Mobile Devices - Page 365
The latest and most important Mobile Devices news - Page 365.
Apple Sued over iPhone screen rendering
Most of the Press has been speculating that Apple might take Palm to court for Palm's new Pre Phone. Most of this speculation comes from Apple's recent Patent on Multi-Touch.
However while some of us expected Palm to counter Apple with the many patents they already have that relate to touch screens etc. what none of us expected was for a different company to file a patents infringement suit against Apple.
The new suit claims that Apple has used a vital part of a technology created and patented by Picsel Technologies and Picsel Research. The technology allows for rapid refresh of content on mobile phones.
Piscel is claiming that Apple used this in its iPhone and iPod touch.
If they win Picsel could be looking at a substantial payoff.
Read more here at iPhone Central.
Continue reading: Apple Sued over iPhone screen rendering (full post)
iPhone gets a new Matte Back Plate
More Apple news this morning, this time we see what may very well be a new back for the future iPhone.
The pictures popped up on MacRummors and appear to show a next gen iPhone with a matted and slightly textured back plate. Although no one can verify the authenticity of these images they appear to have come from China where the iPhone is assembled.
The initial image was posted by iPodObserver, they were responsible for showing the early back plate images of the iPhone 3G.
With all of the rumors about the new iPhone I am not sure what to believe, but based on the number of times I have to clean mine per day I do hope this new back plate is real.
Read more here at MacRummors.
Continue reading: iPhone gets a new Matte Back Plate (full post)
Apple might release a low-end iPhone
It has been called "the rumor that wouldn't die" at least that is how some are referring to the repeatedly denied entry level iPhone rumors.
But according to some new information over at Fudzilla it looks like the stagnant economic times coupled with entry level touch and multi-media phones by rivals like BlackBerry might change Apple's mind.
If the David Stellmack has his information correct a new $99 (US) iPhone could hit the market soon.
This phone would be little more than a Low-Res 8GB iPhone 1.0 but would still fill in a gap that Apple is currently missing.
Read more here.
Continue reading: Apple might release a low-end iPhone (full post)
Tegra to debut in Microsoft Smart Phone
It looks like the rumors we reported on a few days ago might have a nugget of truth in them. Earlier in the week we pointed to an article stating that Microsoft would be partnering up with nVidia to make its next generation of smart phones.
Today we see another story indicating that Tegra (nVidia's SOC ARM officering) will be used in MS' next gen smart phone. This is possibly where all the nPhone rumors have their basis.
nVidia has been hard at work on Tegra and needs a success with this while Microsoft desperately needs a makeover for its boring Windows Mobile OS.
Combining the visual computing power of Tegra with an updated Win Mobile could give MS a real competitor to the iPhone.
Of course it looks like Tegra might pop up in the next Gen iPhone too.
With all the new players and new technology the Smart Phone market is looking to be very interesting in 2009.
Read more here.
Continue reading: Tegra to debut in Microsoft Smart Phone (full post)
Garmin and Asus team up to build a Smart Phone
Asus and Garmin have joined forces to launch a new smart phone.
The new phone will be called the Garmin-Asus nuvifone G60 and will be the first mobile phone that is Location-Centric.
I am sure you are wondering what that means exactly, well in simple terms it means it is a GPS device at heart and a smart phone 2nd. This is in contrast to most GPS enabled phones where the GPS functions are secondary or an afterthought.
The G60 will be launched in Barcelona, Spain during the Mobile World Congress trade show which kicks off on February the 16th.
While details of the agreement are mostly confidential, it is known that Asus and Garmin will share profits from the device as well as distribution.
Read more here at the Sydney Morning Herald
Continue reading: Garmin and Asus team up to build a Smart Phone (full post)
New software to secure Smart Phones
A company called PINoptic has a new method for securing your smart phone that it claims will make it 37 times more secure.
