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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Engadget News

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RIM to release BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 on February 21st?

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 10:02 AM PST

By now, you've seen all that RIM's 2.0 software update for the PlayBook is prepared to give -- just not in your own hands. But that could all very well change if news of a February 21st release date, supposedly confirmed by the lips of Waterloo's own during an early morning webcast, prove true. According to BerryReview's sources, the roll out is purportedly scheduled for next Tuesday, falling neatly in line with earlier reports that it would hit users' slates sometime later this month. So, if you've been clinging to that understated tab and looking forward to an OS-future populated by a native email client, address book, BlackBerry Bridge enhancements and social networking integration, well, it appears your dreams are about to come true.

ASUS delays Ice Cream Sandwich for Transformer, aims for 'Feb / March 2012' release

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 09:46 AM PST

Looks like that Google approval's taking a little longer than expected. ASUS just announced that the Android 4.0 update for its first Transformer tablet now likely to land between now and next month. We've just inched over the mid-February deadline last offered up by the company and this new, vaguer release date arrives from ASUS's Singapore arm. The Ice Cream Sandwich-flavored refresh will be sent over-the-air; that is, when it finally arrives on the keyboard-courting slab.

BMW My Remote app arrives in the US, 3-Series with stinger missiles due soon

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 09:24 AM PST

BMW's My Remote iOS app has been available here in Europe for a while. Reenacting the car park chase from Tomorrow Never Dies is one of the principal ways to let off steam on a weekend. Sadly, the company has brought our exclusive fun to an end by releasing the app in the USA -- albeit without the weaponized vehicles from the movie. Once installed on an iPhone, you'll get remote locking, horn and headlights as well as a positioning app so you never get lost in a parking lot. The age and model of your Beemer will decide what features you'll be able to use (full details after the break) but remember Bond: you have a license to kill, not to violate the traffic laws.

[Thanks, Mark]
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My BMW Remote Mobile App Now Available

15.02.2012

New mobile app lets customers access remote services for their vehicles

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – February 15, 2012... BMW announced that the My BMW Remote app is available for Apple iOS devices beginning today. This app allows many BMW customers to access remote features for their vehicle by using their mobile device and the power of BMW Assist. These features include remotely locking and unlocking of doors, getting the location of their parked vehicle, and sending Google Local Search results to their vehicle. Additionally, some customers will even be able to send a command to sound the horn or flash the headlights of their BMW.

Customers who have an active BMW Assist Safety Plan, a compatible vehicle, and an Apple device running iOS 4.0 or later will be able to download the app to their device starting today via the Apple iTunes store. No changes are required to their BMW. My BMW Remote operates on the customer's mobile device, sending remote commands to their BMW.

My BMW Remote includes the following functions in detail:


Vehicle Position – If the vehicle's ignition is off, and it is located within 0.6 miles (1km) of the mobile device, the current vehicle location can be displayed on a map in the mobile device.
Google Local Search - Search for local businesses, restaurants, and more on the mobile device and send the details to the vehicle.
Remote Locking & Unlocking – Customers can remotely lock or unlock their vehicles, providing peace of mind if they are unsure whether they locked the vehicle in the parking lot or if they have accidently locked keys in the vehicle.
Remote Horn - send a remote command to sound the horn of your BMW to help locate the vehicle.
Remote Headlights – remote control of configurable exterior light functions to help locate the vehicle.


The remote features available to the customer will depend on which BMW model they have.

The following vehicles will have Remote Door Lock & Unlock, Google Local Search, and Vehicle Position available:

- 1 Series, 3 Series, 5 Series, or 6 Series produced March 2008 or later

- X5 SAV or X6 SAC produced April 2008 or later

- Z4 Roadster from Model Year 2009 or later


The following vehicles will have Remote Horn and Remote Flash Headlights available, in addition to Remote Door Lock & Unlock, Google Local Search, and Vehicle Position:

- X3 SAV from Model Year 2011 or later

- 3 Series Sedan from Model Year 2012 or later

- 5 Series Gran Turismo from Model Year 2010 or later

- 5 Series Sedan from Model Year 2011 or later

- 6 Series from Model Year 2012 or later

- 7 Series from Model Year 2009 or later


My BMW Remote is just one of the many ConnectedDrive services available to BMW customers. BMW ConnectedDrive combines various elements from online applications, driver assistance systems, call center services and solutions for the integration of mobile devices. As a result, BMW customers are provided with an exceptional form of mobility, with more safety, more convenience, and more infotainment.

Acer Iconia Tab A510 hits FCC, refuses to reveal all its secrets

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 09:02 AM PST

Rumor had it that Acer's latest slate, the Iconia Tab A510 would be hitting the market in April. Well, the Android 4.0-sporting slab just inched closer to its debut by sauntering through the FCC. This particular model comes loaded with Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS, but there's no 3G or 4G in sight. The ten-inch tablet didn't reveal all its secrets to us in the filing, and the images of its prerequisite dissection have not been posted yet. Still, it's nice to know that this slimmer and pleasantly plasticy device should be hitting the market soon and serving up a much needed slice of Ice Cream Sandwich. Hit up the source link if you're really into graphs and radiation reports.

LightSqured grasps at straws, slams FCC in a statement

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 08:39 AM PST

To say it's been a bumpy road for LightSquared over recent months would be an understatement. However, developments this week could see the beleaguered company reach a critical fork in the road. On Tuesday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration confirmed that LightSquared's planned network would indeed interfere with global positioning systems, and that there was no "practical way" to work around this. The FCC subsequently proposed to indefinitely suspend LightSquared's authority to migrate its satellite spectrum to land-based use. Unsurprisingly, this evoked a less than cheerful response from the troubled startup, which slammed the FCC in a statement, claiming it's "harmed not only LightSquared, but also the American public" and accusing the committee of "the height of bureaucratic irresponsibility." The following day, the Wall Street Journal reported that firm was now making a last-ditch effort to revive hope, by attempting to exchange its wireless licenses for ones similar to those operated by the Department of Defense. Reuters has since reported that contrary to rumors that the company was seeking restructuring advice, hedge fund manager Philip Falcone claims that filing for bankruptcy would be off the cards, defiantly stating "there are other ways around this." As to what these other ways include we're as yet to see, but we admire the optimism.

The Engadget Interview: Duracell President Stassi Anastassov on future battery tech (video)

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 08:00 AM PST

It's 2012, and we're connected to the web every second of every day. And then, near the end of each daily cycle, it all stops. "My battery is dead." Is it really your battery that's become depleted? Of course it's not, though it certainly feels as though it might as well be. Stassi Anastassov experiences that daily setback just like you and I and the rest of the world. But the Duracell President and long-time Procter and Gamble executive is in a position to find a way around it, and that's exactly what he plans to do. We sat down with Anastassov in our New York City office to chat about the past, present and future of battery tech, and we even had a chance to meet the Duracell Bunny (yes, that furry hare was property of the "Trusted Everywhere" company long before it made its move to Energizer). So how does P&G plan to transform the portable power industry, and what's that Duracell Powermat joint venture all about? You'll find the answers to those questions and more in our interview just past the break.

We all use AA and AAA batteries, even today. But have you noticed a shift in demand over the years?

I've noticed an increasing number of devices using lithium-ion, but I haven't noticed and our forecast doesn't show a major shift in demand away from round cell batteries. On one hand you have two streams going parallel; there are more and more devices, and the good news is there's not only more devices using lithium-ion but also more devices using round cell batteries. Of course, with a leaky bucket, of some of the devices using round cell batteries moving to lithium-ion. As long as there's more replenishing devices using round cell batteries, the way I predict the market is 100 plus or minus two.

Why did Duracell never release a disposable lithium AA battery, like Energizer Advanced?

We have AA Lithium batteries and we're even selling them in Europe and Latin America, however we don't believe that the lithium round cell battery provides the consumer with the type of value that they need. There are two very simple reasons for that: one, it's a very expensive technology that has a very specific benefit of rapid energy burst that comes to life in a snap-and-shoot camera. However, as you may have noticed, the number of snap-and-shoot cameras using these disposable round cell batteries are disappearing very rapidly. So in a way, in the device where the lithium round cell battery really provides any consumer advantage, that market is shrinking very rapidly, while investing into a major infrastructure to produce round cell lithium-ion battery is a very costly affair.

Considering that the lithium-ion battery would typically cost up two to three, up to four times more than an alkaline, it's very difficult to justify that it's a very good value proposition, and that's probably one of the reasons why that segment is pretty flat to declining 2 percent of the market. I think there are many more areas that have high potential to delight the consumer and to make a difference in the marketplace than focusing, for us at least, a lot of research and development in disposable lithium batteries.

Are your rechargeable products gaining popularity? What percent of the business do rechargeable batteries represent?

The rechargeable batteries, I think, will have a huge advantage in toys. When you have children, you see how often you drain the battery, and I personally use rechargeable batteries in some of my boys' toys. Like the trains, when my seven year old goes on and on and on and I'm out of rechargeable batteries, I actually, during one day can use at least two or three sets of alkaline batteries. So there is a big advantage for some very-high-usage toys. It also is, however, a hassle and a habit change. That's why that market is still relatively underdeveloped. It's slightly more developed in Western Europe, where you have up to 15 to 20 percent of the market in rechargeable batteries, while I think in the U.S. we're below 10 percent or something like that.

As more devices move to proprietary and even non-removable batteries, how will Duracell remain relevant in the market?

In a way, the smartphone delivers more than what you'll ever be able to use, because you'll be limited by the battery.

We as a Duracell company, and as part of Procter & Gamble, we will always strive to remain relevant with changing consumer habits. For Procter & Gamble this is nothing new. The habits of washing detergents, diapering and even cosmetics and shampoos have always evolved, but this is our job to stay one step ahead and in this sense we are great believers in staying with the core where we have the right to continue winning, which is, as I mentioned to you, the alkaline battery market that, for the foreseeable future, is going to be a big and viable, and even in many areas, growing market.

