Nokia prices Lumia 920 higher than Samsung's Galaxy S III

Nokia has priced their upcoming Lumia 920 smartphone higher than Samsung’s Galaxy S III, a move that has analysts wondering how the Finnish phone maker plans on justifying the premium. In some markets, Nokia’s flagship phone will sell for 25 percent more than the S III.

Nokia said the Lumia 920 will retail for around 5,700 Swedish crowns before subsidy compared to the Galaxy S III’s asking price of 4,515 crowns. The gap is smaller in other countries like Italy, however, as Nokia’s phone will command 599 euros versus 530 for the Samsung counterpart. Germany residents can expect to shell out 649 euros for the high-end Lumia but only 530 euros for the S III.
Ovum analyst Nick Dillon points out that because the two phones are similar on a hardware level, it would be hard for Nokia to justify the extra cost to consumers. Furthermore, Windows Phone is still largely unknown to consumers who would expect to pay less for taking a risk.
Others, however, like Ben Wood from CSS Insight said Nokia’s new phones are expensive to make due to a number of new technologies. He believes they are pricing the phone as aggressively as possible while still maintaining pricing integrity.
Nokia plans to release the Lumia 820 and 920 handsets in Germany and Italy by mid-November. Denmark, Russia and Sweden will see the phone hit store shelves during the last quarter of this year. The company has yet to reveal launch information for the US where they’ve lost a huge portion of market share to Android and iOS devices.

keep up with the newest technologies and contemplate about how these will be used in the future. On this blog I'll share my thoughts about the future of technology, based on the high Tech Road Show Blog inventions of today.

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Motorola faces ban in Germany after the victory of Apple

Motorola facing the risk of withdrawing its computers from Germany bbc

Motorola Unit to Google faces risks forced to withdraw their tablet computers and smart phones that are running Android again from the German market, and after losing patent case against Apple. This issue is linked one of the innovations that relate to the issue of previous U.S. Samsung has lost to Apple. The dispute centered around "feature rubber recoil of the list" in the system or ABS, who discovered that Motorola had violated the patent. Apple officially demand that the prevention of sales before it actually begins. However, Google did not go out a statement regarding this matter, and it is expected that the demand to appeal the judgment. Circumvent the rule The verdict on Thursday in one of the courts of the city of Munich. The company Google has challenged the validity of the patent that describes how existing bounce back when the user access to an end, like it had collided with a rubber band. Also lifted search giant also stabbed to death last against intellectual property rights before the European Patent Office. Florian said Miller, Technical Advisor, which granted a technical consulting company recently concerning another lawsuit on Google, it might be easy for a company Google to reconsider its program to make sure that it no longer represents a threat to compromise any other patents. And show the basic version of the Android operating system, which was developed by Google, Inc., a glowing effect when the user reaches the system to the end of the list in the system. So, the company can reconsider a modified version is used on Motorola devices; so do not use rubber recoil feature to their machines. In contrast, Miller added that if Apple has issued bonds worth 25 million euros (32.6 million dollars, 20.1 million pounds), was able now to remove all such devices on the shelves of the sale. As if it were to have added another $ been able to destroy these devices or to compel the company returned. Motorola has forced Apple to stop selling some of its products from the iPad, iPhone in Germany in the month of February after a separate case. Concern of the founding partners However, the provision increases the victories Apple in a patent battle being waged, but Steve Wozniak, co-founder of the company, expressed dissatisfaction that the fall in the company of such legal disputes. In replying to a question raised by Bloomberg about the fact that a juror make Apple Wins $ 1.05 billion (684 million pounds) after the damage to Samsung Haktha, Wozniak said: "I hate it." He added: "I do not think that the decision of California will continue, I do not agree with him. Wish that everyone agrees on the exchange of all patents for their inventions, and to be able to figure out the best ways to take advantage of the technology offered by everyone." Despite the jury's verdict on the America last month, but the judge had identified two more hearings to consider the issues of prevention devices within the state, and certainly there is still a provision for the amount due. As Samsung said it plans to appeal. She suffered patents manufacturer's phone Galaxy another setback on Friday, when a judge issued a U.S. International Trade Commission in a separate case ruled that Apple did not violate four patents Galaxy. Among those techniques is an innovative way to dial the number on smart phones, and other ways to show digital documents. That provision was initially, which means that it can be reviewed later by the body is made up of six governors. Some analysts believe that Samsung can be resorted to exploit technology as soon as LG own for issuing an appeal. As a new iPhone 5 contains a chip can of entry operations on high-speed data transfer offered by networks Pte in technology as soon as LG. The percentage of prospects to take advantage of this matter after the comment left by one of the company's executives earlier this week. He said Jong - Keun, head of information technology and mobile phones at Samsung: "We have many ways in which we will face this matter, such as patents Pte."

