Though Samsung has already won the similar cases in several countries around the world, their battle with Apple on the similarities between their Galaxy tablet and the iPad rages on – and they’ve invited Steve Jobs to defend them. A set of quotes that Samsung intended on using to defend themselves in regards to the late Apple leader’s “thermonuclear war” against Google’s mobile OS. However as of this week, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, heading up this case, has barred the use of any and all Steve Jobs quotes from being used in the courtroom.
Apple’s case here, like it has been in several countries around the world over the past few months, is that the Samsung Galaxy Tab lineup is too similar to the iPad to legally be allowed for sale. In this US court case they’ve been successful in getting a preliminary injunction against the tablet line, specifically the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in this case, to bar it from sale until the case is complete. Samsung’s defense was up until this week going to be made in part with the Jobs quote written by Walter Isaacson which goes as follows:
“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong, I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.” – Jobs
Samsung had intended to speak in court on how the quote “speaks to Apple’s bias, improper motives and its lack of belief in its own claims in that they are a means to an end, namely the destruction of Android.” Apple contended that the quotes are simply a distraction to the case and are irrelevant on the whole. Judge Koh agreed, saying, “I really don’t think this is a trial about Steve Jobs.”
This case is set to begin on July 30th – have a peek at the timeline below to see what other countries have ruled on similar cases.
It’s been quite a morning for Nokia. Analyst and market expectations for the struggling Finnish company weren’t exactly positive, but while some of the news was as dire as predicted, there were gems amidst the rough. After the cut, diving operating losses, millions of Lumia Windows Phones, and a giggling Elop playing his cards close to his chest.
The two headline numbers are sales and losses. Nokia sold four million Lumia handsets in the three month period, the company confirmed, roughly double its sales for the previous quarter, and beating pre-news estimates. However, operating losses reached a whopping $1bn, despite net sales rising slightly.
So what’s in the pipeline? Elop was coy on specifics but enthusiastic in general about future Lumia handsets, saying the company was readying an array of new materials and technologies for its next-gen Lumias (and the range after that). The run-up to Windows Phone 8 has also given the company the time to prepare more differentiation between its devices and those of other Windows Phone OEMs, and Elop says we’ll see evidence of that in advanced location-based services that make Nokia the “Where” company.
What we might not see is a cross-carrier splurge of the sort common in Europe. Elop revealed that, contrary to popular belief that broader distribution means more sales, Nokia had in fact seen better returns focusing on a single carrier in the manner of the Lumia 900 on AT&T, instead of spreading its love across multiple carriers.
Nokia is counting on the double-whammy of Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 to reinvigorate interest in the platform and give Lumia a boost (Elop didn’t mention tablets, though did hint that Nokia might be looking at the possibility). However there are a few more rough months to come before the “transition” period is over.
Nokia has announced its Q2 2012 financial results, with the beleaguered company reporting shipments of 4m Lumia Windows Phones and net sales up slightly on the previous quarter. Net sales hit €7.5bn ($9.22bn), up €0.1bn from Q1, while mobile phones volumes overall rose to 73m units. However, operating loss hit €826m ($1bn).
2012 has not been a good year for Nokia. The Finnish company saw its long-standing position at the top of the mobile ladder stolen out from under it by Samsung, with adoption of Lumia Windows Phones sluggish at the top end, and Nokia’s entry-level range under heavy attack from cheap Android devices in developing markets.
Windows Phone 8 represents another opportunity for Nokia to recover, with the next-gen version of the platform already shaping up to be considerably improved as well as tightening integration between the smartphone OS and Windows 8 on the desktop thanks to a shared kernel. However, that advance comes at a cost: existing Windows Phone 7 devices, including the entirety of Nokia’s existing line-up, won’t get an upgrade to Windows Phone 8, instead getting a partial tweak with the new UI but none of the more impressive underlying features.
Meanwhile, Nokia has also suffered by not having its own piece in the tablet ecosystem, the company holding off until – as CEO Stephen Elop has previously said – it can bring something new to the marketplace. That could involve Windows 8 or its ARM-centric sibling Windows RT, though like Windows Phone 8 they’re not expected until Q4 this year.
