Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls

Nortel, once one of the biggest telecoms company in the world but now in the death throes of bankruptcy, has selected Google's $900 million bid for its patent portfolio as the stalking horse bid. This doesn't mean that Google will automatically win Nortel's massive array of telecoms patents, but it does mean that Google is the preferred buyer.

Google, which has a history of lobbying for patent law reform, has been the target of many patent litigation suits. Google's relative infancy means that it has a lot less patents in the vault than big-hitters like Microsoft, Oracle and IBM, and buying Nortel's portfolio of 6,000 patents could provide better protection against patent litigation in the future. It's worth noting that both Apple and RIM have showed interested in the portfolio, too.

Mashable speculates that the patents -- which are nearly all telecoms-related -- will be used to defend against Oracle's attacks on Android's use of Java. We reckon that Google is simply looking to cover its future endeavors in the world of networking. In the absence of patent law reform, and continued threats to net neutrality, owning a bunch of telecoms patents sounds like a very sensible move.

Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/google-bids-900-million-for-nortels-patents-to-protect-from-li/

Jason Randow Benjamin Schötz Johannes Liebl Arne Koller

Windows 8 developer preview: when and where to download (update: right now, here!)

Got a brain full of Windows 8? Can't stop obsessing about it? Fret not -- as of 8PM PT this evening (just under eight hours from now), you'll be able to download a copy of the Windows Developer Preview to your 32- or 64-bit x86 machine (no activation required) from dev.windows.com. Sorry, ARM hopefuls! Per usual, we'd recommend doing so on a separate partition (or a spare machine altogether) in order to prevent unforeseen conflicts, and we'd also suggest having a stiff glass of patience waiting nearby. Something tells us Redmond's servers are going to be hammered.

Update: The download is live! Click here to try it out yourself, while the slightly less daring can hang on for our first impressions of Microsoft's latest and greatest once we've installed and given it a try.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Windows 8 developer preview: when and where to download (update: right now, here!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWindows Developers  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/WjkIYA2wnmU/

Elsa Alexander Furtmann Siegrid Holstein Michael Vollmar Robin Jones

Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice

Konstruct generative augmented reality art for iOS
If you have an artistic temperament, but you weren't blessed with steady hands or an eye for color, Konstruct might be the app for you. Not only does the iPhone app let you produce generative art using words, warbles and whistles, but it also uses augmented reality to bring your artistic creation to life.

To get started, you first need to print out the Konstruct marker and place it wherever you'd like to create your AR sculpture -- it could be on your living room wall, or on the floor of your bathroom, it doesn't matter. Open the app, point your iPhone at the marker, and start making some noises! Once you're done, you can save your creation, or simply wipe the slate clean and start again.

The volume of your voice affects the size of the shapes that are drawn on the screen, and you can move your head around to alter the path of your 'brush' -- but to change the shape of your brush or modify the color palette you have to use a menu. Without knowledge of the app's internal workings, it's hard to say what the actual difference between whistling, talking and singing is -- and judging by the developer's affinity for whistling in the demo video (after the break), the app probably doesn't perform that much analysis on your input.

Still, Konstruct is just a prototype! A later version could do away with menus and rely entirely on the location, tonality, quality and amplitude of your voice -- and judging by the the words of the developer, James Alliban, there is definitely more in store for Konstruct: "The idea of transforming entire cities into user generated virtual art galleries really appeals to me. I see Konstruct as an early prototype that will hopefully be realised in this form in the future."

Download Konstruct for free from the App Store (iPhone 3GS and 4 only)

[Thanks to Richard for the tip!]

Continue reading Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice

Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/konstruct-for-ios-creates-generative-augmented-reality-art-with/

Jacqueline Kiesel Michel Rohr Hilde Baaden Hartmut Theobald

Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support

zoho docs ipad
Zoho has offered an iOS app for a while now -- at least for the iPhone and iPod touch. Those of you who have been wanting to use the Zoho app on your iPad were out of luck, but that's no longer the case.

