Tag Archive

Is Amazon hiring devs to build a robust web browser for Kindle?

Is Amazon hiring devs to build a robust web browser for Kindle? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple / Nokia federal lawsuit put on hold pending ITC investigation

We normally wouldn’t cover something so procedural, but given the heightened interesting Apple’s patent dealings this week, we thought we’d note that Cupertino’s tiff with Nokia in the federal courts has been put on hold while both companies argue their case before the US International Trade Commission. We expected the ITC to be the primary front in this fight from the start, but now we’ll be particularly focused on the Commission’s ruling, since several of the patent claims Apple’s asserting against Nokia in this case are also being claimed against HTC. We don’t have a timeline on when the Commission will reach a decision, but we’ll keep an eye on things.

Apple / Nokia federal lawsuit put on hold pending ITC investigation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple vs HTC: a patent breakdown

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/tech_news/Apple_vs_HTC_a_patent_breakdown’; Apple suing HTC over 20-odd patents before both the US District Court and the International Trade Commission has certainly caused some chaos this morning, but we thought we’d take a quick breath now that we have the complaints and tease out exactly what patents are at stake here. Of note, most of the patents were granted in the past year, but overall they span a range from 1995 to February 2. Yes, last month. That’s a pretty big gap, and most of the patents are pretty dry and technical — and none of them cover anything like pinch-to-zoom. In fact, you might remember #7,479,949, “Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics” — we blew apart the myth that it was Apple’s “multitouch patent” back when Cupertino was making noise about Palm. It’s impossible for us to say exactly how this case is going to play out — just like the Apple / Nokia lawsuit, it could settle tomorrow, or it could last for 10 years — but what we do know is that Apple’s going after Android as much as it’s going after HTC. Some of these patents are from 15 years ago and cover OS-level behavior, so it’s hard to see how they can relate only to HTC’s implementation of Android and not Google’s OS as a whole. Yeah, it’s wild, and while we’re not going to blow out all 20 patents to sort out what they mean — not yet, anyway — we can certainly walk through the claims. Let’s see what we’ve got.

Continue reading Apple vs HTC: a patent breakdown

Apple vs HTC: a patent breakdown originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple specifically going after Android in HTC lawsuit

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/Apple_specifically_going_after_Android_in_HTC_lawsuit’; There’s no delicate way to put this: at least part of Apple’s patent lawsuit against HTC appears to be a proxy fight for a larger issue with Android as a whole. Apple’s complaint with the International Trade Commission makes an explicit distinction between HTC’s Android devices and its WinMo phones (referred only to as “DSP Products”), and the Android sets are repeatedly called out for infringing certain patents. We don’t know exactly what Apple’s issue is yet — the problem could be the specific way HTC implements Android, rather than Android itself — but it’s certainly a big shot across Google’s bow. We’ll keep reading and let you know what else we find out.

Update: We’ve gone through each of the patents in both lawsuits and we’re more convinced than ever that this lawsuit is really about Android, not HTC. Check here for the full rundown.

Apple specifically going after Android in HTC lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you throw away your console, the terrorists have won

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/playstation/If_you_throw_away_your_console_the_terrorists_have_won’;
In one of those fun, yet uncomfortable, instances where real life and video games interact, Fox News has uncovered a dusty (and old, very old) PlayStation controller during a raid of an Afghanistani farmhouse, which doubled up as a munitions depository. Lying there, in among rockets, grenades, plastic explosives and tank shells, was this humble blue-hued PlayStation appendage, which we’re told can be rewired to act as a remote detonator. Should you question just how seriously the US government is taking this growing tide of console-aided terrorism, below you’ll find a press release (seriously, a state-issued press release) detailing the detainment of four men in connection with the illegal transportation of digital cameras and PlayStation 2s to a “terrorist entity” in Paraguay. If convicted of the most egregious charge, they face 20 years in prison… for contraband consoles. Face, meet palm.

Continue reading If you throw away your console, the terrorists have won

If you throw away your console, the terrorists have won originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Livescribe Pulse Smartpen records heated Delta / airport conversation, leads to chaos

Whoa, Nelly! Talk about a whale of a story. Ben DeCosta, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport’s general manager, loves gadgets. So much, in fact, that he purchased a Livescribe Pulse Smartpen, which is capable of recording audio onto its 4GB of internal storage space. While details on the story remain murky (disputed by both sides, actually), it’s fairly clear that Ben and Delta didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye on everything. To that end, Mr. DeCosta figured he could flip the recorder on during a private conversation between airline executives and personnel from the city of Atlanta, and now the whole thing seems to have backfired. Ben maintains that he didn’t intend to record Delta’s negotiations, and he even went so far as to suggest that Delta stole his pen in order to discredit him. In the end, the city’s investigation found that there was “insufficient evidence that DeCosta intentionally sought to record the private conversations of Delta’s team,” but that’s not stopping Ben from retiring when his contract expires in June. Hit the source link below for the whole drama-filled thing, but unfortunately, the discussions held on the pen have yet to leak. TMZ — you on that, or what?