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Launch Date Pegged for August 29th

MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 03: David Delfin attends the new Samsung Galaxy Note press conference at 28012 gallery on November 3, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)Samsung has begun sending out invites to the press for an August 29th event at IFA in Berlin and it would appear that it could be for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

SamMobile is reporting that Samsung has started inviting members of the press to an Unpacked event set to take place in Germany on August 29th. Though Samsung has not said what it will be announcing at the event, the magic wand seems to indicate that it might be for either the Galaxy Note 2 or the Galaxy Note 10.1.

Both devices use a stylus pen and the wand appears to have the shape of one. Of course, that doesn’t confirm anything but these are the two big Samsung devices that are on our radar so it would not be shocking to see either one of them announced at IFA.

The Galaxy Note 2 could launch on August 29th.

Last year, Samsung showed off the original Samsung Galaxy Note at IFA so IFA 2012 seems like a likely launch pad for the Galaxy Note 2.

We had heard that Samsung might be having two launches for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. One in the United States, slated to take place on August 15th and one at IFA for the international version of the device.

This puts a bit of a damper on that original rumor as this is an Unpacked event and the other event isn’t, which could mean that the U.S. launch event pertains to the Galaxy Note 10.1.

Samsung launches products later in the United States and we have no reason, at least at the moment, to believe that it will do anything different with the Note 2 which means that August 29th could be the launch date for the Galaxy Note 2 and not August 15th.

It’s clear that Samsung is trying to throw everyone off-guard and thus far, it’s doing a great job.

Those interested in the Galaxy Note 2 will want to circle both dates in pencil to be sure but it’s looking like August 29th is going to be the date that it launches barring any surprises.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Rumors

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 figures to be the next phablet from Samsung and it’s rumored to be a nice upgrade over the original.

The Galaxy Note 2 is rumored to have a 5.5-inch HD display, quad-core Exynos processor, upgraded rear camera, 4G LTE capabilities and either Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

It’ll also take advantage of the S-Pen stylus though we don’t know if Samsung has made any changes to the pen for the next Galaxy Note.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is also rumored to have a design similar to the Galaxy S III, a smartphone that launched earlier this year.

keep up with the newest technologies and contemplate about how these will be used in the future. On this blog I'll share my thoughts about the future of technology, based on the high Tech Road Show Blog inventions of today.

Related articles

• Samsung confirms Galaxy Note 2 debut imminent
• Samsung confirms Galaxy Note 2 will be introduced August 29th
• Samsung confirms next Galaxy Note will debut at Mobile Unpacked event this month
• Too big to fail: Samsung's next Galaxy Note coming August 29th
• Samsung confirms Galaxy Note 2 debut on August 29th

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Facebook app for Windows Phone gets upgraded, redesigned

Here's some news to brighten up your day: the Facebook client for Windows Phone has just been updated to version 2.3, bringing with it a host of enhanced features. Precise details remain a bit fuzzy at the moment, though in an announcement on its Facebook page, the app maker confirmed that the refresh will bring a redesigned profile and panoramic design, along with "news feed performance improvements," including support for filters. Other "focus areas" include support for Facebook Groups, pages and banner images, which can now be changed directly from a user's handset. The update is supposed to be available today, though at the time of this writing, it has yet to appear on the Marketplace. Once it hits, you'll be able to grab it from the coverage link below.

Analyst: Facebook Will Make $1.2 Billion Annually From Mobile Ads

by Ingrid Lunden

No, Facebook is not advertising yet on mobile devices. Yes, that hasn’t stopped people from speculating on what it will mean when it does. The latest: an estimate of how much the social network stands to make from mobile advertising: more than $1.2 billion a year in the U.S. and its five biggest markets in Europe — the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

The numbers come from UK-based analyst firm Mobile Squared, which has worked out that Facebook will be making an average revenue per mobile user of around $6.50 per year — some $2 more than Facebook currently makes per users online, using figures supplied in its S-1 earlier this month. The caveat here is that the modelling appears to be hinged on mobile display-style ads, while in truth it’s not known what Facebook will do when it comes to formats; and several reports have pointed to them first opting for something altogether different — sponsored stories.

This is how Nick Lane, chief strategy analyst, arrived at these figures:

He estimates that across these six markets, there are a total of 185.3 million users of Facebook on mobile. (That’s something worth noting in itself: Facebook has something of a long tail when it comes to mobile users it seems, with the top six markets still accounting for less than half its 425 million mobile users.)

Within this, the average user spends 12 hours per month on the site, he writes. Here, he notes that comScore puts the average monthly usage at 24 hours.

The average amount of time, he tells me, that a mobile app serves up a new ad is around every 20 seconds, and he puts a CPM on Facebook of $0.25 — calculated, he says, partly based on what other social networking sites are generating on mobile. CPMs, it should be noted, vary wildly — Lane says as low as $0.10 and as high as $50. (Which app brings in that, I wonder?)