Now, talking about the U.S. and Western Europe, with virtually every other region, especially in the developing world, the alkaline battery market is growing very rapidly, because there you have a dynamic where converting the market from the old fashioned low-performing zinc batteries that have maybe one-tenth of the power of alkaline, and people are moving to the more performing alkaline batteries. That's why the number-one priority is that we are the leading battery company and we believe that we have a right to win with the disposable alkaline batteries. However, with the changing consumer habits, we see a very big trend in smartphone usage, because the smartphone is not anymore a phone -- actually the smartphone should not even be called the smartphone, it should be called a universal personal device, because only three percent of the time, people are using a smartphone for talking. Ninety percent of the time they are using it for surfing, texting, Googling, listening to music, watching films, reading your [Engadget] articles and downloading their boarding passes, etc... this is a trend that is going to continue.

When I talk about smartphones and smart devices, I would probably put them together with the pads, the tablets. I see them more and more as an extension of the same type of segment between smartphone, and then over time, as you rightly point out, there is going to be even some hybrids between phone, tablet, different sizes and so on. So that segment is going to be growing, and being very important and true to our heritage of trying to resolve conflicts, there is today a huge conflict that you and I and every consumer faces: the desire to use the smartphone and the ways to use the smartphone exceed greatly the capability of the smartphone being charged throughout the day. So in a way, the smartphone delivers more than what you'll ever be able to use, because you'll be limited by the battery. This is a wonderful dilemma to have and this is a wonderful challenge to have and is a typical challenge that Procter & Gamble and Duracell are eager to resolve.

Can you tell us what motivated the joint-venture with Powermat?

So going back to Duracell and Procter & Gamble, when we often do something, we call it the landscape assessment for the future, and every business, every company is doing that: looking at where the business is today and where it's going in the future. In this landscape assessment, we clearly see, as I mentioned, the area of smart charging, wireless charging, on-the-go charging is going to be an important area linked to the increasing smartphone and smart device usage. As a matter of fact, we have spent many years -- it's nothing new -- in looking at how we can work to improve the lives of people.

Every company faces a very simple crossroads, sooner or later. Are we going to do this alone or are we going to look for partnerships with people that we believe have something, whether it's a technology, a process or a way of thinking, that we believe will be better off than trying to do it ourselves. At Procter & Gamble, we do have a very strong culture of working more and more in partnerships, technology partnerships and outsourcing some areas -- we call it Connect and Develop, and it is in this vein of thinking that I, actually very early zoomed in on the company I felt had the best understanding, and the best product range in wireless inductive charging, and this happened to be Powermat. This led us to talking to each other and that led to a marriage that led to the Duracell Powermat JV.

What will we see for inductive charging three, five, even ten years out?

I am hesitant to label a technology because Duracell Powermat is not about a technology, it's about delivering a delightful experience to the consumer, meaning staying charged versus a situation where you always fear that you'll be out of power, or that you'll not be able to go through the day. As I said about the evolution of what we're delivering, we're going to be very open to the technology that is going to deliver the most delightful experience, so whether this is inductive charging, conductive or loosely coupled, this is not important. We are not a technology company per se on this one -- we are about delivering a consumer benefit, better than anybody else, and the technology, we'll always be able to either develop it ourselves, license it if we need or work with someone else to get it as long as we are always providing the best wireless charging.

To your question, regarding how we label technology, the best analogy I can think of is when Henry Ford developed the car and there were no petrol stations. Today we have all these beautiful cars called the smartphones or the smart devices, but the only petrol station you have is at home or at work where you have a socket and the occasional socket that you find somewhere in the city and that's not very handy. I do believe that there's going to be, in the future, the need for the charging station built up. This is one of the things that we are working with, you may be aware of the partnership that we have with Madison Square Garden, where Madison Square Garden, this iconic venue, is going to equip its building with Duracell Powermat enabled charging mats built into the tables, bars etc... So in a way, Madison Square Garden will become the first charging station for smartphones in New York.

In five to ten years from now, when you walk into somewhere to have a sandwich or somewhere to have a coffee or a movie theater or an airport, you'll be able to find this charging station service...

I believe that, in five to ten years from now, when you walk into somewhere to have a sandwich or somewhere to have a coffee or a movie theater or an airport, you'll be able to find this charging station service -- that's my vision. You'll be out of the need to worry about your phone lasting throughout the day. I also believe that, in five to ten years from now, having this service of power and staying charged will become as natural as being able to hook onto a wireless network. Do you remember the days when you only had the cable at home at best and at work, and you had some very specific areas or venues where you could get wireless reception? Today you get wireless for free virtually everywhere, and today, that, I believe, is going to be equally relevant for the consumers. Especially for New Yorkers, because at least when you live in a city or use your car a lot, you can always claim that you can put your phone in your car and charge it, but New Yorkers that are always on they go, you don't use cars, you have very busy days, the day never stops before ten or eleven -- well, good luck with your battery unless you find the right charging stations!

Are you in talks with any manufacturers to standardize battery types in devices like cellphones and digital cameras?

We are not, today, in talks to do this, but it is a wonderful question. It actually is so relevant because, when I asked, as I've mentioned that I'm not an expert on batteries, but I am an expert on consumers based on my 26 to 27 years of work with Procter & Gamble. When I said 'Hey guys, the consumer needs a better battery in their phones and smartphones.' Nobody told me 'Oh, it's impossible.' The first answer was not that it's impossible but 'Well, it's so complicated and so unpredictable.' I said 'What do you mean, complicated and unpredictable?' Well, the answer was 'Everyday, there are new smartphones and every single phone comes with different dimensions, different cavities and different requirements, so we can't proactively develop a solution, we almost reactively look at what the manufacturers come up with and that means that by the time we have then developed a solution for one manufacturer, that phone is already obsolete and they come up with something new.'

The Verizons in this world, the AT&Ts of this world, they would love to have people that have longer lasting batteries so that they can use up the capabilities of their phones and obviously make more revenue.

So we don't today have a system where we can take all our best scientists, all our best technologies, develop a superior lithium-ion battery and then go out in the market, because there will be no buyers. No manufacturer today has a standardized battery -- it takes us time to develop the right technology, to put in all the intelligence, all the juice, all the capabilities in that battery, but we're never given that time. That's why there's a disconnect between the way the market operates today and our capabilities to develop a superior product that's going to be a superb win for the consumers and for the manufacturers and for all the providers. The Verizons in this world, the AT&Ts of this world, they would love to have people that have longer lasting batteries so that they can use up the capabilities of their phones and obviously make more revenue.

What is the motivation for a manufacturer to adopt such a product?

I strongly believe that if we were able to have battery manufacturers and device manufacturers developing a set of standard requirements, proactively, in terms of lithium-ion battery size and connectors, that will give the industry more time to work on the actual performance and added value of the battery. Remember also, that, for every lithium-ion battery that we have to develop, we then need to do testing, safety testing, etc., before it is ready. If we have a much more standard approach the way round cell batteries are (AA, AAA, C, D), then we eliminate a whole part of the process related to safety standards, qualification for special cavity, etc., so we take all that development work away and can really focus our energy on adding more intelligence to the battery. Intelligence can be in the areas of making it wirelessly connectible, it can be in the areas of lasting longer or even being capable of more rapid charging. There are many ways that we can add intelligence to a battery that would delight the consumer and the end-user much more than what is happening today if we were able to simplify the work and eliminate some of the uncertainties when it comes to size, specs, etc.

What would the advantage be for consumers?

The advantage for the consumer is, I would say, two fold. One, they'll be able to get better performing batteries versus today. The second advantage is that they'll be able to leverage an aftermarket of batteries -- they'll be able to go to a Best Buy, to a Walmart, to a Target and actually buy an extra battery for their phone, because there will be maybe six or seven, if we look at the analogy of AA, AAA, there will be six to ten, call it, maximum battery types serving 150 types of phones and smartphones. And therefore, there will be also a viable aftermarket and also for the customer, for the trade, they'll be able to actually list those SKUs where today, they can't list 150 different batteries. So there would be many advantages. Also, I think that over time, this is also going to lead to a cheaper device, because when you are able to standardize, we'll be able to get some economies of scale and hopefully that's going to get into the hands of the consumer, to be able to buy and get the better battery at a lower cost.

Will there be any changes to the standard AA and AAA products in the near future, or will alkaline batteries remain mostly unchanged?

Our ambition is to continuously improve the performance of our products, and we're looking at many ways of how we can improve the performance and the quality of our batteries. I believe that there are many viable ways and we have an innovation pipeline that obviously is very difficult for me to speak about now, that is going to delight the consumer also on the basis of alkaline batteries, because contrary to popular belief, there are very significant differences in the alkaline batteries -- how they are manufactured, what they deliver, the safety standards, etc. -- so there is room for us to innovate in this space and we are about innovation.

We've established that there will be a need for disposable batteries around the world for some time to come. Are there any plans to expand recycling programs, or to launch a major initiative on that front?

We are, today, in the process of developing a voluntary recycling system for disposable batteries.

Absolutely. In my role as president for Duracell, I am actively engaged with industry leaders of the battery manufacturers and we are, today, in the process of developing a voluntary recycling system for disposable batteries. We even have an agreement that is a project we all want to do and we're in the process of actually defining the parameters of how this is going to be done in the future. I believe strongly in that, and I'm a very strong proponent for doing everything we can to be responsible, and do everything we can to make sure our planet is as green as possible. We need to look at ways that are actually environmentally positive, because what some people forget is that sometimes a program, whether that's battery recycling or other things, considering all the transportation, fuel and all the activities around that, can actually create a more negative impact that the actual product if it's not recycled. We're very much driven by having a positive environmental impact with every activity, but there is today a very strong commitment, I can say, from the battery industry that this is something that we are going to do -- a voluntary recycling program.

Is there a timeline in place?

We have a timeline that is going to obviously be a rolling-thunder timeline, where it's very difficult to establish a program overnight in such a large geography as the United States, but we are looking at starting in some areas already in 12 months.

Can you provide some specifics of how that is going to be implemented?

Obviously, this is really part of what is very important for us to come up with, because, the most important thing is that we're not about green washing. I believe that we need to come up with a system that will actually stimulate scalable recycling. That's why we need to come up with execution that will be user-friendly and easy enough for the consumers to do. I don't have the exact details yet, because this is a work in progress. That's why the timeline, we have an ambition to have it going already in 12 months, but it is all going to depend on the two criteria: one is that it needs to be environmentally positive, and two, it needs to be easy and intuitive enough for the consumer and our customer partners that it's going to be used.

