The iPod may become a rarity in the U.S. Image: strollers/Flickr/CC BY-SA

Court disputes over intellectual property continue between Korean-based Samsung and Apple, Inc. The disputes are surrounding patents for the iPod, iPad and iPhone devices. The suits could have a far-reaching affect on American consumers.

Samsung petitions ITC

Samsung, the world’s largest maker of computer memory chips, filed a suit yesterday in the High Court in London to block iPhones, iPads and iPods — manufactured in the U.K. — from being imported into the U.S. On June 28, the Korean firm also asked the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to block importation of the devices. Samsung asserts that the Apple products contain components which violate their patents.

Apple has a suit of their own

Two months ago Apple filed a suit of their own against Samsung in a California federal court. Apple claims that Samsung slavishly copied the look, feel and design of their iPhone, iPad and iPod devices. Apple further claimed harassment by the Korean firm, which is allegedly demanding to see prototypes of the new iPad 3 and iPhone 5.

An ironic dispute

This is the most recent round in an ongoing dispute between the two electronics giants. Samsung has previously sued Apple in Seoul, San Francisco, Tokyo  and Mannheim, Germany. The ongoing spat is ironic, since the companies rely so heavily upon one another. Samsung is Apple’s chief supplier of memory chips.

Both court battles could take several months to settle. Should Samsung succeed, the iPod could become a rare and much-sought-after collector’s item in the U.S.

Disputes are nothing new

Disputes of this kind are nothing new. In 2006, the American wireless firm Qualcomm petitioned the ITC to block the import of products from Finnish corporation Nokia over patent infringements. The ITC disapproved the request, but Nokia was concerned enough to pay Qualcomm a settlement in 2008 to avoid a lawsuit over the same issues.

Apple also asked the ITC to block the U.S. importation of Nokia phones last year. Yet just last month, Apple decided to pay Nokia around $1 billion for the rights to use its patents.

Importation has been blocked in the past

The ITC did agree to block the importation of a phone containing Qualcomm chips in 2007. California-based Broadcom petitioned the block, claiming patent violations. A federal court eventually overturned the decision. Verizon Wireless, whose phones use Qualcomm chips, feared the decision would greatly harm their business at the time.

Sources

Daily Finance
Bloomberg

The iPad update is delayed, so Apple devotees will just have to console themselves. Image: GlennFleishman/Flickr/CC-BY

The next version of iOS has been delayed, and Apple zealots will have to wait for an iPad update. The pending version of iOS, or iOS 4.2, has been delayed because of a software problem that interrupts Wi-Fi connections. The release from Apple is now rumored to hit on Thanksgiving.

No iPad update until Thanksgiving

The iOS 4.2 release is being delayed until Nov. 24, according to The Telegraph, so an iPad update isn’t likely until then. Apple has not made an official statement about the reason for the delay, but the going rumor concerns software bugs. The supposed problem is with the connection program, where a defect interferes with Wi-Fi connections. The expected release date was Nov. 12, but the company had not scheduled the release for that date. A release date was never absolutely set down by Apple, except that the new version was due to be released in November.

New iTunes released

Though iOS 4.2 is being delayed, Apple fanatics can console themselves with a new version of iTunes. The new version, iTunes 10.1, will work with iOS 4.1, but many features of the iTunes update will likely require iOS 4.2 to work to full effect. Part of the operating system update, and the iTunes update, are new features AirPrint and AirPlay. Both programs enhance connection between Apple products. AirPrint will allow owners to use their iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Mac computers to send documents to their home printer over Wi-Fi. AirPlay will enable users to send streaming video from iOS devices to AppleTV boxes.

Multitasking the central feature

One of the central features of iOS 4.2 is supposed to be an enhancement of multitasking features in Apple devices, especially thanks to improved networking capabilities between Apple devices over wireless connections. Still, the iOS update will be out, barring disaster, just before Black Friday 2010, which should be perfect timing for holiday shoppers.

Sources

The Telegraph

CNET

Apple Inc. stock is shooting through the roof. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Steve Jobs and other shareholders in Apple, Inc. may be cracking open champagne. The Apple company stock has just hit a record high point. For the first time ever, a share of Apple stock is now going for more than $300. The technology giant has been having a banner year. The iPad and continued success of the iPhone and iPod assure that Apple is going to be a heavyweight for a long time to come.

