Apple sued for $2 Billion in Germany

Apple has been sued for $2 Billion by the German company, IPCom, due to alleged patent infringements.

The patent is for mobile phones giving priority to emergency calls over a cellular network. IPCom purchased the patent from Robert Bosch, a German automobile parts maker.

Seeing as this technology has existed in mobile phones for a long time, and virtually every phone uses the feature, it's hard to see IPCom as having a real shot at getting an amount anywhere near what they're asking for in the lawsuit. It seems to be a very obvious case of patent trolling, which is heavily practiced in the consumer technology space.

This isn't the first time, however, that this patent has been brought up in courts. Nokia has also been sued by IPCom, along with other cell phone manufacturers. HTC, Vodafone, Ericsson, Nokia, and Apple have all previously attempted to get this patent deemed invalid by the European Patent Office.

IPCom demands $2.12 Billion from IPCom for the patent infringement. Apple hasn't been reached for comment on the lawsuit, but the Cupertino-based company's legal team probably isn't sweating bullets.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_sued_for_2_billion_in_germany-news-7750.php

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BBM for Android, iOS receives a much-needed Find Friends feature

BlackBerry PINs reminded us of Nintendo's annoying User ID numbers

BlackBerry is out to build a better messaging system through BBM on Android and iOS devices, and to do that it's helping users build their contacts with an easier method of adding friends.

Today's update adds a much-needed Find Friends feature to the BBM app that's available through the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store.

Previously, new contacts had to exchange annoying eight-digit PINs through texts, emails or a slightly more convenient QR codes.

BlackBerry had previously said it valued this method for message-controlling privacy reasons, according to the BBM app's previous release notes.

BBM could grow

There's no need for extra-stringent privacy controls if no one is using your app in the first place.

Although BBM launched to some success, it still faces competition from the popular What'sApp client and native messaging services like iMessages and Google Hangouts.

The Find Friends feature could not only connect more people who are currently using BBM, but it could also lure more unregistered users to the BlackBerry service.

BBM has an unmissable "Invite to Download" list of all of your phone or tablet's contacts that haven't signed up for the messenger.

Clicking on a name gives you the option to invite them by email and text, which means BBM could quickly grow from its current loyal confines and give us less depressing BlackBerry news one day.

• Read: Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the biggest BBM-using phone around.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/bbm-for-android-ios-receives-a-much-needed-find-friends-feature-1222115

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HTC M8 shows its face in newly leaked live photos

After showing us a dual camera setup on its back earlier today, the HTC M8 appeared yet again. This time around, we get to see the alleged front of the yet to be announced smartphone in a couple of leaked photos.

HTC M8 (click to enlarge)

The two images reveal that the upcoming device looks a lot like its predecessor, save for the significantly smaller display bezels and on-screen Android navigation buttons. The latter are said to be removable via a swiping gesture.

We must note that the original source of the photos has already removed them. In our book, this means that we are indeed looking at the real thing.

Alleged specs of the HTC M8 include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC, 5” 1080p display, 2GB of RAM, dual 5MP camera setup, and Sense-d Android 4.4.2 KitKat. The device is tipped to go official in March at an event in New York City.

Source (in Russian)

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_m8_shows_its_face_in_newly_leaked_live_photos-news-7749.php

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LG G Pro 2 to feature razor-thin 0.4mm bezel, report says

The original G Pro's bezel will get even thinner in the G Pro 2

The LG G Pro 2 is all set to be unveiled at MWC 2014, but the rumors keep pouring in ahead of its official reveal.

The latest concerns the new LG flagship's bezel - or lack thereof, to be exact.

Apparently the G Pro 2 will feature a razor-thin 0.4mm bezel, making its large display look ever larger, according to Korean site FNNews.

And a rumor reported by http://techradar.com/CNET says that screen will measure in at 5.7 inches - slightly smaller than our previous expectation of a full 6 inches, but enormous nonetheless.

Because why not?

The original LG Optimus G Pro rocked a 5.2-inch screen, but we're expecting significantly more from its successor the G Pro 2.

Whatever its size, that display will cover over three quarters of the LG G Pro 2's face, if the rumor about the 04.mm bezel is accurate.

Other expected specs include a Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, and Android 4.4 KitKat.

What's not a rumor is that the G Pro 2 will sport a 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization and 4K, slow-mo video capabilities.

Watch out for the phone's official announcement at Mobile World Congress this month.