What other technologies are you currently exploring?

We are today closely following device trends, consumer habits trends and we are always going to go back to what we really can do best. The Duracell company was born because it was solving a trend and meeting a trend: the heydays of the Walkmans and the Discmans. Predicting the device trends, predicting the market development, this is what we're going to do, so obviously an area related to personal power, to having access to power in a device, in a toy, in a game, every area and how this area develops is an area for us, Duracell, Procter & Gamble, to play and this is where we'll be looking at different technologies to deliver on those needs.

What do you see for the future of the battery industry in general?

The battery industry, in my mind, will continue to be an extremely important industry for the consumer. Today in an American household you have 39 to 40 devices on average, using a battery. It is cradle to grave, from the baby monitor to the hearing aid, and it is from the poorest consumer that has a flashlight when the lights are off or the grid doesn't work, to the most rich and device-rich consumer who has maybe up to 70 to 80 battery devices. So the battery industry is playing an incredible role in the life of every consumer and that's why I think that this is an industry that is extremely relevant and important with obviously a bright future if we're able to continue delivering on the requirements and the changing consumer needs.

And last by not least... where's Duracell's answer to the Energizer Bunny?

Outside of the U.S., in virtually every other market, you have the Duracell Bunny.

The Energizer Bunny is a wonderful iconic device, and outside of the U.S., in virtually every other market, you have the Duracell Bunny, and I'm not sure you're aware of that. I have my office full of bunnies, that are all Duracell Bunnies, but the point is that Duracell invented the Bunny. We were also advertising with the Bunny in North America first. At one point in time, the leadership of the Duracell company in North America decided that they needed a new campaign. Somebody said, 'We're not selling Bunnies, we're selling batteries,' and we moved to a different campaign. The way the trademark law works is when you've not been using a character or some element in your advertising for a few years, it becomes free, and that is when our competitors started using the bunny. That's how it became the Energizer Bunny.

If you, today, travel to Paris and you turn on the TV, you will see a Duracell Bunny. If you travel to Moscow and turn on the TV you'll see a Duracell Bunny, and so on. So this is how it actually happened, but we are extremely happy with our brand and our equity in the U.S. The campaign we have in the U.S. that is building around the idea of 'trusted everywhere' -- that highlights the benefit of our superior technology and the role that we play in peoples lives, has served us very well, and we have very strong equities behind Duracell also in North America.


Is there anything else that you'd like to share?

I believe that the only way we'll be able to get to a world where we have a more standardized lithium-ion smartphone or phone battery is if we can find a way to get device manufacturers and battery manufacturers together and stop seeing the battery and cavity size as some type of competitive advantage the way people were seeing the cables, and now everybody has moved to micro-USB. Today, wrongly, device manufacturers believe that, well, they'll do their own little battery, they'll have a special cavity and it'll give them some type of advantage. I do not see what advantage it gives them, I don't see any value in that.

Maybe there was an advantage four years ago, when, still, there was some kind of a competition between who has the slimmest phone, etc., but as we are moving more and more towards some level of a similar look, because ultimately if you want to have a tactile screen and all these apps, [looking at his phone] this is probably the minimum size that you have to go for, so I believe that somehow, four or five years ago, there was more justification for a device manufacturer to look at the size and the cavity and the battery as an afterthought. Once you design the optimal phone, the most attractive phone, okay, here's the space left for the battery. Today, I think that the benefits of having a better battery will largely offset keeping your cards close to your chest and not revealing the size of the battery that you're going to need. That's why I think that the time is ripe to get into some level of standardization on the lithium-ion batteries.

Apple drops the 'Mac' from OS X Lion, Mountain Lion (update: began at WWDC)

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 07:39 AM PST

Clearly, cats are in. But Mac, it seems, is out. Apple has quietly dropped the Mac name from its latest OS X Mountain Lion operating system, while also retroactively changing the Lion branding on its website. While it's clearly a marketing move and won't affect the user experience, it looks like Cupertino is further defining the line between hardware and software -- Mac is hardware, OS X is software, and that's the end of that. Apple purists will need to download the developer preview of Lion to see the change reflected on the OS side of things, though that could always change with 10.7.4. Hit up the source link to see for yourself.

Update: After reviewing our WWDC coverage, it looks like Apple began referring to its latest operating system as "OS X Lion" last summer, as you can see in the banner just past the break.

Nintendo Wii joins the Hulu Plus watch party

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 07:18 AM PST

Sure, we knew it was coming, but now Hulu Plus has officially arrived for the Nintendo Wii, letting you stream "current-season hit TV shows such as... New Girl and Vampire Diaries" in all their high standard-definition glory. We know, you're already caught up on all that New Girl action, but The Biggest Loser's latest win will look even juicier in gorgeous 480p SD resolution, so head on over to the colorful Wii Shop Channel to get your $7.99 monthly Hulu fix. Or, if you're not keen on paying for your teevee, you can download a two-week free trial of the service anytime within the first month of availability. And what about that 3DS version? You'll need to wait until "later this year," unfortunately. Full PR is just past the break.
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Nintendo Teams Up with Hulu Plus to Offer Thousands of Current TV Shows and Classic Movies on the Wii Console

Best-Selling Console Expands its Entertainment Options with More Popular TV Shows and Movies with Hulu Plus

REDMOND, Wash. & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wii owners with broadband Internet access now have a new way to watch their favorite TV shows and movies. Starting today, Wii owners can subscribe to Hulu Plus for $7.99 a month and instantly stream current-season hit TV shows such as Family Guy, Glee, New Girl, Vampire Diaries, The Office, The Biggest Loser and Modern Family, as well as full back seasons of hit shows like Community and Grey's Anatomy. Kids can enjoy a growing library of favorites, including Arthur, Wild Kratts and Dinosaur Train, and families can browse through hundreds of popular movies from Miramax and more.

"Wii offers the most entertainment fun for everyone in the family, with an impressive selection of streaming movies and TV shows in addition to an unparalleled lineup of games that can't be played anywhere else," said Tony Elison, Nintendo of America's senior director and general manager of Network Business. "The Wii console is the hub of the living room, and with the addition of Hulu Plus, millions of households now have even more options for streaming premium TV shows and movies."

"We want to be everywhere, on every screen where people want to watch their favorite shows and discover new ones on their own schedule. Wii is not only one of the most important entertainment devices in the living room, but one of the most heavily anticipated and requested platforms by users and subscribers. Teaming up with Nintendo gives millions of households across the U.S. an immediate way to access some of their favorite current season shows on-demand in their living room through Hulu Plus," said Pete Distad, VP of Marketing and Distribution at Hulu.

Users who have a broadband Internet connection can visit the Wii Shop Channel to download the Hulu Plus application at no extra charge. The application will allow users to navigate using the Wii Remote controller and search for their favorite TV shows, movies, clips and more. Hulu Plus offers a variety of content, including Hulu Latino, which offers hundreds of hours of current and classic Spanish-language programming, including the entire current season of prime-time TV shows from Univision, Galavision and Telefutura.

For the first month of launch, users who download Hulu Plus for Wii and do not already have an existing Hulu Plus account will get a two-week free trial.

Hulu Plus is also coming to the Nintendo 3DS system later this year, bringing full current-season TV series and popular movies to entertainment fans whenever they want.

Apple granted injunction in German patent suit, Motorola phones with slide-to-unlock at risk

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 07:06 AM PST

Apple scored a huge victory today in Munich's Regional Court where Judge Dr. Peter Guntz found Motorola's implementation of slide-to-unlock on smartphones to be in breach of Cupertino's patent holdings. The ruling has resulted in a permanent injunction that Apple could execute at will, forcing Moto to alter the UX it employs across its device portfolio in Deutschland. The case originally focused on three separate applications of this gesture tech -- two for phones, alone -- but for now, the one used on the Xoom has been deemed outside of Apple's purview. Naturally, both parties are expected to appeal this decision, with Apple gunning for a total victory on every derivation of patent EP1964022 and Motorola seeking to overturn the win. Nonetheless, this particular legal triumph could help to set a precedent for the company as it continues to rage an IP war against fellow mobile industry rivals.

Google Maps for Android gets updated, improves battery life for Latitude, location history users

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 06:34 AM PST

Okay, this may not bring the most sweeping changes in the history of the Google Maps application, but who can say no to the promise of better battery life? The fresh update to the Android app, version 6.3 to be exact, brings along the customary bug fixes. And, for those of you using the Latitude and location history features, you should notice some improvements in the juice department -- because you need all the power you can get when stalking folks all over town. We know you're eager to get past VIP status and become the Guru at the local watering hole, so head on down to the source link and get the update to make it happen.

Intel releases Core i7-3820 CPU, proves Sandy Bridge E isn't entirely elitist

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 06:12 AM PST

The cost of entry to the LGA-2011 party just tumbled by around $250 thanks to Chipzilla's Core i7-3820 processor. It's a proper Sandy Bridge E processor with PCIe 3.0 support and more PCIe lanes, more memory bandwidth and room for more RAM compared to older platforms, but of course it's also lower specced than the pricey 3960X and 3930K. It 'only' has four cores (and eight threads), 10MB of L3 cache and it isn't fully unlocked -- as denoted by the lack of a K or an X in its title. Priced at around $300, it looks like a steal when stacked up against an LGA-1155 cousin like the $332 Core i7-2700K, which has the same 3.9GHz base clock speed, 8MB of L3 cache and none of the added benefits of Sandy Bridge E. However, once you factor in the cost of an X79 motherboard and perhaps also a new cooling solution, Intel's pricing starts to make more sense. AnandTech reviewed and benchmarked this chip a while back and reached a glowing conclusion -- check it out at the More Coverage link below.

Apple unleashes OS X Mountain Lion Preview to Mac Developer Program

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 05:54 AM PST

You may still be purring your way through our in-depth preview, but Mountain Lion is now officially out of the bag, with Apple releasing a preview version of its latest OS X to the members-only Developer Program. If you're up to date on those $99/year dues, you can head on over to the Member Center to get your OS 10.8 fix, and start checking out those shiny new Messages, Reminders, Notes and Notification Center apps. Or kick up your feet and bring your desktop to the big screen with AirPlay Mirroring. If you have the Apple-approved credentials to proceed, you can find all that and more by making your way over to our source link just below.

