Back in November 2011 I highlighted just why the Apple patent war needed to stop. Well nonetheless that war is still going on. So this week we have some news that is good, bad and just ugly. Where to begin? Well lets start with bad, in the land down under, Australia. Apple has brought a whopping 278 claims against Samsung in an Australian court – 278! The Australian reports the Apple has added 278 complaints against Samsung. 72 involve patents and 10 involve Smartphone and Tablets products Samsung has yet to release in Australia . Although Apple won an injunction against Samsung back in November 2011, it has since been overturned. Samsung’s top lawyer involving the suits, Neil Young (anyone else suddenly picture the American rock singer?) says that do to the short notice of the latest law suit, Samsung will not be able to file defense until the middle of May 2012 at the earliest. This could have a major negative impact on Samsung’s sales in Australia.

Now for some good news – or ugly news, depending on how you look at it. Motorola has won a permanent injunction against Apples iCloud product in a German court. The decision was handed down in the Mannheim Regional Court by judge Andreas Vass. Apples iCloud being a cloud-based service, infringes on a ”multiple pager status synchronization system and method,” owned by Motorola. Motorola also won a case against Apple involving one of Motorola’s European 3G/UMTS patent. Since then, Apple has pulled the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4 from its German online store along with any 3G/UMTS enabled iPad’s it has. This move came from a ruling handed down in December 2011. Motorola went all out against Apple to ensure the ruling was enforced. This will  hurt Apples sales in Germany.

VIA: Engadget 

©2012 Technology Blogged, News. All Rights Reserved.

Anobit, an Israeli flash-based storage solutions maker, has apparently been bought out by Apple in a deal which could be worth up to $500 million. That’s according to an Israeli newspaper who valued the buy out, and it brings along certain questions as to what Apple will be doing with the companies infrastructure and management; one thing that is for certain however is that this buy out brings a few great assets to Apple, including Anobits NAND embedded flash technology used in certain smartphones worldwide.

Via: IT Pro Portal

©2012 Technology Blogged, News. All Rights Reserved.

So you’re  curious about the iPhone 5 features which will be hitting consumers in 2012 are you? Well you are not alone. With thousands of Google searches every month with people just like you seeking the facts as to what the iPhone 5 will launch with it makes no wonder that we have created this iPhone 5 round up of all the lovely features Apple’s next generation iPhone will have.

Because the iPhone 4S was only released on the 4th of October, 2011 all of these iPhone 5 features aren’t official however these are the features that we think will probably make their way over to the future iPhone in 2012, and also the features we think you really would benefit from in the iPhone 5. We were personally disappointed in a few ways with the iPhone 4S, and here’s our two cents that we hope the iPhone 5 is a massive update next year.

Read on to find out more about what the iPhone 5 will be like and also the specifications which we would like to see in Apple’s next generation handset.

17/10/2011 update - According to CNET the iPhone 4S was not Steve Job’s last project however the iPhone 5 was, and it features a whole new redesign according to sources close with them.

*This post has now been updated to reflect the iPhone 4S release. Check out our first impressions of this device.

iPhone 5 – Unibody Design

Apple take note, glass has been used twice now and aluminium unibody should be next on your list. If the next gen iPhone was to feature a unibody enclosuse it would make for one beautiful handset and also an incredibly durable one. A lot like the HTC Sensation, Apple’s iPhone 5 could incorporate the antenna to the back of the device and also have a detachable rear fascia, although this is hugely unlikely.

Probability 7/10

iPhone 5 – Even more storage

Yes! More storage! With smartphone owners using an increasing amount of apps and downloading more and more movies from iTunes more storage on the iPhone 5 is inevitable as flash storage becomes thinner. 64GB will become in norm in 2012, but let’s just hope that Apple can keep the price of the iPhone down next year as they have this year, because currently flash storage is very expensive.

Probability 9/10

iPhone 5 – Capacitive, back lit home button

The home button on the iPhone 4 and 5 is the least technologically advanced part of the handset, and in 2012 it could very well bring with it multi gesture input for scrolling and bringing up special menus. This would allow easier operation of the iphone during single hand usage and it could also feature LED lighting, flashing when an incoming call happens or when you have a text message whilst your iPhone is on silent.