Zoho Docs 2.0 has landed in the App Store, and the most notable change is that it's now a universal app. Now you're able to take advantage of the app's mobile productivity powers on your larger iOS device. Retina display support has also been added, as have document sharing options -- which you can utilize in both the viewer and collaboration modes.

Just like the basic Zoho service, the app is available totally free of charge. Paid subscriptions get you additional storage space and start at $3 per month for professional use.

Zoho Docs 2.0 adds iPad support originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/06/zoho-docs-2-0-app-for-ipad-arrives/

Malin Hock Helmut Hölzer Maurice Giese Frederik Faulhaber

Otterbox Defender case for the Droid Bionic

Read our Droid Bionic review

Otterbox Defender for Droid Bionic

We picked up the Otterbox Defender case for the Motorola Droid Bionic recently, and let's give it the what-for. If you've never tried an Otterbox case, think of it as one of those nuclear waste disposal containers, only for smartphones. OK, maybe not quite that impenetrable, but you'll be hard-pressed to find anything that protects your phone better.

read more


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/bSOr0f4xkvA/otterbox-defender-case-droid-bionic

Helmut Hölzer Maurice Giese Frederik Faulhaber Svenja Hoferichter

Sony announces Walkman Z PMP: 4.3 inches, Tegra 2, Gingerbread and 'Throw'

We already got some brief hands-on time with this Gingerbread-sporting PMP at IFA, where it went by the name of "Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player." Now it's just been announced as the Sony Walkman Z, which rolls off the tongue a whole lot easier. Beneath that 4.3-inch WVGA display lurks a 1GHz Tegra 2, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and a battery rated for 20 hours of music and 5 hours of video. There's HDMI out as well as Sony's Throw feature for pushing media wirelessly to a Bravia TV. Pricing remains "open" apparently, but Sony does commit to availability in Japan from December 10th. You'll get a choice of 16, 32 or 64GB models in either red/black or black/blue, or you can wait for a limited edition white version in early 2012. If you're planning on sending it our way, Sony, then you should know we'll be utterly broke by then.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sony announces Walkman Z PMP: 4.3 inches, Tegra 2, Gingerbread and 'Throw' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSony Product Page (Translated), Sony PR (Translated)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/13/sony-announces-walkman-z-pmp-4-3-inches-tegra-2-gingerbread-a/

Erna Van den Hout Laura Pauli Janna Löhnig Gabriela Schnee

Windows 8 Slate Hands On: It's Fantastic. (But Don't Sell Your iPad.) [Video]

A Microsoft tablet with Windows 8 has been a long time coming, but it's finally here. Sort of. We got our hands on a developer's preview yesterday and while flawed, it's extremely impressive. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/EzxLqZ9ctu0/windows-8-slate-hands-on-its-fantastic-but-dont-sell-your-ipad

Mika Bernhardt Ingeburg Liebermann Elsa Alexander Furtmann Siegrid Holstein

Hands-On With Samsung?s Galaxy S Sequel, the Epic 4G Touch

After being available in Europe for months, Samsung's sequel to the highly popular Galaxy series of smartphones has arrived stateside. We got our hands on Sprint's version -- the Epic 4G Touch -- for a test drive before its official release.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/09/samsung-galaxy-s2-epic-4g/

Heinrich Peller Viktoria Barz Emma Sauter Rosemarie Ramsauer

Daily Crunch: VR Drone Edition

Giant VR Helmet Is Very 90s, Yet Way Cooler Europe Launching Gigapixel Probe To Map Milky Way Effectology: Paranormal Spooooky Sounds Do A Barrel Roll: AR.Drone Challenges You To Become A Great Drone Pilot Kid-Tested, Grant Imahara Approved: Hexbrite Open Source Flashlight

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/07/07/daily-crunch-vr-drone-edition/

Gabriela Schnee Rita Imhof Angelika Frey Mika Bernhardt