According to the retailer, Samsung’s intention is to replace the single keyboard dock – which has an integrated nook into which the Galaxy Tab slots – with an accessory double-act. A tablet stand, complete with dock connector for recharging the tablet, would form one half of that combo, while a Bluetooth keyboard – still yet to be fully detailed – would be used for text entry.

The audience for keyboards to go with tablets is arguably small, though various Kickstarter projects and third-party manufacturers have waded in to design the “perfect” accompaniment to a tablet (usually Apple’s iPad). Only last week, Logitech and Belkin each outed an $80 add-on ‘board for the iPad mini, for instance.

One argument for separate peripherals might be that it introduces ergonomic flexibility. By splitting the dock and the keyboard, it allows users to move the tablet further away and perhaps raise it closer to the eye-line.

Still, as Clove counters, two accessories make for less convenient mobile computing, though it’s worth noting that Samsung’s original keyboard dock lacked the snap-cover convenience of iPad counterparts from companies like Logitech. No pricing information for the new Samsung Bluetooth keyboard has been revealed, though Clove warns that the separate dock and ‘board combo will be “a higher cost” than the old-style add-on.

We learned today that Call of Duty: Black Ops II sold 1 million copies at GameStop alone on launch day – news that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone – and Rockstar delivered the second trailer for Grand Theft Auto V after weeks of new screenshots and news for the highly anticipated game. RIM CEO Thorsten Heins is confident that BlackBerry 10 will be a big hit when it arrives early next year, while the HTC Windows Phone 8X and Nokia Lumia 820 landed at T-Mobile today.

Steve Wozniak expressed his fear that Microsoft is doing more to innovate than Apple is, while we learned that text messaging is showing a decline for the first time ever. The HTC DLX – better known by the name of HTC DROID DNA here in the United States – will be launching in China on December 6, while AT&T launched its 4G LTE network in a number of new markets today. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been added to the Queen’s royal collection, and sadly, the final issue of Nintendo Power has been finished, which means that the magazine’s offices have gone dark.

We heard the very sad news that Texas Instruments plans to lay off 1,700 workers in an attempt to save some cash, while Google added one-click app installs to Google Plus feeds today. One father went to the trouble of changing the text in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker to show his daughter that it isn’t always boys who get to be the hero, some EA Origin members are having issues with hijacked accounts, and the Facebook Pages feed is ready for some time in the spotlight.

Finally tonight, we have a couple of different reviews coming your way, both from Chris Burns. First up we’ve got a review of Roger Dean’s Dragons Dream for iOS, followed by a review of the HTC Windows Phone 8X from T-Mobile. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, enjoy the rest of your night everyone!

Apple’s claim had been that Samsung infringed the D504,889 patent around the physical design of its tablets, and posted a $2.6m bond in order to enact the preliminary injunction it was granted against the Galaxy Tab 10.1. In the intervening period, several Samsung devices were found by a US jury to overstep the mark on various Apple patents, though the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was not among them.

Despite the 10.1 already having been superseded in Samsung’s range, Apple was keen to have it kept from shelves. The company argued that no decision should be made until all of its motions had been reviewed, but Justice Koh was not convinced.

“The court does not agree with Apple that Samsung’s motion for dissolution of the June 26 preliminary injunction cannot be fairly decided without resolving Apple’s post-trial motions” she wrote in her statement on the decision.

Exactly what Samsung plans to do now that its older tablet is cleared for sale remains to be seen. The company had already begun offering the Galaxy Tab 10.1 2, the second-gen version, though likely has remaining stock of the first model and could simply seek to recoup some of the manufacturing investment in those devices.

“We are pleased with the court’s action today,” Samsung said in a statement on the ruling, “which vindicates our position that there was no infringement of Apple’s design patent and that an injunction was not called for.” Apple is yet to comment.

Samsung recently filed a motion to include the iPhone 5 in its ongoing case against Apple, alleging that the smartphone infringes eight patents it holds.

Samsung today denied rumors that its Galaxy S IV will be launching in February 2013, and we found out that the LG Optimus G will be launching in the US by November. Speaking of the Optimus G, we went hands-on with its QSlide picture-in-picture feature today, and the iPad Mini was spotted in some leaked images today, suggesting that a launch may be coming up soon. Motorola announced the new RAZR i today, and we were right there to go hands-on with it, so be sure to have a look at that.

Apple’s new EarPods were the subject of a new iFixit teardown today, and the sales ban on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will stay in place for the time being, despite Samsung’s requests to have it lifted. AT&T has some new net neutrality worries today over its 3G FaceTime restrictions, and Twitter got a pretty big UI update on iPad today as well. Even though Nintendo won’t be offering standalone Wii U GamePads at launch, it assured prospective buyers that they can get replacements if their GamePad breaks (for a fee, naturally).

With iPhone 5 hype as high as its ever been, Apple’s stock price rose above $700 for the first time today, and McLaren unveiled its ultra-sleek P1 Supercar (if you buy one, can we take a ride?). ioSafe needs your help bringing its N2 fire and waterproof NAS to market, while RIM and Microsoft shook on a licensing deal that will give RIM access to Microsoft’s exFAT system. ZTE started teasing a new Windows Phone 8 handset and a Windows 8/Windows RT tablet in a rather strange way today, and 20th Century Fox struck a deal that will see 600 of its movies up on the Google Play Store. Finally tonight, we have a couple of interesting space and science stories for you: scientists are saying that warp drive may not be as unrealistic as it once seemed, and the Dark Energy Camera has returned its first images of deep space – prepare yourself, because they are amazing.