Probability 6/10

iPhone 5 – Higher resolution camera

The war of the megapixels is ever lasting, and next year I wouldn’t be surpised if handsets with a 10 megapixel camera started to become the new black. Of course, added megapixels are all good, however next year I would suspect that Apple may contact lense suppliers and seek out camera components to crush the competition and future proof their handset for another year.

Probability 9/10

iPhone 5 – Better graphics

The iPhone 4S’s graphics are no slouch being 7x faster than the iPhone 4′s, however in July 2011 we attended a Qualcomm Snapdragon event where they showcased some of their future roadmap and the chips there boasted graphics comparable to an Xbox. If Apple is deadly serious about app development and future proofing gaming they’ll have to up the ante and offer graphics far superior to that of the Xperia Play, Sony’s stab at the mobile gaming market.

Probability 10/10

iPhone 5 – LTE 4G Connectivity

With the ever growing world of wireless technology, the inclusion of 4G connectivity would allow iPhone 5 users to download content similar to that of home broadband speeds. 4G connectivity will also make its way over to more and more smartphone’s in 2012, so if Apple wants to stay on top it’ll have to introduce this feature.

Probability 8/10

iPhone 5 – UK and US pricing

The iPhone 5 will most probably be exactly the same price as the iPhone 4S, making it just as accessible as it’s previous version. Apple will most probably keep the price up as to keep the next generation iPhone as a premium choice over Android handsets.

iPhone 5 – release date

So when the iPhone 5 be released? Well it’ll be released almost certainly after July, 2012 and possibly a direct year after the iPhone 4S, with a release date of October 2012 being very probable indeed. This will allow Apple the time it needs to analyse trends within the upcoming smartphone’s of 2012, and also assess the market demand for features such as 4G connectivity and smartphone displays. Now, a lot of rumors will fly around on the internet over the next few months regarding an iPhone 5 maybe coming in Q1 or Q2 of 2012 but do not listen to them, as you only have to take a look at Apple’s product release dates to see they are all just dribble. Another reason to discard rumors which will surface regarding the iPhone 5 coming sooner than July 2012 is because Apple’s iPhone 4S will sell perfectly well, despite it not being (aesthetically) a major upgrade over the 4.

We’ll update this post

As new news leaks surface of iPhone 5 parts we will update this post accordingly and future proof it for everybody. Make sure you bookmark it for future reference to compare our notes to what will really happen in 2012!

Apple’s original iPhone was unveiled by Apple’s prior CEO Steve Jobs on January the 9th, 2007, and since then has grown to become the world’s most popular single device smartphone. Reasons for this include extremely good marketing from Apple, having huge developer support for their App Store and also pushing the boat when it comes to smartphone thinness and design. On top of that, iOS, Apple’s operating system, is the smoothest OS out there on a smartphone.

iPhone 5 mock up

Below is an image of what the iPhone 5 may look like. As you can see from this mock up against an iPhone 4 (identical to the 4S), the iPhone 5 features an elongated home button which allows the handset to be shorter. The display on this mock up is also larger than the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4′s.

Hit up this awesome pre-release iPhone 5 video concept

The video below is pretty cool indeed, and features some really cool features which we would all love to see in the iPhone 5. Perhaps we are wishing too much though. Hit it up, baby!

Your comments on the iPhone 5

We are interested in what everybody else thinks will appear in the iPhone 5, so feel free to post all of your thoughts below (comment form open to all) or re tweet this post so people can get their opinions in.

Rackspace cloud hosting for all your apps, files, website and business hosting needs.

©2012 Technology Blogged, News. All Rights Reserved.

A vast number of people on earth have technological items which are based on one or more patents. Patents are a form of intellectual property. For the term of the patent, the patent’s owner has the full right to control its use as he sees fit. Sometimes companies will devise their own technology as a way of getting around having to license a patent. Sometimes the patent holder will refuse to license the use of the patent in order to keep the technology to themselves and stifle competition. Nonetheless, it is common business practice for companies to license their patents. After all if you devised a technology that billions of people might want, wouldn’t it be logical to benefit from that want through licensing and cross-licensing?  In addition to receiving compensation for the investment in research and development in creating the technology, the company will often have an eye out to improve the product or create new products.