PS Vita torn apart by iFixit, gets its vitals checked

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 05:48 AM PST

PS Vita torn apart by iFixit, gets its vitals checked

iFixit's (counter-intuitively) done it again. This time it's made gamers of the world weep by ceremoniously un-fixing a PS Vita, Sony's latest portable gaming powerhouse. Standard screws and fittings -- alongside a modular design -- made for a relatively pain-free deconstruction for these tinkerers -- especially compared to recent iFixit visitors. Highlights from the tech autopsy include a 2,200mAh battery, Toshiba SDRAM and an OLED display that is unfortunately fused to the plastic, reducing the score down to a could-be-worth-a-fixin' 8 out of 10. Get your goggles, grab a surgery mask and meet us at the source below. Things could get a little messy.

Former Olympus chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa comes down from the mount, into police custody

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 05:27 AM PST

If you've been following the latest camera industry accounting scandal, then you're probably well aware that all is not well at Olympus. The Japanese company took its latest blow today when former chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa was arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of having falsified financial statements. The Tokyo prosecutor's office released a statement saying that two other former execs were also brought into police custody, including Hisashi Mori, a former executive vice president, and Hideo Yamada, a former auditor. Olympus is also faced with the possibility of being delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange -- the decision has been deferred awaiting further evidence. So what does all this mean for the scandal-ridden camera maker's position in the industry? Little, perhaps, from a consumer perspective, considering that Olympus has continued to announce and ship new products, including the well-received EM-5. The fate of its former executives, however, is less auspicious.

Messages Beta now available for Mac OS X Lion

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 04:53 AM PST

If you've read our OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion preview you know that the new Messages app is one of the spiciest new additions to the OS. And, good news for you, you can try it out right now -- if you've made the jump to 10.7 Lion, that is. It's available now for download, so get to clicking.

OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) in-depth preview

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 04:31 AM PST

You can bid farewell to the days of Apple's theatrical OS reveals -- at least until OS 11 rears its head, anyway. In the meantime, the outfit has seemingly been content to strip away more and more pomp and circumstance with every subsequent big cat release. Lately, the company has settled into an evolutionary release schedule, eschewing full-fledged makeovers in favor of packing in lots of smaller changes, many of them quite granular indeed. It's a trend that can be traced as far back as 2009's OS X Snow Leopard (10.6), a name designed to drive home the point that the upgrade wasn't so much a reinvention of the wheel as a fine tuning of its predecessor, Leopard.

The arrival of Lion (10.7), though, marked a full upgrade. With features like Launchpad and Mission Control, it seemed like it might be the last version Cupertino dropped before finally pulling the trigger on operating system number 11, and perhaps transitioning to something with an even stronger iOS influence. Right now, at least, the company's not ready to close the book on chapter X, but it is giving the world a first peek at 10.8. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Mountain Lion.
Apple OS X Mountain Lion (10.8) in-depth preview


What can we say? It's more of the same: this release introduces a slew of feature enhancements, and of the ones Apple is highlighting, practically all were borrowed from iOS. And we do mean borrowed: the company has cloned some of the best features from its mobile platform. Until now, Mission Control has roughly approximated the iPhone's grid layout in a desktop setting -- but that feature always felt like a bit of an aside, something the user could safely ignore if he or she saw fit. This time out, the mobile influence is far more robust, baked in to the point that it will almost certainly force upgraders to adjust their workflow.

We got our hands on an early version of the OS -- so early, in fact, that it's something of a pre-developer build. (Heck, there isn't even an image of a mountain lion to choose from in the default wallpapers.) The version available to developers today should address some of the kinks we encountered during our testing, not that we suffered all that many hiccups. So what's new in this version?

iCloud


Mountain Lion marks the first major OS X release since since the public version of iCloud rose from the ashes of MobileMe last fall. Predictably, 10.8 sees a much deeper integration with Apple's revamped service. Early on in the installation process, you'll be asked to sign into or create an iCloud account, choosing your .Me address, which, as the system points out several times, cannot be changed later on. As annoying as it might be to create yet another account with yet another web-based service, we highly recommended it. If you don't launch yourself into the iCloud, you'll be missing out on some key features.

When you sign in, the system will merge information stored locally with what you've already uploaded to iCloud. Using iCloud's automatic setup, you can sync a slew of essential functions across your PC, iPhone and iPad, including mail, messages, contacts, reminders and calendars, among others, and you can opt into each thanks to a series of checkboxes. A quick click on the usage meter at the bottom of that screen lets you manage the content you're storing the in cloud. All in all, a quite painless process.

Messages


iChat, you've had a good run -- well, a decent one, at least. But Apple's desktop messaging system was never quite so user-friendly as the one offered up in iOS. So, rather than trying to make iChat more like iMessage, Apple is simply swapping one out for the other. That's a theme you'll see here across these updates -- where Apple found a shortcoming in OS X, it didn't rejigger the existing app or attempt to start from scratch; it simply ported functionality over from iOS.

As with iCloud, Apple does what it can to get you started with the feature as quickly as possible -- the system will prompt you to sign up when opening Mail, or an email message in Safari. (Of course, folks who want to breeze through the setup can always click the word bubble icon in the dock to launch the app later on.) Upon opening Messages for the first time, you'll be greeted by a quick-and-dirty overview of the beta service, which lets you send "unlimited messages to iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac, right from your Mac." In a nutshell, then, the app breaks down whatever divide previously separating the Mac from iOS, allowing you to jump into a conversation on any (Apple-made) device.

Using the service, you can send messages, documents, HD videos and photos (up to 100MB apiece) to one person or several, using phone numbers or email addresses as points of contact. Do keep in mind that just because Apple has put iChat to bed here doesn't mean that all of the service's functionality is gone -- iMessage still incorporates chat services like AIM and GChat. Messages sent through the service are encrypted, and the app also uses a notification to let you know when messages have been delivered / read.

All in all, it's a cleanly designed and incredibly easy to use feature. The majority of the screen is devoted to the current conversation. In general, really, the layout should prove familiar to anyone who has used the mobile version of iMessage. Messages come through in the form of different colored word balloons. Your friends' avatars will appear here, with the word balloons aligned with their faces. As with the movie version, ellipses let you know when the person on the other end is typing. Images sent via the service will show up as previews. Clicking the camera icon along the top of the screen will turn the conversation into a FaceTime chat for when your carpal tunnel proves too intense.

Still, it's also obvious that Apple's tweaked the app to take advantage of the extra screen real estate you'll get on a Mac. All of your conversation live on the left side, with large icons for each person you're chatting with, along with their names and text previews. In the case of group conversations, you'll see multiple pictures laid over one another. Unread conversations are marked with a blue dot, located next to your buddy's avatar. At the top of the column is a search bar that lets you quickly find something buried in those threads -- curse your incredible popularity.

Reminders


Here's another iOS feature ported over to the desktop. For those keen on making reminders -- or simply not forgetting things -- the app helps make and track to-do lists. As newcomers might expect based on the name alone, these lists are styled after pieces of binder paper. Whenever you complete a task, simply tick the box next to it and it'll disappear from the list. Clicking the "i" icon next to an entry lets you set a reminder date, shuffle the priority rating or transfer it to a different list altogether. Lastly, that small calendar icon lets you sort tasks by date.

With us so far? Good. It is indeed easy to use, though it's hardly revolutionary. It's certainly handy that the app can sync with things like Google and Yahoo Calendar, but the real key here, as with other new features we'll tell you about, is how nicely its pairs with iOS, syncing your reminders and lists across your various iDevices. It's easy to see this feature becoming a handy part of some people's daily routines, but Reminders also isn't likely to turn you into a list-making type if you're not already.

Notes



If you got excited by the prospect of Reminders, boy are you going to like Notes. Another juiced-up iOS feature, Notes is a simple way to, well, you know, make notes about stuff. Like its mobile counterpart, the OS X version is designed to look like a legal pad, complete with ripped edges. Apple takes advantage of the additional screen space by adding a search function up top, along with a side column listing all of your notes.

Double click a note, and it'll pop up in its own window, which will live on top of the desktop even after you close the Notes window. The OS X app also allows for richer features like images, links and additional fonts. Again, not the most titillating feature in the world, but the big selling point is the fact that your various jottings can be synced via iCloud. Again, not a bad thing at all.

Notification Center


At last, one of the more prominent features in Mountain Lion. It's a small aesthetic change at first glance, but it will arguably go the furthest toward altering your workflow, if and when you first make that leap to 10.8. When you first fire up the operating system, you'll see a circle icon on the far right side of the top menu bar, where the Spotlight lives in Lion (that's since slid over to the left, ever so slightly). It's best described as a target with a black hole at its center. Get a message and the center of the target lights up blue, and an alert pops up in the new notification stream.

Click the icon once, and the desktop background will shift to the right (the dock on the bottom and the menu bar up top stay put). In keeping with Apple's previous attempts to make your trackpad more touchscreen-like, you can also pull this off with a two-fingered swipe. Click on the menu icon, swipe in the other direction or tap anywhere on the desktop, and everything will shift back to normal.

If you've ever wondered what Apple was saving for the area just to the right of the main desktop, here's your answer -- this is where your notifications live. That iOS 5 feature, which took a few cues from Android, lives here on the Mac. So, get used to pulling to the left, not from the top. It's a change that makes sense given the Mac family's screen orientation; there's just more real horizontal screen real estate to make use of. Though the placement is different, the notifications sidebar is nearly identical to the iOS version, right down to the lightly crosshatched gray background.


Unlike Launchpad and other Lion features you could easily avoid in daily use, Notifications are tough to ignore. When installing 10.8, you'll be prompted to tie in all of your accounts, and once you do, messages become a part of your desktop, with a steady stream of banners lining the right side of the screen. Mail, messages, reminders and the like will pop up, stick around for five seconds and then migrate over to the notification center. Alerts like system upgrades and calendar events will stay put until you manually shoo them away.

Notifications might be our favorite addition in Mountain Lion.

