Apple

• Google
• Apple
• camera
• Patent
• United States Patent & Trademark Office

USPTO publishes Google patent for 3D video conferencing on a laptop

Élyse Betters Aug 17 2012 - 1:28 pm PT

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Google that illustrates the search giant is developing technology for a computing device, such a laptop, that will boast dual cameras with 3D video conferencing as the main function.

Patent Bolt explained:

• Google’s specific example goes like this: the computing notebook with the dual cameras could be used by a first user to produce a stereoscopic image of, for example, the first user during a video conference session when while in the notebook’s stereoscopic mode. In some instances, the stereoscopic image could be displayed locally and/or sent to a remote computing device via the video conference session.
• If a second user joins the video conferencing session in the same room as the first user, the notebook could be changed from a stereoscopic mode to that of a multi-image mode so that separate images of the first user and the second user could be used during the video conferencing session.

It is worth noting stereoscopy is otherwise known as 3D imaging. Most stereoscopic techniques present two offset images independently to the left and right eye of the viewer, but the brain combines them to give the perception of 3D depth.

Patent Bolt further contextualized the multi-image mode:

• In Google’s example of this invention used in a video conferencing context, two people in one office could be both using the same notebook during the conference for the sake of simple communications. They could be sitting across the table from each other with one camera facing one participant and the other camera pointed to the back of the notebook to view the second participant. The party on the other end of the conference would simply see two side-by-side boxes on their screen as if the individuals were actually sitting side by side. For home users it could be handy application when there’s only one household notebook.

Get the full report and more images at Patent Bolt.

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• Google
• Samsung
• Apple
• Patent
• Wall Street Journal

Google, Samsung join Apple and other adversaries to buy Kodak patents, perhaps signaling intent to curtail litigation

Élyse Betters Aug 17 2012 - 8:11 am PT

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It must be a cold day in Hell. Google and Samsung are consorting with Apple, LG Electronics, and various ventures and firms to bid as a group on Kodak’s intellectual property.

Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection in January, according to The Wall Street Journal, and it is looking to auction its patents to raise money for surviving a Chapter 11 court protection. Kodak could barter all 1,100 digital photography-based patents or end the auction without a deal, as the company announced it would name the winning bidders on Monday but eventually pushed the deadline upon talking with creditors.

The Wall Street Journal explained:

• Negotiations and the bidding group’s composition are fluid, the people said. If the consortium reaches a deal to buy some or all of Kodak’s patents, they would essentially be kept out of any one company’s hands and could prevent consortium members from using them in litigation against each other. A deal, however, could also attract attention from federal antitrust regulators.
• A deal for the entire portfolio—one of many options under discussion— could fetch more than $500 million based on recent negotiations, people familiar with the process said. That is well above opening bids when the auction started last week, but far below the $2.2 billion to $2.6 billion Kodak at one point said the patents could be worth.
• In a statement Thursday, Kodak said discussions with buyers are active and that it isn’t ready to announce a result. The company added that it might decline to sell some or all of the patents, depending on how the auction progresses.

Photography and cameras are obviously a main feature of mobile devices. Competitors in the tech arena have joined forces in the past to snatch up attractive patents, but The Wall Street Journal noted it is “unusual for them all to join the same camp.”

Patent law whiz Michael Carrier, of Rutgers University in Camden, said the companies would not suffer antitrust issues if the tech giants commit to licensing on reasonable rates. Otherwise, an action such as dividing the patents without sharing the rights to use them could likely meet legal trouble down the road.

Get the full report at The Wall Street Journal.

This article is cross-posted on 9to5Mac.

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• Google
• Apple
• Twitter
• United States Patent & Trademark Office
• Speak to Tweet

USPTO publishes Google’s ‘Speak to Tweet’ patent

Élyse Betters Aug 16 2012 - 12:29 pm PT

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark office just published a Google patent for “Speak to Tweet,” which is a service that allows users to communicate on Twitter by dialing an international phone number and then leaving a tweet by way of voice message. Google developed “Speak to Tweet” in response to the 2011 Egyptian revolution Internet shutdown.