The U.S. will account for roughly half of that revenue, at $653.7 million in 12 months, with the UK bringing in $166.6 million, $100 million in France, Germany and Italy, and $70 million in Spain.

He tells me other markets — particularly emerging ones like Turkey, Brazil, and Indonesia — will also add more to the pile, but those CPMs are less stable and were therefore not included in these calculations. He estimates that Indonesia currently has 30 million Facebook mobile users, with another 20 million in Turkey, and 26 million in Brazil.

While it’s worth pondering how much money Facebook could make from mobile ads, there are some big caveats to this kind of number crunching. One thing Lane does not cover are ad formats: the rumors have been that Facebook will first present ads as sponsored stories, rather than traditional display ads, that appear in a user’s timeline. Would these take a different kind of metric other than a traditional CPM and if so, what?

Lane tells me that separate research his firm did for a mobile marketing company found that only 10 percent of respondents said they would be comfortable with brands reaching out and engaging with them through Facebook. Ninety percent said the opposite. If click-through-rates on mobiles is currently 0.5 percent, “expect that figure to drop significantly on Facebook Mobile,” he writes.

There are also still some question marks over what, exactly, the value is of “liking” a brand on Facebook. “Thirty-six million follows, but what does that mean in relation to a brand like Coke?” Lane asks.

keep up with the newest technologies and contemplate about how these will be used in the future. On this blog I'll share my thoughts about the future of technology, based on the high Tech Road Show Blog inventions of today.

Related articles

• Facebook for Windows Phone update announced (liveside.net)
• Facebook For Windows Phone Update Released (allfacebook.com)
• Facebook updates Windows Phone app to catch up with iOS, Android (intomobile.com)
• Facebook app for Windows Phone gets upgraded, redesigned (engadget.com)
• Analyst: Facebook Will Make $1.2 Billion Annually From Mobile Ads (techcrunch.com)
• Facebook Roundup: fellowship, Africa, shareholders, Windows Phone, more (insidefacebook.com)

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Apple vs. Google: Who Owns Slide-to-Unlock on Phones?

Both iPhones and Android devices unlock in the same way: with the user sliding his or her finger along part of the screen. That simple function has prompted a huge amount of legal wrangling, with both Apple and Google (by proxy of its recent acquisition, Motorola) scoring victories over the ownership of “slide-to-unlock” on phones in the past week.

A German court ruled in Apple’s favor on Thursday — twice — on separate allegations that Motorola Mobility had infringed on Apple’s patents on slide-to-unlock. A Munich regional court said certain Motorola phones infringed on the German part of a broader European patent. It’s Apple’s first patent victory over Motorola ever.

The rulings affect the Motorola Flipout, Milestone, Milestone XT720 and Defy. Although the rulings open the door for Apple to block the sale of those devices in Germany, Motorola has already said the judgment would have no impact on sales since it was planning to implement a new way to unlock the phone that wouldn’t infringe on Apple’s patent.

What that new unlocking method would be isn’t clear, and Motorola, which was recently acquired by Google, has said it will appeal the ruling. If it does end up needing to change how its phones unlock, however, a recent patent awarded to Google could be a clue.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office earlier this month awarded Google a patent on a certain type of slide-to-unlock (excerpts are viewable in the gallery below). Among the many points covered in the patent, there’s one that specifies the user might slide an icon (from a choice of icons) in a certain direction to simiultaneously unlock the device and launch an app, such as email. There’s also a provision for unlocking the device by voice.

Such unlocking methods clearly aren’t present on Apple’s iOS devices and would theoretically put Motorola products in the clear. However, Florian Mueller of Foss Patents suspects that as Apple tightens its grip over slide-to-unlock, there may be a general “degradation of the user experience” on Android devices.

What do you think is the best way to unlock a phone? Let us know in the comments.

Google Slide-to-Unlock Schematic

Apple readies $10,000 prize for 25 billionth app milestone

It keeps growing. More downloads, more hard-to-comprehend milestones. This time, Apple's gearing up to hit its 25 billionth app download and it's got another $10,000 prize for the lucky soul that claims that very app. The App Store doubled its download count in the last year -- and then some -- so it's got good reason to be in a celebratory mood. To enter, you can either go grab yourself an app or enter via the prize form below. $10,000 for a random download? Count us in.

keep up with the newest technologies and contemplate about how these will be used in the future. On this blog I'll share my thoughts about the future of technology, based on the high Tech Road Show Blog inventions of today.

