Apple Vs. Samsung Verdict: Samsung Guilty of Willfully Infringing Apple Patents

After a stunningly short deliberation, the jury has (thus far) ruled largely in favor of Apple in the Apple vs Samsung case. The case, which involves whether Samsung infringed on a wide variety of Apple's patents, has seen more than a few wild developments, ranging from a 130-page document Samsung used to compare their phones to the iPhone, plenty of leaked Apple prototypes, and a judge asking an Apple attorney if he was "on crack."

“

Samsung willfully infringed Apple's patents on a wide variety of its phones

But now, less than three days after closing arguments wrapped, it appears the courts have ruled largely in favor of Apple, who claimed that Samsung "slavishly copied" the iPhone - a fact corroborated by a particularly incriminating Samsung design document. The jury has ruled that many of Samsung devices were infringing on Apple's patents, patents like bounce back, which Apple argued added a perceived value to its phones.

The court also ruled that Samsung willfully infringed Apple's patents on a very wide variety of its phones, from the S2 to the Infuse 4G, and more.

Samsung will owe Apple $1,051,855,000 in damages. You read that right. One billion dollars.

While the ruling will certainly prove significant in the short term, an appeal is all but inevitable.

Have you kept up with the courtroom shenanigans? What do you think of the complex patent dispute?

Developing…

Nic is the Editor of IGN Tech. He loves technology almost as much as Brand New, Boyz II Men, and Halo. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com

One Kyocera, Two HTC, and Three Nokia Phones Revealed

Unannounced smartphones (that aren't Apple products) hit the web in a six pack this week, three of which reportedly belong to Nokia, two to HTC, and one with a keyboard to Kyocera. Yes, there is more speculation about the iPhone 5 chipset, but those rumors had their chance last week. Today is all about the other guys.

According to The Verge, an unnamed source "familiar with [Microsoft and Nokia]" confirmed that the companies would be using their joint event on September 5 to talk about the newest Windows phones (running Windows Phone 8), currently codenamed "Arrow" and "Phi" and reportedly coming to AT&T and T-Mobile stateside. A similar model for Verizon also got the nod from the source, making three total rumored phone announcements for the event.

These devices would sport much the same trappings as the Lumia 800 and 900 phones, including the trademark polycarbonate body and shape. The display on these phones will reportedly be "large curved glass displays". While purported prototypes of the "Phi" model have been making the rounds recently, Microsoft and Nokia are maintaining typical pre-announcement silence.

Even earlier in September, the HTC One V will start showing up in Cricket Wireless stores for $269.99 with no contract. While this release isn't the most salacious bit of news today, HTC did get in on the rumor action today when a picture of the unofficial HTC Proto showed up on The Verge.

According to the tech blog, the codename "Proto" doesn't place the phone in any of HTC's existing series of phones, but the specs are most similar to the One V. A 5 megapixel camera, rounded case, 1 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, and 4-inch WVGA screen are all the juicy details so far, but it's likely that we'll hear more from HTC at an international conference in Germany next week.

Finally, Kyocera is bringing the slide-out keyboard back to smartphones with the release of the Kyocera Rise into Sprint stores this week. The phone features a full QWERTY pad, a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen display, and runs Ice Cream Sandwich. Early reviews peg the phone as a solid return for those looking to get that physical keyboard functionality back into their pockets, but the additional hardware makes the phone a bit bulkier and heavier than most these days.

Be sure to check back in with IGN for all the latest in smartphone tech news.

Dan Crabtree is an I.T. guy and freelance writer with words on IGN, and a league of other gaming news outlets. His dog is considered handsome and well-read. You can find him (the human) on Twitter and IGN.

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com

The Double Makes Your iPad the Ultimate Surrogate

Video chat apps like Skype or Apple's FaceTime are great, but they all share the same limitation: you don't have any say in where the webcam on the other end is pointed. Enter the Double, a $2,000 robotic iPad stand, similar in design to a Segway scooter, which transfers perspective control to the other end of a call.

Here's how it works: the remote iPad, which initiates the call, has a control interface overlay to manage the Double's movement and orientation. The iPad mounted on the Double display's the driver's face on its screen while streaming live video back.

It's compatible with any iPad with a front-facing camera. The height is remotely adjustable from four to five feet, and the developers claim its Lithium Ion battery will last up to eight hours, as long as you let the built in kick-stand down occasionally to let the auto-balance system rest.

The designers at Double Robotics see their creation as a business and education tool. They suggest using it for everything from conference calls to museum visits to college campus tours. It all reminded us of that Arrested Development episode with Larry the surrogate.

Someone with a bit more imagination might send the Double to a bar to deliver pickup lines without risking a drink to the face. Better yet: scare people! A mobile eye-level iPad probably looks exactly like a disembodied head in the dark. Or wheel it up real close to the fisheye peephole on someone's front door for the ultimate ding-dong-ditch.

How would you use a $2,000 iPod rover? Let us know in the comments.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN. 

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com

Coco Game Controller Hits Kickstarter

Apple's iOS devices have sparked a mobile gaming revolution, but let's face it: Real games need real, tactile buttons, and a new Kickstarter campaign aims to add them to four sizes of devices.

The brainchild of Milkshake Labs, the Coco Controller is a planned smartphone case to convert your mobile device into a real handheld game controller, complete with the hardware buttons gamers crave.

