Google Inc. said that less than half of the $12.4 billion it paid to acquire Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. was all devoted to patents and technology. Out of the $12.4 billion, $5.5 billion was devoted to patents and “developed technology,” according to what Google wrote in a document with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday. $2.6 billion was also devoted to goodwill, which Google said was a financial benefit they expect to receive from the acquisition.
Hot off the heels of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus fiasco, it seems as if Apple has indirectly had its way again, this time seen in a recent OTA update for the international version of the Samsung Galaxy S III (I9300 model). Following suit of the Stateside models from carriers like AT&T and Sprint, reports are coming in that Samsung is pushing out an update which includes the new software version is known as XXBLG6, while the baseband included is identified as XXLG6 for the international model. In addition, OTA on the smartphone identifies itself as a “stability update”, but reports indicate the update also removes local (on device) search functions within the phone’s built-in Google Search app. It’s a bummer, I know.
While the update seems to have removed one of the most underrated functions seen in the Galaxy S III, there is no doubt the dev community will be working on a mod or hack to bring the feature back. Still, it is a major, major disappointment for the few people who did take advantage of the cool feature.
The 27MB update is available now through OTA or Kies Desktop software so I9300 users can grab it anytime now. Or of course— you can just hold off on it and you know, keep the local search feature for a little while longer.
source: XDA
Samsung released a statement to the Yonhap News Agency saying it’s sold more than 10 million units of its flagship Android phone, the Galaxy S III since it first released in May during a lavish event in London. The Galaxy S III went on sale overseas less than two months ago while U.S carriers were able to pick the phone up in late June.
Samsung expects sales to hit 40 million sales by the end of the year, according to the Yonhap Report. With Samsung’s extraordinary sales with the Galaxy S III, I think the iPhone 5, rumored to release later this year, may have trouble reaching a record sales number like the iPhone 4S did. Either that or they’re going to have some serious competition on their hands.
Hit the break to see the full statement:
Last week Google submitted a letter to the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee outlining their views regarding technologies that become de facto standards and how patent laws should be applied. Of course the subjects of standards and patents is of great interest to Google as they are involved in numerous lawsuits revolving around these issues. » Read the rest
If you are a Verizon subscriber and own a Samsung Galaxy S III, you may be receiving an update soon. This is meant to update the kernel and to dumb down the search capabilities of the device. As we have already seen, Samsung has been pushing the same update to both the Sprint and AT&T Galaxy S III.
When we talk about “dumbing down search capabilities” this is what you should expect. Currently, when you search via the search bar, it returns results from the web, apps, contacts, etc. all in a unified manner. However, with the current Apple Vs. Samsung debacle, search results will be limited to the web with no localized results.
If you are having any issues with your S III and get a replacement, your new device will already have been updated to I535VRLG1. The same is expected for those who go out and purchase one today. However, for those of you who jumped on the sale during launch week, we haven’t heard any news of the OTA hitting, but will update you as soon as we know!
source: droid-life
On Thursday, a U.S. appeals court turned down Samsung’s request to stay a preliminary injunction barring the sale of Galaxy Tab 10.1 tabs. The preliminary injunction was granted by Judge Lucy H. Koh in patent litigation between Samsung and Apple over the design of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. The injunction was granted on June 26th and bars Samsung from importing or selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the U.S. The injunction does not apply to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 II, the current model being sold by Samsung in US markets. » Read the rest
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that Apple and Samsung, the largest electronics corporations in the world, are waging a legal war in several countries with complaints towards each other for patent violations as they battle for domination in the market for mobile devices.
Before Steve Jobs died last year, he made a few statements to his biographer about Apple’s intellectual property, saying he was willing to go “thermonuclear” to “destroy” Google’s operation system. So far, I think that’s backfired on them.
Verizon reported earnings this morning with some nice profits, but the more interesting tidbit was from their conference call in which they announced 5.9 million smartphones were sold in the 2nd quarter. Of that total, 2.7 million were iPhones (down from 3.2 million sold in the 1st quarter). As far as Android handsets, they totaled 2.9 million.
As far as 4G LTE handsets go, a total of 2.5 million were sold, which isn’t surprising because the majority of Android handsets are LTE compatible.
The slowing growth of the iPhone doesn’t mean people are more interested in Android. I think it’s more of a cyclical thing in that that a lot of consumers know the iPhone 5 will be announced in a few months. I would expect much of the same for the 3rd quarter. No matter how you look at it, the iPhone is still Verizon’s best selling phone. There were reports that the DROID RAZR MAXX was the king in the 1st quarter, but I’m not buying it. I just don’t believe that Verizon sold more than 3.2 million RAZR MAXX’s in the 1st quarter.
If you want to read more about Verizon’s financials, hit the break for the full press release:
Apple haters get ready to scream, “In your face!” Remember when we reported last week that a U.K. judge ruled that Samsung didn’t copy Apple’s iPad design? Well you’re going to love this. Apparently Judge Colin Birss said that Apple must publish a notice saying that Samsung didn’t copy their registered designs, and this must be done on Apple’s U.K. website for six months and published in several newspapers and magazines. The reason is to obviously correct any damaging impression that consumers might have that Samsung simply copied Apple.
I think this is awesome news. In a sense Apple will be “advertising” Samsung’s tablets with these announcements. All I can say is, “What goes around comes around baby.”
source: bloomberg
On Tuesday, a German court ruled the Motorola Xoom, made by Google Inc.’s Motorola Mobility, does not infringe on Apple’s iPad. In addition, Motorola had claimed the iPad’s design patent was invalid which was denied by the court.
Apple’s main goal was to have the device banned across Europe, claiming the design of the Xoom infringed upon three iPad designs. Even though the judges ruled against Apple’s claim, they denied Motorola’s counterclaim that the iPad design patent was invalid. The court ultimately rejected both parties and Apple was required to pay two-thirds of the costs and Motorola to pay one-third.
In two previous hearings, Judge Johanna Brueckner-Hofmann indicated that the court was leaning in Motorola’s favor, saying the design of the tablet was sufficient enough to give it individual character. » Read the rest