What Apple's $1B victory means for consumers

What Apple's $1B victory means for consumers
Apple stock jumps on $1B Samsung verdict
Apple calls for several Samsung devices to be banned following court victory
Racist tweet to soccer player lands U.K. man in jail
Startup Makes Doctors Accessible By Phone, Email
FAA to study use of electronics on planes
Ask beats Answers with $300M bid for About.com
IBM buys Kenexa for $1.3B in latest software deal
Samsung verdict could benefit Nokia, shares climb
VOTE!!! reskins Infinity Blade, but with none of the epic challenge
Apple seeks quick bans on eight Samsung phones
LG Intuition shown off with Verizon branding in alleged press image
Google: We didn’t pay anyone to talk about Oracle trial, but here is a list of people we paid
U.S Government accused of spying on citizens, intercepting trillions of emails and phone calls
Foxconn International shares slide after worst-ever first-half loss
Study estimates paid shills account for one-third of all online reviews
Perfect World shares tumble as 2Q net income falls
Nokia Siemens opens plant with Flextronics in Brazil
For Romney's Digital Director, Quality Over Quantity on Social Media
Yahoo's new CEO finds her chief marketing officer
Original Motorola DROID made relevant again with unofficial Jelly Bean update [video]
Analysis: Apple's win dents Android's standard-essential patent hopes
Yahoo CEO Mayer names former Amazon executive as new marketing chief
FAA to study use of electronics on planes
Startup Makes Doctors Accessible By Phone, Email
Regulators to study rules for electronics on planes
Samsung teases Windows 8 tablet-laptop hybrid [video]
Arctic Sea Ice at an All-Time Low; Pot Makes Teens Dumb
'Wall Street Journal' Launches Hub for Mobile Video From Journalists
Two FOX Comedies Debut Online Before Their TV Premieres [VIDEOS]
Key Apple engineer cancels retirement
Apple lists 8 Samsung products it wants banned
Developing Minds Want to Know: Q&A with Airbnb’s mobile platform lead, Andrew Vilcsak
Samsung’s crushing loss in patent trial won’t impact parts deal with Apple
Google's Swanky Digs at the Republican Convention [PICS]
Ask beats Answers with $300M bid for About.com
IBM buys Kenexa for $1.3B in latest software deal
Counting Fish: well, thanks Isaac, no counting fish this week

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 12:08 PM PDT

Apple's $1 billion court victory over Samsung poses a lot of questions for consumers. Will Samsung phones still be available for sale? Will they be more expensive? Will owners of existing phones need to worry?

Apple stock jumps on $1B Samsung verdict

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 07:40 AM PDT

Apple's $1 billion court win against Samsung is translating into a much bigger jump in its market value.

Apple calls for several Samsung devices to be banned following court victory

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 05:49 PM PDT

After last week's court ruling against Samsung found that the tech giant had violated Apple's patents and awarded the latter more than $1 billion in damages, the technology world awaited both companies' next moves. Now we know that Apple is … Continue reading →

Racist tweet to soccer player lands U.K. man in jail

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 05:44 PM PDT

There's an old saying that goes something like "if you can't say something nice about a person, don't say anything at all." If a Twitter user from the U.K. had abided by that, he might not have ended up in … Continue reading →

Startup Makes Doctors Accessible By Phone, Email

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:02 PM PDT

Name: Sherpaa

FAA to study use of electronics on planes

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:15 PM PDT

It's going to be a while before airline passengers can use iPads and other electronic devices during the whole flight.

Ask beats Answers with $300M bid for About.com

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 02:22 PM PDT

The New York Times Co. is selling its troubled online information service, About.com, to the parent company of Ask.com for $300 million in cash.

IBM buys Kenexa for $1.3B in latest software deal

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 02:19 PM PDT

IBM is buying human resources management company Kenexa Corp. for about $1.3 billion, adding to its stable of cloud-based software.

Samsung verdict could benefit Nokia, shares climb

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 12:08 PM PDT

Shares of Nokia Corp. surged on Monday after a Wall Street analyst said that the Finnish phone maker could benefit from the $1 billion patent verdict against Samsung. The decision could delay technology developments for devices that, like Samsung phones, run Google Inc.'s Android operating system. That could boost Nokia's line of Windows Phone-based smartphones.

VOTE!!! reskins Infinity Blade, but with none of the epic challenge

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:58 PM PDT

The opening titles for VOTE!!! declare it as a "ChAIR Short," likening it to a short film and denoting it a small, one-off project. It's important to keep that in mind when playing it. VOTE!!! is not a full game by developer ChAIR, the makers of the award-winning and millions-selling Infinity Blade series, so don't expect as much.

Apple seeks quick bans on eight Samsung phones

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 09:01 PM PDT

(Reuters) - Apple Inc is seeking speedy bans on the sale of eight Samsung Electronics phones, moving swiftly to translate its resounding court victory over its rival into a tangible business benefit. The world's most valuable company wasted no time in identifying its targets on Monday: eight older-model smartphones, including the Galaxy S2 and Droid Charge. While Apple's lawsuit encompassed 28 devices, many of those accused products are no longer widely available in the world's largest mobile market. ...

LG Intuition shown off with Verizon branding in alleged press image

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 08:50 PM PDT

A purported press image for the unannounced LG Intuition, known outside the U.S. as the Optimus Vu, was published on Monday by The Verge. The supersized smartphone is equipped with a massive 5-inch display and features a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, 4G LTE connectivity and Android 4.0 with LG's (06657011) Optimus UI. Unlike its closest competitor the Galaxy Note, the Intuition features an odd 4:3 aspect ratio, however the smartphone-tablet hybrid has managed to sell more than 500,000 units since March. The Intuition is expected to be released at the end of September on Verizon Wireless for $199.99 with a new two-year agreement. Read

Google: We didn’t pay anyone to talk about Oracle trial, but here is a list of people we paid

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 07:55 PM PDT

After failing to comply with Judge William Alsup's earlier order, Google (GOOG) finally reiterated its previous statements and asserted that it did not pay any authors, journalists, commentators or bloggers to report or comment on its trail against Oracle (ORCL). The Internet giant did provide a list of consultants, contractors, employees and various organizations who commented on the case and have in the past received money from the company, however, including Google attorney William Patry, Java creator James Gosling and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, among others. "Pursuant to the [judge's order], the required disclosure does not include advertising revenue, disclosed experts, or gifts to universities," Google said in its court filing. "It does, however, include 'all commenters known by Google to have received payments as

U.S Government accused of spying on citizens, intercepting trillions of emails and phone calls

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 06:50 PM PDT

Governments around the world are repeatedly accused of spying on both domestic and foreign individuals and groups that may threaten the interests of their citizens; sometimes these accusations are without merit and sometimes they pan out. William Binney, a former official with the National Security Agency, recently said that domestic surveillance in the U.S. has increased under President Obama, and trillions of phone calls, emails and other messages sent by U.S. citizens have been intercepted by the government. In fact, in an interview with Democracy Now, the official-turned-whistleblower claims that the government currently possesses copies of almost all emails sent and received in the United States. Binney, who is regarded as one of the best mathematicians and code breakers in NSA

Foxconn International shares slide after worst-ever first-half loss

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 06:26 PM PDT

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Shares of Foxconn International Holdings Ltd (FIH) , the world's biggest contract maker of cellphones, fell 3.5 percent on Tuesday after it posted its worst-ever first-half net loss due to dismal orders. The stock was set to open down 3.5 percent at HK$2.78, underperforming the Hang Seng Index's 0.4 percent loss. FIH on Monday blamed its poor earnings on sluggish orders from key clients such as Nokia Oyj as a global economic slowdown takes a toll. (Reporting By Lee Chyen Yee; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree)

