Judge reverses course in Apple/Motorola Patent battle
Just a week after saying that he planned to dismissed the case Judge Richard Posner has ordered an injunction hearing in one of the patent lawsuits that Apple has against Motorola Mobility. The hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday and will enable both sides to argue why he should issue an order barring the other from using their respective patents.
IDC predicts strong tablet demand-Apple to benefit
Market research company IDC has said that it expects that demand for tablets will increase over the second half of this year and has upgraded its forecast from 106.1 million units sold worldwide to 107.4 million, eweek reported.
For 2013 IDC predicted that 142.8 million will be sold, up from its previous forecast of 137.4 and by 2016 it expects that 221.6 million will be sold. Apple’s iPad is expected to own 62.5% of the market this year, up from 58.2% last year. Android is expected to drop from last years’ 38.7% to 36.5% this year.
Facebook points finger at NASDAQ
After the calamitous IPO day and the resulting rash of lawsuits by traders that had issues with buying and selling at the opening of the market, Facebook has responded to the suits by seeking to consolidate them into a single case and by placing the blame on NASDAQ, Mashable reports.
The 30 minute delay in trading due to a software glitch at the opening of the market has been the source of much talk, and legal action. Facebook has requested that six class action lawsuits be combined and heard in the Southern District of New York to streamline proceedings. In addition it said that the 30 minute delay was due entirely to a flaw in the software used by NASDAQ.
US teams with private partners to build ultrafast broadband network
A new public/private effort that will combine corporation, higher education, non-profits and the US government is seeking to develop very high speed broadband networks that will be situated in a number of communities around the country.
The goal of the program, which is called US Ignite, is to enable developer to have a test bed to create new technologies and applications for use in these newer, faster networks that can achieve speeds of 1 gigabit per second.
The program combines the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Science Foundation, and the GENI Program Office, seeks to roll out the networks in 35 cities within the next six years.
YouTube-Your next cable channel?
We have already reported that YouTube is seeking to create a range of premium video channels, including some sports focused ones, and now it looks as if the site is seeking to expand further into the entertainment business.
The company said last week that it is investigating the possibility of working with cable companies and charging for content that the providers might be seeking to broadcast via other methods in an effort to grow their viewership. YouTube noted that noting is finalized at this time.
Apple patent hints at future iPhone features.
A patent that has been filed by Apple, as noted by PCMag and others shows a smartphone that has a swappable camera lens. The phone would have a replaceable back panel that could be swapped out for one with a different lens allowing for increased options for photographers.
Ebook sales roar past hardcover
Net sales for ebooks has surpassed that of traditionally printed books for the first time, according to a report released by the Association of American Publishers and noted in Mashable. The report covered the first quarter of this year and excluded children’s books.
Ebooks accounted for $282.3 million in that time frame while hardcover books reached a total of $229.6 million. More notably was that ebook sales increased 28.4% over the same period last year while hard cover increased only 2.7%.
Sony gets Ice Cream Sandwich for its Tablet P
Sony has finally upgraded its clamshell Sony Tablet P platform, a device that features a screen that can be used as a single or dual screen display. The software upgrade to the latest available for Android devices has been expected for some time.
ARM preps low cost tablet chip
While Android tablets sales have not met with expectations and continue to lose share to Apple’s iPad, chip developer ARM is preparing a new front in the battle with the development of its Mali platform that is expected to enable the development of lower cost tablets.
ARM does not sell its chips directly to tablet OEMs but rather to developers’ such as Broadcom and others that then create the final processors that go into the tablets, as well as a range of other products including smartphones.
According to Computerworld the Mali-450 family will include the ability to develop eight cores and have double the processing power of the Mali-400 line. The dirt products using the technology are expected in the first half of 2013.
[…] Apple’s iPad is firmly entrenched in the top position in this market and market research firm IDC has predicted that it will see its share grow over the next year. For 2013 IDC predicted that 142.8 […]