That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up! Enjoy the rest of your night, folks!

Since the jury found that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 wasn’t infringing, Samsung naturally wants to get the injunction lifted so it can continue selling it in the US. That will probably happen, but it isn’t going to happen now. Judge Lucy Koh has denied Samsung’s request to lift the ban, writing in a Monday ruling that she can’t lift it at the present moment because Samsung decided to appeal the injunction with a different court. Since Samsung went that route, jurisdiction no longer rests with Koh, so she can’t lift the ban even if she wanted to.

It seems that she does want to though. She wrote in her ruling that if jurisdiction was with her court, the court would likely lift the ban, based on the fact that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 isn’t infringing on that design patent. She also doesn’t want to lift the ban during the appeal, only to have to impose the injunction again later, should Apple’s motion for a permanent ban on the device eventually succeed (as it potentially could). So, it sounds like Samsung will be able to get the injunction on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 lifted eventually, but it won’t as soon as Samsung probably wants.

For now, we play the waiting game. Both parties are scheduled to go before Judge Koh and December 6, and it’s then that Apple will attempt to secure sales bans on 8 Samsung devices. Samsung, obviously, will be fighting for the right to keep selling the devices in question, so even though the jury has delivered its verdict, some of the biggest decisions in this case have yet to be made. Stay tuned, because things will only get more interesting from here.

[via FOSS Patents]

It isn’t any surprise that Apple is doing such a thing. Apple won the trial, and now it wants to move as quickly as possible to get a sales ban on the devices that were declared to be infringing. Samsung is looking to have a sales ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 lifted after the jury said that the tablet wasn’t infringing on any of Apple’s patents, and the hearing to determine the fate of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is scheduled for September 20. Apple is now asking that its own motion for injunction take place before the hearing for Samsung’s motion, and it’s pretty easy to see why.

One of the reasons Apple would want its preliminary injunction hearing moved up is because that may prevent Samsung from selling those infringing devices during the holiday season. Just like Samsung did throughout the trial, Apple is calling for the equal treatment of both parties, claiming that its request for injunction is more important than Samsung’s request to reevaluate the ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Apple has also filed a “Rule 50″ motion to overturn the jury’s ruling on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, so preventing the dissolution of the injunction on the device altogether is another top priority for the company.

It’s difficult to say at this point which way Judge Koh will sway. She may give into Apple’s request based on the call to treat both parties equally, but on the other hand, she may feel uneasy granting a new round of injunctions when one current injunction may have been unfairly ordered. We shall see in the coming days and weeks, but for now, have a look at our story timeline for the latest on the Apple-Samsung patent trial.

Samsung needs the court to actively cancel the preliminary injunction, however; it’s not enough that the jury decided against Judge Koh’s original decision. The Korean firm filed its motion to make that request late on Sunday, writing that:

“On June 26, 2012, the Court preliminary enjoined Samsung from “making, using, offering to sell, or selling within the United States, or importing into the United States, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer, and any product that is no more than colorably different from this specified product and embodies any design contained in US Design Patent No. D504,889″. Samsung timely filed a notice of appeal that same day. A trial in this matter was held from July 30-August 24, 2012, resulting in a finding by the jury that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 did not infringe Apple’s D’889 patent. The Court has entered final judgment reflecting the jury’s verdict. Accordingly, Samsung requests that the Court dissolve the preliminary injunction and retain the $2.6 million bond posted by Apple pending a determination of damages suffered by Samsung as a result of the injunction” Samsung filing

Exactly when that determination will take place is unclear, though the court has already set a tentative September 20 date for the injunction hearing. Apple and Samsung must first file their own post-trial motions, with Apple expected to demand the maximum possible penalty from Samsung, a total that could exceed $3bn.

In those terms, the $2.6m bond Apple posted to secure the Galaxy Tab 10.1 preliminary injunction seems like small change, but it’s a minor victory for Samsung all the same. Concerns have already been voiced from some quarters about the speed at which the jury reached a decision and whether it awarded damages to Apple out of an attempt to punish Samsung rather than – as legally required – compensate the Cupertino firm.

[via IDG]

That’s pretty confusing to the outside observer, but it seems to be just an oversight on the jury’s part – there were a ton of claims for the jury to wade through during deliberation, remember. After these two inconsistencies were brought to light, The Verge reports that the jury left the courtroom once more to decide if the two devices actually did infringe on the patents. The jurors were gone for nearly an hour before they returned to the courtroom, and when they came back, they had the tiniest smidgen of good news for Samsung.

The jury now states that the Intercept and Galaxy Tab 10.1 didn’t infringe on those named patents, and that decision managed to shave around $2 million off the amount Samsung has to pay Apple. Now, instead of owing $1,051,885,000 to Apple, Samsung only owes $1,049,343,540. When we’re talking about dollar amounts that already come in over $1 billion, saving an extra $2 million really doesn’t amount to much. At this point, however, Samsung’s lawyers are probably just happy that the devices aren’t actually infringing on those Apple patents.

