Intellectual Ventures sues Motorola Mobility over Android patents

Patent suits are never ending in the tech world as companies that can’t clearly dominate the market on the strength of their products alone at times turn to the legal system to try and beat the competitors. One of the most recent suits in the tech world is a new suit against Motorola Mobility that was brought against Motorola by Intellectual Ventures. Interestingly Google is one of the investors in Intellectual Ventures (IV).

That investor status puts Google in the odd spot of being involved in a suit against one of the most popular Android smartphone makers around. IV claims that negotiations with Motorola have broken down and led to the suit. The company states that it will not tolerate the ongoing infringements. Both HTC and Samsung currently license patents from IV that have to do with Android devices.
IV holds a vast patent portfolio with 35,000 patents that were acquired by purchasing the IP from other firms and inventors. IV is in fact one of the top five holders of patents in the US. Google has an unknown stake in company with other investors including Microsoft, Intel, Sony, Nokia, Apple, SAP, NVIDIA, and eBay.
[via SlashGear]

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Retailer pegs HTC Sensation XL for October 24 launch

If you believed the HTC line that the Sensation XL would be landing in November, there is reason to believe that may not be the launch date today. A UK retailer called Clove has tipped SlashGear that the launch date of the Sensation XL is actually closer than HTC wants us to believe. According to Clove, the smartphone will land in its stores on October 24 unlocked and SIM free.

Clove didn’t tip the price of the smartphone sadly. The Sensation XL is the Beats Audio smartphone that will ship with a set of Beats headphones. The smartphone is music focused, but it sounds like it will be a nice media phone too thanks to the big 4.7-inch screen. The only bit of letdown for the Sensation XL is that its processor is slower than the processor in the current Sensation.
Due to the larger screen and slower processor, the thought is the price might be the same as the current Sensation. I would not be surprised to see it cost more since Beats Audio is positioned as a premium brand. The video below is the SlashGear hands on so check it out.



[via SlashGear]

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus/Nexus Prime spy video surfaces

Of all the Android smartphones that are coming one of the most interesting of them all is the Nexus Prime or Galaxy Nexus. One of the most interesting things about the coming smartphone is that it is said to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the official launch of the device is expected for next week. Ahead of that official launch, we have some new spy shots and the smartphone has now turned up on video for us to lust over.

The smartphone has a 4.65-inch screen and some screenshot with the leak do seem to confirm that Android 4.0 is Ice Cream Sandwich. We still aren’t sure what all the specs are, there have been differing rumors there. Initially the rumors pegged the device to have a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 5MP camera. A more recent rumor claims the smartphone will pack in the Samsung 1.5GHz processor and a better 8MP camera.
Rumors are now back to saying the rear camera is a 5MP unit with the latest leak. At least we will know all the details for sure next week. The same exact screen shots and video have surfaced on two different sites, Gadget.ro and Mobilissimo, so it’s hard to say who the original source for this story is. What we do know is that the launch is expected to happen at CTIA 2011 next week and we will be there so stay tuned.



[via SlashGear]

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HP searching for answer to TouchPads that shipped with Android installed

This is a very strange story. According to PCWorld, some of the last few HP TouchPad tablets that were built apparently arrived to the buyers with Android installed rather than webOS. The TouchPad tablets are supposed to run webOS and apparently only Android was on the tablet according to some users that received the gadgets.

HP has stated that it never authorized the distribution of any form of Android on the TouchPad. HP also claims that it has reviewed the manufacturing process and believes that no TouchPads were shipped with Android on them by mistake. Apparently the developers that reached out to HP about the Android confusion think since the TouchPad shipped with the Android OS, HP is obligated to tell people what version is being used.
The devs that approached HP have apparently also contacted Qualcomm since some versions of the OS on the TouchPads flash the QulC logo. An investigation is under way to figure out just how Android ended up on the TouchPads when the users received them. It sounds to me like some sort of hoax, we will have to wait and see how this all pans out. I would bet the bulk of the TouchPads that were sold end up running Android so getting it out of the box with Android installed is a good idea for many buyers.
HP’s Phil Robb said:

We presently believe that some person or persons unknown may have facilitated the delivery of these Android-based units strictly against the policy and authorization of HP. Regarding your specific request for source code below, I must decline at the present time. HP has never authorized the distribution of any binaries for Android in association with the HP Touchpad. Therefore, HP is not under any license obligation to provide any corresponding Android source code to you.

[via PCWorld]

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Sweet 3D game converter for LG Optimus 3D hits download in Europe

Back in August during IFA 2011, we talked a bit about the 3D game converter that LG was showing off at the show. The game converter is intended to allow the owners of the LG Optimus 3D smartphone to turn all their 2D video games into 3D games on the fly. That will mean that all of your favorite games can now be enjoyed in 3D.

