Hasta La Gadget!

The Land of the Rising Sun has had its first taste of the Amazon Appstore for Android, which means that its customers based in Japanese (and who are able to read Japanese in that part of the world, of course) are now able to gain access to a slew of apps as well as games on their Android-powered device – be it smartphones or tablets. Today’s announcement would deliver features such as localized content and a localized mobile store, the hugely popular Amazon Appstore features like the “Free App of the Day”, and the ability to purchase an app or game just once, followed by enjoying it across a variety of Android-powered devices including Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets.

Not only that, Amazon marches onward, developing a valuable marketplace so that developers are able to build, market and monetize apps and games, while offering access to the Amazon Web Service platform, in addition to new audience engagement features alongside GameCircle APIs, awareness-building programs like Free App of the Day, and In-App Purchasing and Subscriptions.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nexus 4 Backorder Stretches To 2013, Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Available For Purchase From November 29 Onward,

Move over various European countries — Japan’s the latest region to receive Amazon’s Android “Appstore” (no, that isn’t a word). The store went live today in Japan, bringing with it all you’ve come to expect from Amazon’s virtual mobile store: Angry Birds, Facebook, and much, much more. Also in-tow is Amazon’s “Free App of the Day” initiative, and a variety of unique app selections from Japan-specific developers like Square Enix and NTT Docomo. The Japanese version of the Appstore features the same cross-device functionality found in other regions, meaning one app purchase suffices for all your Android devices. Amazon isn’t saying if any major, expected apps are missing from the store, and our Japanese isn’t so hot, so we’d appreciate you letting us know if you spot any major whiffs in the selection department.

Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Amazon

Comments

Source: Amazon

In a ruling that may have wide-reaching results in an extremely negative sense for BlackBerry maker RIM, Nokia has won a patent dispute against said smartphone rival. This dispute had Canada’s Research In Motion losing a legal battle between itself and Nokia in which a Swedish arbitrator has ruled that “RIM was in breach of contract and is not entitled to manufacture or sell WLAN products without first agreeing royalties with Nokia.”

Of course as it is with all such legal disputes, this case will only take effect in the area in which the court it’s being decided in has jurisdiction. This means that if RIM were to lose this case in a final sense, they’d still be able to sell devices around the world until Nokia can push courts the whole planet over to see their point of view. As it stands, every BlackBerry device working with WLAN (aka all of them) could potentially be banned from sale until all monetary agreements are decided upon.

This could of course have a terrible effect on RIM’s imminent future with BlackBerry 10, the operating system they’ve got lined up to bring them back into heavy prominence with the general smartphone market both in Canada and abroad. As Nokia has made it clear that they’ve filed cases in the USA, Britain, and Canada as well to enforce the ruling made this week, we must assume that RIM will take immediate action.

Immediate action will more than likely be in the form of a settlement on RIM’s behalf with cash adding up to an amount equitable to what Nokia feels their owed due to the usage of their patented technology without their approval. That could be a massive amount of cash, to put it lightly. Stay tuned to see how this particular hard bashing plays out.

[via Reuters]

RIM loses big to Nokia in Swedish patent dispute is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When your iPhone comes preloaded with multiple types of maps, you might wonder why you’d ever need a dedicated navigation app. Yet there they are in the App Store, at astronomical prices, like a digital clone of the GPS unit your dad had suction-cupped to his windshield. More »

Microsoft seems to be working on a new low-cost operating system that can be upgradeable annually. According to The Verge, Microsoft is developing a Windows software that will work across Windows and Windows Phone devices. Sources say that the new OS is code-named ”Windows Blue” and that the update will include several changes on Microsoft’s current UI for its Windows OS. Microsoft will also reportedly offer annual software updates for the so-called Windows Blue.

Sources added that Windows Blue will be released next year at a low cost or possibly even free. Citing sources, The Verge writes, “Once Windows Blue is released, the Windows SDK will be updated to support the new release and Microsoft will stop accepting apps that are built specifically for Windows 8, pushing developers to create apps for Blue. Windows 8 apps will continue to run on Blue despite the planned SDK changes.” Microsoft denied to comment on the report, which makes it even more interesting. The Redmond-based Internet/ technology giant seems to be borrowing from Apple’s playbook here, given, of course, that the rumor is true.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Asus Taichi Shipments Delayed, The Lazerwood Keys adds some design warmth to your Apple keyboard,