Now that the trial has come to a close, it’s time for Apple and Samsung to file their post-trial motions. Apple has until August 29 – next Wednesday – to file, and Samsung will have 14 days after that to respond. Once Samsung has filed its response on September 12, Apple will have only two days to file a response of its own. This will all culminate with a preliminary injunction hearing on September 20. Stay tuned folks, because even though the trial is over, the fight between Apple and Samsung isn’t finished yet.

Speaking of Samsung, it seems that the company is gearing up to announce something, but we’re not entirely sure what. At first, Samsung said that the Galaxy Note 2 will be getting a reveal at its August 29 press event, but later backtracked on the statement. The company did begin teasing its planned reveal for its August 15 event, however, and that one seems to be Galaxy Note related.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus both received Ice Cream Sandwich today, while the HP TouchPad is now (partially) running Jelly Bean thanks to an unofficial port of CyanogenMod 10. HTC was in the news a bit today, as it warned that in Q3 it will experience an drop in revenue of up to 23%. On the more optimistic side of things, it appears that the HTC One X+ may be heading to T-Mobile soon, so at least there’s that.

After hearing that Microsoft was planning to drop the Metro branding for Windows 8 and Windows RT earlier in the day, the company went ahead and officially ditched the branding this afternoon. A pair of Sony cameras were leaked today, and OUYA has announced that it will be partnering with iHeartRadio to bring streaming radio to everyone who buys the Android-based game console.

EA had its fair share of headlines today, announcing The Sims 3 Seasons and filing a lawsuit against Zynga for copyright infringement. Electronic Arts claims that Zynga ripped off The Sims Social with The Ville, and the publisher didn’t have any problem accusing Zynga of theft in the complaint it filed. Finally, NASA is gearing up for Monday’s Curiosity rover landing, and you can bet that tensions are high as we head into the weekend.

As always, we have a few original articles we encourage you to check out, such as these interviews with Colin Farrell and Bryan Cranston from Total Recall, which is in theaters today. We also take a closer look at the leak of the final build of Windows 8, and wonder why stuff like this surprises anyone anymore. Enjoy the weekend, folks!

This update will bring the tablet duo up to the software that the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone lineup comes with right out of the box. Of course Samsung opts for a slightly different user interface dependent on the size of the device, with their own TouchWiz UX appearing on tablets and TouchWiz for smartphones appearing on smaller devices. This software upgrade will improve the intuitive nature with which you interact with your device and will make everything just a bit faster in the process.

If you’re a user of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-fi edition or the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus Wi-fi edition, you’ll find that this upgrade will be available with your Mac or PC-based KIES software or direct through your tablet over-the-air in your updates section in settings. Those of you working with any other Samsung Galaxy Tab of any other size or configuration will have to wait just a bit longer as the upgrade is prepared for your particular configuration.

At the moment, no other models are dated quite yet for the software upgrade, but most if not all tablets in the Samsung lineup are set to grab the update in due course. Have a peek at our timeline below to follow along with the recent adventures of the Samsung Galaxy Tab line of tablets from Samsung, and let us know if you’ve gotten the upgrade already! See the full list of future Galaxy Tab upgrades to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich also and do a little dance in anticipation!

Also note: for the hacker population out there with the HP TouchPad, a notoriously modification-friendly device that originally ran webOS, you’ll be glad to know that it’s ready to go with not Ice Cream Sandwich, but the newest version of Android: 4.1 Jelly Bean – today as well.

In this island continent court adventure we’ve got one count of Apple suing Samsung for their “slide-to-unlock” patent on Samsung products in general back in 2011 – also before the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was announced and released. Apple then sought and won a preliminary injunction against the Tab 10.1 before it took the tablet to the stand here in 2012. Apple won, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was facing a kick off the shelves until the case began, but the ruling was overturned by the Federal Court.

Samsung then countersued Apple with a set of 3G patents, these patents being standards-essential patents for technology needed for a device to be known as 3G. Samsung is required to license the technologies at hand under FRAND terms – reasonable and non-discriminatory – and the company says that Apple never obtained any of the licenses necessary to use them in the iPhone or iPad.

Apple suggests that the licensing terms that Samsung required for Apple were not equal to those offered to all over third-party manufacturers.

This case is being presided over by Justice Annabelle Bennett and will take place on the following dates:
July 22 – 29
August 6 – 10
September 10 – 14
September 17 – 21
September 25 – 28
October 2 – 5
October 8 – 12

Have a peek at a short timeline of related events below, and prepare for another battle royale in the world of patent warfare.

[via ZDNet]

Apple’s case here, like it has been in several countries around the world over the past few months, is that the Samsung Galaxy Tab lineup is too similar to the iPad to legally be allowed for sale. In this US court case they’ve been successful in getting a preliminary injunction against the tablet line, specifically the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in this case, to bar it from sale until the case is complete. Samsung’s defense was up until this week going to be made in part with the Jobs quote written by Walter Isaacson which goes as follows:

“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong, I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.” – Jobs

Samsung had intended to speak in court on how the quote “speaks to Apple’s bias, improper motives and its lack of belief in its own claims in that they are a means to an end, namely the destruction of Android.” Apple contended that the quotes are simply a distraction to the case and are irrelevant on the whole. Judge Koh agreed, saying, “I really don’t think this is a trial about Steve Jobs.”

