You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
When Ericsson launched the T28 in 1999, it was the lightest and slimmest phone on the market. It was also the first handset ever to use a lithium polymer battery. The T28 was a premium device — Ericsson described it as “designer technology”, and it was successful with business executives before the Blackberry became popular. Unlike its bar-shaped competitors, the T28 was immediately recognizable by its signature antenna stub and “active flip” keypad cover. Ericsson packed the phone with state-of-the-art features like voice dialing and an optional Bluetooth dongle. It came in three versions: T28s (GSM 1800 / 900), T28z (GSM 1900) and T28 World (GSM 1900/900). Our T28z review unit started life on VoiceStream (eventually acquired by T-Mobile). How does this classic handset stack up to our modern pocketable computers? Find out after the break.
Gallery: Ericsson T28z review
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Ericsson is reportedly planning on buying out Microsoft’s Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service. The service, called MediaRoom, allows many operators to bring their paid-TV service to a variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers, as well as video game consoles. If Ericsson successfully purchases the service, it would have another great weapon in its arsenal of software services.
Sources have told Bloomberg that the deal may be announced in a few weeks. After Microsoft sells off MediaRoom, it will focus most of its efforts on bringing TV services to Xbox LIVE. Microsoft has already signed some good distribution deals for Xbox LIVE, including ESPN and Viacom (which offers Xbox several TV shows from channels such as Nickelodeon, BET, VH1, Spike, and more).
Microsoft’s IPTV service is a great way for telecom carriers to offer voice, broadband, and TV bundles. AT&T takes advantage of Microsoft’s IPTV service with its U-Verse offering. It currently has over 4.5 million U-Verse video subscribers. IPTV services allow telecom companies like AT&T to better compete with video-streaming services like Netflix, as well as cable companies like Comcast.
Ericsson is currently the world’s largest creator of equipment for mobile telecommunications networks, but as competition in the hardware-sector of the business is getting more fierce, it wants to place some of its eggs into the software-side. It’ll be interesting to see what Ericsson plans on doing with MediaRoom, but some believe it won’t be rewarding acquisition. Alexander Peterc, an Exane BNP Paribas analyst, stated, “The technology started to get hyped about 10 years ago ad may have reached its peak already so I don’t see this as a growth market.”
[via Bloomberg]
Ericsson considers buying Microsoft’s IPTV service is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
ST-Ericsson was already in some tumult after the ST half of the partnership said it was exiting the venture late last year. As we’re discovering, there was a little more drama in store for 2013. CEO Didier Lamouche has resigned from the company for a tempting job prospect elsewhere, and there’s no named replacement for him so far — a slight problem when Lamouche will be out by March 31st. He’s leaving ST-Ericsson in a better state than he found it, as the company is scoring key deals for phones like the Galaxy S III Mini while getting its LTE chip plans on track. Nonetheless, we suspect that remaining owner Ericsson will want that power vacuum filled quickly when there’s already enough uncertainty ahead.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Via: Computerworld
Source: ST-Ericsson
Welcome to Wednesday evening everyone! We’re back from a brief holiday break and there was plenty of news waiting for us when we returned, so let’s jump into the Wrap-Up. Mark Zuckerberg’s sister Randi found herself with a semi-private photo being shared publicly today, which brought up some debate about Facebook’s privacy policy. Samsung is expected to ship 500 million smartphones in 2013, while we saw a leaked image of a white BlackBerry X10 handset with a QWERTY keyboard. Instagram is facing a class action lawsuit over the controversial changes to its Terms of Service, despite the fact that it has tried to ease users’ minds since the new Terms were announced.
We heard that Windows Blue may still use the controversial Metro UI design, while Mark Cuban spilled the beans on his gadget collection in an AMA on Reddit. Samsung is seeking a ban on Ericsson products here in the US, and the Panasonic P-02E 1080p Android smartphone showed up at the FCC. The expensive yacht that was built for Steve Jobs has been released from the impound lot, and we learned that Netflix will be introducing new social features next year.
Samsung will apparently be showing off a Smart TV UI refresh at CES 2013, and Google has extended free domestic Gmail calls in the US and Canada for another year. Rockstar released a collection of new Grand Theft Auto V screenshots, and we heard that the Samsung Galaxy S III might soon be heading to T-Mobile with LTE functionality. NVIDIA TegraZone landed on Windows RT today, and we heard how loud it is on the International Space Station thanks a new audio clip containing the station’s ambient noise.
Apple has a patent on file for a new kind of curved glass, while Microsoft announced that it will soon be opening six new store locations. The POP charger has been given approval by Apple, which means the project is a go once again, and Google said that it plans to take 90% of Microsoft Office’s audience for itself. Toyota will be paying out $1.1 billion in settlements for cases relating to the floor mat issues with the 2010 Lexus RX, and iPad mini yield problems are starting to look better. Netflix’s Christmas Eve outage was blamed on problems with Amazon’s Web Services, and finally tonight we have a review of the Adorama Flashpoint 500C LED camera light for you to have a look at. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy the rest of your night folks!
SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: December 26, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
It looks like Apple isn’t the only company that Samsung is after. It turns out that the Korean-based company is seeking a sales ban in the US on some of Ericsson‘s products. Samsung has filed a complaint against the Swedish company with the US International Trade Commission (ITC), requesting a US import and sales ban on Ericsson.