Stephen Elop statement on Q2:
“Nokia is taking action to manage through this transition period. While Q2 was a difficult quarter, Nokia employees are demonstrating their determination to strengthen our competitiveness, improve our operating model and carefully manage our financial resources.
We shipped four million Lumia Smartphones in Q2, and we plan to provide updates to current Lumia products over time, well beyond the launch of Windows Phone 8. We believe the Windows Phone 8 launch will be an important catalyst for Lumia. During the quarter, we demonstrated stability in our feature phone business, and enhanced our competitiveness with the introduction of our first full touch Asha devices. In Location & Commerce, our business with auto-industry customers continued to grow, and we made good progress establishing our location-based platform with businesses like Yahoo!, Flickr, and Bing. We continued to strengthen our patent portfolio and filed more patents in the first half of 2012 than any previous six month period since 2007. And, we are encouraged that Nokia Siemens Networks returned to underlying operating profitability through strong execution of its focused strategy.
We are executing with urgency on our restructuring program. We are disposing of non-core assets like Vertu. We are taking the necessary steps to restructure the operations of the company, which included the announcement of a new program on June 14. Faster than anticipated, we have already negotiated the closure of the Ulm, Germany R&D site, and the negotiations about the planned closure of our factory in Salo, Finland are proceeding in a collaborative spirit.
We held our net cash resources at a steady level after adjusting for the annual dividend payment to our shareholders. While Q3 will remain difficult, it is a critical priority to return our Devices & Services business to positive operating cash flow as quickly as possible”
Earlier today it was announced that after ruling the Samsung Galaxy Tab not “cool” enough to be mistaken for an iPad, a UK judge has demanded that Apple place “an advertisement” for Samsung declaring the result for all to see. This judgement has, as expected, been appealed by Apple and has been granted the right to take the case to the court of appeal by the same Judge Birss that presided over this main case. In the event this ruling stands, Apple will have to pay for notices in the Daily Mail, Financial Times, Guardian Mobile magazine, and T3 as well as displaying a notice on Apple.com that the Samsung tablet does not infringe on Apple’s registered designs.
This is by far the most notable of results from the series of Apple vs Samsung cases that have been ruled upon over the past few months. The Galaxy Tab was for a while blocked from sales in Germany, in Australia the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been found not guilty of infringing on the design of the iPad, and a Dutch court released a statement which included the following:
“Following the statement from Apple that its model attractive ‘minimalistic’ or ‘tight’ shape, is judge noted that “minimalist” design basically means that the contours are followed as defined by technology and ergonomics of the device are dictated and in determining the scope of this model, technical or other practical / ergonomic elements be disregarded. Considered further given that the backs and sides of the Galaxy Tabs 10.1v and 10.1 differ from those of the Apple model, the judge concluded that the Samsung tablet a different overall impression than that model, so there is no of breach” Dutch court documentation.” (machine-translated)
Meanwhile Apple is still in the middle of a case here in the USA with a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 standing even after a Samsung appeal. As for this most recent ruling in the UK, it remains unclear as to how Apple and Samsung will handle the situation.
The appeal mentioned above for this UK case deals with the original claim against Samsung rather than the advertisment-based penalty, but we’re sure Apple is a bit more than a little conscious of how negative the ads could be for their cases still pending around the world.
Music isn’t all strings, strumming and brassy blowing these days: the average geek can now produce the sort of tracks that would’ve previously demanded an Amon Tobin or Mr. Scruff. So what musical gadget should be on the workbench of any aspiring digital musician? Check out our top three picks after the cut, and a sneaky bonus for those on a budget at the end.
Alesis iO Mix
In its third incarnation, the iPad has demonstrated its chops as a musician’s friend; apps like GarageBand are more than enough to create professional sounding music. What the iOS slate lacks is inputs, and that’s where Alesis steps in. Slide the iPad into place and the $299 iO Mix turns it into a 4-channel recorder ideal for studio work and live performances. It’s compatible with any Core Audio iOS music app.
