Smartphone Patent Lawsuit Targets Developers In Addition To Apple, Android, Blackberry and Microsoft

Smartphone Patents, http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
I come back from a small spring break to find a bunch of smatphone related lawsuits. iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Microsoft are all targeted in these suits. Google / Android alone seem to have attracted 38 such lawsuits.
But the latest lawsuit targeting 32 entities is covering developers in addition to hardware and Smartphone OS manufacturers like Google and Apple. Texas-based H-W Technology L.C. filed a complaint in Eastern Texas March 30, 2011, asserting a Patent on an "Internet protocol (IP) phone with search and advertising capability" against 32 legal entities. H-W Technology L.C. claims that the patent covers systems and methods that "allow users of [smartphones] via domain specific applications to receive information and offers from merchants and to complete a transaction with one of said merchants without having to generate a voice call.", which sounds to me like web browsing me who knows next to nothing about law and patents!

This is setting a pathway for patent hoarders as well as real patent holders to go after app developers. USPTO should really be checking these stuff well. At least we can be happy that Florian Mueller is doing the hard work of sorting things out for us.
He has drawn out the main pieces of the complaint (which is supposed to be very large);

• Google and Microsoft are sued for providing software that is installed on smartphones. With respect to Microsoft, the Windows Phone 7-powered Samsung Focus is mentioned. In Google's case, the Android application store is mentioned.
• Device makers: specifically named products include the iPhone, the BlackBerry Torch, and five Android devices (LG G2x, Samsung Galaxy S, Motorola Droid X, HTC Thunderbolt, and Kyocera Echo).
• All of the accused apps are basically mobile online shops: Amazon.com's, eBay's, Hotels.com's, Expedia's, Priceline.com's, Orbitz Worldwide's and Kayak.com's apps, and Verizon's VCast app.

Read more at Florian's blog.

You Tether, You Pay! AT&T To Tethering Smartphone Users. MyWi Is Not YourWi!

You Tether, You Pay http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Looks like AT&T wants smartphone users to pay up for tethering. Tethering came to AT&T network with iOS 4.3 and has a specials data plan for such users. But many users have used third party apps like MyWi.
If you thought you are exempt because you are on the grandfathered unlimited plan, you are wrong;

If we don’t hear from you, we’ll plan to automatically enroll you into DataPro 4GB after March 27, 2011. The new plan – whether you sign up on your own or we automatically enroll you – will replace your current smartphone data plan, including if you are on an unlimited data plan.

So if you have been tethering and received the fallowing letter, stop it and contact AT&T before March 27 and save your unlimited plan.
Others, change the plan or change the carriers, skip T-Mobile as AT&T is to acquire T-Mobile soon.

The purported letter from AT&T (fished from the net, we did not get such letter);

Dear [Name of Account Holder],

We’ve noticed your service plan may need updating.

Many AT&T customers use their smartphones as a broadband connection for other devices, like laptops, netbooks or other smartphones– a practice commonly known as tethering. Tethering can be an efficient way for our customers to enjoy the benefits of AT&T’s mobile broadband network and use more than one device to stay in touch with important people and information. To take advantage of this feature, we require that in addition to a data plan, you also have a tethering plan.
Our records show that you use this capability, but are not subscribed to our tethering plan.

If you would like to continue tethering, please log into your account online at www.wireless.att.com, or call us at 1-888-860-6789 Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. CST or Saturday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. CST, by March 27, 2011 to sign up for DataPro 4GB for Smartphone Tethering. Here are details on the plan:

DataPro 4GB for Smartphone Tethering
• $45 per month (this gives you 4GB in total, combining both your smartphone data plan for $25 and the tethering feature, $20)
• $10 per each additional GB thereafter, added automatically as needed
• Mobile Hotspot capabilities are included for compatible Smartphones

If we don’t hear from you, we’ll plan to automatically enroll you into DataPro 4GB after March 27, 2011. The new plan – whether you sign up on your own or we automatically enroll you – will replace your current smartphone data plan, including if you are on an unlimited data plan.

If you discontinue tethering, no changes to your current plan will be required.

It’s easy to track your usage throughout the month so there are no bill surprises. For example, we send you free text messages when you reach 65, 90, and 100 percent of your plan’s threshold. If you would like to monitor your account more closely, go to www.att.com/dataplans to learn about other ways to track your data usage.

As a reminder, our smartphone data plans also include unlimited usage of Wi-Fi at no additional charge. AT&T smartphone customers can use Wi-Fi at home or on-the-go at any one of our more than 23,000 U.S. hotspots already included in your data plan.

Thank you for bringing your account up to date. We appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve your mobile broadband needs.

