Hasta La Gadget!

Nortel was just looking for some quick cash when the company put its 6,000 telecommunications patents up for auction. Then Google decided that IP would make a mighty fine troll deterrent, and started a crazy bidding war to get it. A coalition of the willing — including Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, RIM, and Sony — opposed Big G and paid $4.5 billion for the prize portfolio pending approval by the powers that be. Well, both Canadian and US bankruptcy judges just gave the purchase two thumbs up, and the deal is officially done. Now the question is whether the auction’s victors will use these patents as a shield against those with trollish intentions or as a sword to strike at their enemies?

Update: To clarify, the deal was only approved by the bankruptcy courts, and the US DOJ is examining the sale for its possible anti-competitive effects.

It’s official: Nortel patent sale approved by US and Canadian courts (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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News that Google had competition for a bundle of patents being sold by bankrupt Nortel Networks surfaced a week ago and now it’s official; a consortium of companies including Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, RIM and Sony won the multi-day auction with a bid of $4.5 billion. According to Reuters, RIM contributed $770 million to the effort while Ericsson is on the hook for $340 million when the deal closes, which is expected to be in the third quarter of this year. What they’ll do with the over 6,000 patents and patent applications covering everything from wireless to optical to semiconductors isn’t immediately clear, but what won’t happen is Google using them as leverage to stave off the patent trolling hordes. Before any of that happens, the sale has to clear US and Canadian courts which is why a joint hearing has been scheduled for July 11th, so expect plenty of words — and probably a few more cross licensing agreements — from the involved parties by then.

Continue reading Consortium including Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, RIM and Sony snags Nortel patents for $4.5 billion

Consortium including Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, RIM and Sony snags Nortel patents for $4.5 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 01:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The third-party app experience has always seemed like an afterthought for RIM. Lousy selection and a half-baked install process are just some of the issues plaguing BlackBerry owners and developers, but there’s no blow stronger in the app world than when a dev drops support for a platform, after dedicating the resources necessary to bring a product to market in the first place. That’s exactly what Seesmic has done with its popular social media app — effective June 30th, the company will drop support for BlackBerry, “in order to focus development efforts on (its) most popular mobile platforms.” It goes so far as to suggest that users “try out Seesmic for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7,” which would of course mean replacing that BlackBerry with another, more app-friendly device. The move doesn’t necessarily indicate that other devs will follow suit, but if jumping ship does become a trend, it could put a significant damper on RIM’s future earnings, to say the least.

Seesmic Twitter app drops BlackBerry support, RIM’s frown sags even lower originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dead battery in Belgrade? Head to the city’s Obrenovac district, where a group of students has developed the world’s first public charging station powered entirely by solar energy. Known as the Strawberry Tree, the structure’s 16 ports support a variety of handhelds, allowing pedestrians to juice up their cell phones in just ten to 15 minutes, at no charge. Its built-in batteries can also store up to a month’s worth of back-up energy, enabling the station to hum along at night, or even during Serbia’s less sunny seasons. In the first 40 days following its November launch, the Strawberry Tree logged some 10,000 charging sessions — or about ten charges per hour. Creator Miloš Milisavljevic was just 17 years old when he came up with the idea, and now, at the ripe old age of 22, is looking to plant new stations across other Serbian cities, through his Strawberry Energy NGO. He says these installations won’t generate much revenue from consumers, but that’s not really the idea:

“Energy from the sun is free, and it would be unethical to charge people to use the Strawberry Tree…We are trying to inspire young people to think about the source of the energy they use, and behave and act responsibly.”

You can check out the Strawberry Tree in the video below, or find out more about Milisavljevic’s ideal-driven endeavors in the full PR.

Continue reading Strawberry Tree brings free, solar-powered charging to Belgrade’s BlackBerrys, more (video)

Strawberry Tree brings free, solar-powered charging to Belgrade’s BlackBerrys, more (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We already knew that RIM’s PlayBook was on its way to the UK on June 16th, but antsy BlackBerry fans can now get their hands on the tab one day early. Phones 4u has just announced that it’s stocking the 7-inch slate in two brick-and-mortar stores today — one day ahead of the official release. If you just can’t wait another second, and happen to be in the vicinity of either the retailer’s Tottenham Court Road or Oxford Street locations in London, you could have a PlayBook in-hand in moments. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading BlackBerry PlayBook hits UK one day ahead of schedule

BlackBerry PlayBook hits UK one day ahead of schedule originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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