Apple Inc. hits a new high

It was announced that stock for Apple Inc. has hit a new high point in premarket trading for Oct. 13, according to the New York Times. Apple Inc. stock hit a high point of $301.50 and is holding at higher than $300. It is the highest ever trade price for Apple company stock. Brokerage houses have been raising prices for acquiring Apple stock accordingly. Bank of America is selling shares at $400 per. Oppenheimer raised its price for shares of Apple to $345. The company is having a great year. The iPad has been the first successful tablet computer, despite several previous attempts by other companies. The iPhone 4.0 and the iPod continue to sell. The company is due to release a fourth quarter report soon.

Verizon iPhone rumors will not die

Rumors of the iPhone moving to another network have been persisting for some time. The fabled Verizon iPhone causes a great stir almost once a month. However, neither Verizon nor Apple have confirmed it officially yet. The problem in a Verizon iPhone, according to the Wall Street Journal, is that Verizon uses CDMA technology. The Verizon iPhone will have to be retooled for CDMA use before it can be released. That said, Android has been edging on the iPhone for some time among owners of smartphones.

Apple of the markets’ eye

Apple Inc. has had an incredible year so far. It appears that the company won’t be letting up. The company has hit a record high stock price for good reason.

Sources

Wall Street Journal

New York Times

Steve Jobs demonstrating the iPhone: yet another Apple product that doesn't use Flash. (Photo: Flickr)

Steve Jobs says Abode Flash and Apple products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad will never be seen together, according to Fox News. Many tech fans had wondered if Jobs would eventually cave to the pressure, as Flash videos are still widely used on many websites. However, Steve Jobs’ “Thoughts on Flash” letter should mean less cash today for Adobe, as the Apple CEO gives six well-reasoned arguments for why Flash video won’t mix with the iCrowd. Jobs has serious philosophical and technical concerns about Adobe Flash, chief among them the fact that Flash videos frequently cause OS crashes.

Steve Jobs Flash call draws Adobe’s ire

Fox News reports that Adobe Flash evangelist Lee Brimelow didn’t mince words regarding Steve Jobs and his Flash stance: “Speaking purely for myself, I would like to make it clear what is going through my mind at the moment. Go screw yourself, Apple.”

Apple didn’t feel it was necessary to respond to such a well-constructed missive. Jobs is more interested in pointing out that Flash is proprietary product, and that he is against closed products that “stifle innovation.” He is more in favor of HTML5 as an open standards platform. That most Apple products are also proprietary didn’t seem to enter into Jobs’ argument, but he was just getting started. He continued by reminding readers that Flash is an old technology that could be replaced with “more modern formats” like H.264 that don’t cause as many crashes.

Flash, Flash, crash

What’s the real problem here? Steve Jobs explains that Flash tends to get in the way. As he states in his “Thoughts on Flash,”

“We know from painful experience that letting a third-party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform. We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers.”

How did Adobe feel about being called a balding third wheel? Aside from such eloquent statements as Brimelow’s, all is quiet on the Adobe front. There is a definite sense among the media that Flash is dying as a platform, something that most developers would second – and then some. Lance Ulanoff of PC Magazine called the Steve Jobs Flash bash “an incredible attack on Flash, (one that) could shake its very foundations.”

(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sour_patch/ / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Related Video:

This is not what the Apple earnings report looked like.

Since the iPod renaissance that followed a reclusive streak in the 1990s, Apple has been a growing empire, and the Apple earnings for the most recent quarter have blossomed.  The company has been shipping huge volumes of the iPhone, and with the iPhone 4.0 and iPad beginning to take off, Apple is set to never need payroll loans again.  Even though recessions mean that fewer people buy toys, Apple posted impressive gains for the first quarter of this year.

Apple earnings from iPhone up over 100 percent

From this recent post on Marketwatch, the first quarter Apple earnings were substantial.  The iPhone drove sales through the roof, selling over eight million iPhones when they were expecting to only sell seven million.  Apple enjoyed a 130 percent sales increase on the iPhone from a year ago.  Since so many people are willing to plunk down money now on one of the most popular technological phenomenons of the last decade, it’s no wonder that Apple should be raking in the cash.  They have become a true success story not once, but twice, as apparently they make some vastly superior products.

They sold some Macs too

The report of Apple earnings also included some heavy sales for Mac computers as well.  Nearly three million Macs were purchased over the quarter, showing a sales increase for their computer brand of about 40 percent.  Apple managed to also sell over 10 million iPods, though the sales for the ubiquitous portable media player were actually slightly down. However, the decrease was in units, rather than revenue (iPod sales revenue was actually up about 12 percent.) The iPod touch has been quite the popular item as well.

