• Samsung Demands Apple To Get Access to iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPad 3 Devices

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Featured, Gadgets, iPad, iPhone, lawsuit, Mobile, News, Patents, Rants & Raves 1 Response

    As part of the ongoing lawsuits between Apple and Samsung, started back in April when Apple sued Samsung over the “look and feel” of the Galaxy phones and tablets. This Is My Next points to an interesting piece of information as now Samsung is requesting to see some of Apple’s unreleased final and commercial versions of products . Namely the iPad 3 and the next iPhone, be it iPhone  4S or iPhone 5. This is to ensure and  evaluate if their future products, like the Droid Charge and the Galaxy Tab 10.1, could share similar features with them.

    This move comes after Apple requested to see some of Samsung’s unreleased products, which most of which were publicly released before, Droid Charge, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Infuse 4G and Galaxy S 2. Providing that only Apple legal team will get access to the devices. Similarly now Samsung says only the company’s lawyers would be able to see the iPhone 5 and iPad 3, with no one else inside the company getting access to the units.

    Samsung’s asking for a court order requiring Apple to produce “the final, commercial versions” of the next-generation iPhone and iPad and their respective packaging by June 13, 2011, so it can evaluate whether there’ll be confusion between Samsung and Apple’s future products. If the final versions aren’t available, Samsung wants “the most current version of each to be produced instead.

    Samsung says “fundamental fairness” requires Apple to give up its future products, since Samsung had to do the same. Tellingly, Samsung doesn’t reference any precedent or law to bolster this line of argument — it’s basically just asking the court to be nice.

    The full breakdown of Samsung’s latest request can be read over This Is My Next

  • Google Wallet Announced, Your Phone is Your Wallet

    // Gradly // blog, Featured, google, Mobile, News, Tech. No Responses

    At an event today, Google, Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint announced and demonstrated Google Wallet, an app that will make your phone your wallet so you can tap, pay and save money and time while you shop.

    Today, we’ve joined with leaders in the industry to build the next generation of mobile commerce,” said Stephanie Tilenius, vice president, commerce and payments, Google. “With Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint we’re building an open commerce ecosystem that for the first time will make it possible for you to pay with an NFC wallet and redeem consumer promotions all in one tap, while shopping offline.

    At launch, Google Wallet will support payments with two payment solutions: a PayPass eligible Citi MasterCard and a virtual Google Prepaid card. Most people who already have a PayPass eligible Citi MasterCard can simply add it to Google Wallet over the air, using First Data’s trusted service manager service. Or, they can fund the Google Prepaid card with any payment card.

    Google Wallet uses near field communication (NFC) to make secure payments fast and convenient by simply tapping the phone on any PayPass-enabled terminal at checkout.

    MasterCard has pioneered mobile payments with our PayPass technology and we’re proud that it is at the heart of Google Wallet,” said Ed McLaughlin, chief emerging payments officer, MasterCard. “We’re excited to partner with these industry leaders today and committed to continuing to play a leadership role in the development of mobile payment technologies.

    Google Wallet is currently in a field test and will be available to consumers this summer. The first release of Google Wallet is expected to be released on the Nexus S 4G on the Sprint network. Additional devices with NFC capabilities will follow.

  • Apple Gets Early Access to Unreleased Samsung Prototypes Over Copy Infringement

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Featured, Gadgets, iPad, iPhone, Mobile, News, Patents, Rants & Raves 1 Response

    The legal battle between Apple and Samsung has taken a new ride. Apple is suing the Korean corporation over alleged copying the “look and feel” of the iPhone and iOS with its Galaxy range, and a federal court is forcing Samsung to hand over samples of new phones for Apple to pore over. Only Apple’s legal team for this case will see the products, so no-one from Apple or even Apple’s in-house lawyers will see the rival devices.

    Samsung Galaxy S 2 and Infuse 4G are on sale now, the other three devices Droid Charge, Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 aren’t yet on the market. As noted by Cnet UK

    Apple’s legal battle with Samsung has taken a new twist. The California outfit is suing the Korean corporation over alleged copying of Apple products in Samsung’s Android range, and a federal court is forcing Samsung to hand over samples of new phones for Apple to pore over.

    Normally, there’d be three months before Samsung had to hand over samples, but San Jose Judge Lucy Koh has decided that Samsung has already been shooting its mouth off about the unreleased phones and can’t claim they’re secret models, Courthouse News reports. Apple points out that Samsung even gave away a Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet to all 5,000 people at the recent Google I/O developer conference.

    Apple claims Samsung is causing confusion in the minds of the phone-buying public by copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad in the design of phones and tablets, the interface and even the packaging. Samsung even has its own version of the iPod touch, which strips out the phone functions — the Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 and Galaxy S WiFi 4.0.

  • Over 500 New Features in the Upcoming Windows Phone 7 Mango

    // Gradly // blog, Microsoft, Mobile, News, Rants & Raves, Rumors, Software No Responses

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has promised over 500 new features for the next release of Windows Phone 7 dubbed ‘Mango’ and will get version 7.5.

    Speaking at Japanese Microsoft Developer Forum 2011, Ballmer promised the features to be unveiled in the Mango event today. The software giant is also expected to unveil new developer tools for Windows Phone applications. Microsoft is currently hard at work on “Mango”, its next major release of Windows Phone. Nokia is also reportedly waiting for the next release of Windows Phone before it unveils its first Windows Phone device. Watch Ballmer speaking about the 500 new features in the video below:

    Neowin is adding additional rumor before today’s Mango activities kick out. Windows Phone 7.5 may be released to Manufacturers today, and will be coming out to all phones in September.