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BetaNews.Com (7 non lus)

Discovery sues Amazon again for patent infringement over Kindle

Publié: juillet 15, 2010, 10:14pm CEST par Ed Oswald

By Ed Oswald, Betanews

Discovery Communications intellectual property subsidiary Discovery Patent Holdings filed suit against Amazon Wednesday, claiming Amazon's line of Kindle e-book readers infringe on two patents held by the company. The suit is the second between the two companies over such technologies.
Amazon was originally sued by Discovery Communications in March of last year, accusing the company of violation of a comprehensive patent on e-book readers titled "Electronic Book Security and Copyright Protection System" (#7,298,851). This covered the Kindle and Kindle 2 models.
This newest suit names Discovery Patent Holdings as the plaintiff and adds the DX model as well as a new patent which was titled "Electronic Book Selection and Delivery System" (#5,986,690).
Discovery holds the rights to a third e-book related patent (#7,716,349) titled "Electronic book library/bookstore system," however that one -- applied for in 2000 and not issued until 2010 -- is not part of the suit.
The '690 patent was issued to Discovery Communications in 1999, while the '851 patent was awarded in 2007. According to court documents, the patents were transferred to Discovery Patent Holdings on Monday of this week. It appears as if Discovery Patent was spun off to hold its parent company's intellectual property, and thus the suit was refiled.
It looks like Discovery is not asking for an injunction, however it did demand royalty payments begin as well as unspecified damages. The company is also asking the court for a jury trial.
A glance through the patents does seem to give some credibility to Discovery's claims last year that it had thought of the concept of e-book readers in the method in which Kindle operates. At the same time, it also seems as if other Internet connected readers, such as the Nook, would also violate these patents.
Requests for comment had been sent to Amazon.com, who had not responded as of press time.
UPDATE A representative from Discovery contacted us this afternoon saying, "Discovery Communications, Inc. previously filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Amazon.com, Inc. on March 17, 2009. I wanted to clarify that the paperwork filed July 14, 2010 is not a new lawsuit, rather a procedural issue assigning the patents and thus naming the plantiff in the lawsuit, as Discovery Patent Holdings, LLC...There are no changes to the lawsuit - same terms, patents named, etc. "
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Intellectual property - Discovery Communications - Amazon.com - Patent infringement - Lawsuit

New software beta lets Windows PCs use iPad as wireless monitor

Publié: juillet 15, 2010, 8:13pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Download MaxiVista iPad for Windows from Fileforum now!

MaxiVista turns the iPad into a wireless Windows PC screen extender Windows users can now use the Apple iPad as a wireless display extension with a software package released in beta today called MaxiVista from German software company Bartels Media.

MaxiVista's multi-monitor software lets users extend their desktop across other PCs and Notebooks, and utilizes a special data compression so the CPU and network load stay low. While the frame rate isn't exactly good enough to handle video playback or gaming, it is useful for non-graphically intensive applications, and it doesn't require any unique hardware.

"The new graphic card standard, WDDM, that was introduced with Windows Vista prohibited the use of multiple graphic cards from different manufacturers on one computer. MaxiVista is the first application of its kind to overcome these limitations and functions with Windows XP as well as with Windows Vista and Windows 7," General Manager Gunnar Bartels told us this morning.

For MaxiVista to function, users must download a $9.99 iPad application. The Windows part of the software is free, and video drivers are compatible with both 32 and 64 Bit operating systems. Interestingly, there is not a version yet compatible with OS X, but it is reportedly on the way.

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5 things Apple should do to kill iPhone 4 Death Grip

Publié: juillet 15, 2010, 7:43pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews

On July 16, Apple is holding an unspecified media event about iPhone. The presumption is that the company will finally address the so-called Death Grip, where bodily contact with the lower left-hand side of iPhone 4 causes the signal indicator to decline. I'm assuming that's the purpose of the event and here offer up five things Apple should do there to handle the public relations problem.

First, I'll offer some brief analysis. Apple should never have let Death Grip get so out of hand. Apple marketing is as good as -- often better than -- its products. The company masterfully generates good perceptions. But Death Grip seems to have squeezed the life out of Apple's PR and marketing staff and CEO Steve Jobs. Apple's lack of assertive action shows that there is some validation to blogger, Consumer Reports, customer and journalist reactions to reported antenna problems. Something is wrong. But is it really all that bad?