Study estimates paid shills account for one-third of all online reviews

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 05:45 PM PDT

Ever wonder how "Fifty Shades of Grey" could garner any five-star reviews on Amazon (AMZN)? Well wonder no more. The New York Times points to new research from data-mining expert Bing Liu from the University of Chicago estimating that roughly one-third of all online reviews are posted by people who have some sort of financial incentive to praise the product in question. Liu says that this could mean actual customers who are given a discount on the product in exchange for writing a positive review, third-party reviewers-for-hire who take payments for posting positive reviews online, or even marketers themselves who give glowing reviews of their own company's products. Read

Perfect World shares tumble as 2Q net income falls

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 05:05 PM PDT

Perfect World Co. Ltd. said Monday that its net income sank by half in the second quarter, as fewer people played the company's online games and revenue fell sharply.

Nokia Siemens opens plant with Flextronics in Brazil

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:53 PM PDT

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Nokia Siemens Networks is opening an assembly line in Brazil with contract manufacturer Flextronics International Ltd to build next generation mobile phone networks, a senior executive said in an interview on Monday. The plant should begin shipping fourth-generation (4G) wireless equipment at the start of October, as local carriers build out networks for the 2014 World Cup, said Ken Wirth, head of the Americas region for Nokia Siemens. "What we're looking to do is align our manufacturing capacity close to the markets that we're selling in. ...

For Romney's Digital Director, Quality Over Quantity on Social Media

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:52 PM PDT

Barack Obama's digital team has gotten credit for being more active on social media than Mitt Romney's campaign. Obama has nearly 19 million Twitter followers while Romney hasn't breached one million. A recent Pew report suggested Obama had the digital advantage over opponent Mitt Romney because, in part, Obama posts and tweets four times the amount of content found on Romney's online profiles.

Yahoo's new CEO finds her chief marketing officer

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:51 PM PDT

Yahoo is bringing in a new chief marketing officer as the troubled Internet company tries to burnish its image and revive its revenue growth under recently hired CEO Marissa Mayer.

Original Motorola DROID made relevant again with unofficial Jelly Bean update [video]

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:40 PM PDT

The phone that helped put Android on the map has long been forgotten by Google (GOOG) and Verizon (VZ). Loyal hackers, however, have kept the iconic Motorola DROID alive and relevant even as it nears its third birthday. An XDA-Developers forum member on Saturday released an alpha Jelly Bean ROM for the device and early reports suggest it is rather stable despite the fact that the Motorola DROID is equipped with a 550MHz single-core processor and 256MB of RAM, falling short of Jelly Bean's minimum requirements. Earlier this month, developers were able to port Android 4.1 to Google's first smartphone, the T-Mobile G1. A video demonstration of Jelly Bean on the DROID follows below. [Via Droid-Life] Read

Analysis: Apple's win dents Android's standard-essential patent hopes

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:33 PM PDT

(Alison Frankel writes the On the Case blog for Thomson Reuters News & Insight http://newsandinsight.com. The views expressed are her own.) (Reuters) - Standard-essential patents aren't providing as much leverage in the smart-device wars as Google may have hoped when it paid $12.5 billion to acquire Motorola Mobility. Apple scored big on Friday in its offensive against Samsung, with a $1.05 billion damages verdict and a finding of willful infringement that could lead to three times as big an award. But that wasn't Apple's only victory. ...

Yahoo CEO Mayer names former Amazon executive as new marketing chief

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:24 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc named veteran executive Kathy Savitt its chief marketing officer on Monday in the latest move by new CEO Marissa Mayer to overhaul her top leadership team. Savitt, a former marketing executive at Amazon.com and American Eagle Outfitters, most recently founded Lockerz, a social commerce website that let online shoppers share links to clothing and accessory deals. In a shock move, Mayer, 37, took the reins as Yahoo CEO in July after spending more than a decade as a high-profile employee at rival Google Inc. ...

FAA to study use of electronics on planes

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:15 PM PDT

It's going to be a while before airline passengers can use iPads and other electronic devices during the whole flight.

