Samsung infuriates Apple with iPhone evidence leak

Samsung has incurred the wrath of the judge in the Apple vs. Samsung case, after publicly releasing trial evidence it had been blocked from officially submitting to the ongoing patent battle. Pleading “fundamental fairness” as its justification, Samsung dropped a pair of presentations along with an official statement on the media, aiming to squash Apple’s claims that the Samsung F700 was an iPhone copy. “The excluded evidence would have established beyond doubt that Samsung did not copy the iPhone design” the company said, in a move Apple described as “contemptible.”

“The Judge’s exclusion of evidence on independent creation meant that even though Apple was allowed to inaccurately argue to the jury that the F700 was an iPhone copy, Samsung was not allowed to tell the jury the full story and show the pre-iPhone design for that and other phones that were in development at Samsung in 2006, before the iPhone” the South Korean company explained in its statement late on Tuesday. “Fundamental fairness requires that the jury decide the case based on all the evidence.”

Unsurprisingly, both the judge and Apple were quick to react to the documents’ release. “I want to know who drafted the press release, who authorized it from the legal team” Judge Lucy Koh demanded, AllThingsD reports, insisting on an immediate meeting with Samsung lawyer John Quinn.

Quinn had earlier “begged” the court to allow more discussion on whether the evidence should be accepted. Koh, however, was unrelenting, threatening sanctions against Samsung should it continue to push its appeal; that didn’t go down well with Quinn, Forbes reports, who couldn’t help but question the point of a trial which didn’t accept “key” evidence. “What’s the point of having a trial?” the lawyer asked. “They want to create a completely false impression that we came up with this design after January 2007.”

Samsung’s documentation primarily concerns the timeline of the F700′s aesthetic development, with the company aiming to demonstrate that it was already working on touchscreen-centric devices prior to the unveiling of the original iPhone. However, it also concerns the handiwork of ex-Apple designer Shin Nishibori, responsible for the so-called Nishibori Design of March 2006, for which he was tasked to imagine what Sony might do if they were to create Apple’s intended smartphone.

Nishibori will not appear at trial, but Samsung included several comments made by the designer during deposition in early 2012 along with an email from Apple designer Richard Howarth to Jonathan Ive citing the Nishibori Design and voicing concerns about Apple’s own strategy. It’s unclear how Samsung deals with the fact that the touchscreen-dominated so-called “Sony” design Apple is meant to have copied is, in fact, the Nishibori Design that Apple made itself:

Details of what sanctions might be applied to Samsung for its decision to go public with the evidence have not been released yet. The court has heard opening statements from both teams, with Apple contending that Samsung will use a “the devil made me do it” defense while Samsung argued that the iPhone had been an “inspiration” to all companies but that its own devices were competitive not copies.

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Samsung infuriates Apple with iPhone evidence leak is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Dropbox confirms user info was stolen, adds new security measures

Dropbox Pro accounts get doubled for the same price Dropbox has admitted that spam reported by its users over the last few weeks was the direct result of a security breach. Both login names and passwords were stolen from an unstated number of users, including a Dropbox employee. That account contained a list of clients’ email addresses, which is what the company believes led to the spam in the first place. In response, it has contacted those affected to protect their accounts and outlined several new security features. These include a two-factor authentication option coming in several weeks and a new automated feature that will check for suspicious activity. A new landing page will also show you any logins to your account, while Dropbox reheated that always-helpful advise to avoid reusing passwords on multiple websites — noting that a breach on one site can cause an entire cascade of grief.

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Dropbox confirms user info was stolen, adds new security measures originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP denies Open webOS for existing devices

HP has disappointed and infuriated webOS device owners with the news that its official Open webOS platform – the open-source reincarnation of Palm’s ill-fated OS – will not run on any existing devices. The news, confirmed by the Open webOS team, means those with a TouchPad, Pre, Pixi or other Palm/HP device won’t be able to use HP’s version of webOS moving forward; the company claims that’s because of a lack of driver support for the specific hardware used.

“For Open webOS we are aiming for support on future hardware platforms where SoC’s support Linux 3.3+ kernel and where open source replacements for proprietary components are integrated. Existing devices cannot be supported because of those many proprietary components, including graphics, networking and lack of drivers for a modern kernel (but of course, there is the Community Edition for those interested in improving the TouchPad)” Open webOS project

Having acquired Palm and its software and hardware assets, HP proceeded to run the platform into the ground and subsequently decided to make webOS open-source. The so-called Open webOS result was thrown open to the developer community and other device manufacturers alike, while a separate Community Edition – currently available for the TouchPad – was released a short while ago.

HP’s excuse is that the existing phones and tablets don’t support the Linux Standard Kernel and lack open-source drivers for some of the hardware components; moving forward it plans to work only with new hardware, leaving the Community Edition to handle those with earlier devices. Unsurprisingly that hasn’t gone down well with the webOS community itself, which points out that HP already has access to the necessary drivers for existing devices, and yet has opted not to release them as open-source or, if it cannot, at least work on variants that could be more freely distributed.

As we’ve seen with Microsoft and the decision to make Windows Phone 8 not backward compatible with Windows Phone 7/7.5 handsets, sometimes companies decide it’s better to cut ties with the past than bring everyone along for the ride. Still, with webOS still with minimal market share and highly dependent on the support of existing owners and developers, HP’s strategy could have a significant impact on the platform’s future.

