T-Mobile USA filed a brief today opposing Apple's efforts to ban several Samsung Electronics products from the U.S., the second carrier to make such a move in the past week.
"While T-Mobile respects intellectual property rights and believes that owners of intellectual property deserve the right to present their arguments and evidence of infringement in court, a preliminary injunction is a drastic and extraordinary measure, and the courts should pay particular attention to its public consequences," T-Mobile said in a statement.
The filing was made with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of … Read more
For the Motorola Xoom tablet, it's better late than never.
Verizon Wireless said it would begin selling the 4G LTE version of the tablet starting tomorrow. The product will sell for $499.99 with a two-year contract. Existing Xoom customers can enter their contact info at this site can get information on how to send the Xoom to Motorola for the upgrade. Customers are expected to get the Xoom back back in roughly six business days.
The 4G capability comes more than seven months after the Xoom tablet originally hit the market, initially as a 3G-only device. The tablet, which was the first to use the tablet-specific Honeycomb version of Android, was supposed to be the first worthy competitor to Apple's iPad.
Instead, the Xoom received a mixed critical response and couldn't sell many devices until it cut its price,which was at a premium to the iPad. It's one of many tablets that have struggled to establish a foothold in a market dominated by Apple.
It's unclear whether the 4G upgrade will make much of a difference now. Particularly after Amazon unveiled a $199 tablet that disrupts what consumers think they need to pay for a tablet. Motorola is reportedly introducing a sequel as well.
Verizon Wireless customers won't have to switch their data plans with the upgrade. The plans range between $30 and 2 gigabytes of data a month to $80 for 10 gigabytes.
Corrected at 4:53 p.m. PT: to note that customers can not go to Verizon stores to get their 4G upgrade. … Read more
commentary Well, the Kindle Fire just up and ruined it for all the other tablet makers.
Amazon just put the rest of the tablet world on notice by pricing the Kindle Fire at $199, less than half of the $500 mark that the industry has gravitated toward as a standard price. By doing so, Amazon is redefining for consumers just how much they need to pay for a quality tablet.
"It makes it much more difficult for pure tablet vendors--other than Apple--to sell products at a profit," said Avi Greengart, who covers consumer electronic products for Current Analysis. … Read more
Android phones seem to have cornered the market on 4G, according to a report out yesterday from Localytics.
Gazing at the smartphone landscape, the mobile analytics firm found that 37 percent of all Android phones are now 4G-enabled. That percentage is likely to surge even further as this year alone the number of 4G Android phones have jumped by more than 50 percent.
Of course, 4G is a fuzzy term that's often used loosely to describe any type of high-speed mobile access. For the purposes of its study, Localytics defines a 4G device as one that taps into LTE, … Read more
With Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, Microsoft is sending a clear message that its mobile ambitions are moving full steam ahead, but can they hope for more than third place?
Windows Phone 7.5 Mango review: Up to speed Ambitious Microsoft heaped up 500 changes in the Windows Phone update, many of which give the underdog mobile OS a fighting chance against Android and iOS, at least when it comes to features. (Posted in Dialed In by Jessica Dolcourt) September 27, 2011 10:00 a.m. PT
Amazon didn't disappoint tech enthusiasts this morning at its big press conference in Manhattan.. The company announced not one, but three new devices, all below the $200 price point.
As Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said more than once during the presentation, the company is all about "making premium products at non-premium prices." The new products included three new e-ink e-readers and the much-anticipated Kindle Fire, a tablet for enjoying all of Amazon's multimedia content.
Amazon today showed off three new versions of its Kindle e-ink digital book reader.
The company unveiled the Kindle Touch for $99. It also showed off a 3G version, which will sell for $149. A cheaper and smaller non-touch-control Kindle will sell for $79, and will be supported with ads.
Amazon unveiled the Kindle Fire, an Android-powered tablet that acts more like a color e-reader on steroids and will retail for $199.
"We're building premium products at non-premium prices," said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos during the presentation.
The Kindle Fire will be available on November 15 and is available for preorder now. Bloomberg earlier reported the $199 price point and details on the device.
The Kindle Fire marks Amazon's first foray into the tablet market, which has so far been dominated by Apple's iPad. But with its low price--most tablets retail for around $500--and the established Kindle brand, analysts believe Amazon's product could represent the first legitimate competitor in an area where many other high-end Android tablets have missed the mark.
"We believe that the launch of an Amazon tablet will significantly boost the tablet market and inject a much needed competitor to Apple's iPad," Adam Leach, an analyst at research firm Ovum, said ahead of the event.
The specifications, however, are lower than other comparable high-end tablets. While it has a dual-core processor, it lacks many of the other typical features found in a tablet, such as a camera, microphone, and 3G wireless access. It also only has 8 gigabytes of storage space. The device is more intended to compete with Barnes & Noble's Nook Color, which is essentially a stripped down Android tablet. … Read more
Microsoft and Samsung Electronics said today that they had struck a cross-licensing agreement, avoiding the potential litigation that has plagued most technology companies.
Under the deal, Samsung has agreed to pay Microsoft royalties for technology used in its Android-based tablets and handsets. In addition, the companies agreed to work together to further develop and market Windows Phone devices.
The deal represents a rare example of compromise in an industry where lawyers have been the preferred weapon. Over the past few years, Microsoft has been more aggressive in extracting licensing agreements with electronic manufacturers using any kind of smartphone technology. It … Read more
LA DEFENSE, France--"Mobile devices"? Smartphones and tablets might better be called just wireless devices, because people use them while out and about comparatively rarely.
So said Olivier Baujard, Deutsche Telekom's chief technology officer, speaking here at the Broadband World Forum. He based his conclusion on data from the Netherlands, where 45 percent of traffic is from home, 45 percent is from work, and only 10 percent is while "walking, driving a car, taking a bus, or things like that."
"It's more a wireless experience than a true mobile experience," Baujard said. &… Read more
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