Roland Jupiter-50 Synthesizer
Roland’s latest Jupiter synth may not, at $1,999, be an impulse purchase for most but, in distilling the same sound engine from the highly-esteemed Jupiter-80 but at $1,500 less, it manages to be something of a bargain. The multi-colored buttons of classic Roland drum machines like the TR-808 nustle with the company’s clever Behavior Modelling tech for mimicking real instruments, paired up with effects, USB connectivity for storage and hooking up your computer, and of course the awesome sounds that Roland is known for. If you want the benefits of a standalone workstation with the flexibility of integrating soft-synths and more, the Jupiter-50 has your back.
Korg Kaossilator 2 and mini KAOSS PAD 2
Twin music mangling gizmos small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, Korg’s touchpad pair are descended from the estimable Kaoss Pad adopted by Muse, Radiohead and more, but tailored for mobile musos. Each priced at $160, the Kaossilator 2 is a combo synth and recorder that doesn’t care if you don’t know the black notes from the white, letting you pair up your digital twiddlings with vocals and external instruments, while the mini KAOSS PAD 2 lets you drop the remix with its 100 effects and integrated MP3 player.
… and the Budget Bonus:
Propellerhead Figure ($0.99; iOS) – Making music generally isn’t something you do on the move, but iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users with idle fingers on the train or bus could be creating tracks in seconds with Propellerhead’s addictive Figure app. Borrowing the sounds from grown-up soft-synths like Reason with a pared-back UI and easily applied effects, it’s a musical scratchpad, ideas notebook and commute distraction all in one.
What are you favorite music geek toys? Let us know in the comments!
McDonald’s has denied that staff at a Paris restaurant assaulted “father of augmented reality” Professor Steve Mann, insisting that no damage to the researcher’s Google Glass-style wearable computer was caused. In a new statement provided to SlashGear, McDonald’s says that it has individually interviewed “several staff members” at the Paris restaurant, and “all independently and consistently expressed that their interaction with Dr. Mann was polite and did not involve a physical altercation.”
Mann claimed earlier this week that, while on a family holiday in France, he was assaulted by employees at a McDonald’s restaurant in Paris. The professor, who has been involved in wearables research for several decades, was wearing the latest iteration of his EyeTap head-mounted display, which is permanently fixed to his head and requires special tools.
According to Mann, while he showed staff at the fast food eatery documentation explaining the nature of the augmented reality wearable and was initially told that there was no problem with him wearing it on the premises, a subsequent altercation with other staff led to an assault. Employees attempted to grab the wearable headset from his head, and then ripped up the letter from his doctor that he had brought.
McDonald’s, however, says its own investigation suggests the encounter was significantly different. Rather than the aggressive attitude Mann describes, McDonald’s says staff insist that “they did not damage any of Mr. Mann’s personal possessions.”
According to the chain, the French brand has contacted Mann and is waiting on further content. It has not commented on the photos captured by Mann’s EyeTap headset itself, which seem to show staff tearing up the doctor’s letter.
McDonald’s Statement:
“We share the concern regarding Dr. Mann’s account of his July 1 visit to a McDonald’s in Paris. McDonald’s France was made aware of Dr. Mann’s complaints on July 16, and immediately launched a thorough investigation. The McDonald’s France team has contacted Dr. Mann and is awaiting further information from him.
In addition, several staff members involved have been interviewed individually, and all independently and consistently expressed that their interaction with Dr. Mann was polite and did not involve a physical altercation. Our crew members and restaurant security staff have informed us that they did not damage any of Mr. Mann’s personal possessions.
While we continue to learn more about the situation, we are hearing from customers who have questions about what happened. We urge everyone not to speculate or jump to conclusions before all the facts are known. Our goal is to provide a welcoming environment and stellar service to McDonald’s customers around the world.”
ZTE has launched its new Grand X flagship Android smartphone in the UK, balancing power and price to deliver a mini Nexus on a budget. Powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 – no, that’s no typo, it’s NVIDIA’s last-gen chip – and paired with a 4.3-inch qHD LCD display and 5-megapixel camera, the Grand X runs an untampered version of Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich that could prove mighty appealing to those turned off by UI tweaks.