[via webOS Nation]


HP denies Open webOS for existing devices is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


These Super-Cheap SSDs Should Convince You to Switch Storage [Guts]

If you feel like your computer needs a boost but are struggling for cash, here’s something that might help: Crucial has just launched a range of value SSDs, and you can snag the cheapest one for just $50. More »

New TI power chips save energy, move towards universal charging

New TI power chips save energy, move towards universal charging

TI isn’t just in the business of making ARM-based processors. The company makes all manner of components and chips. Amongst the things in its vast repertoire of silicon are charging controllers. Texas Instruments’ latest offering, the UCC28700, not only draws an impressively low sub-30mW when idle (meeting new five-star rating requirements from the European Commission), but does so in a tiny package that eliminates the need for an opto-feedback circuit or other external components. A second new controller, the TPS2511, tackles the problem of multiple chargers by moving to a 5V universal system for tablets and smartphones using the USB Battery Charging 1.2 specification. This could mean not only lower electricity bills (if only nominally so), but smaller wall warts that can be used across numerous devices. For more, check out the PR after the break.

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New TI power chips save energy, move towards universal charging originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 03:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect Toolbox update turns hand gestures into mouse input, physical contact into distant memory

Kinect Toolbox update turns our frantic gestures into mouse input

Using Microsoft’s Kinect to replace a mouse is often considered the Holy Grail of developers; there have been hacks and other tricks to get it working well before Kinect for Windows was even an option. A lead Technical Evangelist for Microsoft in France, David Catuhe, has just provided a less makeshift approach. The 1.2 update to his Kinect Toolbox side project introduces hooks to control the mouse outright, including ‘magnetic’ control to draw the mouse from its original position. To help keep the newly fashioned input (among other gestures) under control, Catuhe has also taken advantage of the SDK 1.5 release to check that the would-be hand-waver is sitting and staring at the Kinect before accepting any input. The open-source Windows software is available to grab for experimentation today, so if you think hands-free belongs as much on the PC desktop as in a car, you now have a ready-made way to make the dream a reality… at least, until you have to type.

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Kinect Toolbox update turns hand gestures into mouse input, physical contact into distant memory originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 03:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More iPhone and iPad prototypes shown off at Apple-Samsung trial

In yesterday’s trial that saw Apple and Samsung come head to head in court, Apple designer Christopher Stringer was summoned to the stand as the first witness for Apple. Obviously, whoever wins this particular trial would more or less be able to deal quite a notable blow to the other, so kids gloves are off in this case, and you know that Apple are no longer keeping things close to their chest with so much at stake here. Christopher’s testimony touched on Apple’s highly secretive design process, where he showed off dozens of rejected iPhone and iPad designs (which some had previously leaked out already), where among them include prototypes in the flesh. Yes sir, we are talking about physical models here. It must be said that some of the newly revealed phones do seem to share plenty in common with Sony’s design aesthetic, such as the “Apple Proto 87″ that settled for a flat, black metallic look while the rest of its major buttons and ports are located on the side.

According to Christopher, Apple developed “hundreds” of different models throughout the entire design process, and some were redesigned over and over again as the team worked on various elements to introduce the word perfection into the device. “Apple Proto 0874″ is an iPad prototype that was interesting as it came with a thinner rail throughout the entire device which will curve around the back on the top and bottom, perhaps to improve one’s grip?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple looks at $2.52 billion payout from Samsung , ‘Ridiculous’ says Australia judge on Apple-Samsung 3G dispute,

Wifarer app provides real-time indoor navigation

WifarerIf you’re paying a visit to the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, BC, Canada, be sure to load up your Android phone with Wifarer’s recently launched app. Available for free on the Google Play Store (iOS version coming soon), the app is designed to enhance the visitor experience and offers customized tours with real-time indoor navigation and automatic delivery of location-based multimedia content.
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By Ubergizmo. Related articles: TomTom to launch on Android devices “fairly soon”, Karelog Android app lets you keep tabs on your partner’s whereabouts,

Kevin Rose Wants You to Ask Him Anything, Just Don’t Expect to Get an Answer [Digg]

Kevin Rose, felled boy king of the internet Founder of Digg, started an r/IAmA thread on Reddit this evening, announcing—conceivably—that he will answer (some of) all the questions hurled his way by the internets. But, uh, it’s been 4 hours, now, and still diddly squat. More »

See Google Street View in ASCII

Google’s Street View is not exactly controversy-free, but that does not mean it is a bed of roses, either. For those of you who have a great love for ASCII art, then you might be interested to hear about this particular method of rendering Google Street View in what else, but ASCII art. Your eyes will not exactly blink normally as they might end up hurting after the experience, but it is definitely something that is worth looking at. You can opt to view the world in real-time ASCII “art” thanks to the wonders of WebGL, or you can opt to view their pre-coded shots from the Google Street View Panorama library. Those who opt for the live option are able to look at their map, attempting to get a view of the location. Should it find you, it will rotate automatically for you instead of relying on the standard arrow, while furnishing you with a green color mode for added clarity.

Needless to say, there are some limitations attached to this particular project, but then again, it is expected, don’t you think so? Making pictures using ASCII is not exactly a walk in the park in the first place, and this would lean more towards being an art project than anything else at this point in time.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: France asks Google for Street View data, Google didn’t delete Street View data as per British authority requirements,