The big news in the mobile phone and tablet marketplace
is the US centric Apple win against Samsung in the United States. Many people think
that this decision is ridiculous and highlights how mercenary and capitalist
Apple has become. It also demonstrates how far the US legal and patent system
has fallen and failed over the past few years. The mixed decision in South
Korea is more balanced but also demonstrates how far this confusion has spread.
There are many now watching and waiting to see how hard Google now hits Apple
over this decision since it will directly impact the distribution Google’s
Android products. One person I spoke to was hoping that Google would “crush”
Apple which I guess would result in Apple sauce?
As far as Samsung in the US goes the next step will be
which models are to be removed from the shelves? While 28 phones and tablets
were listed in the suit not all were found to have infringed as greatly as
others. Apple has demanded that of the Galaxy range the S 4G, SII (many models),
S Showcase, Prevail and the Droid Charge are to be removed immediately. Even
though the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was not listed in the suit Apple is also actively blocking
Samsung’s request to have it back on the shelves. Note that the S3 is not in
the list, yet. Judge Lucy Koh will have hearing on Sept 20 to decide exactly
what happens next. Given her predisposition towards Apple some cynics have
suggested that she is an avid iPhone and iPad user. Further to this story,
based on some of the issues with the jury, this case will definitely go to
appeal.
In semi-related news Google has been granted a patent on
gloves as a user interface. The patent “methods and systems for gathering and
conveying information, for example, such as with a hand of a user” and “the
method may include using a detector to record a series of images of an
environment and detecting a predetermined motion by comparing two or more
images in a series.” The side benefit for Google is this also covers any
embedded processors in gloves. On the plus side for the rest of us the patent
does not cover keeping your fingers warm so current glove makers should be
safe.
When Microsoft tells us that they are not snooping this usually
means be wary. Case in point Windows 8. The SmartScreen application by default
collects information on all applications on the client computer. When
installing a new application a check is made against a database of known bad
apps and a warning is issued. The problem is that the application is configured
to notify MS of every app that you install. These install logs are sent by the
SSLv2 protocol. This means that a third party can easily snoop and crack
gathering info on what you are doing. Sure, if you know about it you can turn
SmartScreen off. This is not that easy however and you are then subjected to
the incessant reminders to turn it back on again. Remember that MS assures us
this is all benign and that none of the information collected will be used by anything
other than the automated system. It also maintains the process is secure, there
are no teams of people sifting through the data or examining IP addresses and
that FOI requests from law enforcement will be ignored. OK I made up that last
part. Don’t you feel all warm and fuzzy, safe and secure now?
Lexmark the printer arm of IBM is shutting down. Don’t
panic just yet as it will continue to support and supply existing hardware for
a while longer and it is also keeping the laser printer division active. With
the ink based printer market coalescing into mostly multi-function printers,
and people sick of Lexmark’s chip protection on refills, 1700 people will be
losing their jobs saving Lexmark about $85 million this year. They will also
make some money off the 1000 or so inkjet patents they hold. IBM plans to shut
down the main manufacturing plant in the Philippines by 2015 so either stock up
or start looking for a new printer by then.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is out and if Apple doesn’t
get it killed off in the near future this tablet looks like a good one. The
touch screen is still there but like the smaller brother it comes with a
stylus. The design is stylish but doesn’t look like the iPad for obvious
reasons. It looks similar to the Galaxy Tab 2 in design including stereo sound,
fast quad core processor, 16GB of RAM, 5 MP camera, about 33 hours of usage
time, and weighs in at a bit over half a kilogram. It is not a full tablet but
for the note taker and media watcher it is excellent. Actually it does a bit
more than that so check out the rest of the specs if this is the kind of thing
you are interested in.
Currents – 12 Sep 2012
Has anyone noticed how phone-centric we seem to have
become? For the most part I still use my phone as a phone and to occasionally
send an SMS. Since I upgraded to a Galaxy S3 I have yet to reinstall many of
the apps I put on my S2 and even though I get regular notifications of incoming
e-mails I never check them with my phone and no I do not use Twitter. My
favourite Android apps are Magnify, Google Sky Map and Open GPS Tracker. Others
I notice around me seem to be buried in their phones far more often. Facebook,
e-mails, Tweets, SMS and a plethora of other apps are on the go, while driving,
walking, cycling and running, eating and working. My nieces sit on the couch
and play games on their parent’s phones when I see them and more and more I see
fewer children outside playing. The smart phone has replaced the diary and for
some the notebook.
By comparison I don’t see that many tablet machines and
regardless of what some pundits like to believe I don’t see them replacing the
PC and the notebook anytime soon, unless there is a whole new interface
technology developed and if that happens the smartphone could come out on top
anyway. As far as sales go Samsung has
taken a solid lead over Apple in the second quarter with sales in Europe
jumping by double in that market. Nokia and RIM continue to lose ground overall
and Android sales continue to grow. When you read this Apple should be
announcing the release of the iPhone 5, something the Apple lovers have been
salivating over for some time now and two months ahead of schedule due to sales
losses rising against Samsung. The iPhone 5 itself won’t on sale until a week
or two after the announcement. No YouTube app but a new mapping app and a few
other bits and pieces will make this version of what some call the “Jesus
Phone” a belated catch up device in comparison with the Samsung S3. This will
not stop the faithful from upgrading.
With the battle lines drawn Apple has added the S3 range
and the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 to the list of those devices it wants taken off the
shelves because they can’t take the competition, or to paraphrase “because in
our squinting eyes they all copy what we ourselves copied from others.” Sadly
the patent and legal system in the US is no longer designed to protect
copyright but benefits selected organisations at the expense of the rest of the
world. This cannot end well for the consumers.
In some good news for Samsung the decision to permanently
ban sales of Samsung's mobiles in the US has been moved to December 6th.
I guess the judge wanted to see how iPhone 5 sales compared against the S3 for
a couple of months? There will be other hearings in the meantime on things like
lifting the ban on the Galaxy Tab 2. People in the US have however been dumping
their old Samsung phones in wake of the latest decisions. If some models are
banned they should be a lot cheaper and may take on an underground popularity status.
Firefox Home is being taken out of the iTunes store by
Mozilla. For some strange reason they feel that the iOS platform was not that
welcoming, joining Adobe and others who have felt the same way. It doesn’t help
that anti-competitive Apple has banned all fully functioning browsers other
than their own Safari one. Yes Google has a version of Chrome for iOS but it
must be skinned to look like Safari or at least uses the Safari rendering
engine. This seems somewhat ironic given Apple’s rabid attack on anything that
looks remotely like their stuff. Given Google were already using WebKit that
made it a lot easier. Firefox home is a tool that allowed the syncing of
bookmarks, moving of browser history and includes Safari access to the Firefox
“Awesome Bar” functionality. Mozilla has also announced Firefox OS, a new open
source mobile operating system that intends to be low cost and web standards
based.
Some good news for those approaching their twilight
years. According to a recent study by the University of Western Australia men
over the age of 69 who use computers have a higher chance of avoiding dementia,
40% better. The study was only carried out on men but I’m guessing that the
same holds true for women who use a computer.
Finally for this week the new series of Doctor Who has
started in the UK. Demonstrating that media producers do not understand the
Internet the ABC in Australia will stream the show immediately after it has
finished airing in the UK to “stop avid fans downloading the show.” Of course
this will not stop fans from downloading it because not everyone in Australia
uses iView and it is just easier to download the HD version and watch it later.