• Find out what TechRadar thought of the LG G2

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/lg-g-pro-2-to-feature-razor-thin-0-4mm-bezel-report-says-1222103

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Nokia patent victory forces HTC to modify smartphones

Ch-ch-changes are coming

A German court has handed yet another patent victory to Nokia, and this one will force Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC to redesign many of its devices, even as the company's attorneys pursue an appeal.

ZDNet reported Tuesday that HTC plans to sidestep a fourth patent infringement defeat handed down in Germany last week by modifying what the company refers to as "redundant technology."

Nokia argued HTC had infringed on its patent EP1579613, which provides a "method and apparatus for enabling a mobile station to adapt its revision level based on network protocol revision level" - and the District Court of Mannheim agreed.

The January 31 ruling protects Nokia's wireless technology used for backwards compatibility between new devices and older networks, but is not considered a standards essential patent, according to the Focus Taiwan News Channel.

Redesign and conquer

Nokia first began lobbing patent infringement claims in HTC's direction back in 2012, claiming the Taiwanese company violated more than 50 patents worldwide.

Since then, the Finnish company has scored victories in England and Wales, with the US International Trade Commission and now regional courts in both Munich and Mannheim, Germany.

But even as Nokia attorneys patted themselves on the back for a job well done, HTC divulged plans to leapfrog the ruling by redesigning the infringing technology, which is apparently no longer used in Germany anyway.

"We are investigating modifications for our handsets to remove this redundant technology," HTC elaborated in a weekend filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange, adding that it plans to appeal the court's decision.

• TechRadar weighs in on the best tablet in our exhaustive roundup!

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nokia-patent-victory-forces-htc-to-modify-smartphones-1221914

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Samsung skips tap dancing, looks to show Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Gear 2 at MWC 2014

Unpacked 5 is coming

It's looking ever more likely that Samsung will be showing off the new Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Gear 2 at the Mobile World Congress later this month.

The NY Times printed a fresh report Samsung plans a relatively low-key event for the Galaxy S5. According to a smartphone industry informant, when the South Korean smart device maker introduced the Galaxy S4 with Broadway bombast the performance fell to deaf ears.

The same source said Samsung is opting for a much more business oriented "Unpacked 5" event at MWC 2014. At the same tradeshow, the upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy Gear is expected to make a showing.

Function over form

Along with a lower key event, the Galaxy S5 is shaping to introduce less gimmicky features as the Galaxy S4 did with Air Gestures' Kinect-like motion detection control the phone without touching the screen.

A new source briefed on the phone's specifications says Galaxy S5 will play it safe by skipping out on the earlier reported Ultra HD 4K screen. Instead the new phone is purported to have more useful upgrades including a better 16-megapixel camera and a higher-performance 64-bit processor.

It seems that new handset is also being skewed to business users with an updated version of Samsung's Knox security software.

Meanwhile, the Korean electronics firm is eager to split away from Android with a new Windows 8.1 Huron smartphone in the pipe and it will demonstrate the new Tizen mobile operating system at a separate event.

Excitement for the Samsung Galaxy S5 has been an up and down roller coaster ride, but we'll have all the finalized details on the handset when it shows on Feburary 24.

• Find out what the Samsung Galaxy S4 was like in our review.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-skips-tap-dancing-looks-to-show-galaxy-s5-and-galaxy-gear-2-at-mwc-2014-1221895

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Possible Ascend P7 design renders leak

Huawei's Ascend P6 phone was praised for its slim profile while still maintaining top of the line specs. The handset's successor, the P7, has yet to be officially released, but we do know a few things about the device; namely its leaked technical specs. We may also have some leaked image renders of the smartphone, straight from China.

From the renders, it looks very similar to the P6 with its angular lines. The bezel also appears to have been trimmed down (to make room for the reportedly larger screen).

The P7 is supposed to go on sale sometime in April, so it will only be a couple of months before we see whether or not the renders coincide with the actual design of the phone.

Here's a recap of the purported specs that the P7 will have: 4G LTE, Android Kit Kat out of the box, a 2,460mAh battery, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with a microSD card slot, 13MP primary camera and an 8MP front unit, and a 1.6GHz quad-core processor. The P7 is also expected to have its screen size bumped up to 5”, with full 1080p.

Are you excited to snatch up Huawei's upcoming flagship, should the rumored design and specs turn out to be real?

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/possible_ascend_p7_render_images_leak-news-7748.php

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