Inside, there’s 4GB of user storage and a microSD card slot, along with 512MB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 and an HSDPA 21Mbps radio. The main camera has autofocus and records Full HD video, while the front camera is a mere 0.3-megapixels and best only for video calls. ZTE has squeezed a 1,650 mAh battery inside the sturdy plastic casing, which measures in at 126 x 64.6 x 9.9 mm and 110g.
The Grand X isn’t only reminiscent of recent Nexus devices in its unmodified software; the design looks to have borrowed some of Samsung’s style too. The rear lip at the base of the soft-touch battery cover is a dead ringer for that of the Galaxy Nexus, for instance. Though the 1GHz dual-core processor may not be the current-gen model, it’s been sufficient in our limited testing time to keep Android moving at a reasonable pace.
ZTE Grand X hands-on:
While previous lower-cost ZTE handsets, such as the Tanya Windows Phone, have suffered with sub-par displays, the Grand X escapes the budget curse on that front. The display isn’t going to match the panels you might find on a top-tier Samsung or Sony, but nor is it priced to match those relatively expensive rivals; what you do get is fair viewing angles and good colors, though the contrast isn’t as good as from an AMOLED screen.
Price is the clincher, of course. When it hits shelves in the UK come August, the Grand X will be offered at £189 ($295) pre-pay, and free on a £24-£27 per month contract. At that point, its most obvious competition is perhaps the Orange San Diego, running an older version of Android (and modified at that) but on Intel’s new Atom Z2460 single-core. We’ll have a full review of the Grand X soon.
This week AT&T has joined the “shared data” party that Verizon has been a part of for a few weeks, now it’s time to run down which of the two brings on a better deal for you. You’ll of course want to keep in mind first and foremost that these two networks have different coverage areas and that they’ve, for the most part, got a different device selection as well. If you’re looking for an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy S III at this very moment, it’s the carriers you’ll be looking at – and both AT&T and Verizon are vying for your attention right this second.
If you are an individual looking for a data plan on either of these networks, you truly should be looking elsewhere. These Mobile Share plans are really a re-branded set of family plans, or group share plans, however you want to say it. If you’re a heavy data user part of a family of low-use users, you might also want to figure out a different situation. Otherwise have a peek here:
AT&T’s plan breaks down like so:
1GB Price per month: $40; Smartphone fee: $45 4GB $70;$40 6GB $90;$35 10GB $120;$30 15GB $160;$30 20GB $200;$30 Each GB overage on all plans: $15/per.
While Verizon’s list works like this:
1GB $50;$40 2GB $60;$40 4GB $70;$40 6GB $80;$40 8GB $90;$40 10GB $100;$40 12GB $110;$40 14GB $120;$40 16GB $130;$40 18GB $140;$40 20GB $150;$40 Each GB overage on all plans: $15/per, option for 2GB add-on $10 before going over.
Similarities include the cost of connecting additional devices, that being a tablet at $10 a month, USB card for $20, and laptops, netbooks, and basic phones for $30. Verizon’s shared data plans are active now, while AT&T’s “Mobile Share” program does not begin until August. Also note that AT&T has been clear in saying that grandfathering is indeed active, with everyone currently part of a data plan with them now able to keep their data plan and prices through the foreseeable future.
UPDATE – an AT&T spokesperson has contacted us with the following statement:
“The key advantage for AT&T customers is that we offer a broad choice of plans. Customers can choose a shared data plan or choose separate individual or family plans. And our upgrade policy is very friendly for existing customers. You can keep your current plan, including unlimited plans, without paying full retail price for the device when you upgrade.” – AT&T Spokesperson
AT&T has done itself no favors with its fudged response to rumors of an extra fee in order to use FaceTime over 3G connections on devices running iOS 6. Talk that the carrier would levy extra data charges if users wanted to take advantage of Apple’s increased FaceTime flexibility – so far limited to WiFi connections – prompted an uproar of pre-emptive complaints that AT&T might put a financial block in the way of iPhone and iPad functionality. But are we really on the precipice of a groundswell of video calling, or are we simply taking this opportunity to be angry at a carrier for daring to charge us money?