Beginning in April 2011, there has been an ongoing “Patent War” between Apple and Samsung.  Apple started this War, by using the courts in the United States and the European Union to block the importation and sale of Samsung’s latest flagship Smartphones and Tablets. Samsung in turn has countersued Apple and has also tried a similar tactic against Apple’s phones and tablets throughout Asia the  European Union and the United States.

Currently, the Patent War between Apple and Samsung encompasses 19 active cases in twelve courts spanning four continents and 12 countries.

One might logically ask, which critical proprietary technology did Samsung allegedly misappropriate to warrant this international imbroglio?  Surely it must be something vital to Apple’s existence!  Perhaps it is the patent that makes every apple device “magical”? Perhaps Samsung has moles in Cupertino that leaked top secret technology back to the Samsung offices in South Korea? Perhaps Samsung’s CEO Lee Kun-Hee once defeated the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a round of golf, and Apple is now seeking revenge?

If one thought that there is a reasonable basis for Apple’s vendetta against Samsung, one would be mistaken. (The aforesaid golf suggestion would have made a lot more sense). Unfortunately, the critical matter at issue, seems so inane, that I am surprised that the respective judges have not laughed the Apple lawyers out of court.

The main issue is over (1) the physical design (although there is ongoing litigation regarding 3G connectivity and multitouch screen technology) – and (2) the user interface (UI) of the Samsung Android powered Galaxy, Galaxy S, and Galaxy SII line of the Smartphones featuring 4 and 4.3 inch screens respectively and the Android powered Galaxy Tab family of Tablets that come in screen sizes of 7, 8.9 and 10.1 inches respectively. That’s it folks!

The Samsung Smartphones and Tablets listed above, all bear a physical (shape) similarity to Apple’s  iPhone and iPad. The iPhone is rectangular in shape with a screen size of 3.5 inches. The iPad is square in shape and features a 9.7 inch display. The Galaxy family of Smartphones are all rectangular in shape, and so is the Galaxy Tab family of Tablet products.

Until I heard about the Apple litigation in April, I had not been aware that one could patent universal shapes.  If one is using a Smartphone other than the ones listed, take a good look at it. Odds are that it is rectangular. With exceptions, most mainstream Smartphones are, although often manufactures like to toy around with different designs.

If the reader is reading this on a computer, take a look at the monitor in front of you. What shape is it? Odds are it is one with a rectangular 16:9 aspect ratio that is now used on virtually every laptop. In fact most monitors manufactured over the last half decade all use this particular design. If it is not a rectangular 16:9 monitor, than then the other possibility is that it is one of the square varieties featuring a 4:3 aspect ratio. These are both universal shapes used in many products today.  The reader can appreciate that it would be absurd for someone to claim a patent on the square or rectangular shaped monitor.

When Apple introduced the iPhone back in June 2007, save for the lack of a physical keyboard, they were not introducing a new physical phone design never before seen. However, some of the technology that made the phone so unique was new. Most significantly, the operating system, iOS was new.  When Apple introduced the iPad in January of 2010 they were not introducing a completely new product that no one had ever seen or conceived. Tablet computers became popular in approximately 2002, although pen tablets were introduced in the 80’s and 90’s. Although, some of the technology was new, what was truly unique was that the rush to buy tablets was new!  That was about it.

Now for the sad part

Despite the market success of the Apple iPhone and iPad family of products, Apple seems to view its closest direct competitors as a major financial threat that clearly must be eliminated through any legal means possible, similar to how Bill Gates viewed Microsoft’s direct competitors, before the Justice Department decided that its behavior was a violation of anti-trust and involved in the restraint of trade. As a company, Apple has stroked itself over its claim to be innovative. The company’s long standing slogan “Think Different”,  now comes off sounding like an oxymoron as the practice of suing to have the products of other companies from being sold seems to be ‘old style’ restraint of trade.  Instead of continuing to innovate, they are now concentrating on protecting their bottom line, through engaging an army of Ivy League lawyers ready for worldwide combat against the competition.

This does not just hurt Samsung, it hurts electronics retailers, it hurts cell phone service providers, and most importantly, it hurts the consumer.