Livescribe Pulse Smartpen records heated Delta / airport conversation, leads to chaos originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Liquid Image Scuba Mask HD322 with 135 degree Wide Angle Camera

[PMA 2010] Liquid image is upgrading its HD320 underwater camera mask with the upcoming HD322 featuring a 135 degree wide angle lens and HD 720p video. A red light shows that you are recording a video and the blue light indicates that you are in still photo mode, a lock placed on top of the mask prevents the camera to shoot by itself. An optional 4.7 Watt LED torch, necessary to shoot detailed images below 5 meters, can be attached to the mask. (See pictures in the gallery). The HD322 is waterproof to 130 feet and it will be available in May 2010 at an estimated price of $350. If you are at PMA, check the model on display at the International Supplies booth #2381 (the distributor) and check the product page for more info.Watch the Liquid Image YouTube channel where people upload their underwater videos.

Note: the model in the picture is the HD320 that looks exactly the same.

Key Features:

• Wide angle 135
• 5 MP still camera
• Waterproof to 130 feet/40m
• HD 720 P video @ 30 fps
• Micro SD/SDHC slot up to 32 GB (16hrs of video)
• Red and blue LED lights for photo or video mode

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Daily Crunch: Rocket to the Moon Edition

Houston, we have periwinkle
New Gorillapod uses rare earth magnets, sticks to your car
Proactive RAID monitoring from your iPhone
Blip gets reverse-engineered. Proves that the computer was cheating.
Your view doesn’t compare to the new view from the International Space Station

Your view doesn’t compare to the new view from the International Space Station

Where do you live? Columbus? Miami? Paris? Lisbon? Cool, good for you. And I bet you have a nice view of your city’s park or monument, too. That’s fine, but your view doesn’t even compare to this. It’s a photo from the shiny, new observation deck of the International Space Station. That’s the Sahara Desert [...]

Kodak, RIM file International Trade Commission complaint against Apple re: image preview patents

The International Trade Commission must have a pile of Apple-related complaints so high it can… reach some high place. A few months ago Nokia accused Apple of patent infringement, and now there’s word that Kodak and Research in Motion, or RIM as the cool kids say, have also filed a complaint. Kodak says parts of the iPhone’s interface infringe on Kodak patents relating to previewing images.

VoxOx Universal Translator makes multilingual communication a breeze

Despite being launched at Mobile World Congress, VoxOx has yet to make a mobile version of its Universal Translator. That said, the desktop version is still quite useful for those with Windows or OS X-based rigs who attempt to communicate with friends — particularly with friends who speak a different native language. The new software build enables real-time language translation for SMS chat, social media and email, and so long as the VoxOx client is pulled up, you can send and receive any of those messages in your own tongue while receiving translated messages in return. Granted, we get the idea that some phrases will be quite literally lost in translation, but this sure beats accessing Google’s Language Tools for each questionable phrase. Hit the download link below to grab a copy, and head on past the break for a video demonstration of what’s on offer.

Continue reading VoxOx Universal Translator makes multilingual communication a breeze

VoxOx Universal Translator makes multilingual communication a breeze originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beamz laser instrument allows even the tone deaf to rock out for $199

Truth be told, we weren’t sure what to make of this laser harp-looking contraption when we saw it across the room at the International Toy Fair. Eloquently dubbed the Beamz Interactive Music System, it has six laser beam “strings” that when struck by a hand or finger produces one of 100 instrumental sounds. Here’s the catch, though: the standing instrument must be connected to your PC via USB so that it can use its speakers. We think it’s sort of a bummer that you have to be attached to your computer to rock, but the PC software (we’re told Mac is on the way) lets you easily assign an instrument to the laser strings and also includes a variety of popular songs to jam along with. Though it’s been around since 2008, Beamz seems to have wised up and lowered the original $600 pricetag to $199. We realize we could continue to describe this digital instrument in length, but we’d rather you just watch us “play it” and royally embarrass ourselves after the break.

Continue reading Beamz laser instrument allows even the tone deaf to rock out for $199

Beamz laser instrument allows even the tone deaf to rock out for $199 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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