This case is set to begin on July 30th – have a peek at the timeline below to see what other countries have ruled on similar cases.

The issue with the Nexus 7 appears to be rather similar to the Galaxy Tab 10.2 I/O special edition, but because ASUS constructed the device as they did, there’s a simple fix you can do yourself if you find your unit to be screwy. All you’ve got to do, first of all, is pop the back panel off of the tablet: This will be a bit nerve-racking to do if you’re anal-retentive, but it does come off easily.

NOTE: check out our full Nexus 7 review if you’ve not got one already!

From there it’s only a matter of locating the screws all around the edge of the device inside and tightening them up a bit. Not too tight, as you could crack your screen, but not loose either, as you don’t want the glass popping up in any way at all. You must do all of this at your own risk, of course, but it is rather simple when it comes down to it.

Have you experienced looseness in your Nexus 7′s display? We know a collection of folks at XDA Developers Forums certainly have. Let us know if you plan on fixing it yourself or if you’ll send it in to Google to make it right.

[via Android Community]

Samsung has given a full statement to Pocket-Lint, detailing how all three tablets have recognizable differences from the iPad. Apple’s points of contention included “slightly rounded corners,” “a flat transparent surface without any ornamentation,” and “a thin profile.” The court, however, didn’t see the merit of the company’s arguments. They referred to 50 pieces of prior art as well as products that were introduced before 2004, going as far to say that Apple’s own design lacked originality.

The court also ruled that the differences between Samsung and Apple’s tablets could be seen with the naked eye, citing the front panel differences plus the side profiles of the machines. The biggest differences came from the back panels, and that Samsung differentiated its tablets with “visible detailing.” Apple, meanwhile, has yet to comment on the ruling.

Apple’s iCloud has had several web apps added. Some BlackBerry 10 plans have leaked with a map leading to an early 2013 release date. The world’s new lightest ultrabook is now the NEC LaVie Z

The Google Nexus 7 has been torn down, revealing no less than two audio drivers inside – strange! Researchers are now predicting that tablets will be overtaking notebooks by the year 2016.

You’ll want to check out The Next Microsoft: the branding Surface deserves. Parrot has revealed a pair of super-advanced headphones for the USA under the title Parrot ZIK. Ferrari designer Sergio Pininfarina has died.

The Google Jelly Bean statue has melted but the software is still alive and well in our full review of the Nexus Q.

In the USA a similar antitrust suit is currently going on and regulators are watching this EU case closely to see how it all plays out. Allegations against Google include directing users to its own products and reducing the visibility of competing websites and offerings. This set of complains was initiated by French search engine eJustice.fr and was joined by 14 other websites soon thereafter.

This investigation was extended this past November to include a full investigation of Google on if they did indeed create an algorithm which unfairly penalized opponents in their search environment. A guilty finding in this case could have Google paying a fine of up to 10 percent of its global annual revenue. This could be a healthy chunk as it reached US$37.9 billion just this past year.

Stay tuned for more hot Google legal action as the day rolls on – Apple and Google are also in a battle right now that has several devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 – in a headlock!

[via PCWorld]

Samsung’s argument is that it is likely to have Apple’s complaints thrown out when its appeal is heard, suggesting that the preliminary injunction will not only damage its relationship with carriers in the US, but that the public will be negatively impacted as well. The request for a stay is limited only until Samsung’s request to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to admit additional evidence has been heard, where the company will argue that it has further examples of why Apple’s allegations are unfounded, but which were not considered by Judge Lucy Koh who granted the preliminary injunction.

Whether that is granted remains to be seen. Samsung is pushing for an expedited decision on Friday this week, while Apple would have preferred until Monday to ready its counter-arguments; there’s still the possibility that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will not accept Samsung’s new evidence, in which case the company might struggle to prevent the injunction for the moment.

As for the actual impact of the ruling on Samsung’s business in the US, that could be mixed. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has already been superseded by the newer Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, but the LTE versions of the original model are still available through US carriers. Samsung could tweak them aesthetically them to bypass the design patent Apple alleges has been infringed, but that would introduce a delay in sales and, in the end, might not be considered an efficient use of time when the model is already old.

[via FOSSPatents]

“Although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly by flooding the market with infringing products,” the judge’s order read, AllThingsD reports. “While Samsung will certainly suffer lost sales from the issuance of an injunction, the hardship to Apple of having to directly compete with Samsung’s infringing products outweighs Samsung’s harm in light of the previous findings by the Court.”

Unsurprisingly, Apple is happy with the decision. “It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we’ve said many times before, we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”

Samsung, meanwhile, is likely to appeal the injunction, and accuses Apple of being too narrow in its patent interpretation. “Apple sought a preliminary injunction of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, based on a single design patent that addressed just one aspect of the product’s overall design,” the company said in a statement. “Should Apple continue to make legal claims based on such a generic design patent, design innovation and progress in the industry could be restricted.”

