Apple and Google/Motorola Agree to Settle Patent Litigation, Work Together on Patent Reform

Apple and Google/Motorola Mobility have agreed to a settlement and will dismiss pending patent litigation between the two companies, according to a court filing referenced by Reuters.



As part of the settlement, Apple and Google have agreed to work together "in some areas of patent reform". Apple and Google have been in patent disputes for years. This particular settlement does not include a patent cross-licensing agreement, which is sometimes included in patent settlements.

In a joint statement, the companies said the settlement does not include a cross license to their respective patents. "Apple and Google have also agreed to work together in some areas of patent reform," the statement said.

Apple still has numerous patent lawsuits in the works against a vast array of companies, most notably Samsung. Earlier this year, Google announced it was selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91 billion.

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Posted in 2014 at 11:42PM, May 16

New campaign aims to make surfing the web miserably slow for FCC employees

If there's one good thing that's come from the Federal Communications Commission's hugely controversial to allow for Internet "fast lanes," it's that it's inspired several brilliant high-profile pranks aimed at giving the FCC a taste of its own medicine. Wired now reports that Portland-based software developer Kyle Drake has created code that people can put on their websites that will detect whenever someone with an FCC-associated IP address is trying to access their page and then slow down their loading times to dial-up speeds. When the FCC employees try logging onto one of the websites that has added the code, they will be given a message telling them that they will only be able to load it faster if they fork over $1,000 to get their own fast lane. Whether this will convince anyone at the FCC to change their positions on creating Internet fast lanes is up for debate, but we do have to give Drake a tip of the cap for creativity.

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Posted in 2014 at 10:45PM, May 16

Google Buys Visual Translation App 'Word Lens', Makes It Free for Limited Time [iOS Blog]

Google has bought the popular iOS and Android visual translation app Word Lens to "incorporate [the] technology into Google Translate's broad language coverage", according to a statement on Quest Visual's website.



The software uses a smartphone camera to translate signs in real time into the users native language. The technology is remarkable and used by many world travelers. Previously, translation packs were available as in-app purchases, but Quest Visual has made all the packs and the app itself free for a limited time.





The company did not say how long the app will be available for free, so interested users should download it while it is available. Translations are available between English and Russian, Portuguese, German, Italian, French and Spanish.



Word Lens is a free download from the App Store. [Direct Link]

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Posted in 2014 at 10:31PM, May 16

Apple Details Expanded 4K Display Support Included in OS X 10.9.3

Apple today updated its 4K display support page following the OS X 10.9.3 update, detailing the enhancements that have been made to 4K display support.



Running OS X 10.9.3, the 2013 Mac Pro and the 2013 Retina MacBook Pro now support several new 4K displays, including the Sharp PN-K321, ASUS PQ321Q, Dell UP2414Q, Dell UP3214Q, and the Panasonic TC-L65WT600. Previously, only the Sharp and ASUS displays were officially supported.



There's a new section on display adjustments and Retina scaling, introduced to allow the resolution of 4K displays to be adjusted much like the display of the Retina MacBook Pro, improving the size and readability of text and other on-screen elements.





The revamped support page also notes that both the Mac Pro and the Retina MacBook Pro are now able to support 60 Hz 4K output for the five supported displays, using multi-stream transport, a feature previously limited to the Mac Pro. With the higher refresh rates, response times for tasks like game playing and video editing will be improved. Detailed instructions are given for enabling the option:

MacBook Pro (Retina, Late 2013) or Mac Pro (Late 2013) also support 60 Hz displays using multi-stream transport (MST). These displays need to be manually configured to use MST. Follow the steps below to use the display's built-in controls to enable this feature.



- Sharp PN-K321: Choose Menu > Setup > DisplayPort STREAM > MST > SET

- ASUS PQ321Q: Choose OSD menu > Setup > DisplayPort Stream

- Dell UP2414Q and UP3214Q: Choose Menu > Display Setting > DisplayPort 1.2 > Enable

- Panasonic TC-L65WT600: Choose Menu > Display Port Settings > Steam Setting > Auto

Your Mac will automatically detect an MST-enabled display. However, your display may require a firmware update to support 60Hz operation. Please contact your display vendor for details. If your specific DisplayPort display is not listed above, check with the display's manufacturer for compatibility information.

