide markets). Additionally, AT&T's roaming agreement with T-Mo lasts for seven years, increasing its coverage from 230 million potential customers to 280. We'll update with more information as it comes in! AT&T Ends Bid To Add Network Capacity Through T-Mobile USA Purchase Company Reaffirms Its Commitment to Mobile Broadband Leadership Dallas, Texas, December 19, 2011 AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) said today that after a thorough review of options it has agreed with Deutsche Telekom AG to end its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA, which began in March of this year. The actions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction do not change the realities of the U.S. wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately. The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to this spectrum shortage. In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled. "AT&T will continue to be aggressive in leading the mobile Internet revolution," said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO. "Over the past four years we have invested more in our networks than any other U.S. company. As a result, today we deliver best-in-class mobile broadband speeds – connecting smartphones, tablets and emerging devices at a record pace – and we are well under way with our nationwide 4G LTE deployment. "To meet the needs of our customers, we will continue to invest," Stephenson said. "However, adding capacity to meet these needs will require policymakers to do two things. First, in the near term, they should allow the free markets to work so that additional spectrum is available to meet the immediate needs of the U.S. wireless industry, including expeditiously approving our acquisition of unused Qualcomm spectrum currently pending before the FCC. Second, policymakers should enact legislation to meet our nation's longer-term spectrum needs. "The mobile Internet is a dynamic industry that can be a critical driver in restoring American economic growth and job creation, but only if companies are allowed to react quickly to customer needs and market forces," Stephenson said. To reflect the break-up considerations due Deutsche Telekom, AT&T will recognize a pretax accounting charge of $4 billion in the 4th quarter of 2011. Additionally, AT&T will enter a mutually beneficial roaming agreement with Deutsche Telekom. *AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Engadget News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment