Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung has retaliated against Apple once again — this time, in France, where the Korean manufacturer has filed a complaint alleging that Cupertino infringed upon a trio of its patents. Originally filed with a Paris district court in July and announced yesterday, the complaint claims that the UMTS technologies featured in the iPhone and 3G-enabled iPads violate three of Samsung’s patents. Unlike a previous case in Germany, which recently resulted in a nationwide injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1, this filing “focuses on three technology patents, and not on the design of the tablets,” as a Samsung spokesperson was quick to point out. Details on the patents in question remain blurry for the moment, but it’ll probably be a while before the case progresses anyway, with the first hearing scheduled for December.

Samsung files French patent complaint against Apple, targets iPhone, iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 07:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you have an AT&T iPhone in your possession, there’s a good chance you’ve quickly glanced at available insurance options and noticed they’re… well, a tad on the spendy side. Big Blue’s only solution requires a $12 monthly asking price — considering that’s before the deductible gets factored in, we just can’t imagine it selling like hotcakes. The tides appear to be turning, however; according to AT&T’s official site, iPhones will be eligible for Asurion Mobile Insurance plans on July 17th. With these new plans, the monthly cost will plummet to a much more reasonable $5, placing it lower than Verizon’s version. We’re still awaiting word on the deductible, though other smartphones on the same protection plan require a $125 replacement charge. Here’s the drawback: it’s only available for the first 30 days after the device is purchased, which means anyone who procured an iPhone before mid-June will want to keep those cases and screen protectors glued on tight. There’s also no intimate details on what kind of damage is covered — good thing these things are so difficult to destroy, eh?

AT&T to offer standard insurance for iPhone owners starting July 17th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The unveiling of iOS 5 at this year’s WWDC keynote brought a wonderful feast of features, but it left us wondering if the iPhone 3GS would be updated with a few cards short of a full deck — the same way the 3G was treated last year. Reports are starting to flow in from folks who’ve tested it, so let’s get the bad news out of the way first: yes, some features are being withheld from the 3GS. The good news? They’re much more minor than we feared. So far, it appears that full Twitter integration and notifications are included; the newsstand and App Store are also intact, as well as the Safari reading list and grid lines in the camera. The only things we see missing so far are the photo editing features in the camera and the tab bar in Safari. So breathe a deep and well-deserved sigh of relief, fans, because your iPhone 3GS isn’t obsolete — at least, not yet. The full walkthrough of iOS 5 on the 3GS is right after the break.

Continue reading iOS 5 imposes minor feature limitations on iPhone 3GS, 3G owners still bitter

iOS 5 imposes minor feature limitations on iPhone 3GS, 3G owners still bitter originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone: in the latest chapter of the Apple-Samsung dispute over their smartphones’ resemblance, the latter company has just retaliated by filing lawsuits against Apple in three countries. Sammy’s load of ammo includes five patent infringements in South Korea, two in Japan, and three in Germany, though we’ve yet to hear more details about these claims. Now we just sit back and enjoy the show — popcorn, anyone?

[Thanks, Jake L.]

Update: Reuters has shed some light on the actual patents Samsung is alleging are being infringed. The news organization reports they relate to “power reduction during data transmission, 3G technology for reducing errors during data transmission, and wireless data communication technology.”

Samsung strikes back at Apple with ten patent infringement claims originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android getting ported to the iPhone may be old news by now, but Android 2.3 (a.k.a. Gingerbread) getting ported to the iPhone? Well, that’s something… new, if entirely expected. As before, it’s the iPhone 3G doing the honors, and the port is still based on the iDroid project, which means you can hang onto iOS in a dual-boot configuration so you won’t be left in the cold when the less-than-stable port decides not to cooperate. And, yes, this once again means that the iPhone has gotten the latest version of Android before many Android devices have. Head on past the break for a video.

Continue reading Android 2.3 gets ported to the iPhone 3G, breaks hearts left and right

Android 2.3 gets ported to the iPhone 3G, breaks hearts left and right originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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