Of course, all of this is quite customizable -- you can toggle between banners and alerts, add and remove sounds or even take notifications out of the equation entirely if you're easily distracted. Still, we'd recommend sticking with them for a bit -- Notifications might well be our favorite addition in Mountain Lion. Apple will also be opening the feature up to developers via an API, which will let them build notifications to go with their Mac apps.

Share Sheets


What's that? You say you want more mobile functionality built into Mountain Lion? Great news, everyone! Apple is baking its sharing button into a good deal of native Mac apps, allowing you to instantly share content from your desktop via email, message, AirDrop and third-party services like Twitter, Flickr and Vimeo. Frankly, it's a somewhat surprising addition. After all, while the functionality makes sense on iOS, where it can be difficult to toggle between apps, you don't tend to hear all that many people complaining about the difficulty of switching between programs on PCs. In fact, that's one of the key things that to this day separates the Mac experience from its iPad counterpart.

That said, the addition of small arrow icons for sharing content from Safari, Preview, Photo Booth, QuickTime and the like (iPhoto is still in the coming soon stages) is a nice feature. Click one of those arrows and you'll see an animated window with a thumbnail for the shared item and a list of local computers with AirDrop enabled. Choosing, say, Message, will black out the rest app, save for a small pop-up window, where you'll enter the recipients name and some text.

As Mountain Lion moves toward a wide release, Apple will likely partner with services beyond Twitter and the others we mentioned. We're really curious to see if the company opts to embrace services by Google (YouTube, please) and Microsoft -- not that we're getting our hopes up.

Twitter


Yep, Twitter gets its own section. Why? Apple loves Twitter, that's why. Not enough for Tim Cook to get his own account or anything, but enough to sprinkle the microblogging service throughout the operating system. For starters, there's the aforementioned integration with Share Sheets (or Tweet Sheets, as Apple has cutely branded them), which let you tweet directly from various apps. Twitter usernames and profile pics have been added to Contacts cards, and tweets will soon be integrated into Mountain Lion's notification stream. The feature is set to be built into the Mac App Store as well, at some later date.

Game Center

Here's one that's not quite ready for prime time. Game Center will be coming soon to a Mountain Lion developer preview near you, but as of this writing it's not quite there. Given the success of the app, which boasts some 100 million registered users, it's probably no shocker that Apple's imported the feature along with various other iOS offerings. As you'd expect, if you've used iOS recently, this brings social gaming to the desktop, letting you play against friends, keep track of high scores and carry on voice chats with opponents.

AirPlay Mirroring


Unfortunately, we had no luck getting this feature to work. Whether it was an issue with our network or just the fact that this was an early build, we can't really say. This is all pretty straightforward, though -- the AirPlay Mirroring you've come to know and love on your iPad is coming to your desktop. If you've got a Mac, high-def television and also an Apple TV, you're good to go. Set up those last two, and you'll see a triangle-in-a box icon pop up on the top toolbar, letting you stream 720p video to your HD display. Apple is also working to let users stream full-screen content directly from iTunes. Interestingly, due to rights concerns, some content will be blacked out on your desktop while playing back on the HDTV.

Gatekeeper

And what of security? Apple's here to reassure us that just because OS X has a reputation for being relatively malware-free, that doesn't mean the company isn't actively working to gird the OS against various threats. In a sense, Gatekeeper is an attempt to extend the company's infamous (but secure) App Store vetting process to the entire web, creating a way to identify and block unsafe applications regardless of where they came from.

The company is basically offering registered developers, with Developer IDs, the opportunity to create a secure certificate. Those developers will use that certificate to digitally sign any applications they create. Apps that are thusly signed can be safely downloaded and installed to Mountain Lion but, if Apple discovers any cause for concern with apps created by said developer, all apps signed by that certificate can be blocked.

There's more flexibility here than in the App Store, thankfully. Users can opt into three security settings, with the most strict allowing only software from the Mac App Store to be installed. The next step down allows software to be installed from anywhere, but all software must be signed as described above. The final option is to open the gates and allow anything to be installed from anywhere.

Even if you use the second security option there is a manual override, which could be useful if you really want to install that older version of TweetDeck you found online.

Chinese


Mountain Lion also brings a litany of improvements for Chinese speakers, including better word and phrase suggestions, autocorrect, enhanced handwriting recognition and the ability to type in English without changing keyboard settings. The popular Chinese search engine Baidu will be built into Safari, and services like Sina Weibo, Youku and Tudou will fill out the Share Sheet options.

Outlook


It was with Lion that we really started to see a blurring of the lines between mobile and desktop, and in a lot of ways, Mountain Lion delivers on that promise. Really, it's not unlike what we're seeing in the still-evolving Windows 8 and, to a lesser extent, Ice Cream Sandwich, which is determined to create some unity between Android phones and tablets.

Of course, 10.8 is more than simply a mobile operating system ported to the desktop -- what we're seeing are ongoing revisions to a robust desktop OS. There's still plenty that OS X can do that the iPhone and iPad can only dream of. After all, features like Mission Control and Launch Pad are ultimately built on top of a rich desktop experience, and much like the Mac App Store, users can largely ignore them (though you'll be missing out if you do).

Mountain Lion feels like yet another step on a longer-term journey for Apple.

Like its predecessor, Mountain Lion feels transitional. It seems like yet another step on a longer-term journey for the company -- a strategy Apple has hinted, at but never fully mapped out in public. For the most part, these moves are promising -- given the number of gadgets we carry around at any one time, a push toward integrating the mobile and desktop bits can't be a bad thing. What's slightly troubling, however, is the company's apparent attempt to exert as tight a control on its desktop operating system as it currently wields over iOS. Look at Apple's fight against jail-breaking: the outfit will go to great lengths to maintain quality control. Apple is simply taking pains to block bogus apps, but even that can be a slippery slope. In the company's defense, it is offering users the ability to opt out -- a courtesy not offered in the iOS App Store. As long as Apple sticks to that kind of relative openness on the desktop, we should be in good shape.

As always, we're going to reserve final judgement until we can test a final version of the OS. For now, though, we like what we see. This may not be the jump to OS 11 we were expecting after Lion, but it certainly marks a promising step forward for the OS -- and one that's arriving a mere year (give or take) after its predecessor. And as for price? Apple isn't talking, but it seems a safe bet that it'll run around the same price as Lion.

PSA: AT&T's Galaxy Note does not support AWS for HSPA+

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 04:03 AM PST

Specs aren't always accurate, especially when it comes to the frequencies supported by the devices we review -- something we learned the hard way with T-mobile's G2x last year. While both Samsung and AT&T list the radios in the awesome new Galaxy Note LTE as quadband GSM / EDGE, tri-band UMTS / HSPA+ (850 / 1900 / 2100MHz) and dual-band LTE (1700 and 700MHz, bands 4 and 17) we've read emails, tweets and comments suggesting that Samsung's giant phone (or little tablet?) is also compatible with AWS (1700 MHz) for HSPA+, which is used by T-Mobile in the US. Bell, which carries the same Galaxy Note in Canada, shows it supporting 1700MHz for HSPA+, further adding to the confusion. Of course, it's possible the Canadian handset is slightly different, but we wanted to verify the radio specs for AT&T's model so we unlocked our white review unit with the help from our friends at Negri Electronics. The verdict? AT&T's Galaxy Note does not support AWS for HSPA+ -- it's EDGE only on T-Mobile USA. Sure, it's rather unfortunate considering Samsung's flagship unlocked Galaxy Nexus features a pentaband HSPA+ radio, but to be clear, the same restriction applies to the global non-LTE version of the Galaxy Note that we reviewed last year.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 probably gets a thumbs-up from the FCC

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 03:38 AM PST

Unless Samsung's produced yet another 7-inch tablet that's unannounced, we can be reasonably sure that the slate seen departing the FCC's underground bunker is the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0). Eagle-eyed viewers will notice the back plate in the image above resembles the Tab 7.0 Plus -- but don't write in just yet, as the documents confirm the GT-P310 (Plus) schematic was used to disguise this new GT-P3113. The usual multimeter-and-ruler prodding revealed there's a Broadcom radio module with 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 tucked inside. It jibes with what we've heard about an initial UK release for the device in March, but perhaps the company is ensuring it has worldwide approval, or that the USA can start getting excited about the budget ICS device a little sooner than expected.

AT&T's hungry eyes turning toward Leap, Dish or MetroPCS?

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 02:44 AM PST

Publicly, at least, AT&T is bursting at the seams as it runs out of space to put all of its customers. The failed $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile was all about trying to match (or better) Verizon's reserves of wireless spectrum. Given the FCC's blocking of LightSquared and stymieing of future spectrum auctions for the time being, AT&T needs to make some more acquisitions -- the $1.9 billion purchase of Qualcomm's small slice of the airwaves isn't enough. If the Wall Street Journal is to be believed, there's a whiteboard in Whitacre Tower with Dish, Leap and MetroPCS written all over it. Reportedly, a purchase of Leap is the nearest to fruition, with "under the table" talks already underway. However, the Cricket Wireless operator would only provide a short-term solution to Ma Bell's very long-term woes. The other big target is Dish Network's reserved spectrum, kept back for its own planned broadband network, but if it fails to get Government approval, it might look to offload it. Third on the roster and marked as "highly unlikely" is a purchase of MetroPCS. The carrier was bitterly opposed to the T-Mo merger and pouted at the idea of purchasing some of Big Blue's divested assets, so if those two met around a table, they'd have a lot of awkward apologizing to do.

Image courtesy of Fierce Mobile Content

Fujitsu roadmap hints at Windows 8 arrival in Q4, reveals Ultrabooks and slates too

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 02:00 AM PST

This slide was reportedly displayed at a press conference yesterday, but perhaps it gives away a little bit more than Fujitsu -- or at least Microsoft -- would have intended. The box on the far right appears to show a tablet with a Metro-style UI and it clearly says "Win8 Launch" and "Q4 2012," even though there is still no official launch schedule for the operating system. Of course, the slide might specifically be referring to the introduction of a Fujitsu tablet running Windows 8, in which case the OS itself may be planned to launch earlier -- and indeed previous leaks and rumors have suggested the new Windows will be a summertime baby.