I have no problem creating the Death Grip, by simply holding iPhone 4 in my left hand with palm pressed against the lower left-hand side of the device. But I haven't had any more calling problems with iPhone 4 than its predecessors -- and that's living in an area where AT&T reps admit reception is notoriously bad. Elsewhere, I find signal strength improved and that Death Grip is not easily reproduced in areas with strong signals.

Based on my own experience, which includes using smartphones for more than five years, and reading reports from or talking to other iPhone 4 owners, I believe that Apple's problem is more perception than reality. Yes, signal drops when iPhone is held in the Death Grip where carrier signal is weak but overall performance is on par with or better than other smartphones.

Apple's choice of a Friday media event is unusual and probably quite deliberate. Fridays are typically slow news days, which means Apple's iPhone 4 response will lead the news pretty much everywhere tomorrow and throughout the weekend. If the response is good enough, the buzz should help Apple reset perceptions about iPhone 4 -- or at least change the tone of blog posts or news articles. That Apple still can't meet iPhone 4 demand is evidence enough that lots of people still want the handset, regardless of the negative reports about antenna performance.

Apple's objective isn't protecting sales but resetting perceptions, by:

Assuring shareholders that iPhone 4 is not a fundamentally, flawed device, and that it will continue to sell well -- better than its predecessors.
Taking the edge off the negative news reports, which can't be much positive without a more official response from Apple.

With that introduction, here's what I would do tomorrow if working for Apple. In order of importance:

1. Release iOS 4.1, or whatever update is necessary to properly align the signal indicator and quash any other radio-related bugs (Bluetooth would be a good start). If Apple is smart, the update will pack goodies, like FaceTime over 3G capabilities, that will excite the masses and shift focus away from Death Grip.

2. Bring out certified antenna engineers -- one to three of them -- to discuss how the iPhone 4 radios work and to do comparisons with other smartphones. Apple should assert that iPhone 4's weak signal performance isn't unique but that because of the phone's popularity, bloggers, Consumer Reports and journalists have amplified a small and common problem with antenna placement and reception. The engineers should also show how the antenna design boosts telephony performance more often than hinders it.

3. Offer iPhone 4 owners freebees -- Bumpers, $30 credit for case (or other accessories) or some other incentive, like free MobileMe for one year. Apple should not give away cases, because of the potential negative effects on iPhone partners. The freebees would be simply goodwill, available to those customers requesting them, with Apple admitting no fault.

4. Reveal the number of iPhone 4 returns. I haven't seen long return lines at my two local Apple Stores or heard about many iPhone 4 owners -- even those complaining about Death Grip -- seeking refunds. Apple can say that in unprecedented disclosure, the kind no public company would risk doing, here are the number of iPhone 4 returns. If the number is small, as I expect, Apple could assert that even with all the bad Death Grip publicity people love their iPhone 4s.

5. Emphatically state that there will be no iPhone 4 recall. As long as Apple lets the topic be, someone will write about the possibility of a recall. Apple should squash all speculation on the subject. The announcement would be the right time to reveal availability of white iPhone 4s, increases in production capacity and smartphone availability in more countries. Rather than recall, Apple is expanding sales -- sure sign of its confidence in iPhone 4.

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Ford Sync voice recognition explodes to more than 10,000 commands

Publié: juillet 15, 2010, 7:40pm CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Today, Ford announced that its Sync in-car command, navigation, and entertainment system has improved its voice recognition interface by increasing the vocabulary by more than 100x, allowing system commands to be much simpler and more direct.

The Sync system was developed through Ford's partnership with Microsoft, and launched in 2007 on twelve 2008 Ford vehicles. At first, the system was very limited in what it could do, and included the ability to operate USB media players hands-free, connect to mobile phones via bluetooth, and export diagnostic data. The voice interface launched with around 100 commands, which reflected more or less the menu structure of the system.

With the new voice command system available in the next generation of Sync called MyFord Touch, users will be able to speak commands in various ways and not have to simply navigate menus by voice.

For example, users would have to first say what device they were going to access before they could perform an action. If they wanted to call someone, they first had to say "Phone," or if they wanted to switch the song that was playing on their iPod or Zune, they'd have to first say "USB." With the new system, users can just say "Call (name)," for example, and the connected phone will start the calling process.

"As we've gained processing power and learned more about how drivers use the system, we've been able to refine the interface. Customers can do more and say more from the top-level menu, helping them accomplish their tasks more quickly and efficiently," said Brigitte Richardson, Ford global voice control technology and speech systems lead engineer.