Startup Makes Doctors Accessible By Phone, Email

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 04:02 PM PDT

Name: Sherpaa

Regulators to study rules for electronics on planes

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:47 PM PDT

(Reuters) - The U.S. will take a look at the rules governing which electronic devices travelers can use during flights to help airlines decide if they should allow wider use of the gadgets, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday. A group that will be formed this fall will study the testing methods airline operators use to decide which new devices passengers can safely use and when, as well as other issues, the FAA said in a statement. Airlines often tell travelers not to use iPods, laptops and other devices while planes are taking off and landing. ...

Samsung teases Windows 8 tablet-laptop hybrid [video]

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:45 PM PDT

Samsung (005930) is preparing to take on ASUS (2357) in the transforming tablet market. In a recent YouTube video, the South Korean manufacturer teased the launch of a new Windows 8 notebook, possibly the Samsung Series 5 Hybrid PC that was unveiled in June at Computex. The 37-second video shows a laptop-tablet hybrid along with what appears to be an S-Pen stylus, which has previously been featured in the company's Galaxy Note smartphone and tablet. Samsung will announce its new transforming tablet later this week at the IFA trade show in Berlin. The teaser video is embedded below. Read

Arctic Sea Ice at an All-Time Low; Pot Makes Teens Dumb

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:41 PM PDT

Discovered: Chimps pick their fights; marijuana damages young minds; learn while sleeping; arctic sea ice takes a dive.

'Wall Street Journal' Launches Hub for Mobile Video From Journalists

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:31 PM PDT

As mobile technology and social sharing have reshaped the media industry in recent years, many legacy newsrooms have struggled to figure out just how to most effectively incorporate smartphone reporting into their content. Now, the The Wall Street Journal thinks it has found an innovative new approach.

Two FOX Comedies Debut Online Before Their TV Premieres [VIDEOS]

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 03:01 PM PDT

The pilot episodes for The Mindy Project and Ben and Kate, two new FOX comedies premiering on TV in September, are already available to watch on Hulu, Facebook and other websites.

Key Apple engineer cancels retirement

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 02:59 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc said on Monday that Bob Mansfield, a top hardware engineer who announced his retirement in June, is staying on to work on "future products." Mansfield, who oversaw the team that developed Mac products like the MacBook Air, will report to Chief Executive Tim Cook, the company added. Apple also said Craig Federighi, vice president of Mac Software Engineering, and Dan Riccio, vice president of Hardware Engineering, were promoted; they become senior vice presidents. ...

Apple lists 8 Samsung products it wants banned

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 02:58 PM PDT

Apple Inc. on Monday gave a federal judge a list of eight Samsung Electronics Co. products it wants pulled from shelves and banned from the U.S. market, including popular Galaxy model smartphones.

Developing Minds Want to Know: Q&A with Airbnb’s mobile platform lead, Andrew Vilcsak

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 02:58 PM PDT

Founded in August of 2008, Airbnb is a huge success. It's now the trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world, covering 26,000 cities in 192 countries. What's more, it can all be done from your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet. In June, the company reached the landmark of 10 million guest nights booked. With some $120 million in venture capital investment, Airbnb continues to grow from strength to strength, and the app was a welcome addition to our best Android Apps of 2012 so far.

Samsung’s crushing loss in patent trial won’t impact parts deal with Apple

Posted: 27 Aug 2012 02:50 PM PDT

Samsung (005930) was hit extremely hard last week when a jury determined that 21 of the company's various Android devices infringed on various combinations of six Apple (AAPL) patents. Some industry watchers suggested justice had been served, but Samsung obviously disagrees and plans to appeal the ruling. While Apple clearly isn't on the South Korean electronics giant's list for holiday gift baskets this year, Reuters reports that the verdict will likely not have any impact on business pertaining to components that Apple purchases from Samsung for its various devices. Apple is currently Samsung's biggest customer in terms of its parts business, which is estimated to pull in $13 billion in revenue next year. "The clear message from Samsung is that