In other news, the slide also notably shows two Ultrabooks planned for May, perhaps taking the little and large approach we've seen from Samsung, as well as a hybrid slate and possible Transformer Prime rival, due in September. Will it be enough to reverse the manufacturer's fortunes?

Xbox 360 system update gets its colors in order, makes it mandatory

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 01:55 AM PST

Remember those color problems experienced by some Xbox 360 users after last year's dashboard update? Microsoft appears to have fixed the issue in its latest system update, although it will take time for the fix to roll out across the associated apps -- we've been told this will happen over the next few months. Its Sony rival also rolled out its own (optional) update for the PS3 yesterday, improving "certain aspects" of the UI. The Xbox team promise that their update will also increase performance, but don't take their word for it; the update is rolling out now -- let us know how it goes.

Kodak gets court approval to borrow $950 million, end theater sponsorship

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 12:53 AM PST

Kodak took another step along the road to recovery yesterday, after receiving court approval to borrow $950 million in restructuring funds. Nearly a month after the camera maker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, US Bankruptcy Judge Allen Gropper granted Kodak's request on Thursday, allowing the company to continue operations during its ongoing transition. Gropper's decision, handed down in a Manhattan court, follows a series of negotiations between Kodak and its lenders, and adds an extra $300 million to the $650 million awarded during January's Chapter 11 filing. The company is also allowed to end its sponsorship of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, after successfully arguing that doing so would be in the best interest of Kodak and its creditors. Under the deal, Kodak is obliged to pay $72 million over the course of 20 years. It currently shells out $3.6 million per year and still has $38 million in outstanding payments, but Kodak's lawyers argued that the agreement was too costly. Kodak Chairman and CEO Antonio Perez issued the following statement in response to yesterday's decision: "Today's agreement is another step towards ensuring that Kodak is positioned to execute on the goals the Company set out last month: Bolster our liquidity in the U.S. and abroad, monetize our non-strategic intellectual property, fairly resolve legacy liabilities, and enable Kodak to focus on its most valuable business lines."
Show full PR text
Eastman Kodak Company Receives Court Approval of Completed Debtor-in-Possession Financing

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 15–Eastman Kodak Company ("Kodak" or the "Company") (OTB: EKDKQ.PK) announced today that Judge Allan L. Gropper of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York entered a final order approving the Company's debtor-inpossession financing for $950 million between Kodak and its lenders and second-lien bondholders.

Antonio M. Perez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated: "Today's agreement is another step towards ensuring that Kodak is positioned to execute on the goals the Company set out last month: Bolster our liquidity in the U.S. and abroad, monetize our non-strategic intellectual property, fairly resolve legacy liabilities, and enable Kodak to focus on its most valuable business lines."

Kodak and its U.S. subsidiaries filed to reorganize its U.S. business under Chapter 11 on Jan. 19. Non-U.S. subsidiaries were not part of the filing. The $950 million includes the initial $650 million approved as part of the First Day Motions, as well an additional $300 million in incremental availability.

The Company and its Board of Directors are being advised by Lazard, AlixPartners LLP, and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

DARPA planning high-speed wireless for soldiers in the field

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 12:04 AM PST

DARPA has its hands and, more importantly, its money in just about everything. Weapons, robots, thermal sensors -- it's a staple of the scientific community. But, it's also a military agency with basic needs, like internet access. The research group's newest project doesn't carry heavy loads (unless you're weighing your cargo in kilobytes) and can't break the sound barrier, but it should be able to deliver 4G speeds to even the most remote of battlefields. DARPA has $11.8 million set aside for its Mobile Hotspots program which will use millimeter-wave signals to deliver high-speed data connections to dismounted soldiers, forward-operating bases and tactical centers. Most importantly, each node in the network extends its range building out a mesh that isn't reliant on existing infrastructure. For more details hit up the PR after the break.
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DARPA TO DEVELOP MOBILE MILLIMETER-WAVE BACKHAUL NETWORKS

February 10, 2012

Advanced communications backbone envisioned to support dismounted warfighters in austere locations

Providing high-bandwidth communications for troops in remote forward operating locations is not only critical but also challenging because a reliable infrastructure optimized for remote geographic areas does not exist. When you introduce additional needs, such as communication support for data feeds from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) transmitting information to troops on patrol in remote areas, you face a host of new challenges where dropped signals can create a serious threat to a warfighter's situational awareness.

DARPA's recently announced Fixed Wireless at a Distance program seeks to tackle the problem of stationary infrastructure designed specifically to overcome the challenge inherent with cell communication in remote areas.

To overcome the challenge of data transmission in remote areas outside forward operating locations, the Agency's Mobile Hotspots program intends to develop and demonstrate a scalable, mobile, millimeter-wave communications backbone with the capacity and range needed to connect dismounted warfighters with forward-operating bases (FOBs), tactical operations centers (TOCs), intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets, and fixed communications infrastructure. The backbone should also provide reliable end-to-end data delivery among the hotspots, as well as from ISR sources and command centers to the hotspot users. In essence, Mobile Hotspots seeks to provide cell-tower-class performance without the infrastructure.

The program envisions air, mobile and fixed assets, most of which are organic to the deployed unit, that provide a gigabit-per-second tactical backbone network extending to the lowest-echelon warfighters. To achieve this, the program seeks to develop advanced pointing, acquisition and tracking (PAT) technologies, not commercially available, needed to provide high connectivity to the forward-located mobile hotspots. Advanced PAT technology is key for connectivity to small UAVs, for example, enabling them to serve as flying nodes on the mobile high-speed backbone.

"While some advanced commercial millimeter-wave components can be leveraged for this program, the technical challenge is more complex given the infrastructure and terrain challenges of a forward-operating locations," said Dick Ridgway, DARPA program manager. "Mobile Hotspots will require the development of steerable antennas, efficient millimeter-wave power amplifiers, and dynamic networking to establish and maintain the mobile data backhaul network. We anticipate using commercial radio protocols, such as WiFi, WiMax or LTE [Long Term Evolution], as a cost-effective demonstration of the high-capacity backbone. However, the millimeter-wave mobile backbone developed during this program will be compatible with other military radios and protocols."

Additionally, the program seeks novel technologies to increase the transmission power to provide adequate ranges within the small size, weight, and power (SWAP) constraints required for company-level unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

To view the Broad Agency Announcement, go here.

Aquos SH-06D and Medias Tab N-06D are waterproof, Nottv-ready and official in Japan

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:02 PM PST

NTT DoCoMo has launched two waterproof Android devices in the glare of the rising sun, and interestingly both are compatible with Japan's new "V-High" broadcasting service -- which means they'll receive the much-hyped multimedia Nottv channel once it starts transmitting on April 1st, as well as the usual one-seg transmissions. We already peeped the Sharp Aquos SH-06D in an FCC filing, but now we know a couple more tidbits: namely that there's a 4.5-inch HD glasses-free 3D display on top of a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. The Medias tablet has a similar processor and also sports a seven-inch WXGA HD display, a thickness of less than 10mm (0.4-inches) plus compatibility with DoCoMo's "Xi" LTE service. Not bad for a morning's work.

Hong Kong court allegedly sides with Apple in iPad name dispute

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 09:44 PM PST

If you've been following the latest bub around the hub, you may remember Apple's recent scuff with Shenzhen-based Proview Technology -- the Chinese outfit that holds the local trademark on the name "iPad." Not only did Apple lose a trademark lawsuit for the iPad name, but some time later mainland government had the slabs removed from retailers in the city of Shjiazhuang. Now, Apple's claiming that a Hong Kong court has sided with it in a similar battle, saying in a statement to China Daily that they purchased "Proview's worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago," referring, perhaps, to the deal they made Taiwanese arm of the company, "Proview refuses to honor their agreement with Apple." Xie Xianghui, Proview's lawyer, shot back with his own statement, explaining that the court merely ruled that the trademark couldn't be sold to a third party before hearing ends, claiming that this move does not count as a ruling in Apple's favor. Xie went on to suggest the issue stemmed from Apple underestimating the legal complications of doing business in China.

Apple v. Samsung: Cupertino's latest complaint alleges 17 devices infringe 8 of its patents

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 09:24 PM PST

Apple v. Samsung: Cupertino's latest complaint alleges 17 devices infringe 8 of its patentsWe were waiting for the details of Apple's new lawsuit in its global battle against Samsung, and now that the court has posted the complaint, we have them. These fresh allegations claim Sammy has... you guessed it, infringed upon Apple's intellectual property. Turns out, there are eight patents at issue, with four of the patents in question having been granted since the last time Apple filed suit against the Korean firm. Among these are patents for missed call management, slide-to-unlock and data-syncing technology. Apple isn't just targeting the Galaxy Nexus with this suit as previously thought, either. In fact, at least 17 devices are alleged to have infringed, including all the US Galaxy S II variants, both the Galaxy Player 4.0 and 5.0, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and Galaxy Tab 8.9. So, should the Northern District of California decide to grant Apple's request for a preliminary injunction, a hefty chunk of Samsung's mobile products will be barred from store shelves here in the States. It'll be a bit before we hear Sammy's side of the story, but for now, you can see all of Apple's latest legal arguments below.

Music Smasher searches Spotify, Rdio, MOG and more in one shot

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 08:34 PM PST

When it comes to streaming music services are you something of an agnostic? That's not necessarily a bad thing -- Spotify, Rdio, MOG, Grooveshark, etc... all have their strengths and weaknesses (Spotify, for example, is a great source for Norwegian black metal). The trouble is, it's neither fun nor easy to jump from app to app, web site to web site just to find what you're looking for. Music Smasher simplifies things by letting you search most of the big sources in online streaming tunes simultaneously. It trolls the four services mentioned earlier, as well as SoundCloud and Bandcamp. Well, it searches Grooveshark in theory, but every query we tried simply returned undefined results. Hit up the source to try it out for yourself.

European Parliament approves January 2013 deadline for 4G spectrum free up

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 07:29 PM PST

Back in November, the European Commission, European Parliament and its member states agreed on plans to repurpose their 800MHz frequency bands for 4G mobile networks. Today, that decision has been officially approved. The Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP) has been set up to coordinate the use of this spectrum for fourth-generation services across the continent. Currently, 800MHz is used for analog television, but the new ruling gives member nations until the 1st of January 2013 to switch over to digital and authorize the band for its new role. Those nations dragging their heels can obtain an exemption, but mobile operators will be eager to see the spectrum freed up before then if possible. Swedish politician Gunnar Hökmark, who pushed for the legislation, hopes that it could lead to the EU having the fastest mobile broadband worldwide. Just don't tell AT&T.

