Galaxy Nexus banned in the US, infringes on four Apple patents

Apple has just been granted a temporary injunction against Galaxy Nexus sales in the United States. US Court ruled against Samsung in the patent case, which was initiated in February, but gets its first ruling just now.

Judge Lucy Koh decided that Samsung has infringed four patents, although one specific patent weighs in towards this decision - patent number 8,086,604 ('604). It basically refers to a device being able to search multiple sources through a single interface (Apple's Siri).

The rest of the patents Apple accuses Samsung (and Google) of infringing are patent 5,946,647 (actionable linking), patent 8,046,721 (slide-to-unlock) and patent 8,074,172 (touch screen word suggestion).

For the injunction to go into effect, Apple must post a bond worth $96 million. It's highly likely the final judgement of the US Court to be of the same kind, provided Samsung isn't able to prove it hasn't infringed on the patents in question.

The Court has ruled that if the Galaxy Nexus availability continues it would cause irreparable harm to Apple in the form of lost market share. This was a result of Google highlighting its "Quick Search Box" in Android as "core user feature on Android" ergo on the Galaxy Nexus too.

Via | Source

Xperia Mini ICS update rolls out, check your Sales Item number

Sony have started rolling out the Ice Cream Sandwich update for the Xperia Mini. It'll be released in batches and currently only phones with a certain "Sales Item" number can get it.

To check if the ICS update is available for your device, you have to check its 8-digit Sales Item number which is located under the battery, as shown in the photo on the left.

After you've found it, write it down and search for it in the source link below. If it matches, then your update is waiting for you. If it doesn't, don't worry, as Sony are hard at work at making the update available for more devices.

Keep in mind that Sony can't answer questions such as "When will Sales Item number "XXXX-XXXX" be added to the list?" or "When will country X get the updated?".

Thanks for the tip, Boris!

Source

Flash Player downloads from Play Store to cease starting August 15

Last year, Adobe announced that it is going to stop the development of mobile Flash Player for Android. Adding further nails in that coffin, Adobe has now announced that Flash Player won't be supported in Android 4.1. A prime example of this is the new Nexus 7 tablet, that ships without Flash support.

Furthermore, Adobe has announced that it will cease new Flash Player downloads from the Google Play Store, starting August 15. This means you will no longer see the Flash Player in the Play Store if it is not already installed on your device. Devices that already have the Flash Player installed will continue to receive minor updates and bug fixes post August 15.

Since the Flash Player is not supported in Android 4.1, Adobe is urging users to uninstall it before updating to Android 4.1, as it will not work properly. Also, any future updates to the Flash Player will not work under Android 4.1.

So it seems the era of Flash on Android has come to an end. What was once touted as a key selling point for Android devices is now being killed by its own maker. It doesn't help that Google too wants to distance itself from this archaic technology, as seen by the lack of Flash support in Chrome for Android even under Android 4.0.

It goes without saying that Apple has been instrumental in bringing this change. Sooner or later everyone was going to realize that the emperor was wearing no clothes. It's just that Apple was the first to point this out. Hopefully, the web developers will now finally wake up and adopt more modern technologies such as HTML5 for creating web content.

Source

RIM reports Q1 fiscal results, job cuts and product delays lay ahead

Today RIM announced the quarterly results for the three months ending on June 2, 2012 (what they call Q1 of the fiscal 2013). The Canadian maker of everything BlackBerry reported a net loss of $518 million on $2.8 billion of revenue. The latter is down 33%, compared to the previous quarter, while the net loss is significantly larger than the analysts' estimates. The company has shipped 7.8 million BlackBerry smartphones (down from more than 11 million in the previous quarter) and 260,000 PlayBooks.

The bad news continues with the announced delay of the BlackBerry 10 devices until Q1 of the calendar 2013. Apparently, the integration of some key OS features into the new devices has been going worse than planned. The company's CEO Thorsten Heins however, is still confident that the devices will have what it takes to make it in today's ultra-competitive market.