Patentbolt explained:

In January 2011 Google acquired a small company called SayNow. Google, with the assistance of their newly acquired SayNow team worked night and day with Twitter so as to quickly develop a product called “Speak to Tweet.” The service was developed to help people stay connected in times when they were unable to find a viable Internet connection. The inspiration for this application was born during the Egyptian revolution. As a reaction to protests in Cairo, the Egyptian government shut down the Internet throughout that country on January 26, 2011. Technically, Speak to Tweet (or speak2tweet) is a communications service that allows users to leave a “tweet” on Twitter by calling a designated international phone number and leaving a voice message. Recently, the US Patent Office published the patent that’s behind the Speak to Tweet service.

Head of the Google Cultural Institute Steve Crossan originally filed the patent application in Q1 2012. Check it out here.

[Image via Patentbolt]

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• Google
• Google Play
• Google Hangouts
• Apple
• Germany

Google Play Movies go live in Germany

Seth Weintraub Aug 16 2012 - 6:49 am PT

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Our friends in Germany reported that the local Google Play Store is now showing movies for both purchase and renting. This already surpasses Amazon’s reach and makes a bit of headway in matching Apple’s iTunes Store reach. Usually the Play Store follows rentals in YouTube. German users: Ja or nein?

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• Android
• Google
• Apple
• iOS
• Amazon

Report: FCC clears Amazon’s next Kindle Fire with larger display, possible fall release

Élyse Betters Aug 15 2012 - 9:12 am PT

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Label

Amazon’s next-generation Kindle Fire could land in the fall with a larger display.

At least that is what Nate Hoffelder of The Digital Reader reported after receiving a tip about a new Kindle Fire clearing the Federal Communications Commission yesterday:

A friend of mine has tipped me to an anonymous set of FCC documents which were posted yesterday. They don’t show any useful detail, but they do lead somewhere interesting. Like Amazon’s past FCC submissions, this paperwork belongs to a new front company. This time around the company is Harpers LLC.

Hoffelder did not find any details in the FCC filing beyond the eReader’s label, but he reviewed the dimensions given and said it looked like a 9.7-inch or 10-inch tablet:

The general screen geometry is likely going to be 4:3 (like the iPad), and not widescreen like many Android tablets. And since some of the hidden parts of the FCC paperwork will be revealed in December, this device will clearly be launched this fall.

The original Kindle Fire is a version of Amazon’s popular Kindle eReader. It announced in September 2011 with a color 7-inch multi-touch display and a forked version of Google’s Android operating system.

Go to The Digital Reader for the full report. 

[FCC— OET Exhibits List]

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• Google
• Apple
• iOS
• FTC
• Federal Trade Commission

It’s official: Google agrees to pay record $22.5M FTC fine in Safari bypass dispute

Élyse Betters Aug 9 2012 - 8:42 am PT

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We reported last week that the Federal Trade Commission voted to fine Google $22.5 million for violating browser security settings in Safari, but now Google has agreed to pay the record-setting amount and finally settle its dispute.

According to the press release (via MarketWatch): 

• Google to pay $22.5 million to settle FTC dispute
• SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Google Inc. GOOG +0.27% Thursday agreed to pay a $22.5 million penalty to settle a dispute with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The FTC said the penalty stems from charges that Google misrepresented users of Apple Inc.’sAAPL +0.13% Safari Web browser after saying it wouldn’t place tracking “cookies” or serve targeted ads to Safari users. The FTC said Google’s actions violated and earlier privacy settlement between the FTC and Google. Google shares were up less than 1% at $643.63 in early trading Thursday.

The allegations against Google began in February, when the search engine and other ad companies were caught bypassing Safari security settings to install tracking cookies on devices and computers without consent.

“The record setting penalty in this matter sends a clear message to all companies under an FTC privacy order,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz in another presser. “No matter how big or small, all companies must abide by FTC orders against them and keep their privacy promises to consumers, or they will end up paying many times what it would have cost to comply in the first place.”

It is worth noting that the hefty fine roughly equals five hours of revenue for Google based on Q2 2012 sales.

The FTC’s full press release is below.

This article is cross-posted on 9to5Mac.

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• Google
• Samsung
• Apple
• IPhone
• Asus

IDC: Samsung and ASUS are gaining, but iPad still owns over 2/3rds of the tablet market

Élyse Betters Aug 2 2012 - 9:04 am PT

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According to the latest data from IDC, four of the top five worldwide vendors eyed shipment increases year-over-year and solid growth in Q2 2012.

