Apple responds to Lodsys infringement accusations, says developers are not responsible

Apple has responded to developers targeted by Lodsys, a patent holding firm that accused iOS devs of infringing on its intellectual property covering in-app upgrade purchases. In a letter from Apple dated today, the company claims that Lodsys’s accusations are baseless, and explains that devs, or “App Makers,” are “entitled to use this technology free from any infringement claims by Lodsys,” because Apple has already licensed the technology on their behalf. Apple’s response is firm, and as expected, the company is in full support of developers. Jump past the break for the full letter from Apple legal.

Continue reading Apple responds to Lodsys infringement accusations, says developers are not responsible

Apple responds to Lodsys infringement accusations, says developers are not responsible originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 15:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lodsys vs. Apple Devs: EFF helps us dig deeper

The developers targeted by Lodsys’s patent infringement accusations last week have been in a sleepless holding pattern, awaiting response from Apple before making their next moves. Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) staff attorney Julie Samuels says that Apple legal is likely hard at work reviewing the patent in question, however, and should be in touch soon. Though it’s very unlikely that Cupertino won’t offer assistance, devs will also be able to turn to EFF for advice, where they may even be paired with pro bono patent attorneys. Besides offering this bit of good news, Samuels was able to help us dig deeper into Lodsys, and the dirty business of patent suits. To get some perspective, we reached out to Lodsys CEO Mark Small and EFF (which tends to side with developers). We have yet to hear back from Mr. Small, but EFF was kind enough to give us its take on the situation. Click through for the full rundown.

Continue reading Lodsys vs. Apple Devs: EFF helps us dig deeper

Lodsys vs. Apple Devs: EFF helps us dig deeper originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 May 2011 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lodsys comments on iOS patent infringement, receives hate mail, death threats


We’d typically expect a plaintiff to remain mum with legal action pending, but in a bizarre twist, Lodsys has taken to its blog to defend its reputation — or something. You may recall the patent holding firm’s letter, sent to individual Apple iOS developers last week demanding licensing fees for a somewhat-obscure patent. Understandably, the letters and related coverage prompted a negative response from developers and supporters. Posts to the Lodsys blog may be in response to inappropriate emails received over the weekend, which include death threats and “hateful bile” sent to Mark Small, the firm’s CEO. Click on through for full details.

Continue reading Lodsys comments on iOS patent infringement, receives hate mail, death threats

Lodsys comments on iOS patent infringement, receives hate mail, death threats originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 09:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Globalscale D2 Plug offers HD video, 3D graphics in little Linux / Android machine


So it’s not going to replace your big-boy PC anytime soon, but Globalscale’s latest plug computer, the D2 Plug, does deliver some decidedly desktop-like traits. The latest lilliputian Linux / Android kit touts Marvell’s PXA510, a 1GHz ARMv7 processor that supports 1080p video playback and 3D graphics. According to its makers, the D2 Plug runs on two watts and features 1GB of DDR3 memory, 8GB of NAND flash, an SD card slot, eSATA port and multiple points of connectivity, including two USB 2.o ports, gigabit ethernet, HDMI, and VGA. It measures a mere 6.7 x 3.22 x 1.3 inches, and sports a $249 price tag — not exactly a small price, but there are plenty of other mini PCs in the sea.

Globalscale D2 Plug offers HD video, 3D graphics in little Linux / Android machine originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 08:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lodsys warns iOS devs, alleges in-app purchases infringe its patent


A handful of iOS developers received letters this week from a patent holding firm claiming that their applications that offer in-app purchases infringe on the firm’s intellectual property (IP). The letter threatens legal action if developers don’t license the patent within 21 days. Lodsys, the firm in question, has apparently patented a system that collects usage data and facilitates feedback between a customer and vendor, though it doesn’t address financial transactions specifically. The allegedly infringing applications use Apple’s in-app purchase tool to encourage users to upgrade to a paid version after downloading a free app. Though it’s possible that Lodsys has sent a similar warning to Apple, only individual developers confirmed receiving the document. This makes us wonder if the company is skipping the well-armed big target in favor of the little guys.