Ericsson actually filed a patent lawsuit against Samsung about a month ago after the two companies failed to extend the licensing agreement after years of negotiations. At the time, Ericsson claimed that Samsung refused to pay the FRAND rate that its competitors are paying for the same standard-essential patents.
This time around, Samsung is going on the offense, and is seeking a ban in the US on several products made by Ericsson after a dispute over patent fees concerning telecommunications networking equipment. Samsung says that they “have sought to negotiate with Ericsson in good faith.” However, Samsung claims that the company has been unwilling to continue negotiations by making unreasonable claims.
Of course, Ericsson also thinks that Samsung products should be banned in the US over the same dispute that Samsung filed, saying that the Korean-based company’s products infringe on its patents. Ericsson said that an import ban is not their goal, but rather that Samsung “sign license agreements on reasonable terms.”
[via Reuters]
Samsung seeks ban on Ericsson products in US is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
A week ago we reported that Ericsson was suing Samsung in the US over alleged patent infringement, and now unsurprisingly the Swedish company has reached out to the US ITC and are seeking a US import ban on Samsung’s products. According to Ericsson, the ban will cover Samsung’s mobile phones, tablets, televisions and media players that supposedly infringe upon one or more of the company’s patents. Ericsson is also arguing that by banning the import of the offending products, public interest will be served because “an adequate supply of substitute devices will be available to at least Ericsson and its current licensees,” and that since Samsung’s products aren’t necessary for health or welfare, there will not be an adverse impact on the public.
In case you missed our previous coverage, Ericsson is looking to sue Samsung over patent infringements because both companies could not reach an agreement over the renewal of a licensing agreement that both companies had with each other. The apparent reason behind this disagreement is because Samsung felt that Ericsson was asking for higher royalty rates for the same patents, while Ericsson argued that Samsung’s competitors had already agreed and paid, so they don’t see why this might be an issue for the Korean company.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Amazon Kindle Fire 8.9 ROM gets ported onto the Nexus S, Gmail For Android Brings Swiping & Resizing Capabilities,
Ericsson is the world’s largest maker of wireless network equipment. Samsung is certainly more recognizable name and is a company that makes some of the most popular Android smartphones on the market along with hordes of other hardware. Ericsson has announced that it has filed a patent infringement suit against Samsung Electronics.
The suit comes after Samsung and Ericsson failed to extend the licensing agreement after years of negotiations. Ericsson filed lawsuit in the US federal court in the Eastern District of Texas where the judge is known to side with patent holders. Ericsson reports that it had offered to extend the licensing deal to Samsung using FRAND terms.
Samsung claims that Ericsson is demanding prohibitively high licensing fees. Samsung noted in a statement, “[Ericsson] demanded prohibitively higher royalty rates to renew the same patent portfolio. As we cannot accept such extreme demands, we will take all necessary legal measures to protect against Ericsson’s excessive claims.”
Ericsson maintains that Samsung is refusing to pay the FRAND rate that its competitors are paying for the same standard-essential patents. Ericsson reportedly made $937 million in 2011 from licensing its patents to other companies. There’s no indication of when the case will go to court at this time.
[via Bloomberg]
Ericsson files patent suit against Samsung is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
When it comes to lawsuits against Samsung, it looks like Apple isn’t the only one after the Korean company for alleged patent infringements. Ericsson has recently filed a lawsuit against Samsung in the US for alleged patent infringement, which seemingly could have been avoided had Ericsson and Samsung manage to arrive at successful negotiations regarding the renewal of a FRAND patent licensing agreement. While the specifics of the patents involved were not revealed, Ericsson has stated that the patents in question are part of “a crucial system for technology sharing that has helped create today’s mass market communications industry”
According to Ericsson, it seems that both companies have been at the negotiating table for the past two years, and when Ericsson offered to license the patents for a third time (first and second times were in 2001 and 2007 respectively), Samsung apparently refused to the terms. TechCrunch assumes that this is because the new terms could be more expensive that Samsung would have liked or agreed to, but according to Ericsson, the terms offered to Samsung were the same that was offered to its competitors.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Saudi Women Monitored Via Electronic Tracking System, BlackBerry Patagonia 9620 Leaked,
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
One sits far atop the Android smartphone heap while the other has recently stepped up its efforts to compete more aggressively by acquiring the stake of its decade-long joint venture partner. But at the recent IFA event, electronics giants Samsung and Sony both acknowledged the importance of their smartphone sub-brands by stretching them into new product categories. For Sony, its Xperia sub-brand hopped across to its tablet while Samsung brought the Galaxy brand to a connected camera. How these companies have stretched these brands reflects their relative position both in terms of where they’ve moved from and where they’ve moved to.
For Sony, the move of Xperia to another product category represents somewhat of a full circle (as does the return of the Sony brand to handsets itself). Part of the early playbook for Sony Ericsson was to bring established Sony Electronics brands — notably Cyber-Shot and Walkman — to phones focused on imaging and music in the heyday of the feature phone, which the joint venture clung to for too long. Xperia, in contrast, was the company’s first “native” sub-brand meant to evoke “experience”, of course. And while many in the line have been well-received, they never translated into a strong global market share for Sony Ericsson.
Continue reading Switched On: Rubber brands
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets
Switched On: Rubber brands originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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