Sure, there are many other tablets out there. Some good, some bad, but a victory by Apple against Samsung would fail to be the Pyrrhic victory many companies wish for. Why? Because after Samsung, who is next? Sony, LG, Toshiba, Vizio, Archos? It means that every law abiding company is going to have to spend millions of dollars hiring hundreds, if not thousands of lawyers to work in order to keep their products on the shelves. Yes, I am suggesting that the Samsung litigation is just a test case and that Apple is likely to use this litigation as a template to go after each and every company producing rectangular Smartphones and Tablets with a UI similar to the iPhone and iPad. Without viable competition, Apple can price their products sky high and further limit how the end user uses the product, that is unless the Justice Department decided that their litigation campaigns represented a restraint of trade and violation of anti-trust laws.

Competition is good. It makes new products more affordable for consumers and forces manufacturers to innovate. Consumers have more choices to pick the product they feel will benefit them the most. Darwin’s theory of evolution and the idea of “survival of the fittest” applies directly to the Tablet and Smartphone market. In the end it needs to be the consumer who decides which products they feel to be superior and those are the ones that will thrive. It should not be a court-mandated determination merely because a particular product looks vaguely like its competition.

Sources:

Technologyblogged (1,2,3,4)

Huffingtonpost

Fudzilla (1,2)

©2012 Technology Blogged, News. All Rights Reserved.

In the world of technology lawsuits, Apple’s serious gripe with Samsung grabs all of the headlines due to Apple’s seemingly relentless assault on the Korean company regarding patents and also how Samsung’s devices look ‘similar’. Now, however, Apple has received a major blow against their request to have Samsung Galaxy devices blocked  in the US, after a US District Court judge rejected it. ”It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung’s accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed” the judge said on the decision.

Whilst this is bad news for Apple however it is great news for Samsung, who have come out and said that this decision clearly shows that Apple’s allegations ‘lack merit’. You can see their response to this news below.

Samsung welcomes today’s ruling denying Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction. This ruling confirms our long-held view that Apple’s arguments lack merit. In particular, the court has recognized that Samsung has raised substantial questions about the validity of certain Apple design patents. We are confident that we can demonstrate the distinctiveness of Samsung’s mobile devices when the case goes to trial next year. We will continue to assert our intellectual property rights and defend against Apple’s claims to ensure our continued ability to provide innovative mobile products to consumers.

©2012 Technology Blogged, News. All Rights Reserved.

Watch video: “tawkon” The Cellular App Saving You From Your Cellular 

The creators have focused much of their development attention towards Android-based devices. The application is available for free download from the Android market place. Apple has rejected the application from its own marketplace do to the controversial issue of cellphone radiation. However on the Tawkon website there is an option to sign up to an email list that will inform you when the application is available for the mobile operating system of your choice.

So do you think that your mobile may be secretly killing you? Or would you rather wait until solid evidence proving that it does/doesn’t is released to determine how you will use your phone in the future?

Via Arutz Sheva and Tawkon

©2012 Technology Blogged, News. All Rights Reserved.

On this graph from netmarketshare you can clearly see some very different releases with iOS ahead by a long margin, then JAVA and sitting in 3^rd access from all of the Android OS not just Samsung. Even though these numbers are only from the US it clearly displays just how well iOS is doing in the handheld device market, which can be seen by the rise since January in the graph.

On these figures it’s safe to say that iOS is here to say with a commanding lead in the market. However it will be interesting to see what the new Nokia smartphones with the Windows phone OS bring to the table.

©2012 Technology Blogged, News. All Rights Reserved.

Hot on the heels of the iPhone 4S officially being revealed barely two days ago, Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, has died. He was 56 and had spent over half a decade battling a rare form of Pancreatic cancer.  Say what you will about the man, but there is no denying the impact the products his company created have on the PC, mobile, and MP3 player market – aside from the rest of the world. With all the amazing thoughts and creations he has injected in to our world over his career, the world is going to be a far less colorful place without him.

R.I.P Steve Jobs, you will be missed.

VIA Apple, MSN, the world.

©2012 Technology Blogged, News. All Rights Reserved.