Apple filed for the ban back in May, with negotiations between it and Samsung breaking down shortly after. The company has not said when it might enact the ban.

Though each of these tablets will get the update to this new version of their native software in kind, we can expect the Wi-fi versions of each size to be moving forward first. The reason behind this situation is that while it’s relatively easy for a manufacturer to update their version of Android when they’ve created the software as well, it becomes exponentially more difficult the more software is added by the mobile data carrier.

Thusly, if you’ve got a tablet that’s Wi-fi only, you can expect Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich very, very soon! Just so long as that tablet exists on this list, of course:

GT-P6210 Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 WIFI
GT-P6200 Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 WIFI + 3G
GT-P6810 Galaxy Tab 7.7 WIFI
GT-P6800 Galaxy Tab 7.7 WIFI + 3G
GT-P7310 Galaxy Tab 8.9 WIFI
GT-P7300 Galaxy Tab 8.9 WIFI + 3G
GT-P7510 Galaxy Tab 10.1 WIFI
GT-P7500 Galaxy Tab 10.1 WIFI + 3G

You’ll notice that the original Samsung Galaxy Tab does not appear on that list, nor does the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 lineup. The Galaxy Tab 2 lineup is not on the list because it already has ICS right out of the box, and the original Galaxy Tab simply wasn’t made for software updates this far forward in time. That said, there’s always a hack or two that can jam said system into play if you really, really want it.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see Galaxy Tab news galore, and be sure to let us know if you plan on upgrading or staying with Honeycomb!

[via Android Community]

A case between Apple and Samsung on what we’re talking about now first happened back in October and the CAFC also held a hearing in April. In addition to the findings then being that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 does indeed infringe on Apple’s patents (at least one, maybe more,) Apple is now pushing for the temporary ban of the tablet from sale, and because the first ruling has already been made clear, you probably won’t be able to buy a Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the near future once this new ruling is made.

At the CAFC ruling, one of the judges went so far as to note that their ruling didn’t go far enough to stop Samsung’s infringement:

“Circuit Judge Kathleen O’Malley argued that the CAFC should have reversed the decision in order to provided Apple with immediate injunctive relief in light of the irreparable harm it is suffering. But the majority of the judges saw “no reason to believe that there will necessarily be delay, or if there is delay that it will be unjustifiable”.” – FOSS Patents

If and when Apple does win this ban, they’ll have bans on the three top Android manufacturers in the United States. They’ll have Samsung, Motorola, and HTC (with the HTC One X and EVO 4G LTE) with devices on the banning block. Stay tuned as IP is avenged and manufacturers dig their feet into the sand once more!

Also, I told you so.

The case is currently set for June 5th of this year, so noted a spokesperson for the higher regional court in Dusseldorf today. This regional court will take into account the changes made to the Samsung Galaxy Tab line in the 10.1N and will go forward with the case past Samsung’s appeal this January to dismiss the claims entirely. This case appears to be taking place regardless of what you may have heard of Apple and Samsung sitting down to talk about the whole thing over some drinks earlier this month.

Note also that this device, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N, is essentially the same unit we saw earlier this month called the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 – speakers on the front and all.

We’re expecting this battle to continue to be fought for a long, long time. It’s not just a matter of professional pride, but of protecting copyright claims as well. Of course there’s also a matter of sales – would you try to sue a company if they’d created something just like the product you have that sells millions of units a week? How about if they took that product and pushed one of its components in a different direction than it originally faced? How would you feel if you were Samsung?

[via PC World]

Touting an unnamed Samsung tablet as his daily tablet driver currently, Google’s current CEO Page let the Businessweek interviewer know that up until recently he’d been working with Motorola tech. The Motorola XOOM tablet, aka the first Android working with an operating system tuned specifically for the tablet space, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, was Page’s everyday tablet until this year.

He also let the world know that Android and the tablet hardware it runs on will be increasing in quality as the show does go on:

“I think that those are great experiences, but they’re going to get a lot better. I think that we’re at the pretty early stages of this.” – Page

What Google will be bringing to the Android tablet show can be seen first off in the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich experience we’ve already had on the Transformer Prime. Have a peek at our review of the first ever Android 4.0-certified tablet on the market here, and stay tuned for more Android tablet action!

Being the first 4G LTE capable device to land on the regional carrier this is good news for US Cellular owners. The bad news you ask? They appear to be charging entirely too much for the year old tablet. For a limited time, and for those already in a 4G LTE market you can get the Tab 10.1 LTE right now for $399 after a $100 mail in rebate. After this limited period it will actually be $499 after the same rebate — costing users $600 out of pocket.

No, that isn’t the full price either, that is on-contract after users sign a 2-year agreement. At least you’ll have those blazing fast LTE speeds though right. It isn’t all bad news, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is still one of the best tablets available from Android, with the exception of the Transformer Prime. It comes with a 10.1″ 1280 x 800 resolution display, a dual-core 1.0 GHz Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and rocks Android 3.2 Honeycomb. Samsung has promised an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is coming soon too.

For those interested head to USCellular.com for more details and to see if you’re in a 4G LTE network. They have multiple cities covered in North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin and Main.

The LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be given to each Suns player complete with the team’s playbook, video from team practices and games, and scouting reports on opponents. It will also be easier for the team to manage their master itinerary and other travel plans.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab will also be used by the Suns throughout US Airways Center on game-nights such as for showing clients interactive views of game seating, presentations for season ticketholders, and other in-game promotions. The tablets will also be integrated into the Suns’ TV and radio broadcasts as a way to interact with digital fans via social media.

The patent in question covers scrolling display behaviors, namely the way in which a software list shows that the user has reached the bottom. Apple argued that its implementation, as patented, differs from any previous list systems. Samsung, however, argued that the patent hadn’t exceeded the nine month period during which it could be contested, and that no sales ban should be implemented until that had expired.

The court agreed, and Samsung free to sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1N in the German market. The variant has a tweaked bezel, thicker at the shorter sides than at the longer edges, with forward-facing speakers, and was created to work around Apple’s design patents. Apple complained, but courts decided that the design of the 10.1N was sufficiently different.

However, earlier this week a German judge upheld Apple’s original sales injunction against the Tab 10.1, and Samsung has seen two 3G standards-related cases against its rivals thrown out. Now the Korean company faces EU antitrust investigations over whether it misused the patented wireless technologies.

Whereas the original injunction was granted because of claims Apple made regarding design infringement, the higher court decided to maintain the sales ban because it deemed Samsung had infringed fair competition law in Germany. Nonetheless, the ban has also been left in place against the Galaxy Tab 8.9.

Nonetheless, Apple’s design patents are looking increasingly weak. A Dutch court ruled last week that Samsung had not infringed on the designs Apple registered with its Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1N which the company prepared specifically to work around the German injunction has not been blocked from sale. A court will reach a decision on whether the 10.1N is a sufficient alternative in early February.

In the past two weeks, Samsung saw two lawsuits against Apple dismissed, both over alleged infringement of 3G/UMTS standard patents. No reason was given by the judge in each case for either the first or second rejection, though Samsung still has a number of outstanding suits the company is readying.

[via FOSS Patents]

In fact, the Dutch court – and the US court which ruled on Apple’s designs last year – took into account a much larger number of possible prior art examples than the German Dusseldorf court. In that jurisdiction, Apple’s design protection was deemed to be “medium-range or broad” FOSS Patents reports, after only two prior art examples were cited.

“Following the statement from Apple that its model attractive ‘minimalistic’ or ‘tight’ shape, is judge noted that “minimalist” design basically means that the contours are followed as defined by technology and ergonomics of the device are dictated and in determining the scope of this model, technical or other practical / ergonomic elements be disregarded. Considered further given that the backs and sides of the Galaxy Tabs 10.1v and 10.1 differ from those of the Apple model, the judge concluded that the Samsung tablet a different overall impression than that model, so there is no of breach” Dutch court documentation (machine-translated)

Conversely, however, while at least two pieces of prior art were identified for each key design element registered by Apple, none of the examples Samsung’s legal team could muster demonstrated all of them. That meant Apple escaped having its design rights overturned completely.

The ruling could have implications in Dusseldorf next month, where Apple is set to go up against Samsung once more in search of an injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, the customized iteration of the slate created to work around a previous injunction.

The reworked tablet had been prompted by Apple’s original preliminary injunction on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, convincing the German courts that the Korean slate’s design overlapped with those it had registered itself. Samsung returned with a slightly modified model, the Tab 10.1N, with thicker bezels on the sides and front-facing speaker grills.

That, Apple argued, was insufficient, dragging Samsung back into the courtroom to demand a second ban. The Cupertino company was also forced to detail its own suggestions as to what Samsung could do in order to avoid overstepping the iPad, leading to the somewhat bizarre guidelines of a non-rectangular chassis and a “cluttered” UI.

However, the original Galaxy S is not on Samsung’s list for a shot of ICS next year, which will come as a disappointment to buyers of the best-selling smartphone. Samsung had the first play of Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Nexus, Google’s third official Android device and a flagship for v4.0 as well as new features like Android Beam, the NFC-based information transfer system.

What remains to be seen is how quickly carriers can work with Samsung to have new versions of the OS delivered to their variants of the Galaxy S II. US carriers will be particularly under the microscope, having a patchy track record of delivering timely updates.

More on Ice Cream Sandwich in our full OS review, while to get an idea what the OS is capable of on a device, take a look through our Galaxy Nexus review.

In fact, McGee noted that although they were bringing in “as many units as we can” to the market as fast as they can at the moment, “there will probably be short supply against the demand,” as it were. We’ll see how well Apple cut the neck on sales now that Android also has a quad-core tablet in the mix, this having not been true when the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was originally released around the world. McGee noted the following on the subject:

“In August this year we became the number one overall brand in mobile phones in Australia and also the number one brand in smartphones. … At the end of the day the media awareness certainly made the Galaxy Tab 10.1 a household name compared to probably what it would’ve been based on the investment that we would’ve put into it from a marketing perspective.” – McGee

Samsung Australia’s McGee also went on to note that Australia would be getting the 7.7-inch version of the Galaxy Tab by the end of 2011 with the 8.9-inch version coming to the country in the first quarter of 2012. Samsung currently holds a market share in Australia that’s twice as big as its nearest competitor running Android, and is currently holding 55 percent of the smartphone market on the whole. That’s no small number to scoff it, for sure, and with this lovely tablet well on its way to the greater cities, they’d best be ready for another jump.