Apple’s handling of FaceTime has been shoddy, it has to be said. The company originally promised to open the system up to third-parties, making it a cross-platform service rather than limiting it solely to its own iOS and Mac clients. That hasn’t happened, and beyond revealing 3G support in the upcoming iOS 6 back at WWDC 2012, Apple has been quiet on where, exactly, FaceTime is going.
Leaving out carrier-specific details at the WWDC keynote is a good example of that, though Apple isn’t done any favors by AT&T’s famed reluctance to commit to anything until the last minute. Going by the error messages popping up on devices already running the iOS 6 beta, it’s looking very likely that AT&T will be demanding another tithe for those wanting to use the data they’ve already paid for to make FaceTime 3G calls – on top of mandatory data package fees and, if required, tethering add-ons.
Exactly how much that will cost – if, indeed, it happens at all – remains to be seen. AT&T could go for a pay-per-use fee, either on a per-call basis (say, $0.50 per FaceTime 3G call you make, regardless of length) or based on data consumption. Or, it could opt for a set fee each month for blanket FaceTime 3G calling; say, $10 more on top of your existing data package.
“How much is “too much”?”
Is $10 too much to ask for the convenience of not using, say, Skype and instead relying on Apple’s streamlined alternative? Would $5 be acceptable? What if AT&T said you could make as many FaceTime calls over 3G as you like, as long as you also upgrade to a tethering package? How much is “too much”?
Listen to the current crop of complaints, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that Apple gadget users have been crying out for a video calling, but that the prospect of AT&T fees is going to yank the rug out from under it. Apple hasn’t released usage figures for FaceTime – perhaps indicative that it hasn’t exactly set the world alight, given Apple loves nothing more than loudly proclaiming the numerical evidence of its successes – but is the current lack of 3G support really the blockade, or is it the fact that video calling really just doesn’t rate highly on the priority list of most?
What does rate strongly is the suspicion that fat-cat carriers are preparing to squeeze yet more fees out of us every month. Even if we don’t want to use a feature, nothing enrages us like the possibility that someone might want to charge us for it. So, don’t conflate anger over the possibility of AT&T plan changes with a real appetite for video calling services. Sometimes, subscribers just like an opportunity to blow off steam.
Not everybody wants a full DSLR and not everybody is content with the camera on their smartphone. That’s a difficult segment to fill, but Panasonic believes it has the line-up necessary with its latest range of cameras. The LUMIX G5, FZ200 and LX7 each target different users with different needs, but they also all share a commonality of feel and function that we’ve come to expect from Panasonic. Read on for our hands-on first impressions.
Promising most flexibility is the Panasonic LUMIX G5, the company’s latest Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens camera. The G5 debuts a new 16.05-megapixel Live MOS sensor hooked up to Panasonic’s reworked Venus Engine, in a chunkier chassis than the smaller GF-Series we’re big fans of here at SlashGear. That mini-DSLR styling makes for a camera that’s easy to hold in both regular and portrait orientations, and there’s a new function lever that falls neatly under your shutter finger and allows easy zoom, exposure or aperture control during shooting.
Panasonic LUMIX G5
It also comes into play when you’re navigating through the menus or reviewing shots, though there’s also a turn-and-push dial on the back panel next to the tilting, swiveling 920k dot LCD display. The bigger-than-GF-Series body also leaves room for a live viewfinder, though, which increases the resolution to 1.44m dots and almost 100-percent field of view. It’s a great addition to a Micro Four Thirds model, and helps the G5 feel like a “grown-up” DSLR when framing shots, but Panasonic also uses it for its clever Eye Sensor Auto Focus system.
Panasonic LUMIX G5 sample shots
We had no real problems getting the G5 to lock focus swiftly, but in Eye Sensor AF mode the camera automatically starts focusing on likely subjects when it senses your eye is at the viewfinder. It’s a quiet shooter, too, thanks to a new Electronic Shutter mode borrowed from some regular DSLRs, though unlike the majority of those cameras there’s a range of integrated effects and even help tutorials for the more advanced features.
