Hasta La Gadget!

LG and Samsung have had to live with each other as cornerstones of the South Korean economy, but that uncomfortable balance might just have been knocked off-kilter through an escalating legal battle. Samsung has filed for an injunction against LG for supposedly coercing 11 Samsung researchers (already indicted in July) into leaking the secrets behind its OLED screens, including 18 pieces of technology and 21 related documents. The accuser wants 1 billion won (about $879,771) in compensation for every piece of technology that might have slipped out. Suffice it to say that LG isn’t happy with being labeled as a thief — it notes that LG screens use white OLEDs instead of Samsung’s RGB technique, reducing its incentive to swipe anything Samsung makes. LG even contends that Samsung is just trying to hide its embarrassment at losing OLED TV demo units that were headed to IFA 2012. Without a clear resolution in sight, there’s every indication the legal dispute could become very ugly.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment

Samsung asks for South Korean injunction against LG for allegedly stealing OLED tech originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We have yet another twist in the worldwide patent battle between electronics giants Apple and Samsung, as the Wall Street Journal and Reuters report a Seoul court has ruled in favor of the latter when it came to two patents in a case on its home turf. While it decided that Apple had infringed on two Samsung patents, it also found that Samsung had returned the favor on Apple’s “bounceback” design patent, but not on another regarding icon design resulting in damages of about $22,000 Samsung. That’s according to WSJ’s Evan Ramstad, who also reports that other than the light financial slap on the wrist, the ruling means that the infringing products can no longer be sold in South Korea. The list of affected hardware includes mostly previous gen products like the iPhone 4 and iPad 2, as well as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy S II and Galaxy Nexus. Asia Economic indicates the two patents Apple was found to have infringed are of the much-disputed standards-essential type relating to the transmission of data. This action doesn’t appear to significantly tilt the battlefield in any particular direction, so we’ll continue to keep an eye on the jury deliberating in California.

Filed under: Software

South Korean court rules Apple infringed on two Samsung patents, fines it $35k; Samsung gets hit too originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anyone who’s had to recharge an EV — or, for that matter, any mobile device with a very big battery — knows the pain of waiting for hours while a lithium-ion pack tops up. South Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology has developed a conduction technique that could cut that charging time down to less than a minute. By dousing the nanoparticle materials of the battery in a graphite solution that’s then carbonized, the researchers make a web of conductors that all start charging at once; current batteries have to charge towards the center slowly, like a not-very-edible Tootsie Pop. The immediate goal is to develop a secondary battery for an EV that could provide extra mileage in a matter of seconds. Here’s hoping that the Ulsan team’s fast-charging battery is more viable than others and spreads to just about everything — we’d love to have EVs and laptops alike that power up in as much time as it takes to fill a traditional car at the pump.

[Image credit: iFixit]

Filed under: Transportation, Science

Korean carbon-coated lithium-ion battery could cut recharge times down to minutes originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you thought world internet access speeds were facing a large-scale slowdown, you can stop fretting for now. Data from Akamai suggests that average speeds were just 2.6Mbps, but that was a healthy 14 percent improvement over the fall and a noticeable 25 percent better than early 2011. Average peak internet connection speeds surged just as much in the first quarter of this year: at 13.5Mbps, the average maximum was a 10 percent season-to-season boost and that same 25 percent versus a year before. The leaders remain Asian territories with that ideal mix of dense populations and high technology, culminating in Hong Kong’s blazing 49.3Mbps typical downlink. Akamai attributes much of the growth in peak speeds to an explosion in “high broadband” connections, where 10Mbps is the minimum — countries like Denmark, Finland, South Korea, Switzerland and the US roughly doubled their adoption of extra-fast access in the past year.

Before cheering too loudly, we’d point out that mobile speeds are still trudging along despite HSPA+ and LTE making their presences felt. The most consistent speed came from an unnamed German carrier, which neared 6Mbps; the best regular American rate was 2.5Mbps, which underscores how far even some of the most developed countries have to go. There’s also a clear gap in regular landline broadband quality if we go by the US’ own National Broadband Plan standards. Just 60 percent of US broadband is over the 4Mbps mark, putting the US at 14th in the global ranks. We’re hoping that projects like Google Fiber can raise expectations for everyone, but you can hit the source shortly to get Akamai’s full study.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking, Internet

Akamai: peak internet speeds jumped 25 percent year-to-year in Q1, Germany tops the mobile world originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC’s closure of its South Korean office may seem yet another blow to the company this year, but don’t be alarmed: we saw it coming. It’s a given that Peter Chou’s gang is cutting back in response to its recent weak performance, but the more interesting takeaway here is the fact that the South Korean smartphone market is one tough nut for foreign brands to crack open. Just walk into any carrier shop in Seoul and you’ll see the shelves dominated by devices from Samsung, LG and Pantech. If you’re lucky, you may spot the odd Sony, Motorola and HTC phones cowering in a corner. So why is that the case? Let’s take a look at the how it all started.

Continue reading Editorial: HTC’s departure from South Korea proves a tough fight for foreign brands

Filed under: Cellphones

Editorial: HTC’s departure from South Korea proves a tough fight for foreign brands originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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