The way the software works is to replace the traditional numbered PIN with a picture based system. The images will show up on each of the 10 numbered buttons; however they will do so randomly. This means that someone watching you will not be able to memorize the sequence but would have to carefully watch the actual images you press.
PINoptics claims that someone would have to watch a person login over 10 times before they would be able to figure out the login.
Smartphones are become more of a target as they often contain personal or work e-mails as well other personal information.
Read more here
Continue reading: New software to secure Smart Phones (full post)
Google Execs face criminal charges in Italy
In a first of its kind move, the Public Prosecutor in Milan, Italy has filed criminal charges against Google's Global Privacy Counsel Peter Fleischer.
The charges (which include defamation and failure to exercise control over personal data) arose after a video depicting a disabled teen being bullied by several other boy showed up on Google's YouTube.
Google made the statement that this is "totally wrong" because they cannot be responsible for what people do on their site. This is the same tack they take with their other products such as Google Earth. It seems that Google does not feel any public responsibility for what can and cannot be done with their products.
Francesco Cajani (Milan's Public Prosecutor) feels different as under Italian law ISPs are responsible for third party content. This should make Google (the host of the service) responsible too.
Fleischer was arrested and brought before a judge on January 23rd. If this action goes through Fleischer could face up to 36 months in Italian prison. But more importantly it might finally set a precedent making the search and ad giant responsible for the material it pushes out.
Read more here
Continue reading: Google Execs face criminal charges in Italy (full post)
Apple fears Flash on the iPhone
But the iPhone has always lacked a few important items that have kept it from being even more widely accepted. These are items such as Multimedia messaging, copy and paste, a real text editor and of course Flash.
Flash has been a sticking point with many and of course Apple has laid the blame at Adobe's feet. This mantel of blame was further enhanced when Adobe's own CEO said they were responsible.
But it seems that it might not be Adobe to blame after all. According to an article at Fudzilla it is nothing less than Apple's desire to maintain control over the iPhone. If an unrestricted version of Flash were allowed onto the iPhone, Apple just might lose that iron grip it has. Although I am not sure how much control they think they still have with JailBreak apps so common and easy to use.
Read more here
Continue reading: Apple fears Flash on the iPhone (full post)
President Obama chooses less secure Phone
If you have been following the Obama blackberry issue you by now know that it is has become a huge issue. Well now we see that what the press calls the first technologically savvy President might not be as savvy as he likes to think.
President Obama wants to keep to his beloved Blackberry 8830; he claims that it will allow him to keep in touch with the real world. I am not sure who in the "real world" he is talking to other than his personal associates as last time I checked his cell number was not available to the rest of us. But that is beside the point.
His choice of PDA is what I am concerned with now. President Obama has chosen to maintain using his 8830 Blackberry (with a few enhancements) however this is neither the most secure phone nor the best phone for him to use.
The best choice would be the Sectera Edge. This is the only PDAPhone certified for use by the US National Security Agency. It operates on both GSM and CDMA networks (with 3G on either) supports SCIP (Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol) and can switch between secure and unsecure with the press of a button. So much for making the best technology decisions, but then again the 8830 looks cooler.
Take a look here
Continue reading: President Obama chooses less secure Phone (full post)
Is Gary McKinnon a Crank or a Criminal?
The controversy surrounding Gary McKinnon is something to watch. The U.S. wants him due to the embarrassment caused by having supposedly secure military installations breached more than any real damage done.
While his lawyers want to keep him at home and have pretty much thrown every argument in the book out to keep him in the UK.
The question is; did McKinnon hack into the US DOD to look for little green men? Or did he know what he was doing. He knew enough to leave little notes saying that the security sucked. He also was aware enough to plan out the hack attempt by using a blank password scan.
But there are others that feel he is not in a fit mental state. One of these is London Mayor Boris Johnson. In a very emotional editorial he asks President Obama to once and for all drop the extradition efforts and leave McKinnon alone.
Read more here.
Continue reading: Is Gary McKinnon a Crank or a Criminal? (full post)