The speech recognition engine, designed by Nuance Communications, can recognize different voices and create user profiles for them within three commands. This means multiple users can easily use the hands-free system without having to "train" it, as other systems currently require.

The new voice recognition system, and MyFord Touch, is launching this year on the 2011 Ford Edge.

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HP's Android tablet delayed, WebOS now takes center stage

Publié: juillet 15, 2010, 6:39pm CEST par Ed Oswald

By Ed Oswald, Betanews

One of the few official photos of HP's 'Slate' PC, as yet unnamed. [Courtesy HP] In a sign that Hewlett Packard is becoming much more serious about WebOS following its acquisition of Palm in April, the company has apparently "tabled" its plans for an Android-powered tablet. The device was originally intended to come to market later this year.

Sources told All Things Digital Thursday that HP has no new timetable for the release of the device. Following a similar fate for the Windows-powered Slate, it certainly seems as if WebOS is the future at the company. It is not known whether the Android project may be restarted.

HP has said that it will invest heavily on WebOS and take it beyond the smartphone. Apple has found out that its iOS has ported nicely to tablet form, so HP may be taking a cue from an already established player in the market.

Development costs could be another consideration. When HP first announced its tablet plans, it was developing for three different operating systems. This would have meant three different slates, and licensing costs for at least two of them. Using their own in-house OS means the company would be able to save a good deal of money, and increase profit margins.

Finally, it could just be a matter of how the operating systems are built. Windows 7 was not intended for the touch-interface that tablets require, and though Android has been used in tablet interfaces, the OS has not yet proven to be a strong competitor in the market.

One thing that may concern industry watchers is webOS' application problem. Developers pretty much passed over the OS while it was a part of Palm, leaving its smartphone users out to dry with not much in the way of third-party development like Android and iOS enjoy.

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Verizon and Motorola's most powerful Android device, Droid X, goes on sale

Publié: juillet 15, 2010, 6:04pm CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Droid X by Motorola Today, Motorola's latest Android superphone, the Droid X, is available for purchase through Verizon Wireless for $199 after the $100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year service contract.

Billed as the sequel to Motorola's breakthrough Droid smartphone, the Droid X has a much larger 4.3" screen, a 1GHz TI OMAP 3640 processor, 512MB of DRAM, and 8GB of onboard memory with support for microSDHC up to 32 GB.

As an adjunct, SanDisk has joined in on the launch to promote the 32GB microSD cards it announced last March by selling them for only $99 when the customer purchases a new Droid X. This is a full 50% lower than the memory company's original suggested retail price. When the cards are purchased on their own at a Verizon store, they cost $149.99, still lower than the MSRP.

The Droid X is part of the latest crop of convergence-class superphones which are characterized by touchscreens near the 5" mark, 1GHz processors, and the absolute latest versions of the popular smartphone operating systems. Unlike its competitors, the HTC EVO 4G on Sprint, and the iPhone 4 on AT&T, the Droid X lacks a front-facing camera for video calling. This is not exactly a standard feature on the current generation of superphones, but it is increasingly becoming a hallmark of high performance devices.

For now at least, the Droid X is the most powerful phone both Verizon Wireless and Motorola have to offer, and though there hasn't been a great media frenzy over consumer demand for the device, there were reports last night of lines of more than 100 people waiting to purchase the Droid X as soon as it became available this morning.

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Hulu Plus preview launches on PlayStation 3, service to be exclusive until 2011

Publié: juillet 15, 2010, 6:39am CEST par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Today, a select group of PlayStation Plus subscribers got access to the first preview version of Hulu Plus on the PlayStation 3.

Hulu Plus

Hulu Plus is the new subscription tier for the popular streaming TV website which lets U.S. subscribers watch their favorite programs on connected TVs, Set-top boxes, mobile devices, and now video game consoles for $9.99 per month.

"We are delighted to offer the Hulu Plus preview starting today on PlayStation 3 and that PlayStation 3 will be the only console to offer Hulu Plus in 2010," Jack Tretton, President and chief executive officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America said today.

Hulu Plus on PS3 preview menu

For PlayStation 3 owners to gain access to Hulu Plus, they must also subscribe to the new PlayStation Plus service, which costs $50 per year.

Sony today said general availability of Hulu Plus will happen in the coming months on the PS3 and connected Bravia TVs and Blu-ray players, but did not specify if there will be a premium charge similar to the PlayStation Plus subscription for its other platforms.

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