Related articles

• Apple is awarded victory in German slide-to-unlock lawsuit against Motorola (pocketables.net)
• Google: Unlocking The Door For More Android Originality? (techcrunch.com)
• Apple wins injunction against several of Motorola's slide-to-unlock implementations in Germany (tuaw.com)
• Apple wins "slide to unlock" patent clash against Motorola (venturebeat.com)
• For Apple, a Victory at Last in 'Slide-to-Unlock' Patent Feud with Motorola (techland.time.com)

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Europeans Plan Widespread Protests Against Internet Censorship

Protests against Internet censorship will blanket Europe this weekend, while Germany and Latvia announced Friday they would put the brakes on signing a copyright treaty that has sparked controversy across the continent.

More than 200,000 people have committed to attending rallies in 200 cities to protest the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or “ACTA.”

“The map of planned protests is just breathtaking,” said Holmes Wilson, co-founder of anti-ACTA group Fight for the Future. “You’ve got tens of thousands of people taking to the streets in small cities, in countries where large street protests are not common.” 

Proponents of ACTA say that the treaty will help fight global copyright theft. Opponents, fresh off the SOPA and PIPA battlefields, argue that ACTA will harm free speech on the Internet. They also accuse the treaty’s architects of holding negotiations away from the public eye.“This is truly the Internet’s Arab Spring,” said Fight for the Future co-founder Tiffiniy Cheng. “People are rising up against anti-democratic laws that stifle individual freedoms. And they’re organizing spontaneously, without leaders, using tools available to everyone.”Public opposition to the treaty has already struck Europe. Last month, thousands of people in Poland took to the streets in protest while the European rapporteur for ACTA resigned after calling the negotiation process a “charade.”It appears some European leaders have been listening to ACTA’s naysayers. Germany and Latvia’s decision to delay signing ACTA puts them in league with Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, who have also halted the process.A German foreign ministry spokesperson said that the country needed “time to carry out further discussions” about the treaty, the BBC reported.ACTA was signed by the U.S. and Japan in 2006. Australia, Canada, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea signed on last year and the European Union signed last month, but no country’s legislature has yet ratified the treaty. ACTA will go into force when ratified by at least six countries.

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Aussie Court Gives Samsung Galaxy Tab the All-Clear, But Is It Too Late?

 

A reversal of fortunes, of sorts, for Samsung in its ongoing case against Apple in Australia: an appeals court unanimously decided Wednesday that Samsung can go ahead with sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet, possibly as soon as Friday. But even with sales getting the all-clear, some analysts seem to have already written off the device as an also-ran.
The vote, from an appeals court in Sydney, should not come as too much of a surprise: during hearings last week, the three judges on the appeals bench indicated a strong leaning in the direction of Samsung in the case, with one judge questioning initial rulings by Justice Annabelle Bennett as unfair to Samsung and too in favor of Apple.
Apple had originally succeeded in getting an injunction on the device, and now has until Friday afternoon to try to get a stay on the order, which would over-ride the appeal.
But even if Apple does not succeed in getting that stay–there are already questions over whether Samsung’s Android-based device may have missed its window of opportunity in the wider market.
Despite injunctions in two countries — Germany and Australia — the device has not exactly been the killer best-seller, or even marketing juggernaut, that Samsung had hoped would dent the stronghold that Apple has over the tablet market at the moment.
Forrester research from Tuesday on the tablet market pointed out that at the moment consumers in the U.S., currently the biggest tablet market, are most interested in the iPad (61%); followed by Amazon’s tablet (24%); with Samsung’s tablets coming in third (21%). That put Samsung just five percentage points ahead a tablet that is no longer being made (the TouchPad from HP at 16%).
Song Myung-sub, an analyst at HI Investment & Securities in Seoul, speaking to Reuters, thinks that accolade should be reserved for the Kindle Fire from Amazon, a low-cost Android-based tablet that has yet to launch anywhere but the U.S.:
“Apple will continue to dominate the tablet market as Amazon appears to be the only viable threat at the moment and other vendors, including Samsung, continue to struggle.”
Apple has been suing Samsung in Australia over patent and design violations, claiming that its larger Galaxy Tab tablet, which was due to debut in Australia months ago, was a ripoff of its iPad. Samsung is also lodging claims against Apple for patent violations of its own. In all there are 10 countries now where the two are sparring, including Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Japan, Korea and the U.S.
Today’s news in Australia, at the very least, should serve to bolster Samsung’s public image, however, as it continues to fight its legal battles against Apple elsewhere.
Just yesterday, Apple returned to the German courts to try to extend its tablet injunction on Samsung’s newest Galaxy Tab, the 10.1N, which Samsung claims circumvents the patents in question in the existing case. That case will get heard next month, extending the lag for selling the Galaxy Tab even further in a key market for Samsung.

Related articles

• Apple appeals Samsung tablet ruling, Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales still blocked in Australia (engadget.com)
• Aussie Court Gives Samsung Galaxy Tab the All-Clear, But Is It Too Late? (mashable.com)
• Apple keeps Australian Galaxy Tab ban alive for another week (gigaom.com)

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