Optimus 3D owners in Europe will be able to get the new converter in the first Maintenance Release (MR) this month. LG notes that over the next few weeks the MR will be rolled out to other countries allowing other owners to get in on the 3D gaming action. The 3D Game Converter from LG is the first software engine that allows the conversion of Open GL-based 2D games to 3D and then back again at any time.
LG says that the only requirement for the game engine to work is that the game runs Open GL and uses landscape mode. In the future LG will add more cool features to the Optimus 3D. The features will include a 3D video editor that runs on the device, 2D viewing of 3D videos in single screen mode, Dolby Mobile sound, and automatic 2D video stabilization. The game converter can be installed using WiFi by checking for software updates or via a computer.

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Nuance Sweeps Up Swype for $100 Million

Nuance has just recently acquired Swype for $100 million, the text predictive software activated by swiping from letter to letter. Shipping on practically half the Android devices to hit the market, Swype has certainly made an impression with its vast user-base and amount of followers (me being one of them).

There is no word on Nuance changing the current course of Swype’s future, but one can only think Swype is headed to even more exposure beyond the realm of Android. For a multi-billion dollar voice recognition company, it seems very fit for them to make such a purchase. Text prediction through “shape-writing” is very quick and fluid. When paired with specialized voice-recognition technology, the future only looks better.
After viewing the possibilities and capabilities of Apple’s newly introduced “Siri” voice recognition software, Android users are bound to catch up very soon. While speaking to your phone in public may be embarrassing for some, those that do it want it to process right the first time. It is important to take into consideration those of us with heavy accents – and sometimes Android’s stock voice recognition just doesn’t cut it. The ability to learn a person’s voice will play a big part in newer software to come. Hopefully, included within future versions of Swype.
[via allthingsD]

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Verizon’s HTC Rhyme is $79 at Amazon Wireless

The feminine HTC Rhyme is a decent deal at $200, when you consider that it includes a desk dock, matching headphones and the Charm notification light. But at just $79.99 on a new or recurring contract, it’s a steal. Amazon Wireless delivers yet again with a steep discount on a brand new phone.

The Rhyme isn’t the most advanced of Verizon’s offerings right now, but if you’re not swayed by 4-inch screens or dual-core processors, it’s a solid choice. The build quality is typical of HTC high-end phones, and Gingerbread ans Sense 3.5 are responsive on 768Mb of RAM. Electrical contacts built into the back of the phone allow it to rest inside the included dock and automatically connect via Bluetooth for hands-free calls or music. There’s no 4G included, but the hotspot allows you to connect up to five devices to Verizon’s 3G network.
Naturally, the $79.99 deal comes with new two-year activation and a required data plan. Amazon is offering free 2-day shipping to sweeten the deal as well. If you want the Rhyme and its included goodies free and clear, it’ll cost you $439 on Verizon’s website or retail store.

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Motorola Xoom “Family Edition” hitting retail stores

This is an odd one, what we have here is a Motorola Xoom Family Edition that has been spotted and opened up for the cameras from what sources are calling a big box electronic store. We aren’t sure where yet but this Family Edition Xoom looks a bit different, and also seems to have all sorts of family and kid-friendly software pre-installed. Go big Moto, go big.

 Although 4G LTE for the Motorola Xoom is finally here, I was hoping for something a little faster and thinner for the next Xoom like the recently leaked ones we’ve seen. I’m not sure anyone saw this family edition tablet coming, but it’s here so lets check it out. We don’t know much about this, but according to Engadget it has plenty of pre-installed software for family’s or kids with something called “Kids Mode”.

With Kids mode there are a few games and apps, something called Zoodles, and more. They are saying around $40 dollars of stuff all aimed at Family’s. We don’t know anything regarding a price, release date, or internal specs but most likely it features the same dual-core Tegra 2 as the original Xoom. Judging from the picture above its not exactly the same as the original Xoom, for one the camera looks different but before we start breaking things down hopefully Motorola gives us a little confirmation here. We’ll be digging for more details and will update when we see more.
[via Engadget]

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US Cellular’s HTC Flyer tablet takes off on October 7th

Regional carriers are often a little behind the times when it comes to the latest devices, but US Cellular customers usually get a pretty good assortment of new toys to play with. Come October 7th (tomorrow), they can add the HTC Flyer Gingerbread tablet to the list. The 7-inch tablet will cost $399 after a $100 mail-in-rebate at its lowest.

The $399 price requires a two-year contract and at least a $54.99 a month data plan – an expensive proposition for a tablet whose WiFi version is now only $299 at most retailers in the US. HTC dropped the price after competition in the Android tablet world heated up from the Amazon Kindle Fire. The HTC EVO View 4G, the only other version of the Flyer hardware that’s available from a wireless carrier, is $399 without the hassle of a rebate. If you’d like a cheaper data plan, you can purchase the tablet for $599 after rebate on a $15.99/200Mb a month data plan. That’s almost $800 at retail, enough to make the HTC Jetstream sit up and take notice.
Still, buyers can console themselves with the fact that the 2.3 Gingerbread tablet will be getting a Honeycomb upgrade soon, though getting it though the wireless carrier is not a certainty. The Flyer comes with 16GB of on-board memory, a 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, a 1.5GHz processor and a respectable 5 megapixel rear camera.

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