Global tablet shipments hit 25 million units, with a 66.2-percent year-over-year increase, while Apple’s iPad set a shipment record in Q2 2012 by jumping from 11.8 million units shipped in Q1 2012 to 17 million.

Samsung sits at second place with 2.4 million units shipped, which is an increase from 1.1 million units in Q2 2011, and ASUS notably almost tripled its amount of units shipped from a year ago. Interestingly, shipments of the Google/ASUS-branded Nexus 7 are not a part of these totals.

Get the full breakdown at IDC.

This article is cross-posted at 9to5Mac.

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• Android
• Google
• Samsung
• Apple
• Anandtech

Benchmarks reveal ‘strong storage performance’ for 16GB Nexus 7

Élyse Betters Aug 1 2012 - 8:29 am PT

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AnandTech ran the 16 GB Nexus 7 through the Android version of its standard SSD tests using Androbench, and the in-depth results indicate the Google-branded tablet boasts “strong storage performance.”

The performance highlights:

• — Sequential read speed at 19.8 MB/s (slower than 8 GB model, 32 GB Motorola Xyboard 10.1, and 16 GB Samsung Galaxy Nexus).
• — Sequential write speed at 10. 47 MB/s (faster than 8 GB model, 16 GB Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and 16 GB Asus Transformer Pad 300).
• — Random read performance at 7. 79 MB/s (faster than 8 GB model, 16 GB Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and 16 GB Asus Transformer Pad 300).
• — Random read performance at 0.46 MB/s (faster than 8 GB model, 16 GB Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and 16 GB Asus Transformer Pad 300).

AnandTech’s Anand Lal Shimpi said the difference in IO performance “isn’t significant enough to push you towards the $250 Nexus 7 if you don’t need the extra space,” but he told folks to consider the 16 GB model an “added benefit.”

Get the full report at AnandTech.

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• Android
• Samsung
• Apple
• IPhone
• Sony

Samsung says Apple stole iPhone design from Sony

Jordan Kahn Jul 26 2012 - 12:16 pm PT

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With Apple and Samsung’s jury trial slated to kick off in a federal district court in San Jose, Calif., this Monday, AllThingsD points us to trial briefs where Samsung’s lawyers argued Apple’s inspiration for the original iPhone CAD drawings and designs were inspired by a Sony product:

Right after this article was circulated internally, Apple industrial designer Shin Nishibori was directed to prepare a “Sony-like” design for an Apple phone and then had CAD drawings and a three-dimensional model prepared. Confirming the origin of the design, these internal Apple CAD drawings prepared at Mr. Nishibori‘s direction even had the “Sony” name prominently emblazoned on the phone design, as the below images from Apple‘s internal documents show..

Soon afterward, on March 8, 2006, Apple designer Richard Howarth reported that, in contrast to another internal design that was then under consideration, Mr. Nishibori‘s “Sony-style” design enabled “a much smaller-looking product with a much nicer shape to have next to your ear and in your pocket” and had greater “size and shape/comfort benefits.” As Mr. Nishibori has confirmed in deposition testimony, this “Sony-style” design he prepared changed the course of the project that yielded the final iPhone design.

The article referenced above is from a 2006 interview with Sony designers that appeared in Businessweek.

• Google
• Apple
• search
• Search Engines
• Fortune (magazine)

Report: Google shells out over $5M lobbying in Q2, while Apple barely spends $500K

Élyse Betters Jul 23 2012 - 8:10 am PT

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The congressional lobbying disclosure reports for Q2 2012 are available, and Google is far ahead of Apple in terms of money spent lobbying.

Fortune’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt reported that “Google has outspent Apple nearly 10 to one,” and he noted which bills Apple is giving the most attention:

The list is long, and it ranges from the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2011 to “issues related to the transportation of batteries.” Given the latest kerfuffle about Apple’s temporary withdrawal from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool program a couple weeks ago, I was interested to see “EPEAT” on the list.

Google also took an active interest in environment, with its specific lobbying issues pertaining to “renewable energy policies.”

Google’s report is here, while Apple’s report is here.

This article is cross-posted on 9to5Mac.

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