Several developers posted on Twitter after receiving the letters, including Patrick McCarron (Shanghai for iPad), James Thomson (PCalc), and Matt Braun (MASH). They’re understandably unwilling to share too many details at this point — even though Apple developed the framework, developers could still be liable. Lodsys appears to be in the business of launching suits referencing U.S. patent 7,222,078, having gone after Canon, HP, Samsung, and other giants earlier this year. As the developers that have come to light so far are independent, with limited budgets, some have reached out to Apple legal for assistance, and are awaiting response. We aren’t seeing the connection between the patent and in-app purchases, though that’s ultimately up to a federal court to determine, if the firm even files a lawsuit. Drama in its finest form, folks.

Lodsys warns iOS devs, alleges in-app purchases infringe its patent originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google TV shows off new Honeycomb UI, plans for Market, SDK; opens up remote app source code (video)

Google I/O is still ongoing and at the session for teaching developers how to build Android apps for Google TV the team has just shown off a quick peek of the new Honeycomb-based UI that will be released later this year. Shown above you can quickly compare it to the original UI to see how different, and hopefully improved it is. The new icon layout should make getting back to live TV a simpler process, while there’s also that large space above for widgets and support for notifications. Developers will be able to run their ADBs on devices later this summer, but prior to that it will have a “Fishtank” program for some devs to take home their internal test units to run apps on now — no hardware modification necessary.

The team also just announced that the source code to the existing Google TV remote app for Android is being open sourced, so anyone who thinks they can do better (it wouldn’t be difficult) can have a crack at building their own. Also available is code for the Anymote Protocol it runs on so developers can make tablet or phone apps that integrate with and control the Google TV — both are linked below. Other features mentioned included support for 3D, and game controllers using Android 3.1’s expanded USB compatibility. There were no product announcements before the session ended, and no word on the rumored and expected ARM base for new products, but the project manager confirmed new product announcements “later this year.” Google TV will need new product announcements if it’s going to receive a boost over other smart TV technology, but the potential of the market and availability of open source code is still providing a tantalizing vision of the promise it’s failed to capitalize on so far.

Update: The entire presentation is now available on YouTube, check it out after the break as well as an earlier Bootcamp presentation on the same subject.

Continue reading Google TV shows off new Honeycomb UI, plans for Market, SDK; opens up remote app source code (video)

Google TV shows off new Honeycomb UI, plans for Market, SDK; opens up remote app source code (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 May 2011 16:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All the Great Stuff from Google I/O 2011 Live: Day 2 [Google]

It’s day 2 of Google’s developers love fest! Yesterday it was full of exciting announcements and it will be hard to beat. However, I’m sure they saved some punches for today. Here’s our live coverage from Moscone, with analysis and hands-on articles: More »

Google Rallies Android Troops at I/O Conference

Google’s Android mascot, flanked by phones running the popular platform. Photo by Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Google’s Android mobile platform is a force to be reckoned with. In the three years since the operating system first landed on a phone, Google booted top phone manufacturers RIM, Apple and Nokia from their resting places as market leaders. Two of every five phones sold in 2011 will be Android devices, according to estimates by IDC research.

Among other things, Android’s explosive growth is due to its enthusiastic community of developers. In part, they’re the ones who fuel platform growth by expanding the application ecosystem.

They inject apps like Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja into the Android Market, games which have superseded their place in the tech world and made their way into mainstream pop culture. Developers create the content we want, fueling the sales of new devices and furthering Google’s mobile platform.

And Google wants to take care of its own.

Google’s fourth annual developer conference, Google I/O, kicks off on Tuesday in downtown San Francisco. In its biggest I/O yet, the conference will feature 110 individual developer sessions with more than 250 speakers spanning two days. More than 5,500 developers are expected to attend.

Basically, it’s a coding geek’s Mardi Gras.

It’s also where we often get the first look at Google’s huge new product releases. At the first I/O in 2008, Google engineers demo’d a walk-through of the first smartphone ever powered by Google’s Android platform. Shortly thereafter, the G1 was released on T-Mobile.

According to Google’s blog post published Monday, this year’s keynotes will focus on two big areas of development for the company: the Android mobile platform, and the company’s Chrome browser.

This year’s hotly speculated Android announcement: “Ice Cream Sandwich,” the next generation of the software.

