Hasta La Gadget!

All patent disputes involving Apple doesn’t have to end up like Samsung paying over 1 billion dollars. Over the weekend, HTC and Apple proved this point by signing a 10-year licensing agreement for current and future patents. The details of the agreement were not disclosed by both tech giants, leaving us to wonder how the agreement came to be in the first place. Apple has been dubbed by many as a patent troll, fiercely guarding its own patents while making sure that those who cross the line pays up.

But according to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu, Apple is expected to get around $6 to $8 for every Android device HTC sells. On an annual basis and assuming that HTC sells around 30 to 35 million Android devices per year, Wu estimates that HTC could pay around $180-$280 million per annum to Apple. Wu’s estimate is reportedly based on his conversations with some sources in the industry. “We think $6-$8 seems reasonable if not a relatively small price for HTC and others to pay to be able to sell a modern smart phone with touchscreen,” writes Wu.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: VINCI Curriculum Named as CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree , Samsung to mass produce Full HD Super AMOLED HD displays in 2013,

Samsung is said to begin mass production of 1080p Super AMOLED HD displays some time in 2013, although there has been no exact date set just yet. I guess this can only mean one thing – you know that smartphones of the future will have ever increasing resolution counts, and Apple’s advantage of having a Retina Display on their iPhone will be chipped away as ordinary. Heck, the upcoming Verizon Droid DNA and the HTC J Butterfly in Japan already have Full HD panels with a higher pixel density compared to the iPhone, but those rely on LCD technology instead of AMOLED.

Samsung’s attempt with AMOLED technology being pushed to Full HD territory will also bring along with it advantages such as a broader color gamut, deep black tones, and shorter response time. It remains to be seen whether the mass manufacturing process will be able to experience the kind of yield levels that are sufficient enough to make them worth Samsung’s while. We do keep our fingers crossed that Samsung will be successful with their attempt, as a screen like that on the next version of the Galaxy S series smartphone would certainly be jaw dropping, to say the least.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HTC to pay $6 to $8 to Apple for every Android device it sells, VINCI Curriculum Named as CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree ,

Starbucks, the popular Italian-style coffeehouse chain, has announced today that it will begin accepting mobile payments through Square’s Square Wallet in around 7,000 Starbucks stores. The “aromatic” announcement follows after Starbucks and Square decided to team up in August this year to create a payment solution. And after breaking the news in October that coffee addicts will be able to pay their coveted cup using Square Wallet, it’s finally launching the payment solution beginning today. Square Wallet will now allow customers to pay at Starbucks using their phone.

To to that, customers will have to download the Square Wallet app on their Android and iOS device to setup an account and debit or credit card for payments. Once done, users will only need to tap the “pay here” button and scan their QR code. “Square Wallet gives people an easy way to pay at Starbucks and neighborhood businesses,” said William Henderson, Square Wallet director. “ We’re excited to work with Starbucks to introduce a broad new group of people to the benefits of using Square.” If you’re on Android, you can the app here. iOS users, on the other hand, can download the application here.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Starbucks customers can pay with Square Wallet in November 2012, Starbucks in-store wireless smartphone charging debuts in Boston,

When Apple moved to Intel processors back in 2005, it was a coming-out of sorts for the Mac OS X operating system. No longer forced to run on PowerPC processors built by Motorola and IBM, software availability bloomed, and the Mac platform became much stronger as a result. Now Bloomberg is reporting that Apple is looking for ways to replace the Intel processors it currently uses in its Mac computers with ARM-based processors, like it currently uses in the iPhone and iPad. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Atom Z2580 first CPU to be Manufactured on Intel’s 14nm Technology [Rumor], Apple not relying on Samsung for SoC production in 2012?,

Recycling is great, but there’s a point where it stops being beneficial to the environement and starts being a marketing term. Levi’s new jeans, from the Waste Less line, fall firmly into the latter category: supposedly they’re made out of 20% recycled plastic (from bottles and food trays), and we don’t know exact pricing yet, but they’re definitely going to cost more than you’d expect from a pair of jeans (and more than the 100% cotton versions). Levi’s claims that each pair of Waste Less jeans has three and a half recycled twenty ounce bottles in them, which sounds like a lot, but isn’t when you consider how little material is in a plastic bottle. The jeans will come in the 511 skinny style, the 504 relaxed straight fit, and as a jean jacket. At least they spared the classic 501.  (more…)

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