Sincerely,

AT&T

Please update your data plan by March 27, 2011 if you intend to continue tethering

To learn more and update your plan, visit att.com/dataplans

Reach us for assistance during business hours: Monday – Friday 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. CST Saturday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. CST at 1-888-860-6789

Samsung Continuum™, A Galaxy S™ Smartphone At Verizon With A Dedicated Ticker Display

Samsung Continuum™, A Galaxy S™ Smartphone  At Verizon

#Samsung #Continuum™, A #GalaxyS™ Smartphone  At Verizon http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
BASKING RIDGE, NJ, and DALLAS, TX — Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless voice and 3G data network, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the number one mobile phone provider in the United States*, today announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Continuum™, a Galaxy S™ smartphone. The Continuum is the world’s first smartphone designed with a dedicated ticker display, which provides users with up-to-the-minute news, sports, finance and social networking updates for maximized multitasking.
The Continuum features two separate but integrated displays: a 3.4-inch touch screen Super AMOLED™ main display and a customizable 1.8-inch Super AMOLED dedicated ticker display that streams customized information in real time. Additionally, the Continuum is powered by Android™ 2.1, with support for Google Mobile Services, including Gmail™, YouTube™, Android Market™ and more. The Continuum also includes a 1GHz Hummingbird Application Processor, 5-megapixel camera, and multiple entertainment and social networking features.
Color: Mirror Black
Key features and specifications:

• 3.4-inch Super AMOLED Main Touch Screen Display – Main display provides user-customizable homescreens and widgets in a brilliant screen display
• 1.8-inch Interactive Super AMOLED Ticker Display – Dedicated ticker display enables zero-click access to news, social networking, sports and entertainment feeds; users can select what content they want on the ticker by selecting from menu on display
• Grip Sensor – By touching the bottom sides of the device, the ticker display lights up to give users real-time weather, social networking services (SNS), message, IM and e-mail notification updates
• Super AMOLED Screen Technology – Brilliant screen makes watching movies, viewing videos and playing games come to life like never before, even in bright light and outdoor environments
• Android 2.1 platform – With support for Google Mobile Services, including Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk and Android Market
• Preloaded with Bing Maps and Bing Search
• Full HTML Web browsing capabilities
• 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities – Allows customers to transform their phone into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi-enabled devices
• Advanced touchscreen gestures capabilities, including multi-touch pinch to zoom, double tap to zoom and horizontal swiping, which provides easier and quicker access to many applications, including location-based services, Web browsing and digital photos or videos
• Multiple file formats supported, including DivX and Xvid support
• Samsung 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Application Processor – Produces amazing graphics, faster upload and download times, and HD-like multimedia content
• Six-axis sensor that works with the smartphone’s accelerometer to provide a smooth, fluid gaming experience when the user is tilting the device up or down or panning the phone to the left or right
• Virtual QWERTY Keyboard Featuring Swype Technology – Input text faster and in a more intuitive way with one continuous finger motion across the screen keyboard
• Full suite of messaging options – Text, picture, video and voice messaging; corporate and personal e-mail accounts supported
• 5.0-megapixel camera/camcorder – Auto-focus and LED flash with HD video recording and playback capabilities to capture photos and videos for playback on your HD television; playback (720p) on the screen display
• Wi-Fi Connectivity (802.11 b/g/n)
• Stereo Bluetooth® Technology – Support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access, and object push for vCard and vCalendar
• Corporate Email – Supports Android Éclair Exchange ActiveSync e-mail to synchronize corporate e-mail, contacts and calendars from office e-mail accounts
• Music player features lock screen, ticker display and quick side panel controls and 3.5-millimeter headphone jack
• 8 GB microSD™ card preinstalled expandable up to 32 GB

Lifestyle features:

• V CAST Music with Rhapsody®, V CAST Video on Demand, V CAST Song ID, Visual Voice Mail, V CAST Tones, VZ Navigator®, Mobile IM, City ID, Bing Search and Maps, and Blockbuster Application
• Dedicated ticker displays up-to-the minute news, weather and SNS updates, as well as music player controls and incoming e-mail, IM, and text messages without interrupting the activity on the main display
• Samsung’s Social Hub – Built around messaging, contacts and calendar sync, which allows users to send and receive information, whether it is e-mail, social network updates or SMS messages
  • Integrated Calendar information from portal calendars, on Exchange, Google Calendar™ and SNS, including Facebook®
  • Integrated Contacts syncs with Exchange, Google, Twitter and Facebook – Facebook contacts display in four categories, including Info, History (previous calls and messages), Activities (status updates and notifications on social networking sites), and Media (Facebook profile photos and photo gallery)
• AllShare™ – Enables inter-device connectivity through Digital Living Network Alliance® (DLNA®), so users can send multimedia content wirelessly to other DLNA Certified®-enabled devices such as TVs and laptops
• Daily Briefing – Instant access to weather, news, stocks and schedules
• Write and Go – Quickly jot down an idea and later decide on a format, such as SMS/ MMS, e-mail, calendar or memo, to send or post to popular SNS sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace
• Smart Alarm – Natural alarm sound and display automatically illuminates
• Weather Clock – Displays current time and weather of the selected city (ability to add and select other cities)

