imgur link: http://imgur.com/odXcI
Reddit link: http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/nsyz9/pikachu_latte_art/
Relevance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h5JSojJN3Y#t=00m40s
This lump of coal is for Samsung.
It is Christmas and Samsung found a lump of coal in the stocking. That’s for not providing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade for its Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab.
From The Verge:
Samsung has just distributed the worst news of this Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade cycle: the popular Galaxy S smartphone that sold 10 million units last year and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet won’t be upgraded to Android 4.0.
Everyone points out that Samsung Galaxy S is basically the same with Nexus S which is getting Ice Cream Sandwich. So what is Samsung’s real excuse? Maybe Samsung wants the consumer to buy new Samsung phone every 6 months.
For that Samsung does deserve the lump of coal.
Samsung signs agreement with Microsoft while fiercely fighting Apple in court.
Microsoft announces it has signed agreement with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.:
Microsoft announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., to cross-license the patent portfolios of both companies, providing broad coverage for each company’s products. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft will receive royalties for Samsung’s mobile phones and tablets running the Android mobile platform. In addition, the companies agreed to cooperate in the development and marketing of Windows Phone.
It is interesting that Samsung signs a cross-licensing deal with Microsoft while fiercely fighting Apple in court over patents and other things.
Well, Samsung already licensed Windows OS for its portable computer in addition to producing Windows Phone 7-based devices.
In related news, Google says that Microsoft-Samsung license deal is “extortion”.
I wonder what Google said about the deals Microsoft made with HTC over Android licensing?
Related read:
Samsung takes Android patent license from Microsoft rather than wait for Motorola
——-
What if Apple asked Samsung to pay royalties for every Android devices sold? Would Samsung take that deal? That’s exactly what Samsung is doing with regard to the deal with Microsoft.
HTC and Samsung: “Dear Google, we have patents too.”
In Google’s Official Blog, Larry Page, Google CEO says:
Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.
Note to Larry Page:
HTC has those S3 patents that Apple is found to be infringing upon and Samsung is suing/countersuing Apple for patent infringement. Buy them too, and Google would have more in its patent arsenal.
——-
Note to anyone who cares:
Both HTC and Samsung make Windows Phone 7…….errrr phones. LG also makes that awkwardly named phones, but do they have worthwhile patent portfolio? -editor
Microsoft demands royalties from Samsung over Android phones.
Microsoft is sure to make profit on mobile phone business, not from Windows Phone 7 but from Android phones. Reuters reported that Microsoft wants Samsung to pay smartphone license, specifically for the Android phones.
Microsoft Corp has demanded that Samsung Electronics Co Ltd pay $15 for each smartphone handset it makes based on Google Inc’s Android operating system as the software giant has a wide range of patents used in the mobile platform, local media reported on Wednesday.
Microsoft has been asserting that Android operating system is violating Microsoft’s patents. Previously Microsoft went after HTC to sign patent deal over Android phones. Microsoft also sued Motorola over Android phones.
Recently Microsoft also claims that Google’s Chrome OS is violating its patents.
This is not the first time Microsoft going after Open Source Software. Microsoft was asserting patent ownership on Linux operating system and signed a deal with Novell.
——-
editor’s note post now, fix later – busy.
37′
Samsung Lawyers Must Be Crazy.
Samsung fires back at Apple asking for prototypes of Apple’s upcoming devices such as the next iPhone and iPad. Samsung Legal Team wants the court to believe that such move is fair since Apple has been granted access to prototypes of announced products from Samsung. Based on the reports, only Apple Legal Team would be given access to those prototypes, not any other Apple employees. Apple initially sued Samsung for infringing on Trade dress of iOS devices; iPhone and iPad in particular. Samsung then countersued Apple on same patent infringements.
The Samsung Legal Team must be crazy to ask for unannounced products from Apple. Relying on patterns on past product releases and rumors, Samsung Legal assumed that they would be granted access to the non-existent products. The jokes are already flooding in such as this gem:
Apple: Samsung is kirfing our products.
Samsung: Can we see your future products (so we can kirf them)?
The best case scenario for Samsung is that they’d be getting the complete and functional prototypes of iPhone 4 in White and iPad 2.
Anecdote and Antidote: That’s not an iPad
A client told me: “My husband bought me an iPad from Verizon. The smaller iPad.” I told her that there is no “smaller” iPad, and it turned out to be a Samsung Galaxy Tab.
Verizon Stores do sell iPad, they just don’t have them in stock. Apparently the salesperson sold the Samsung Galaxy Tab as “small” iPad. I guess the salesperson really needs to fill the sales quota.