Furthermore, RIM announced that it will cut additional 5,000 jobs as part of its restructuring efforts. The effort is expected to result in cost savings of $1 billion.

The company expects more tough times ahead, as well as another operating loss in the next quarter. You are welcome to check out all the financial reporting drama in its full grandeur by hitting the source link below.

Source

Microsoft to bring Windows 8 Marketplace in 180 countries

The Microsoft Windows Marketplace was so far only available in 63 countries, and only 38 of those were allowed to submit apps. But now, Microsoft is planning on expanding that list considerably and has announced to bring the new Windows 8 Marketplace to over 180 countries at launch.

Now not only can users from each of those countries browser through and purchase apps but they can also submit apps to the Marketplace. Microsoft is also adding the option to make in-app purchases, providing developers with another way to make money through their apps. Microsoft is also adding a Company Hub for developers who make apps targeted at enterprise users.

To check out the full list of countries that will be getting the Windows 8 Marketplace, click on the source link below.

Source

UK carriers won't offer a subsidized Nokia 808 PureView

If you are a UK resident, hoping to get the 41MP of camera goodness that is the Nokia 808 PureView at a nicely subsidized price, we have some bad news for you. None of the British carriers will be offering the Symbian smartphone, so getting it SIM-free will be your only option.

O2, Three and Everything Everywhere (which is the company behind the UK branches of Orange and T-Mobile) have all confirmed that they won't be carrying the device and so has Vodafone Britain. Virgin Mobile UK has left the door open for further negotiations with Nokia stating that it won't be offering the Nokia 808 PureView "yet", but you shouldn't get your hopes too high.

It's obvious that carriers prefer to subsidize smartphones running on data-hungry platforms like iOS, Android and Windows Phone and the expensive data plans that go with those, so we guess turning a deaf ear to the Nokia 808 PureView was expected. Symbian is not exactly the preferred OS for those who like to constantly stay connected, so carriers have little return on its investments in it.

So, spending about 500 on a Nokia 808 PureView seems like your only chance of getting the device. Still interested?

Source

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ROM leaked for the Galaxy Nexus

It's just been over twelve hours since Google announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a signed copy of the OS has already been leaked online for the Galaxy Nexus.

The leaked ROM is for 'takju', that is, the GSM Galaxy Nexus variant that has Google Wallet support but also runs fine on 'yakju', that is the standard variant of the GSM Galaxy Nexus, without any issues.

If you have either of these devices, click on the source link below and download the ROM. As usual, make sure you know what you're doing. Otherwise, you can always wait till next month to get it officially on your Nexus device.

Update: Industrious XDA-Developers members have already created a rooted Jelly Bean ROM that you can flash with ClockWorkMod. It works on all GSM Nexus units (not just the 'takju' and 'yakju' versions). The ROM is unofficial and unstable, so unless you absolutely need to see Jelly Bean in action, you might want to hold off trying it.

Source 1 Source 2

Unlocked Samsung Galaxy Nexus gets a healthy price reduction

We already know that the Google Nexus 7 is arguably the sweetest way to get into the Android tablet realm. As powerful as it might be however, the slate cannot make phone calls. In on order to make sure you get that base covered in an appropriate fashion, Google has slashed the price of the unlocked Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

The Google phone will set you back only $349 (279; 224) directly from the Google Play store, with no contract commitments of any kind. That kind of cash will get you a HSPA+ version of the smartphone with penta-band 3G support. This means that you can use your device on just about any carrier worldwide.

A pretty sweet price for the first smartphone to get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, isn't it? The sole downside is that this deal is only available in the United States. Should you happen to be there, you can grab the handset by hitting the source link below.

Source

CyanogenMod 9.0 RC1 released for 50 devices

The CyanogenMod 9.0 has been in the works for quite a long time now but it seems it is only a matter of time now before the final version gets released. But before we get there, the CyanogenMod team has decided to release the first Release Candidate today, that includes support for 50 devices.