Sony finalizes divorce with Ericsson, renames itself Sony Mobile Communications

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 06:19 PM PST

More than half of America's married couples will tell you, breaking up is hard. Hard and expensive. After living in denial, dodging rumors and eventually coming to terms with the inevitable, Sony has finally taken over Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson's 50-percent stake in the pair's former joint venture, a move that was earlier reported to have cost €1.05 billion ($1.37 billion) to complete. The now fully Sony owned Sony Ericsson will be renamed Sony Mobile Communications, though a few of the outfit's already announced children are keeping their papa's name. Hit the break for Sony's small press release.
Show full PR text
Sony Completes Full Acquisition of Sony Ericsson

Sony to Rename the Company Sony Mobile Communications and Accelerate Business Integration
February 16, 2012, Tokyo, Japan - Sony Corporation ("Sony") today announced that the transaction to acquire Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson's ("Ericsson") 50% stake in Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB ("Sony Ericsson") has been completed as of February 15, 2012 (Central European time). This marks the completion of the transaction jointly announced by Sony and Ericsson on October 27, 2011, and makes Sony Ericsson a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony.

Sony will rename Sony Ericsson "Sony Mobile Communications", and further integrate the mobile phone business as a vital element of its electronics business, with the aim of accelerating convergence between Sony's lineup of network enabled consumer electronics products, including smart phones, tablets, TVs and PCs.

Yale Physicists develop quantum computing error correction, are a qubit pleased with themselves

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 05:06 PM PST

We're big fans of quantum computing, and hopefully it's about to get a lot more reliable. Researchers at Yale have demonstrated quantum error correction in a solid state system for the first time. Quantum bits were created from "artificial" atoms using superconducting circuits, these qubits are then given either of the typical bit states of "1" or "0," or the quantum state of both simultaneously. The researchers developed a technique that identifies each qubit's initial state, so any erroneous changes can be reversed on the fly. Until now, errors have been a barrier in quantum computing, accumulating and ultimately causing computational failure. A reliable means of fixing these state changes is essential to developing a computer with an exponential speed-up, and fully realizing the quantum dream. The team at Yale hopes that this research might mean its platform of superconducting circuits becomes the one upon which quantum computing is ultimately built. We, on the other hand, just want our parallel universe.

Time Warner Cable targets end of March for live TV on Android, MyTWC on iOS now

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 04:14 PM PST

Time Warner Cable promised live TV streaming would make the leap from iOS to Android devices after Ice Cream Sandwich rolled out, and now Director of Digital Communication Jeff Simmermon tweets that it could go live by the end of March. That's described as a "very loose" date however, so don't get your Tab's and Nexus' hopes up to high just yet. This comes just after it launched a beta for live TV streaming to PCs, and on the same day the company revealed the formerly Android-exclusive MyTWC app for iOS. It handles more mundane tasks like bill payment, call forwarding and voicemail, but interested subscribers can grab the free app from iTunes at the link below.

SEC sides with Beastie Boys' Mike D, says AT&T must allow shareholder vote on net neutrality

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 03:37 PM PST

Michael Diamond may be best known as Mike D of the Beastie Boys, but he's also an AT&T shareholder, and he's now played a central role in forcing a shareholder vote on net neutrality. He, along with his wife Tamra Davis and John P. Silva of Silva Artist Management previously submitted a proposal to AT&T arguing that shareholders should be allowed to vote a resolution that recommended the company "publicly commit to operate its wireless broadband network consistent with network neutrality principles." AT&T unsurprisingly rejected that proposal, stating that it would "directly interfere with its network management practices," but the SEC has now stepped in and said that net neutrality has become a "significant policy consideration," and that it can no longer be excluded from shareholder ballots. As Bloomberg Businessweek notes, companies can challenge the SEC's findings in court, although it remains to be seen if AT&T or other carriers will take that step. No further word from Mike D on the matter, so we'll take this opportunity to share another important message of his after the break.

[Image credit: Fabio Venni / Wikimedia Commons]


FCC seeks to streamline licensing requirements for 800MHz band

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 03:03 PM PST

A new proposal set forth by the FCC would modify the Commission's licensing requirements of the 800MHz band by replacing its current site-based model with more contemporary geographic guidelines. Commissioners argue the change is needed, as site-based rules were originally established to consider the propagation of analog signals -- now obsolete by anyone's standards. The move would bring the licensing requirements of the 800MHz spectrum to parity with the 700MHz, AWS and PCS bands and reduce a boatload of paperwork along the way by eliminating current data collection requirements. The proposal would also create a new, two-stage auction process for the unlicensed areas, based on the new geographic approach. The FCC is now seeking public comment, and its PR can be found after the break.

[Tower photo via Shutterstock]
Show full PR text
FCC SEEKS TO REFORM AND MODERNIZE CELLULAR LICENSING REQUIREMENTS

Issues Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order to Reduce Regulatory Burdens

Washington, D.C.-The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took steps today to promote government efficiency and eliminate burdensome regulatory processes by providing licensees with greater flexibility to provide advanced communications service in areas currently unlicensed in the 800 MHz Cellular Service (Cellular Service).

Consistent with its regulatory reform agenda, the FCC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and adopted an Order proposing to revise the licensing model for the Cellular Service from a site-based to a geographically-based approach. This proposal would first reduce regulatory requirements in the most licensed markets while preserving the current model for a period to foster the provision of service in less licensed markets.

Since its inception approximately 30 years ago, the Cellular Service has transformed the communications landscape by making mobile services broadly available to the American public. For many years, the Cellular Service's licensing model helped successfully drive widespread construction and initial service to the public. Today, most Cellular Service markets are almost completely licensed, with only limited unlicensed Cellular Service area remaining; as such, the site-based model is yielding diminished returns. As regions become substantially developed, the significant administrative burdens on licensees associated with the site-based model may no longer outweigh the public benefits.

The proposal for a geographically-based model would bring the Cellular Service into harmony with more flexible licensing schemes used successfully by other similar mobile services, such as PCS, the 700 MHz Service, and AWS. This proposal would eliminate burdensome application filings for even minor technical system changes and would allow for greater licensee ability to adapt to technological and marketplace changes.

Specifically, the FCC proposes to issue geographic area "Overlay Licenses" authorizing build-out in all remaining unlicensed area and in any area vacated by existing incumbents through competitive bidding, in two stages. Stage I of the transition would include all Cellular Service markets that meet the FCC's proposed "Substantially Licensed" test. In this stage, site-based licensing would end in those markets, and the Overlay Licenses would be assigned via competitive bidding. The site-based regime would continue, however, in all other Cellular Service markets for a proposed seven-year period until Stage II of the transition. This proposal includes continued protection of incumbents from harmful interference throughout all stages of the transition.

The FCC further proposes to streamline the Cellular Service rules, including, for example, updating application requirements and deleting seven outdated data collection requirements, such as certifications associated with stopping analog service, or the "analog sunset." The elimination of these seven data collection requirements, if adopted, will bring to 32 the number of unnecessary data collections eliminated by the FCC. The Commission's actions to end these data collections are consistent with two Executive Orders that called on federal agencies to review rules and regulations and ensure they are cost-effective and do not place unnecessary burdens on industry.

The FCC also adopted an Order imposing a freeze on the filing of certain Cellular applications while establishing interim procedures for currently pending applications. These steps will help ensure a more efficient and orderly rulemaking, consistent with numerous prior Commission actions, while allowing some flexibility for continued expansion of service to consumers in many markets.

Action by the Commission February 15, 2012, by Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Order (FCC 12-20). Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners McDowell and Clyburn. Separate statements issued by Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners McDowell and Clyburn. Docket No.: WT Docket No.12-40

For further information, contact Nina Shafran (202-418-2781; Nina.Shafran@fcc.gov).

Insert Coin: Aqua Tek S wants to be your desert island iPhone case

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 02:28 PM PST

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.
Have any immediate plans to go to war, escape nuclear fallout or get shipwrecked in the middle of the Pacific? Boy has Snow Lizard got the iPhone case for you. The Aqua Tek S is rugged, waterproof, battery-powered, solar panel-packing and in some cases camouflaged -- all said, it looks to be a beast of an iPhone 4 / 4S case that'll make your Otterbox case look like Samuel L. Jackson in Unbreakable. The twist ending here is that the case is currently seeking funding over on Kickstarter, with less than a month to reach its lofty goal of $75,000. When it hits, it's expected to run a pricey $130. Press info and a video of the case in action, after the jump.



Show full PR text
Snow Lizard Products Kicks off Aqua Tek S

Park City, Utah – February 15, 2012 – Snow Lizard Products, designers of mobile accessories that enhance usability, increase security and protect the latest technologies, unveiled the AQUA TEK S, the first ever battery powered, solar charged, rugged under water iPhone 4/4S case on Kickstarter. Snow Lizard is looking for support from technology enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies alike to make this product a reality.

Whether you're skiing a black diamond slope, fly fishing at your favorite lake, snorkeling an epic reef or kicking it back poolside, the AQUA TEK S provides rugged protection in any environment. Waterproof up to 20 feet and designed to withstand drops, falls and accidental spills, the outer shell is made from tough Poly-carbonate materials with rubber grips for added protection.

Hike, ski, camp, lounge and play longer, the AQUA TEK S' built in battery and solar charger gives users peace of mind about running out of power. Easily secure your phone in the AQUA TEK S with a top loading lid that fully protects the iPhone, yet providing access to the camera, volume buttons, speakers and Multi-touch display.

"The iPhone is a great device but is too fragile to withstand the rigors of the outdoor enthusiast," said Andreas Haase, who is part of the AQUA TEK S development team. "With AQUA TEK S take your iPhone to places where no iPhone has gone before, this is the perfect solution for rock climbers, river rafters and beach bums alike."

