Hasta La Gadget!

Eric Schmidt’s recent trip to Seoul wasn’t all spontaneous Gangnam dancing. Google’s former-CEO / current executive chair had a lot to say during the Korean launch of the company’s Nexus 7 tablet, bemoaning the patent wars that have ensnarled the industry, telling the crowd, “literally patent wars prevent choice, prevent innovation and I think that is very bad. We are obviously working through that and trying to make sure we stay on the right side of these issues.” The war for marketshare ought to be fought with the release of better products, rather legal maneuvering, according to the executive.

But in spite of Apple’s role in the battle — and the company’s decision to go it alone on products like its troubled Maps app — Schmidt still had kind words for Cupertino, calling the company “a very good partner,” and adding that the, “two companies are literally talking all the time about everything.” The exec also told the crowd that he’d be meeting with Samsung, one of the company’s “most important partners,” during the trip, “as I do every time I come here.”

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets

Google’s Eric Schmidt slams patent wars, still has nice things to say about Apple and Samsung originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“Headlines from Britain to Malaysia, France to China, Germany to Brazil, Australia to the US. An apology can go a long way,” said Kim Dotcom in a recent tweet. It’s true. This comes after the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key issued a rather frank apology to the internet mogul saying, “I apologize to Mr Dotcom. I apologize to New Zealanders because every New Zealander… is entitled to be protected from the law when it comes to the GCSB, and we failed to provide that appropriate protection for him.”

PM John Key is of course referring to the spying conducted by the New Zealand government which lead to the dramatic take-down of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom. As it turns out, members of the New Zealand government conducted the invasive investigation under the pretense Dotcom was a foreign nationalist when in fact he had acquired residency status, thus affording him the rights of the country.

As TorrentFreak points out, a report issued by New Zealand’s Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Paul Neazor found that a NZ security service did indeed wrongfully spy on Kim Dotcom and associate Bram van der Kolk. Apparently there was confusion about Dotcom’s residency status.

“As this matter went along what was discovered in the case of Dotcom and associated people was that resident status had been obtained on their behalf under the Immigration Act 1987 and carried forward under the later 2009 Act. It was understood incorrectly by the GCSB that a further step in the immigration process would have to be taken before Dotcom and associates had protection against interception of communications,” Neazor wrote. “The illegality arose because of changes in the Immigration Act wording and some confusion about which category Dotcom was in thereafter.”

It’s unclear where this leaves the case against Dotcom and Megaupload. The US is still seeking extradition however as time passes, this seems even more unlikely. Dotcom took to twitter following the apology and called on President Obama to “be good, fix the Megaupload mess, be the Internet hero, win another term with Mega users & I help Hollywood.”

As the trial sits in the court, it’s been said that Megaupload is about to relaunch its service. Once the most popular online data lockers, Megaupload will no doubt attempt to regain its swagger and users; Megabox will no doubt be a big part of the new Megaupload.

Electric car manufacturer Fisker has hit back at Consumer Reports criticisms, which described the Karma as “plagued with flaws,” and simultaneously announced a new round of private equity funding. The firm – now more than $100m better off, thanks to investment from unnamed benefactors – was quick to cite the list of accolades and successes the Karma has achieved so far, taking issue with all but a couple of Consumer Reports’ problems with the slinky sedan.

“As the Karma is a concept car come to life, packaging and visibility will of course not be that of a minivan” Fisker points out, going on to highlight that “the 66 MPGe recorded during [Consumer Reports’] testing – the highest of nearly any production car — is a great endorsement for Fisker as pioneers of this new luxury segment.” It also mentions its owner feedback section, which has a number of positive reviews.

In fact, there are only really two areas where Fisker concedes it needs to raise its game. “Plans are in place to improve sound quality, which is a new challenge for all silent-running EVs,” the company says, “while software improvements are being made to touch-screen controls to improve responsiveness and functionality.”

Despite mixed results in the market, including several Karma cars bursting into flames, Fisker continues to pull in investment. The company said that it plans to use the extra financing to continue developing the Atlantic sedan, a mid-sized version of the Karma that should be more affordable.

It will also begin a global marketing campaign, particularly focusing on the Middle East and China. So far, since its December 2011 launch, almost 1,500 Karma cars have been delivered to customers, Fisker says.

Fisker retorts to Consumer Reports amid new $100m equity round is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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It’s amazing how quickly our kids grow up, that being said I have to admit I still see my daughter as a little girl and I’m not really enjoying having to let her venture off to do things on her own. This year she wants to go trick-or-treating with her friends. What? No mom to take pictures, “test” the candy and watch for traffic? Is she nuts?

I know this next gadget isn’t the same as being there, but maybe it can help ease my transition into my kids more independent lifestyle. Welcome the Spy Watch, so much more than a time telling gadget, the Spy Watch is also an emergency communication device, MP3 player and a GPS tracker.

The very cool looking wristwatch features on demand GPS locationing when queried by guardian SMS message and it allows up to 6 GPS location waypoint presets, letting you to set boundaries and receive automatic SMS messages sent to your guardian numbers when the Spy Watch enters or leaves waypoint locations. As a communication device, the Spy Watch allows contact with up to 4 “guardian” phone numbers and of course it has parental controls that allow incoming and outgoing call blocking.

 
[ The Spy Watch – GPS Tracker and Mobile Device for Kids copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Wanna know the quickest way to make any mobile product more tantalizing? Give it a touchscreen! And that’s exactly what AT&T and Novatel did with the 4G LTE MiFi Liberate, packing the finger-friendly tech into a form factor that looks like a Magic Trackpad. More »