The difference between this update and the previous nightlies is that the OS has now been stabilized, meaning any further developments will focus on adding support for new devices rather than improving the OS itself.

The list of devices currently supported include devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab, Captivate, Galaxy S II, Galaxy Note, Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, LG Nitro HD, Optimus Sol, ASUS EeePad Transformer, Transformer Prime, Sony Xperia ray, Xperia mini, Xperia active, HTC Sensation and many more.

You can find out more from the first source link below and download from the second.

Source 1 Source 2

Check out a Lumia 900 running the new WP 7.8

A Senior Manager over at Redmond's Microsoft campus got hold of a Nokia Lumia 900 running a very early build of Windows Phone 7.8 and decided to tape the new homescreen and upload it to YouTube.

He demonstrates the live tiles resizing in all three modes - small, medium and large. Doing so also changes the amount of information that the tile gives you. For example a small SMS live tile gives you only the number of unread messages, while a large one also gives you a quick preview.

Microsoft has also posted a dedicated page, detailing the new features that will come to existing 7.5 users via the WP 7.8 update - you can find it here (note that an account is needed to view it).

Among the highlights are the new Start screen, the currently around 100 thousand apps for WP and information about the Lumia-exclusive camera enhancements and a new way of sharing contacts and track data usage.

Source | Via

Huawei Ascend D quad delayed again, the CPU to blame

This year's MWC saw some really exciting phones from Huawei - the icing of the cake undoubtedly being the Huawei Ascend D quad. The company's new flagship will use a homebrewed quad-core processor instead of an NVIDIA, TI or Qualcomm sourced chip.

However, sticking to its own chipset isn't the smooth sailing Huawei may have hoped, as the D quad has been delayed due to issues with the manufacturing of the processor. Huawei's vice president Yu Chengdong says that mass production of the phone will only start in August.

Huawei's R&D team has been told to increase its efforts on fixing the issue. Still, it will be at least until August (possibly even later) before the Huawei Ascend D quad will go on sale.

The delay will also affect the D quad XL (which is a D quad with a huge 2500mAh battery), but there's no info on when it will go into mass production.

Thanks to Oliver for the tip!

Source (in Chinese)

Amazon gives Lumia 900 for $0.01, AT&T contract still required

The US Amazon is selling Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T for 1 cent once again, and this time the offer isn't even limited to new users only.

Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T offers LTE connectivity and is the companys current WP flagship. The fact that it won't get to taste Windows Phone 8 is pretty damaging for the Lumia 900 market prospects, but maybe this promotion and the consolation WP7.8 update will help.

Still WP8 smartphones probably won't be on the market for at least another four or five months so if are about to sign an AT&T contract, you might as well take Nokia's offer for free lifetime navigation, a 4.3" AMOLED and a super cool polycarbonate unibody.

Source | Via

Apple releases iOS 6 beta 2 for developers

Apple released the first version of the iOS 6 beta for developers during the WWDC keynote on June 11. Now, two weeks later, the second beta is being seeded to those installed the first on their iOS devices.

The update brings several bug fixes and performance updates, including fixes for the Address Book, Game Center, iCloud, iMessage and FaceTime, Maps and Safari. You can find the entire exhaustive list in the source link below.

One minor feature that has been noted is that when you are downloading this update, the Settings icon you see on the side is animated, so you can see the gears moving within. We wish Apple extended this functionality to app icons as well so they can animate and show some more information rather than just a just static image.

Source

Here's why current WP phones won't get Windows Phone 8

Microsoft caused a lot of excitement when they announced Windows Phone 8, but also a good deal of disappointment when it became clear that the new OS won't be coming to the current crop of Windows Phone devices.