AQUA TEK is expected to retail for $129.99 and with a pledge of $100, you have the chance to receive one of the first AQUA TEK S cases in signal orange, black night and urban camo. Other pledge contributors will receive the following:

Pledge $25 and receive a Snow Lizard Polo and opportunity to be one of the first to purchase the AQUA TEK S case
Pledge $175 and receive 2 AQUA TEK S cases and for a pledge of $350 receive 4 cases
Pledge $1,000 and receive 2 Ski passes to Park City Mountain Resort or Deer Valley and 4 AQUA TEK S case (limited to the first 20 contributors)
Pledge $5,000 and receive a distribution package of 100 customizable AQUA TEK S cases or a weekend in Park City for 4 days at a resort of your choice with 4 guests and 4 AQUA TEK S (Limited to 10 contributors)

MLG tinkering with streaming fees during Winter Arena tourny

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 02:01 PM PST

Sometimes being successful at certain bits comes with a cost, and that's exactly what's happening over at MLG HQ. According to Forbes, the Major League Gaming circuit has seen tremendous demand for its streaming services during tournaments, which up until now could be enjoyed in low-res without taking a hit on your wallet. However, that success is pushing the org to experiment with a different, pricier content model. During the upcoming Winter Arena tourny, those of you who want to watch the Mad Catz-sporting pros will have to pay 20 bucks or $15 if you're already rockin' a gold membership. While the move won't be permanent, it could indeed be a sign of things to come. Do you plan to shell over some cash or sit this round out on the bench? Let us know in the comments below.

Sprint may have dug itself a $65 million hole with LightSquared partnership

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 01:32 PM PST

Sprint and LightSquaredWell, if there's a silver lining for LightSquared in the debacle that has been its attempt to launch a nationwide LTE network, it's that it should be getting a $65 million check from Sprint if everything collapses. The former WiMAX champion and LTE convert may have to return the cash it received as part of a 15 year agreement if the FCC doesn't approve the 4G venture by a March deadline. There is still a chance for an appeal of the commission's decision to reject LightSquared's bid to build an LTE network. But, with the company's inability to solve its vexing GPS issues and increasingly desperate looking maneuvers, we wouldn't be surprised if the check was already in the mail.

NVIDIA reports Q4 2012 earnings: annual revenue up 12.8 percent, net income doubles

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 01:03 PM PST

NVIDIA Q4 earningsIf you thought we were done with the numbers game, think again. NVIDIA has just pushed out its figures for Q4 of FY 2012 and things are looking good. Revenue for the quarter was $953 million, a 10.6 percent decline over Q3, but if you look over the entire year revenue increased 12.8 percent over fiscal 2011. Net income, too, was down compared to Q3, but looking annually, when compared to 2011 income more than doubled, from 253 million to 581. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang was predictably pleased with the outcome, saying: "We expect continued growth ahead, as Tegra 3 powers a new wave of quad-core super phones and Kepler, our next-generation GPU architecture, sets new standards in visual and parallel computing." We're expecting plenty of great devices too -- the Transformer Prime TF700T in particular.


Show full PR text
NVIDIA Reports Financial Results for Annual and Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2012

SANTA CLARA, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/15/2012 -- NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA)

Revenue for the year increased 12.8 percent over fiscal 2011 to $4.00 billion.
GAAP gross margin for the year was 51.4 percent, up 11.6 percentage points; non-GAAP gross margin was 51.9 percent, up 6.8 percentage points.
GAAP EPS for the year rose 118.6 percent; non-GAAP EPS rose 46.9 percent.
Quarterly revenue decreased 10.6 percent to $953.2 million from $1.07 billion in the previous quarter.
GAAP gross margin was 51.4 percent for the quarter; non-GAAP gross margin was 52.5 percent.
Quarterly GAAP EPS were $0.19, down from $0.29 in the previous quarter; non-GAAP EPS were $0.26, down from $0.35 in the previous quarter.
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) today reported revenue for fiscal 2012 ended Jan. 29, 2012 of $4.00 billion, up 12.8 percent from $3.54 billion in fiscal 2011. GAAP earnings per share for the year were $0.94 per diluted share, an increase of 118.6 percent over $0.43 in fiscal 2011. Non-GAAP earnings per share for fiscal 2012 were $1.19, up 46.9 percent over $0.81 in fiscal 2011.

Revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 was $953.2 million, down 10.6 percent from the prior quarter, and up 7.5 percent from $886.4 million in the same period a year earlier.

"I am pleased with our achievements last year. Our GPU business grew sharply. And, with the success of Tegra, we established our position in the mobile market," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and chief executive officer of NVIDIA. "We expect continued growth ahead, as Tegra 3 powers a new wave of quad-core super phones and Kepler, our next-generation GPU architecture, sets new standards in visual and parallel computing."


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Annual Highlights
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(in millions except per FY12 FY11 FY12 FY11
share data) GAAP GAAP NON-GAAP NON-GAAP
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Revenue $3,997.9 $3,543.3 $3,997.9 $3,543.3
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Gross margin 51.4% 39.8% 51.9% 45.1%
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Operating expenses $1,408.2 $1,153.3 $1,245.7 $1,096.4
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Net income $581.1 $253.1 $734.4 $476.4
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Earnings per share $0.94 $0.43 $1.19 $0.81
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Quarterly Highlights
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(in millions except per Q4 FY12 Q3 FY12 Q4 FY12 Q3 FY12
share data) GAAP GAAP NON-GAAP NON-GAAP
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revenue $953.2 $1,066.2 $953.2 $1,066.2
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Gross margin 51.4% 52.2% 52.5% 52.5%
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Operating expenses $367.7 $359.6 $325.2 $317.6
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Net income $116.0 $178.3 $158.1 $217.0
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Earnings per share $0.19 $0.29 $0.26 $0.35
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On a GAAP basis, the company recorded net income of $116.0 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012. That compares with net income of $178.3 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, in the prior quarter and $171.7 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, in the same period a year earlier.

On a non-GAAP basis -- which excludes certain charges or credits, as applicable in the fiscal quarter, and the tax impact associated with such items, including: stock-based compensation, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, other acquisition-related costs, and legal settlements -- net income was $158.1 million, or $0.26 per diluted share. That compares with non-GAAP net income of $217.0 million, or $0.35 per diluted share, in the prior quarter, and net income of $142.4 million, $0.24 per share, in the same period a year earlier.

GAAP gross margin was 51.4 percent, compared with 52.2 percent in the previous quarter and 48.1 percent in the same period a year earlier. Non-GAAP gross margin, which excludes stock-based compensation and a legal settlement charge, was 52.5 percent and compares with 52.5 percent in the previous quarter and 48.3 percent in the same period a year earlier.

Outlook

Our outlook for the first quarter of fiscal 2013, is as follows:

Revenue is expected to be between $900 million and $930 million.

GAAP gross margins are expected to be 49.2 percent, plus or minus 1 percentage point; non-GAAP gross margins are expected to be 49.5 percent, plus or minus 1 percentage point.

GAAP operating expenses are expected to be approximately $383 million; non-GAAP operating expenses are expected to be approximately $340 million.

GAAP and non-GAAP tax rates are expected to be approximately 20 percent for the fiscal year 2013; and approximately 16 percent for the year, if the research tax credit is reinstated into U.S. tax law. Our annual projected tax rates reflect our expectation for the quarter, excluding any discrete tax events that may occur, which, if realized, may increase or decrease our GAAP and non-GAAP tax rates.
We estimate depreciation and amortization for the first quarter to be approximately $52 million to $56 million. Capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $35 to $45 million.

Diluted shares for the first quarter are expected to be approximately 622.5 million.

Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2012 Highlights:

NVIDIA's Tegra 3® processors started shipping to consumers in the Asus Transformer Prime tablet. The tablet is the first to run Android 4.0, "Ice Cream Sandwich." Asus also announced a $249 tablet to be based on Tegra 3.

Other Tegra 3 devices announced in the quarter include:

Asus Transformer Prime TF700T, similar to the Prime, but with a 1920x1200 resolution display.
Acer Iconia Tab A700, also with a 1920x1200 display.
Lenovo IdeaPad K2, again with a 1920x1200 display.
Fujitsu announced an unnamed Android phone, running Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich."

NVIDIA announced NVIDIA Maximus™ technology, which increases productivity by enabling design and simulation to be accelerated on a single workstation.

HTC to give sneak peek of Sense-coated ICS to a few lucky Europeans

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:52 PM PST

HTC's already said it plans on handing out ICS treats in late March, but the Taiwanese mobile sensation wants to give a selected few the chance to join an early taste test. The Ice Cream Sandwich party is a fairly exclusive affair, with HTC restricting admission to those of you living in the EU and rockin' a Sensation or its Beats-sporting XE variant. The outfit's given no further deets as to how it'll spread the goods -- and to how many more handsets -- or if the teaser will ever make its way to US-based folks. Regardless, we're sure you're hoping to be amongst the chosen ones -- and please do hit us up if at any point you're surprised by a tasty 4.0 update.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0N starts shipping in Germany

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 12:24 PM PST

Just like the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, the 7.0N addresses the legal "issues" surrounding Samsung's slates. The tiny tablet was unveiled last month and now it's starting to hit shelves in Germany with its lawsuit-circumventing redesign in place. It's a little later than anticipated, but our friends in Deutschland can now pick up the tweaked Tabs starting at €499 for a 16GB WiFi version, while an HSPA+ model will set TouchWiz fans back €569.

Google+ iOS app updated, instant image upload in tow

Posted: 15 Feb 2012 11:59 AM PST

This Valentine's Day, the gang over at Google showed iOS users some social-networking love by releasing an update to its Google+ application. Aside from providing "various bug fixes and performance improvements," G+ gave iOS Nation access to a feature that Android users have enjoyed for quite some time: instant photo upload. When configured, the app will automatically -- when running in the background -- send your mobile candids to a private album housed on Google+. After the upload is complete, users are just a few clicks away from sharing the snapshots with their virtual clique; the photos are also, for all intents and purposes, backed up online. This functionality is not new to iOS users, of course -- iCloud's Photo Stream stashes mobile photos to the cloud -- but those that enjoy being swaddled by the Sultan of Search will, undoubtedly, be pleased as punch. Hit the source link, have yourself a download and enjoy.
at 12:10 PM

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