[via Digital Life]

Apple had sought to block sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the US and Australia, claiming the Android tablet overstepped the mark when it comes to aesthetic similarities between it and the iPad. Courts in each country disagreed, however, with the US judge denying the injunction and an Australian appeals court overturning one there.

A reluctance to negotiate or settle looks to have increasingly been Samsung’s strategy as tensions between it and Apple grow. The Cupertino company is believed to have offered to license at least some of the UI tech in iOS to Samsung in late 2010, though any potential deal collapsed for reasons currently unknown. At one point, Samsung’s lawyers admitted during the ongoing Australian legal case, the company had an “informal policy of not suing Apple” though that has now been replaced by a more strident approach as smartphone sales remain buoyant.

“This is another factor why Samsung has been maintaining its hard-line stance against Apple” another unnamed Samsung executive told the paper. “The US ruling is expected to fuel more momentum for it to further strengthen the existing stance.”

Had Apple succeeded, it could have seen Samsung’s tablet range off the market during the all-important holiday shopping season. “We are confident that we can demonstrate the distinctiveness of Samsung’s mobile devices when the case goes to trial next year” the company said in its official statement following its US court win last week.

When it comes to smartphones, Apple suggests Samsung to design devices that do not have a front surface that is black, do not have a shape that is rectangular or do not have rounded corners, and that the front surface should have substantial adornment as opposed to a sleek clean surface.

Tablets should also not be rectangular or not have rounded corners. They should have thick frames with a front surface that doesn’t lie entirely flat. Also, the profiles should not be thin and the interface should have a cluttered appearance.

It’s fascinating that Apple actually made these suggestions, essentially telling Samsung to design devices that are thick, ugly, overly adorned, and cluttered-looking. And it seems like Samsung has already begun making some of these changes by releasing a new Galaxy Tab 10.1N version that includes thicker vertical frames that slightly protrude from the screen.

Although the new 10.1N has made it onto retailer shelves in Germany, it doesn’t seem to satisfy Apple either as it is seeking a ban on this revised design as well.

[via TheVerge]

However, while the delay is likely to be increasingly frustrating to Samsung, legal experts doubt it is a sign that Apple has a wildcard up its sleeve. “I actually don’t think there is a huge amount to read into this” IP law expert Peter Black told the SMH, blaming time constraints for the delayed appeal. “It would not have been logistically possible for the High Court or Apple and Samsung to hear the special leave application this week … so it’ll be heard next week.”

In the meantime, the Australian High Court judges would not want Samsung’s tablet to go on sale, until they had the opportunity to review Apple’s case. Samsung had not confirmed it would put the Galaxy Tab 10.1 onto store shelves immediately when the injunction was lifted, but given the company stridently protested against any delay as potentially lethal to the slate and its holiday sales potential, rapid retail availability seemed likely.

The extension is to allow the High Court to decide whether Apple can apply for special leave to appeal. Originally a trial in 2012 – with the sales block continuing through to that point – had been expected, until Samsung’s appeal met with favor this week.

[Thanks Matt!]

The three judges sitting on Samsung’s appeal took a critical view of the original judge presiding over Apple’s injunction case. “In our view, her decision was clearly wrong and should be set aside” they wrote of Justice Annabelle Bennett in their closing thoughts, going on to spell out how they believe the judge failed to assess exactly how strong Apple’s case was prior to granting a preliminary injunction. More damningly to Apple’s case, the three also believe the company is unlikely to succeed in its final trial.

Signs that the appeal was not going Apple’s way were clear from early in the process, with one of the judges describing the company’s position in the tablet market as a “monopoly” while another questioned whether the firm had overstated the potential impact of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 on its performance, asking if  ”the whole of Apple’s going to come tumbling down” should it go on sale.

Apple and Samsung will have a chance to test that out for themselves, with the Honeycomb tablet permitted to go on sale in Australia on Friday at 4pm local time. The firm told press that it would publicly announce sales information in the coming days, though it’s worth noting that the Galaxy Tab 10. has already been on sale in the country in the meantime, albeit sourced through gray-market channels.

Interestingly, Justice Bennett is also sitting on an ongoing case between Samsung and Apple over 3G patents, with a trial expected to take place in March 2012. Samsung agreed not to seek an iPhone 4S sales injunction until that point.

However, it’s not all going Samsung’s way elsewhere in the world. Apple has applied for an injunction against the hastily-prepared Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Germany, FOSSPatents reports, despite Samsung’s belief that the redesigned tablet sufficiently skirts iPad design patents. The German courts will rule on Apple’s complaint on December 22, two days after Samsung will protest the sales injunction against the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the German appeals court.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

“We contend that the primary judge made a series of fundamental errors in her disposition of the interlocutory application” Samsung’s lawyers told the three appeals judges. “They were all errors of principle.” The end result, the argument went, was that Samsung was unfairly penalized at “a critical time at the development of [the tablet] market.”

