iPhone Keyboard Maker 'Typo' Ordered to Pay BlackBerry $860,000

Typo Products, a company that developed a BlackBerry-esque keyboard case for the iPhone, must pay BlackBerry $860,000 for continuing to sell its Typo case despite being ordered to cease sales in March.



The Typo keyboard was first announced in December of 2013 and was backed by media personality Ryan Seacrest (of American Idol fame). Seacrest reportedly invested $1 million into the product, which was the result of a desire to introduce a physical keyboard for the iPhone.



According to Seacrest and his partner Lauren Hallier, they saw many of their friends carrying two phones -- one for typing and correspondence, presumably a Blackberry, and an iPhone for everything else. The keyboard that the duo developed, which snapped onto an iPhone, bore a marked resemblance to BlackBerry's signature keyboards, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the company.




Original Typo iPhone case next to the BlackBerry Q10


Just a month after the Typo keyboard was announced, BlackBerry filed a lawsuit accusing Typo Products of "blatantly" copying the BlackBerry keyboard and infringing on BlackBerry patents. A judge agreed with BlackBerry, handing down the aforementioned injunction that banned the Typo from selling its keyboards, despite Typo's argument that it was not harming BlackBerry as BlackBerry was already losing market share.



Typo ignored the injunction and continued selling its Typo keyboard cases, leading BlackBerry to file a contempt of court order in August, which resulted in today's $860,000 fine. BlackBerry had initially asked for $2.6 million in penalties, plus attorneys' fees for the violation.



In addition to continuing to sell the original keyboard case, Typo Products introduced the Typo2 keyboard for the iPhone 6 in December of 2014, which it says does not infringe on any BlackBerry patents. Typo2 features a sleeker design with a built-in keyboard that unfortunately blocks the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 6. Typo's website currently sells Typo2 keyboards for both the iPhone 5/5s and the iPhone 6.




Typo2 for iPhone 6


In response to the fine levied against it, a Typo representative told Re/code that the ruling is "part of the ongoing patent litigation related to the initial Typo product" and that it "has no impact on the Typo 2." A BlackBerry representative only had this to say: "The court's order speaks for itself."

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Posted in 2015 at 10:26PM, February 04

Hidden iOS 8.2 beta files give us brand-new details about the Apple Watch

Apple is expected to launch the first-gen Apple Watch at some point in April and Apple will likely have iOS 8.2 released before then to help you use the watch with your iPhone. Meanwhile, AppleInsider has dug through the the fifth iOS 8.2 beta release with help of developer Steven Troughton-Smith and has found a treasure trove of configuration options for the Apple Watch.

Continue reading...

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Posted in 2015 at 10:10PM, February 04

'Tweetbot 2' Yosemite Update in the Works, Will Be Available for Free [Mac Blog]

Tapbots, the company behind the popular Tweetbot Twitter client, today tweeted a tantalizing preview image of Tweetbot 2 for Mac, which has received a Yosemite-style redesign.



Based on the photo, Tweetbot 2 adopts many stylistic elements from Yosemite, allowing it to blend in well with the updated operating system. It features a flatter look with redesigned icons, plus a translucent navigation bar. It also uses circular profile photos, much like Tweetbot for iPhone.



According to Tapbots, the Yosemite update has been "more work than anticipated," which explains why the Mac app has yet to see an update even though Yosemite launched in October. The company has also confirmed that Tweetbot 2 for Mac will be a free update.





Tweetbot for Mac made headlines last week when it temporarily disappeared from the App Store, leading some to speculate that it had reached its Twitter token limit, a restriction Twitter places on the number of users allowed for third-party Mac clients, but the disappearance was only temporary and Tweetbot returned to the Mac App Store after a day of absence.



Though Tapbots has confirmed that Tweetbot 2 for Mac is in the works, the company has not divulged a possible release date for the software. There is also no new word on a new iPad app, which has not been updated since June of 2014 and has not received an iOS 7 redesign.



Tweetbot for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99. [Direct Link]

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Posted in 2015 at 08:59PM, February 04

Universal Pictures to Release Steve Jobs Movie on October 9 [Mac Blog]

Universal Pictures will release the long-anticipated Steve Jobs movie on October 9, according to CNBC . The upcoming biopic, based on Walter Isaacson's official biography of the late Apple co-founder, is directed by Danny Boyle and stars Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs and Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak. Universal took over the film in November.