Pricing and availability:

• The Samsung Continuum will be available for order starting Nov. 11 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement and data package. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. The device will be available for purchase in stores beginning Nov. 18.
• For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

LG Electronics With Winmo 6.5 And LG Appstore To Make Waves

LG, (LG Electronics is gearing up for a full scale assult on smartphone market with a horde of Winmo 6.5 (Windows Mobile 6.5) based phones and a brand new LG Appstore calle LG Application Store.
The GW550 is said to be one of the first smartphones that are being introduced. There said to be 13 total phones in this campaign to be released before the end of 2010. The GW550 is LG’s first ever QWERTY keyboard equiped smartphone and will be available later this year in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
The Winmo 6.5 also feature a new browser engine coupled with Adobe Flash Lite, which I really wish Apple will provide for iPhone.
Winmo 6.5 also introduces Microsoft’s My Phone service where customers can perform automatic backups of photos, music, contacts and text messages to the web for easy access any time from any device.

“This initial launch is a strong testament that LG is committed to offering a spectrum of choices for our broad range of customers,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Our work with Microsoft on mobile devices reflects our strategy of offering the best in both hardware and software in all our smartphones.”

The LG Application Store (http://www.lgapplication.com) will offer add-ons for all three devices as well as future LG smartphone devices. The site expects to offer up to 2,000 downloadable applications by the end of the year.

Google Announces The AdSense for Mobile Applications beta

AdSense for Mobile Applications
Google has announced the availability of a beta program of its flagship money maker AdSense, specially geared towards mobile applications, just like those that run on our iPhones and Androids.
AdSense for Mobile Applications allows developers to earn revenue by displaying text and image ads in their iPhone and Android applications.
To get mobile app developers familiar with the program google has created a site, mobileapps where they could learn more about the AdSense for Mobile Applications program, see answers to frequently asked questions and sign up to participate in our beta. Advertisers can also learn about the benefits of advertising in mobile applications.

Official Google Blog: Announcing the AdSense for Mobile Applications beta

Tags: AdSense for Mobile Applications, iphone.android, smartphone, mobile advertising

Palm Pre Gets A Wireless Charger

Palm Pre
Looking to become noticeable in the crowded smartphone market, Palm is shipping it's flagship product, Palm^® Pre™ with a wireless charger. Wireless charging has been with us for years - think of electric toothbrushes that rest on chargers with no wires connecting them. The charging happens through magnetic induction.
You just rest the phone on a pad and the phone get charged just like that electric toothbrush. But still you get something to be plugged to the wall and a cord running to where the pad is placed. It just eliminates you having to plug in the phone to a jack.
But of you who think of being green, can drop this as it wastes about 10-15% of efficiency from the wired models.
This will be efficient if all the small devices that need to be charged could use the same interface to charge. At this point, you eliminate multitude of transformers and save a lot of electrical energy. But that to happen, these type of charging need to become standard and it might take years. But the good point about Palm Pre is that it is a start that might lead to an standard in the future.

• • Non-slip material securely fastens dock to tables, desks, and other surfaces, and prevents dock from
  moving when phone is removed
• • Magnets in the dock align your phone in the correct position for charging, whether in portrait or
  landscape mode
• • No cables or connectors required to attach your Palm^® Pre™ phone to the dock
• • Charges your device in same amount of time as wall charger
• • Place Pre on the dock when you're on a call and speakerphone automatically turns on, and when you
  take Pre off, speakerphone conversation is routed back to the phone
• • When Pre rings on the dock, the phone answers when taken off the dock
• • Requires Touchstone™ back cover, sold separately

Tags: Palm® Pre™, smartphone, Palm Pre

Anti Social Smartphone Users Busted!

Renny Gleeson, Busted! The sneaky moves of anti-social smartphone users at TED

Tags: smartphone, VoIP Fun

You Can Flip Your Blackberry Now!, The BlackBerry Pearl 8220

Blackberry 8220 allows you to flip the Blackberry, I think it must really satisfy those who need to flip their phones. I myself is a slider person but I do not mind flip phones as long as the hinges stay strong! Most I had, eventually broke loose at the hinges.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8220 smartphone allows you to screen calls and preview messages on the external screen, use the internal display for messaging, maps, and type with one or two thumbs on the large keyboard. The usual Blackberry stuff on a large screen that allows see clearly, Maps and Games.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8220 also carries a Media player for music and video (turn it on its side to enjoy videos in widescreen), camera for photo and video recording, and of course, Wi-Fi and video streaming make your life better once near a hotspot!

I think I will swap my blackberry to a Pearl or a Blackberry Curve. You can learn about blackberry perl line here.

Tags: BlackBerry, smartphone, Blackberry 8220, Blackberry pearl, flip the Blackberry, Blackberry Curve