Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve been waiting for a release date for Lenovo‘s new ThinkPad X1 Carbon since it was revealed back in May, and now we finally have one. Well, we kind of have one, as Lenovo says the super-thin ultrabook will become available by the end of August. So, we may not have an actual release date just yet, but we’re getting mighty close.

When we say that the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is super-thin, we mean it. The ultrabook comes in at just 18mm thick, and weighs around 3 pounds. That isn’t too shabby for an ultrabook that sports a 14-inch screen and an Intel Ivy Bridge processor. Lenovo is looking to go after tablet users with this iteration of the ThinkPad, and with those specs, it just might.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is intended to find a happy medium between size and power, just like a number of laptops the company puts out these days. As a nice little bonus, it’s made from carbon fiber (hence the name), so it should be able to take a few hits as well. That isn’t something you can often say about these light ultrabooks, and with 3G connectivity, Lenovo just got one step closer to releasing a laptop that can challenge the popularity of tablets.

Even better is the fact that Lenovo is planning to offer 3G service itself, so instead of going through a carrier, you can just get your 3G access right from the company. We wouldn’t be surprised to see many more people using the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s 3G capabilities because of that, so if Lenovo plays its cards right, it could make quite a hefty chunk of change from 3G service. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is definitely one to pay attention to if you’re an ultrabook enthusiast, so keep an ear to SlashGear for more information about its fast-approaching release date!

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon arriving by end of August is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple has been accused of attempting to inappropriately influence expert witnesses, with Samsung claiming its Cupertino foe has pressured 3G patent specialists to tweak their testimony. According to Apple’s counsel in the Sydney, Australia trial, Stephen Burley, only two changes were made after the company called a meeting with the three experts responsible for a report into a trio of 3G-related patents Samsung alleges that Apple has violated with recent iOS devices.

Unsurprisingly, the two companies don’t agree on whether those changes – and the meeting itself – was appropriate. Samsung’s counsel, Katrina Howard, described the process as “most inappropriate” and petitioned the court for the opportunity to cross-examine the specialists, PCWorld reports, while Apple denies that it did anything wrong.

For the moment, it seems like the courts have sided with Apple. Justice Annabelle Bennett, of the Sydney Federal Court, pointed out that “the expert report is a piece of evidence but can be challenged in cross examination” and highlighted the fact that Samsung could question its authors during the so-called “hut tub” testimony stage.

That part of the trial sees two or more expert witnesses giving evidence simultaneously, a process which is said  to be more conducive to explaining complex technical issues than individual testimony. Samsung would therefore have ample opportunity to explore why, exactly, the two changes were accommodated, Bennett said, without needing prior cross-examination time.

The Australian case has been overshadowed in some ways by Apple vs. Samsung in San Jose, California, where Apple accuses its South Korean rival of blatantly copying the design and UI elements of the iPad and iPhone for its Galaxy series of phones and tablets. However, Samsung has fired back with claims that Apple refuses to legally license its standards-essential 3G patents, a similar overlap to the Australian trial.

Samsung’s Australian case argues that the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPad 2 all infringe its patents in the country for 3G packet headers and data rate matching patterns. Apple counters with claims that Samsung devices trample over its touchscreen patents, though that element of the case is yet to be considered.

Apple pressured 3G experts to change evidence says Samsung is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

AT&T has only just begun the transition away from 2G services with its spectrum refarming in New York City, but it now has a target end date to mark on the calendar: January 1st, 2017. Courtesy of an SEC filing, we know that the carrier hopes that both its GSM voice and EDGE data networks will have gone to the great cell tower in the sky before we’re popping the champagne corks about four and a half years from now. The Big Blue Ball expects the transition to be a smooth one, as only 12 percent of its regular subscribers are using 2G-only phones today; if it ever gets bumpy, the company promises to “proactively” steer the holdouts towards 3G and 4G. Don’t get too misty-eyed. While the transition will mark the end to what’s arguably one of the most definitive chapters in US cellular history, that far-flung date will likely come well after most of us have moved on — much like the AMPS shutdown, it could be less of a bang and more of a whimper.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

AT&T plans to shut down entire 2G network by 2017 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some of the leading lights in Japanese mobile tech have joined forces to take on Qualcomm and TI in developing wirelessly-enabled smartphone and tablet chipsets. Fujitsu, NTT DoCoMo, NEC and Fujitsu Semiconductor have created Access Network Technology Limited, a new collaboration that will produce “industry-leading communications platform products” and reduce reliance on foreign-made wireless components.

The joint-venture will specialize in semiconductor products with integrated modem functions “for use in communications equipment” according to the quartet. That equipment is likely to primarily consist of phones and tablets, most likely targeting the Japanese home market initially, but could also expand to laptops from NEC and Fujitsu, as well as mesh-networking in the so-called “Internet of Things.”

All four have already collaborated in the past on development work, and the Access project basically makes that an official endeavor. Fujitsu will control the majority stake, holding 52.8-percent ownership, while Fujitsu Semiconductor will hold 9.5-percent. NEC will control 17.8-percent, and DoCoMo will get 19.9-percent. Initial capital is 100m yen ($1.3m) with a workforce of approximately 85.

Timescales for the first chips to emerge from Access Network Technology Ltd haven’t been revealed, though Fujitsu says the goal is 7-percent of global marketshare for smartphone chips by 2014. Currently Qualcomm dominates that landscape, but Access aims to push ahead in LTE and other next-gen connectivity standards – already advanced in consumer deployment in Japan – to give it an edge.

Fujitsu, NEC and DoCoMo take on Qualcomm with new 3G/4G chip company is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Intel has clearly been busy behind the scenes, announcing a new solution that integrates 3G power amplifiers directly onto radio frequency circuits. The resulting SoC is smaller in size, is more power efficient, and is less complex for developers to work with. Dubbed the SMARTi UE2p, Intel believes the chip will help enable lower cost 3G handsets and spur development for the Internet of Things, allowing devices to be constantly connected thanks to the low-power 3G solution.

Intel says that the SMARTi compromises of a 65nm die that incorporates a multi-band HSPA radio transceiver and power amplifiers. Power management and sensor duties are also integrated into the solution, allowing for a direct connection to the battery. Most important, it’s compact and cost efficient enough to fit into devices such as fridges, lights, and other home appliances, further enabling the creation of an Internet of Things.

The company also hopes the chips will find their way into low-cost 3G handsets in developing markets. Any interested parties will be able to get their hands on samples towards the end of the year, and Intel says that it’ll continue to work with certain power amplifier vendors top equip smartphones and tablets with even more efficient solutions.

Intel SMARTi UE2p enables low-cost 3G is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.