In February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt dropped hints of what was to come for the platform. Schmidt said that in the next release of the Android software, Google will combine features from the phone-based Gingerbread version and the tablet-optimized Honeycomb version.

Ever since Schmidt dropped the news that Ice Cream Sandwich would bring the two versions together, developers have eagerly awaited news of the latest iteration of the platform.

“I don’t necessarily expect a release of Ice Cream Sandwich,” software developer Chris Soyars told Wired.com, “but probably a time frame of what’s to be expected over the next few months.” Soyars is one of the top team members of CyanogenMod, a highly popular Android-modification software build.

Anticipation of the release has only been amplified by Google’s refusal to release the source code for its Honeycomb software. Google’s decision has been relatively unpopular in the developer community, which espouses “open” principles in regards to software source code.

But some think Google’s decision to hold Honeycomb was a good idea. “If you open up Honeycomb, it gives everyone the freedom to take it and make bad versions of it on phones,” Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney told Wired.com. “They’re doing the right thing by telling people to wait for Ice Cream [Sandwich],” Dulaney said.

Developers like Soyars are hoping that Google sticks to its tentative Android-software release cycle of 6 months between each major version, which would slot an Ice Cream Sandwich debut for sometime in August. Honeycomb, the most recent Android software distribution, first debuted on the Motorola Xoom in February.

Not all of Google’s big announcements have been successful ones. Google Wave was supposed to be the next big thing after its 2009 I/O debut, only to be killed by the company 15 months after its release.

Google TV was the star of last year’s I/O, but has gained only a lackluster following because of a lack of integration with Google apps, as well as problems with television networks blocking Google TV devices from delivering their content.

After its mediocre year on the market, Google may update us on its plans for Google TV at this year’s conference. “If there is an announcement related to Google TV,” said Soyars, “it is likely it would be to announce some type of refresh, including the market,” including possibly integrating the Android Market for phones into the Google TV platform. “I know it’s something they’ve been working on,” Soyars said.

Last year the company introduced a cloud-based music system, which would allow you to access your tracks from your phone, laptop or other web-connected device. If Google were able to launch this, it could put the company in a great position to take on Apple’s iTunes, which still requires you to physically connect your device for music syncing. But it’s been a year since Google demoed the product, and we haven’t heard much in the interim.

Also possible are updates on Google’s social initiatives, though reports suggest that we won’t be hearing much on this front. According to sources speaking to AllThingsDigital, all we may see is a bit of info on Google’s “+1″ button, a feature similar to the Facebook “Like” button. Google has been criticized in the past for being behind in developing social applications, losing out to competitor Facebook.

Tickets to the conference went on sale in early February at $450 a pop. Despite the high entrance fee, the conference sold out in 59 minutes. Aftermarket prices on eBay have reached upward of a grand.

Those who missed out on tickets and don’t want to pay the eBay premium can watch a live stream at Google’s I/O Live web site.

Soyars won’t be in attendance: On the day tickets were released, he got shut out. “I’m hoping to go next year,” Soyers said. “There’s just so many workshops and talks that are great for developers like me.”

Google I/O takes place Tuesday, May 10, and Wednesday, May 11, at Moscone West in San Francisco. Watch for coverage on Webmonkey, here on Gadget Lab and across Wired.com.


The Big Google News We Expect Today [Google]

Google is kicking off its I/O developers conference Tuesday and the search giant is gearing up for a rousing keynote and a two-day conference filled with hardware and software announcements. More »

Microsoft launches API Mapping tool to help devs point iPhone apps at WP7 libs

Microsoft launches API Mapping tool to help iPhone devs point their apps to WP7 libraries

If you’ve spent much time coding in a development environment that has buttons, you know that Microsoft’s tools are among the best. In the spirit of helping developers (developers, developers) find their way to its mobile platform of choice, the company has launched the API Mapping tool for iPhone. Basically, it’s a utility that will look at the calls your iOS app’s code is making and help you find a new home for them in .Net’s ample libraries. Microsoft is also providing documentation to help with the porting and, we hear, asking really, really nicely that you consider Windows Phone for your next project.

Microsoft launches API Mapping tool to help devs point iPhone apps at WP7 libs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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