There's a reason for that - the two OSes may look similar on the outside, but they are vastly different on the inside. The new core that enables so many cool features (multiple CPU cores, better graphics) is shared with Windows 8 RT (based on Windows NT) and not Windows Phone 7 (based on Windows CE, same as Windows Mobile).

Microsofts senior marketing manager for Windows Phone, Greg Sullivan, says that it's not impossible to port WP8 on older devices, but the cost of doing that would be very high and the benefit very little - WP8 enables multi-core support, higher resolution screens, NFC, microSD card support and so on, none of which will make a difference on the legacy hardware.

What they are getting (as part of the Windows Phone 7.8 update) is the new start screen - it's the most noticeable change in the OS and will actually benefit the current Windows Phone smartphones.

Users who move to the new version of the OS will get to keep using their Windows Phone 7 apps as those will work on WP8. There's no backwards compatibility for the newly developed WP8 apps though and there's nothing that can be done about it - for example, the Adreno 205 just won't cut it for games intended for a Snapdragon S4 (which packs an Adreno 225 or 305).

Source

Samsung expects to sell 10 million Galaxy S III units by July

JK Shin Samsungs head of communications has announced the Galaxy S III sales will reach the 10 million milestone by the end of July.

According to earlier reports there were 9 million Galaxy S III pre-orders before the official launch of the smartphone.

Its yet unclear if those 10 million units are sold or shipped worldwide, but its an impressive number either way. The Galaxy S III has been available for just under a month now, with lots of countries and carries still waiting to get it and some unable to fulfill orders due to "overwhelming demand".

Source | Via

T-Mobile to allegedly get the Samsung Galaxy Note in the US

Looks like AT&T won't be the only carrier to have the Samsung Galaxy Note in the US for long. It seems T-Mobile too has plans to launch their very own version, according to Cell Phone Signal.

The phone in question is said to launch on July 11 and will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box.

If you have been holding out on the phone because it wasn't available on T-Mobile, your wait is about to be over.

Source

Korean Galaxy S III to be the first quad-core LTE phone

Until now, if you wanted LTE support to go with your Galaxy S III, you'd have to sacrifice some processing power, namely the quad-core Exynos chipset, which does not support LTE. Evidence of this can be found in both the US and Japanese versions of the S III with LTE support, both of which are set to have dual-core processors.

It seems that Samsung has confirmed earlier rumors that there will be a version that will bring the best of both worlds, by being able to stuff in a separate LTE modem chip alongside the quad-core Exynos. This will allegedly bump the thickness up to 9mm, but that's not a major increase considering the device currently comes in at around 8.6 mm. Word has it that it will also retain its 2100mAh battery.

Samsung has announced that the quad-core LTE model should hit the Korean market sometime next month. There's no word whether it will come to other markets as of yet.

Source

Nokia 808 PureView gets its first firmware update

It's just been over a week since the Nokia 808 PureView went on sale and Nokia has already given the phones its first firmware upgrade.

Although an official change log is not available, but according to All About Symbian, the update brings with it improvement in scrolling performance, quicker saving of the 38 megapixel images, smoother auto-rotation and other performance enhancements and bug fixes.

The v112.020.0310 update is now available over-the-air and can be downloaded directly on to your phone, or you can download it by connecting your phone to Nokia Suite.

Click here to read the full review of the Nokia 808 PureView.

Source

Nokia outs exclusive Camera Extras app for Lumia phones

Nokia has released a special app for its Lumia series of smartphones. Currently available on the Windows Phone Marketplace, the Camera Extras app will give users four new shooting modes for their devices.

The new modes are Smart Group Shot, Action Shot, Self-timer and Panorama shot. The first one allows you to capture burst shots of a group of people and then automatically chooses the best one judging by face expressions, while the second allows you to capture fast-moving objects improving shooting speed. The other two are quite self-explanatory.

For now only users in China and the United States are bound to get the update. Other countries will follow later in July. Head to the Windows Phone Marketplace to get the juicy app now.

Source | Via