• Check out the Kickstarter

Unlike other gaming cases already on the market, the Coco isn't limited strictly to Apple's iOS devices - in fact, there are four sizes planned for the Coco, with support for the Samsung Galaxy S III, the iPhone 4/4S, the fourth-generation iPod touch and the forthcoming sixth-generation iPhone.

Yes, you read that right - Milkshake is allowing Kickstarter pledges to choose which case they want in November, by which time Apple will have certainly released their latest iPhone and the Coco will be ready for it!

Coco includes one multi-axis directional pad, one analog stick, four action buttons and two triggers, and best of all it requires no battery and no Bluetooth connection. An audio out jack at the bottom of the case allows users to plug in headphones or speakers, which is also the same method the case uses to draw power and device communication from. Kickstarter backers can also vote on which colors the Coco will be available before launch.

The creators of the Coco are aiming to raise $175,000 by September 12, and currently have the support of 31 mobile games, but are in "serious talks with several of the largest game studios" and plan to expand support for other titles by the time the case ships.

J.R. is a recovering independent feature film producer/director who turned a love of shiny gadgets into a steady stream of gigs writing about them for fun and profit. He can be frequently be found talking nonsense on Twitter and IGN.

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com

Apple Could Put a Flexible Display on the Next iPad Smart Cover

If a year-old patent application (made public today by the USPTO) is any indication, Apple's designers think they can put a flexible, touch capacitive display on the next iPad Smart Cover.

The highlight of the all-fine-print legalese document is this early quotation:

"The accessory device includes the following: a flexible flap having a size and shape in accordance with the host device display, where at least a portion of the flexible flap is covered by a flap display configured to present visual information; and a connecting portion, the connecting portion arranged to provide at least a communication channel arranged to convey information between the host device and the accessory device where at least some of the information is presented visually on the flap display."

No worries if that's Greek to you; just check out the pictures. In fact, the gist of the whole document is that the attached drawings actually represent the product Apple hopes to patent pretty well. The cover's razor-thin display is shown as a touchpad keyboard, extra space for dock icons, an off-screen media-control interface, and even a stylus-compatible drawing pad. And, of course, it will still fold up to stand your iPad at various angles.

Interestingly enough, it looks like Apple's Smart Cover might have beaten Microsoft's Touch Cover to the keyboard-cover-combo punch. It will be interesting to see if this ends in a patent dispute.

The current version of the Smart Cover was released with the iPad 2 to mixed reviews. Its minimal design, which offered relatively little protection, was the focus of the cover's advocates and critics both. The cover depicted here would basically preserve that same design, attaching magnetically to the side of the tablet. "Thin flexible display technology can be integrated into the flexible cover without affecting the overall form factor of the cover," the application explains.

The upgrade looks like it will rely on a future model of the iPad having a side-dock in between the cover's magnetic contact points, serving as a "communication channel" between the Smart Cover and the tablet. Apple hasn't released any info about when (or even whether) such a product might see the light of day - let alone what it would cost.

It seems safe to assume it would be an optional accessory: even as Apple asserts that "adding the integrated display to the flexible cover greatly enhances the overall functionality of the tablet device," none of the features shown here appear essential - just awesome.

Jon Fox is a Seattle hipster who loves polar bears and climbing trees. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN. 

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com

Microsoft Reveals Wedge and Sculpt Touch Peripherals

Not to be outdone by Apple's gesture-command Magic Mouse, Microsoft launched the Touch Mouse for Windows 7 last year, allowing for four-way finger swiping for simple commands like switching applications and minimizing open tasks.

With the upcoming release of Windows 8 and the Microsoft Surface tablet, the Redmond-based software developer (recently turned computer manufacturer) will be updating its touch suite with the Wedge Touch Mouse and Mobile Keyboard and the Sculpt Touch Mouse and Mobile Keyboard, two peripherals designed with Metro in mind.

For those who have already sprung for the Windows 7 Touch Mouse, Microsoft will be updating the driver to include new Windows 8-specific gesture controls. Those looking to pick up all new hardware will have to choose between the pragmatist's Wedge model and the artist's Sculpt model.

The Wedge Touch Mouse ($69.95) is small, running on only a single double-A battery and, according to Microsoft, compact enough to fit in your pocket. The minimalist aesthetic is designed to highlight the four-way touch controls, which in addition to scrolling or snapping items to the left or right of the screen, will be able to open up the Windows 8 charm menu and zoom. The thumb swipe will still move forward and backward through open apps.

The Wedge Mobile Keyboard ($79.95), like its mouse counterpart, will connect via Bluetooth and feature battery-saving sleep modes when not in use. The pitch here is that this keyboard will have some Windows 8 shortcut hotkeys for navigating Metro and settings menus. It also comes with a case that puts the keyboard to sleep and doubles as a stand for a tablet.

The Sculpt Touch Mouse ($49.95) has a more traditional mouse design but it still supports four-way gesture controls. It's larger than the Wedge Touch Mouse, aimed more towards the desktop user crowd.

The Sculpt Mobile Keyboard ($49.95) is curved in at the back, giving the face of the keys an ergonomic feel without committing fully to that framework. According to Microsoft, the battery life for this model is ten months in active use.

All of these devices will be available on or around the Windows 8 release date of October 26.

Source: PCWorld

Dan Crabtree is an I.T. guy and freelance writer with words on IGN, and a league of other gaming news outlets. His dog is considered handsome and well-read. You can find him (the human) on Twitter and IGN.

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com