What about the iPad?

No official sales figures were given by Marketwatch, but CNN reports that Steve Jobs had told a conference that Apple had sold around 450,000 units for the basic unit alone. The Cadillac model of iPad, set to come out soon, may have access to the AT&T 3G network, instead of the current model’s use of WiFi only.  That will probably send Apply stock through the roof, though they don’t really need the help – according to the Marketwatch piece, Apple stock was trading at almost $260 a share.

So what’s next for the Apple machine?

What is next for Apple is the iPhone OS 4.0, which was involved in the recent Gizmodo leak.  The prototype was returned. The new model iPhone will likely sell a lot of units, and since the iPhone OS 4.0 will also mark the rumored debut of the Verizon iPhone, it is foreseeable that Apple earnings will shoot to the moon by year’s end.

This could be your next keyboard, thanks to Skinput. Image from Flickr.

Your next cell phone may not have a built-in keyboard of any kind – you may just be able to use Skinput instead. Now in development at Microsoft, Skinput is slated to become the newest form of human-computer interface. Skinput is still a few years away from being offered commercially, though with enough same day payday loans you might be able to build your own Skinput system.

Skinput based on vibrations

Despite the visions of sci-fi writers across the world, the Skinput system does not rely on implants in your skin. Instead, an armband around your elbow records and transmits vibrations via a Bluetooth connection. Tapping your fingers together or in various places on your arm produces vibrations at different frequencies, which allows a virtual “keyboard” to exist on your skin.

Pairing Skinput with a projector

The original design of Skinput is an interface that goes only one direction. You can send commands to your cell phone or computer through your armband. However, to see fully interactive menus or to read anything, you would have to pull your phone out. A small pica-projector, however, could solve this problem. The prototype projector is mounted on a frame above the arm, but there are hopes of shrinking this projector significantly.

When can you get Skinput?

The Skinput system is still about two to seven years away from a commercial application. Currently, the Skinput system is only 96 percent accurate with a five-button system. A full keyboard and navigational system built on Skinput would need at least 30 keys and up to 99 percent accuracy. Even though it is a few years away, the Skinput system will most likely start out very expensive – perhaps as costly as car loans. As the technology improves and shrinks, though, the Skinput system will become much more affordable. Some software programming specialists are already considering the possibilities for this new user interface. Perhaps the Skinput system could be paired with a contact lens display for a fully “integrated” day-to-day cell phone.

See Skinput in action

A few bloggers and techies have gotten a chance to get their hands on Dell Streak samples. Image from Flickr.

The Dell Streak has been the computer with whispers in back hallways and teasing amounts of information handed geek-to-geek for the last few months. So today, when an internal Dell announcement of both a 7 and 10 inch Dell Slate was leaked, gasps of joy were heard across every I.T. office and credit counseling office across the nation.

Dell Streak slate lineup

The Dell Streak has been talked about for the last few months. In fact, on March 9, Dell did release a specifications sheet for the Mini 5 – the five-inch Dell Streak. With no ship date and no price, though, it was still just a teaser. This morning, though, came confirmation that the Dell Streak slate computer lineup will also include a 7-inch and 10-inch Streak.

Dell Streak features

The Dell Streak is being designed as a full-fledged multipurpose slate computer. The Dell Streak 5 is rumored to have a SIM slot and dialer device, meaning it will be capable of functioning as a telephone as well. All Dell Streak slate computers will come with an Amazon content partnership. This means that the Dell Streak will include a Kindle reader app, MP3 and video streaming from Amazon and a wide rainbow of color choices. The Dell Streak computers will also have a VGA camera for video chat, 30-pin docking connector, 5 megapixel (or more!) camera and touch display.

Dell Streak operating system

Though the Dell Streak operating system has not yet been released to the public, most rumors are that it will run on a Windows or Windows-style operating system. That means that anyone who is or would like to hire dedicated programmers can create applications and programs to run on the Dell Streak.

When will the Dell Streak be available?

There is information we don’t yet have about the Dell Streak. There is no price on any of the devices yet, and ship dates for the Dell Streak 7 and 10 inch devices are still not available. While some techies may have already gotten a payday cash loan just on the rumor of the Dell Slate, most will probably have to wait until at least the end of the year. If you are really jonesing for new tech, the Dell Streak 5 will be released in “late 2010.” The Dell Streak 7 and Dell Streak 10 should also be available in “early 2011.” WePad, iPad and iPhone watch out!

Sources:
Engadget
CNET news