The filming of the movie began last month in the garage of Steve Jobs' childhood home, and will reportedly also take place at two auditoriums and a restaurant in the area. The movie will be focused upon three main scenes, including the unveiling of the NeXT computer, the debut of the original iMac, and the introduction of the iPod.

JUST IN: Universal Pictures says the Steve Jobs movie will be released on Friday, October 9, 2015. • $CMCSA

— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) February 4, 2015

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Posted in 2015 at 07:56PM, February 04

Samsung to Produce A9 Chips for Apple's Next-Generation Devices

Longtime Apple rival and supplier Samsung will be responsible for manufacturing the A9 chips for Apple's next-generation iPhone and iPad, Re/code confirmed today. Over the past several months, there's been a lot of confusion over whether Samsung or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) would produce Apple's A9 chips, but recent rumors suggest that Samsung's technological advances have put it ahead of TSMC.



Apple signed a chip production deal with TSMC back in 2013 with the hopes of diversifying its supply chain sources and reducing its reliance on Samsung because of ongoing legal battles, but it has been unable to break away from Samsung for its A-series processors. Both TSMC and Samsung produced 20-nanometer A8 and A8X processors for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in 2014, though TSMC handled the bulk of the orders.




20-nanometer A8 chip in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, via Chipworks


At a time when Samsung's mobile division is seeing profit loss due to flagging sales, the company's semiconductor business has helped to balance out some of the losses with continued growth. During the last quarter, Samsung's chip division earned 2.7 trillion won, making supplier relationships like the one that it has with Apple highly important to the company.



Samsung is reportedly already manufacturing A9 chips for Apple, built on its 14-nanometer chip process that has outpaced TSMC's production capabilities. As detailed by Re/code, the 14-nanometer process will result in smaller chips that use less power.

That's because Samsung holds a technological edge over TSMC when it comes to the latest manufacturing process. Samsung has managed to shrink the size of the transistors on its chips to 14 nanometers -- effectively packing more processing power into a smaller space and consuming less power. TSMC is still at 20 nanometers.

Samsung has not confirmed that it is producing chips for Apple, but Samsung semiconductor president Dr. Kinam Kim said in October that Samsung is expecting chip profits to grow over the coming year thanks to demand for its 14-nanometer chips.



Little is known about Apple's next-generation iPhone, but based on past releases and upgrade cycles, the new smartphones will use A9 chips and may feature updates to the camera. Rumors have also suggested that Apple may be planning to incorporate an A9 chip into its "iPad Pro," which may debut in the second or third quarter of 2014, and the A9 in some form will undoubtedly also make an appearance in 2015 iPad Air/mini upgrades.

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Posted in 2015 at 07:42PM, February 04

Apple Media Event Rumored for Late February, Apple Watch and 12" MacBook Air Likely Topics

Apple may be planning to hold a special event during the month of February, according to French Apple-focused website iGen [Google Translate] (via iDownloadblog ). The site's sources, which are often reliable, suggest that the event might take place during the last week of February, potentially on Tuesday, February 24.



The event may see Apple once again showcasing the Apple Watch, which is set to debut in April, and it may also see the launch of the 12-inch MacBook Air. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently predicted that the upcoming notebook will debut in March, which is in line with a late-February unveiling.




Rendering of the 12-inch MacBook Air by Martin Hajek


Apple's 12-inch MacBook Air is rumored to feature a new ultrathin design that does away with fans and introduces a revamped trackpad. It may include a low-power Core-M processor and it may be the first device to take advantage of the new reversible USB Type-C connector, which is much smaller and allows a USB cable to be inserted into a notebook in any orientation.



Apple may also use the event to unveil additional details on the Apple Watch, such as pricing and battery life. An event showing off the Apple Watch could explain why Apple has been asking some developers to have their apps ready to launch in the App Store in mid-February, as we reported last week. It's possible that Apple will use apps from these developers to demonstrate additional capabilities of the watch.



Though rumored, a February event is by no means confirmed at this point, and it is unclear what else Apple might cover in addition to the Apple Watch and the 12-inch MacBook Air.

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Posted in 2015 at 06:27PM, February 04