You lose a little of the pocketable convenience to fit all that in – along with a stereo microphone and Full HD video recording, no less – and the G5 probably isn’t the camera to take along on a night out, but it’s already shaping up to be an excellent compromise between the size (and sizable price) of a full DSLR and the sort of performance you’d only hope to coax out of a compact camera.
Still, while the G5 is the obvious photographer’s choice, that’s not to say we weren’t swayed some by the Panasonic LUMIX FZ200. At first glance, the two look surprisingly similar, but where the G5 allows for some lens swapping, the FX200 settles on a single lens with a huge 24x optical zoom. It’s paired up with a 12.1-megapixel High-Sensitivity MOS sensor and can deliver a consistent f2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range.
Panasonic LUMIX FZ200
Now, the FZ200′s Live View Finder is – at 1.312m dots – slightly lower resolution than that of the G5 (though still near 100-percent coverage) it does still have a folding, twisting display, and the creative potential of the optical zoom is not to be underestimated. The unit we were testing was pre-production, so we won’t take too much from the (already excellent) sample shots, but it’s clear to see that Panasonic’s engineers have been working particularly hard on cutting down camera shake when you’re at the higher limits of the zoom.
Panasonic LUMIX FZ200 sample shots
These photos were taken using a pre-production camera model and does not reflect final picture quality
There’s both optical and digital image stabilization, and they do an impressive job of keeping things level even when you’re super-close to your subject. In the two shots of the Audi TT, for instance, each of which were taken at full 24x zoom, the crispness of the images belie the fact that we were some distance away. It’s easy to fit a huge zoom to a camera and call it a day; it’s far harder to deliver a finessed balance of zoom and picture stability, and we’re already hugely excited to get our hands on a final production FZ200 to see just what sort of shots we can coax out.
Finally, there’s the Panasonic LUMIX LX7, looking for all the world like the original LUMIX GF1 but with a fixed 3.8x optical zoom lens. The most pocketable of the three – both in terms of bulk and price – it’s also our favorite design; we were big fans of the GF1 (and were a little disappointed that Panasonic gradually diluted the industrial aesthetic down for subsequent models) and a lot of that appeal has been carried over.
Panasonic LUMIX LX7
There are a sizable number of physical controls and dedicated buttons, given this is a compact camera. You get a proper mode wheel (when even the current GF3 uses a virtual selection carousel) and an AF/AE Lock key on the back as well as shortcuts for ISO and white balance. The camera as a whole nestles neatly into the hand; it’s easy to keep stable and, while there’s no Live View Finder, the 3-inch 920k dot LCD is bright enough for outdoor use. You don’t get a tilt/swivel hinge, but we’re content to trade that given how easy it is to slip the LX7 into a pocket; more missed is the touchscreen introduced on the GF2, which makes for very easy touch-to-focus control.
Sample video (make sure to select and watch 1080p HD)
In practice, it’s a great camera to pull out and grab an impromptu frame, though it does have its foibles. As with most compacts it loves light, and low-light shots – especially when there’s a section of brighter light, such as through an open door or window – can end up murky and grainy. Scenes with less disparity in lighting, though, are captured with good color accuracy, though whites could sometimes come out with a slight blueish tinge.
Panasonic LUMIX LX7 sample shots
Outdoors, the LX7 is in its element, and we particularly appreciated its macro abilities, with some beautifully delicate focusing possible on close-up subjects like flowers. The optical zoom obviously falls well short of the capabilities of the FZ200, but it’s a solid compromise between bulk and ability, and it shifts swiftly in response to the toggle that surrounds the shutter release. Interestingly, Panasonic’s iAuto mode doesn’t earn itself a dedicated button on the top panel; we’re pleased to see the LX7 prioritizes a dedicated video recording trigger. Footage is recorded at up to 1080p Full HD, and we were impressed by the quality the LX7 could pump out.
So, three very different cameras, for three relatively distinct segments of the marketplace. The LUMIX G5 is undoubtedly the most flexible option, but it’s tough to argue with the optical zoom capabilities of the LZ200 – outfitting the G5 with a Micro Four Thirds zoom of similar capabilities would make for an expensive package overall. Then there’s the LX7, which we could easily see those with regular DSLRs opting to drop into a pocket for more casual photography.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