First released yesterday, OS X 10.9.3 with enhanced support for 4K displays can be downloaded via the software update tool in the Mac App Store.

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Posted in 2014 at 07:43PM, May 16

Apple Being Sued Over Phone-Switching iMessage Issue

Apple is facing a lawsuit over a long-standing issue that prevents iPhones from sending text messages to the Android phones of former iPhone users, reports Bloomberg (via BusinessInsider ). Filed by a former iPhone customer, the lawsuit alleges that the user ceased getting messages from iPhone owners after she switched to a non-Apple device.



This is a problem that has afflicted many former iPhone users that switch from an iPhone to another device. After an iPhone is disabled, the users face an issue where iMessages sent from other iPhone owners are routed to a deactivated iPhone rather than being forwarded as a text message to an active phone, causing text messages to disappear.



Earlier this week, former Lifehacker editor-in-chief Adam Pash claimed that Apple is aware of the iMessage issue and unable to provide a fix. An Apple customer support representative told Pash that the iMessage bug is "a problem a lot of people are facing" and that the company's engineering team "is working on it but is apparently clueless as how to fix it."



These errors with iMessage have been a known issue since 2011, which is when the messaging service was first introduced with iOS 5. Apple advises iPhone owners to disable iMessages before deactivating their phones in order to remove the device from their system, but some users have experienced problems even after disabling iMessage.



Some users have had success calling in to Apple to have their numbers removed from the iMessage system and in 2012, TechCrunch detailed a fix involving unregistering products on a user's Support Profile, which has also worked for some people experiencing iMessage issues after switching to a non-Apple device.



Filed in San Jose California, the lawsuit is currently seeking class action status.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:39PM, May 16

When it comes to protecting data, Apple finally has your back

As recently as last year, Apple consistently ranked among the worst large companies in the United States when it came to ensuring that its customers' data and interests were being protected from law enforcement and the government. In one short year, however, Apple has shot from the bottom of the pile to the top.

Continue reading...

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Posted in 2014 at 06:50PM, May 16

How did this smug, 20-something Swedish hipster become YouTube’s biggest star?

Game of Thrones recently made a splash by hitting 7 million viewers for a recent episode. This was an epic number for HBO, the biggest since the halcyon days of The Sopranos. It's a number that most primetime broadcast shows would kill for. In the meanwhile, the biggest YouTube channel is now closing in on 27 million subscribers.

Continue reading...

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Posted in 2014 at 05:35PM, May 16

Alleged 'iPad Pro' Model Shows What the Giant Tablet Might Look Like In-Hand

A model said to be an industrial prototype of the upcoming 12.9-inch "iPad Pro" has surfaced, giving a look at what the larger tablet might look like in-hand. Discovered on Chinese Twitter-like site Weibo by Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translation] the machined aluminum is said to be a reference for creating cases and other accessories.





The design of the mockup is very rudimentary and while it is said to be the iPad Pro, it is impossible to determine the exact size of the prototype from the photos. It is also not clear if this "prototype" is based on any type of legitimate specifications as Apple is said to be multiple months away from releasing a larger tablet. Along with a larger size, the model also has an Apple logo and a rear camera cutout. At 12.9-inches, the iPad Pro would be similar in size to a 13-inch MacBook Air and quite a bit larger than the existing 9.7-inch iPad Air.




Rendering of a 12.9-inch iPad next to a 13-inch MacBook Air


News that Apple was testing displays for a larger 12.9-inch iPad first surfaced in July of last year in a report from The Wall Street Journal . While initial rumors suggested Apple could release the device in 2014, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has pointed towards a possible 2015 launch date for the device, while Digitimes indicated in March that development on the tablet had been shelved in favor of other projects.



Rumors have suggested the iPad Pro, if released, will adopt many of the same design elements offered in the current iPad Air and Retina iPad mini, including an ultrathin chassis and narrow side bezels. It is also rumored to include an ultra high-definition display.

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Posted in 2014 at 04:43PM, May 16