Unsurprisingly, Apple’s legal team has no such qualms about Justice Bennett’s findings and the legitimacy of the Samsung sales injunction. Instead, they described it as having been the result of “a careful and detailed review.”

Although no judgement has been reached, preliminary indications from some of the judges on the case might seem to imply that they have a degree of sympathy for Samsung. One questioned Apple’s lawyers as to whether “the whole of Apple’s going to come tumbling down” if Samsung’s tablet had gone on sale, challenging the Cupertino company’s protestations that it would suffer huge harm had that been the case. Apple’s position in the tablet market was described as a “monopoly.”

“If you have a fast moving product which if taken off the market, destroys the opportunities available to the newcomer and preserves the monopoly of the incumbent then you’d have to have a very close look at the strength of the case” Appeals judge

In some ways, the sales injunction has proved ineffectual, as dealers have unofficially imported the Galaxy Tab 10.1 into Australia to meet customer demand. In Germany, meanwhile, Samsung pushed out a slightly redesigned version of the Honeycomb slate that it believes skirts Apple’s design patents.

The update that was sent out last week hit several snags and didn’t take long for many users to start reporting issues. For some the update wasn’t completing while for others the WiFi connection kept dropping regardless of whether the update completed. There were also reports of Bluetooth and auto rotate problems after users attempted to update.

The problems should be fixed with this second 3.2 update, which will also be sent OTA starting shortly. But, users can also manually update on a computer via Samsung Kies. This method will come in handy for those that have lost WiFi connectivity from the first update. For details on the process, check out this post at Android Community.

German site NewGadgets wasted no time in picking up the workaround tablet and highlighting the differences in a video review (which you can see below). The big difference is the bezel: Apple claimed that part of the iPad’s distinctive appearance was the edge-to-edge glass and minimal metal seen around it. Samsung has thickened the metal section on two of the edges, as well as pivot the stereo speakers around to face more forward than sideways.

The end result is arguably more attractive than the original, and probably sounds better too. Samsung also took the opportunity to slot Bluetooth 3.0 inside, too, though how much of a difference that will make to most users remains to be seen, and moved its own logo front-and-center underneath the touchscreen. Apple is yet to comment on the redesign.

A significant part of Apple’s design patent in Europe is the use of edge-to-edge glass for the iPad screen. It appears that Samsung is working around this by adding a slightly thicker frame that wraps around the left and right sides of the Galaxy Tab 10.1N. Other than that tweak and a bump up to Bluetooth 3.0, the hardware should remain relatively unchanged from the previous version of the tablet.

It’s not clear whether this revised hardware design will be able to bypass Apple’s design patent claims, but Samsung is certainly testing the waters to find out. However, Apple also has software design claims against Samsung, such as in the US and Australia that may not be as easily bypassed with this design tweak. Below is an image of the original Galaxy Tab 10.1.

[via MocoNews]

This game is one in a series of games made by developers working directly with the team at NVIDIA to create masterpieces optimized specifically for the NVIDIA Tegra processor family. Have a look here at a bit if information on how NVIDIA worked with Zen Studios’ Creative Director Neil Sorens – this bit comes from a short interview done with Sorens posted in the Tegra Zone all the way back this summer in July:

“How easy was it to port your game over to Tegra 2?

We got Zen Pinball up and running very quickly, actually. NVIDIA’s been in the graphics business for a long time, so they know exactly what developers want. It was a very smooth process. They’re like “what can we do for you, how can we make things easier, here are some tablets, just go do what you do best and let us know if you need any help.” It’s been fantastic. On the Tegra platforms, it’s like working on another console. That’s basically what it is and we can do the same assets, same engines, and just get it on there quickly and everything will work. The game runs at 60 frames per second with full texture quality and full physics effects going one. In some ways, this is actually superior to what we have going on with the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. It’s super impressive.” – John Gaudiosi via Tegra

Now have a peek at how far they’ve gotten with this game thus far. I’ll mention it in the video again, but let it be clear here: this isn’t the final release, nor is it a release that’s near enough to release to review. What this is instead is a glimpse of the future, now!

The other game mentioned in the video is Pinball HD, a game you can check out here on SlashGear in a bit of news on how it’s up on Mac OS X (and iPad) or over on Android Community where your humble narrator gave it a full review on an Android tablet complete with Tegra 2.

We’ll be seeing this game SOON for Android devices with Tegra processors from NVIDIA. And of course, expect this game to work twice as nice on Tegra 3, NVIDIA’s quad-core processor coming inside 2011 to the front of the pack with the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime, we guarantee!

According to the report, the updates won’t begin until Q2 2012, potentially six months after Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus goes on sale. Samsung confirmed to us last night at the kick-off of the Galaxy Note European Tour that the oversized smartphone would get Android 4.0, as reported in our Galaxy Note vs Galaxy Nexus hands-on, but said that, since the company had been working closely with Google on ICS, they expected to beat competitors to the market with upgrades for existing devices.

That could suggest that general Android 4.0 upgrades will be further out than we initially anticipated, it might be an issue with this information supposedly from Samsung Italy, or it could be a regional matter with Italian owners having to wait longer for software than those elsewhere. We’re attempting to independently confirm both the models and release dates, and will update when we know more.

[via Android Community]