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House bill addresses patent problems, but falls short The term “patent troll” refers to a company that collects patents to use as its primary source of income instead of using them in its own product designs. These holding companies collect patent portfolios, and then use the threat of litigation to pressure companies into paying licensing…

As of this writing, the feature is only showing up with this particular Editor's Choice listing, and only in the UK. The trailer is also limited to that Editor's Choice page, which is separate from the app's regular page in the App Store. MacStories broke the news. Clumsy Ninja Editor's Choice Page (video on the…

Apple called out Samsung in court for over the top delay tactics Apple was handed a major win in August 2012 when a Federal Jury returned a verdict that Samsung was infringing on a long list of mobile device patents while at the same time finding that Apple wasn't infringing on any of Samsung's patents.…

Mr. Miller found himself on the wrong side of the law when Federal agents arrested him in 2012 after his scheme fell apart. He claimed accidentally purchased 1.625 million shares of Apple stock when a Rochdale Securities customer had actually requested 1,625 shares, and then told his coworkers the client was covering a short position.…

The possibility of U.S. intervention to crush Bitcoin has been an overhang on the currency from the get-go, and Monday's comments indicate that overhang could disappear. Bitstamp Exchange 24-hour Chart (Note the correction at the end of the chart) Source: Blockchain.info As noted above, Bitcoin is a virtual currency, one with no assets backing it,…

For its part, Samsung wants the world to know that how many Galaxy Gears it sold isn't nearly as important as the fact that it beat Apple to market, because that's what it means to innovate. MacRumors noted comments from Samsung executive vice president David Eun during BusinessInsider's Ignition conference that seem to be defensive…

According to FOSS Patents' coverage of the ruling, the judges wrote: We find no reason to dislodge the district court's conclusion that Apple failed to demonstrate irreparable harm from Samsung’s infringement of its design patents. Accordingly, we affirm the denial of injunctive relief with respect to those patents. However, with respect to Apple's utility patents,…

The retrial to determine damages Samsung owes Apple for mobile device patent infringement started on Tuesday, and the day was spent selecting a Jury. With that out of the way, both sides can move forward with their opening statements Wednesday morning. Apple and Samsung to offer opening arguments in patent infringement damages retrial After spending…

What do you get if you take one tiny state with no sales tax, one part proximity to some of the highest population density in the U.S., and stir in the most popular smartphone on the planet? You get the Apple Store retail location that sells more iPhones than any other, and ABC figured that…

Samsung and its legal firm Quinn Emmanuel are facing sanctions for improperly disclosing confidential licensing agreements between Apple and Nokia. The sanctions will come as part of the ongoing mobile device patent infringement fight between Apple and Samsung, and a hearing is scheduled for December 9, following the retrial to determine damages in Apple's big…

PowerPot from Power Practical is a unique thermoelectric generator that converts heat into electrical power using water and any available power source, even actual fires. It allows you to charge your iPhone, iPod touch or iPod nano in most any situation. The heat source can be a camp stove, a fire, or any emergency fire source…

The SOEN Transit Bluetooth speaker is designed to be the very best speaker of its kind. Measuring just 32 cubic inches, it's intended to be taken anywhere, and it exudes class in packaging, accessories, design, features, convenience and sound. However, design constraints place limits on performance. ______________________ In this review, I'll be working from a…

As a “perk” for MacTech attendees, the non-profit organization, New Starship, setup a full replica of the Enterprise NCC-1701-D bridge from Star Trek: The Next Generation. It was a great addition to the conference, and I put together a photo gallery so you could see it, too. According to New Starship Founder and CEO Huston…

The xRobot Power Bank from RavPower is a 6000 mAh external battery with a few extra features. It includes a USB port, a built-in 30-pin connector, a built-in micro USB connector, and a built-in standard USB connector. xRobot Power Bank These built-in extras should be a boon to frequent travelers. Unfortunately, it does not include a…

IHS announced the results of its teardown analysis on Apple's new iPad Air, and the research firm believes the new devices comes with even better margins than previous iPad models. The company said the bill of materials for the base iPad Air model comes to US$274, 13.3 percent less than the $316 BOM on the…

Samsung's efforts to derail the retrial case for damages in the patent infringement fight it lost to Apple still aren't paying off with the latest blow coming from Judge Lucy Koh refusing to accept the electronics maker's suggested Jury verdict form for next week's trial. Instead, Judge Koh when with Apple's proposal which was much…

Apple's long awaited updates for its Mac iWork apps are finally out, and one of the big new features they bring to the table are substantially better compatibility with their iOS counterparts. The tradeoff is that Mac users lose some functionality to gain that compatibility, and for Pages '09 users it may not be worth…

Microsoft's Office suite is better and more capable than Apple's iWork productivity suite. There's no doubt about that. The interesting thing, however, is that it won't matter. Even though Microsoft would like to convince us otherwise, the better product will lose.   ____________________ When I think about what makes an iPad the quintessential modern tablet,…

iOS Engineering vice president Henri Lamiraux has retired from Apple, and instead of being pushed out the door “to spend more time with his family,” it looks like that's what he's actually going to do. Mr. Lamiraux is retiring and had planned on making iOS 7 his last project before turning in his executive washroom…

Delta first to gain FAA approval for iPad use below 10,000 feet Following a months-long investigation into whether or not handheld electronics like iPads, iPhones and Kindle ebook readers, posed a risk to avionics during takeoff and landing, the FAA concluded that there wasn't any reason to block people from using the devices. The announcement…

Apple customers who purchased the first generation iPad with 3G connectivity have started receiving notifications that they're eligible for a US$40 payment and a $20 discount on their current iPad data plan. The notifications are part of a settlement in a class action lawsuit that claimed participants were hit with a bait-and-switch when the unlimited…

Early in October Adobe revealed that nearly 3 million user accounts had been compromised by hackers and some personal information may have been taken. Now company is revising that number and saying the actual number of hacked accounts is 38 million. Adobe ID hack jumps up to 38 million accounts Adobe's initial report said that…

The Los Altos Historical Commission voted unanimously on Monday to designate the childhood home of Steve Jobs an “historic resource.” The house, whose garage famously saw the birth of Apple Computer, Inc. (now Apple, Inc.), will now be preserved. According to The San Jose Mercury News, the designation means that the house will be subject…

There's one phrase from Apple's conference call with analysts on Tuesday that has resonated with me, and that was when CEO Tim Cook talked about the importance of customers being able to “access the entire ecosystem” with Apple's products. As with everything that Tim Cook says, those words were very considered and deliberate, but I…