Hasta La Gadget!

Behold the all mighty CR-N755 from Onkyo, a tiny (215x331x119mm) CD receiver schedule to hit Japanese stores later this September at around 59,850 Yen.
This new CR-N755 is a rather fully loaded little monster and comes with not only the most basic features that nowadays CD Receivers (DLNA…) but also comes with FLAC, Apple Lossless (ALAC), MP3, WMA, DSD support of files either stored on your home network or on a USB drive for a nice 22Wx2Ch output.

Apple and Samsung are set to square off in the first day of the San Jose federal jury trial today, as the next phase of the heated design and patent row kicks off with huge stakes in the smartphone and tablet worlds. Having failed to reach an amicable settlement in the preceding weeks, both companies have some impressive claims and demands: Apple wants $2.5bn in damages and a block on US sales of phones and tablets, while Samsung has accused its foe (and, ironically, customer) of hypocrisy and trying to stretch its patents to cover a ridiculous range of possibilities.

Apple’s argument – laid out in pre-trial submissions over the past week – is that Samsung has knowingly copied the aesthetic design of the iPhone and iPad’s external appearance and its UI. Elements that Apple holds patents on, such as local search and bouncing list-scrolling, crop up in Samsung’s Android devices, the Cupertino legal team alleges; such functionality and visual gloss is part of what makes an iPhone or iPad uniquely desirable, Apple says, and Samsung is trying to use it as a shortcut to market success.

The company’s own sums suggest iPhone design patents amount to the equivalent of $24 per unit royalties, with software licensing adding its own heft to that. However, Apple is not seeking a licensing approach moving forward – it wants to keep that “magical” iPhone quality to itself – and so is instead looking to cripple Samsung’s range with huge fines and permanent sales injunctions.

Meanwhile, Samsung has attempted to pick holes in Apple’s design claims, arguing that not only has it been working on touchscreen-focused devices for many years, but that Apple’s own products were inspired by rival firms. According to Samsung’s legal team, Apple looked to Sony for part of its iPhone innovation, something Cupertino unsurprisingly disagrees with (and has the 2005 concepts it says proves its innocence).

Samsung’s arguments have looked patchy in places. Variously accused of destroying documents that should have been used in evidence, as well as ignoring the advice of Google itself on how similar the Galaxy ranges are to Apple’s products.

“In this lawsuit, Apple seeks to stifle legitimate competition and limit consumer choice to maintain its historically exorbitant profits” Samsung’s lawyers said in a brief filed last week. The US trial is simply one of the ongoing legal battles between Samsung and Apple, with cases also ongoing in Australia, the UK, Germany and courts in other countries.

Judge Lucy Koh of the US District Court of Northern California will preside over the trial beginning today. The first day is expected to be monopolized with jury selection, moving to opening arguments either today or on Tuesday; a three day week is expected to be the order for the first two weeks, though could shift to daily meetings in court if the case extends to three weeks or beyond.

Apple vs Samsung begins: Billions at stake in federal court is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Having already pulled out of Brazil and shut down a research building in North Carolina, HTC has now closed its office in the South Korean capital of Seoul. The move is part of the Taiwanese manufacturer’s efforts to “streamline operations” and focus on selling One-branded handsets in markets where it stands a better chance of success — rather like Nokia’s geographic retreat following its commitment to Windows Phone, but here on a much smaller scale. It’s not yet clear how many jobs will be lost, but HTC says it regrets the “direct impact on people who have contributed to the growth HTC has experienced in the past several years.” As it stands, analysts reckon that Korean manufacturers like Samsung, LG and Pantech rule a 90 percent share of their home market, leaving HTC with just one or two points that evidently weren’t worth clinging onto.

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC shuts Seoul office, leaves Korea to the Koreans originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 06:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guess what, people are still watching movies on DVDs or Blu-Rays and this despite Apple’s effort to kill these mediums! Announced for september first in Japan at around 24,000 Yen, Sony’s new BD Player, the BDP-S590 is the company latest wonder.
The BDP-S590 comes with the usual suspects including 3D Playback and DLNA but also Sony Room Link, Media Remote, Wireless Lan, Sony Music Unlimited service, Gracenote and most Japanese VOD services as well as Hulu Japan!
Of course, the BDP-S590 comes …

The last we heard, all notions of a 10-inch PlayBook had been shelved, with rumors suggesting that RIM wanted to concentrate on its BB10 plans and next-gen smartphones instead. However, we’ve just received these images from Tinthe, showing off something that looks very much like the bigger BlackBerry slab. A handful of photos, comparing the tablet to the existing 7-incher and an iPad, were sent in by forum member quang3g, who appears to be involved in BlackBerry sales.

Looks-wise, the hardware’s largely unchanged, aside from the bigger footprint and a screen ratio that appears closer to the iPad competition, rather than the widescreen shape that arrived on RIM’s first tablet. According to the brief teardown shot, there’s a potent 7,250 mAh battery housed in the still-slim 10-inch frame, while it’s worth noting that the tablet also includes a SIM holder and cellular radio — though there’s not enough meat here to discern whether it deals in 4G or 3G (HSPA+) radio waves. While we wait for the official word on the existence (or cancellation) of this flavor of PlayBook, you can take a skeptical sideways glance at several more pictures of the tablet at the source below.

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Mysterious 10-inch BlackBerry PlayBook appears in Vietnam originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 03:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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