11 Patents That Are Getting Android Partners In To Trouble

11 Patents That Are Getting Android Partners In To Trouble

July 2, 2012   Technology

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The Android platform is under attack from a number of companies — not just Apple. Microsoft, for example, has forced several Android partners into licensing agreements due to patent infringements.

And between these settlements, and Apple’s recent legal hot streak against Samsung, there’s no denying that Google is guilty of illegally copying something from somewhere. But the question is, what?

Intellectual Property expert Florian Mueller recently put together a list of 11 patents (from both Apple and Microsoft) that Android has been found to be guilty of infringing upon:

• Patent EP2059868 – covers “a portable electronic device for photo management.” Basically it’s the photo gallery page-flipping feature in iOS.
• U.S. Patent No. 7,469,381 – covers “list scrolling and document translation, scaling, and rotation on a touch-screen display.” This is what gives scrolling in iOS that rubberband-like bounce.
• U.S. Design Patent No. D618,677 – this is an iPhone design-related patent.
• U.S. Patent No. 5,946,647 – involves “a system and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data.” This covers the ability in iOS to open the Mail or Phone app by tapping an email address or phone number.
• EP1964022 – “unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image.” One of Apple’s slide-to-unlock patents.
• U.S. Patent No. 6,370, 566 – “generating meeting requests and group scheduling from a mobile device.” Microsoft.
• EP1304891 – “communicating multi-part messages between cellular devices using a standardized interface.” Microsoft.
• U.S. Design Patent No. D504,889 – an iPad-related patent
• U.S. Patent No. 8,086, 604 – covers a “universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system.” Essentially, this covers Siri and other unified searches.
• U.S. Patent No. 8,046,721 – “unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image.” Another slide-to-unlock patent.
• U.S. patent No. 8,074,172 – “a method, system, and graphical user interface for providing word recommendations.” Otherwise known as autocorrect.

This was just a brief rundown of the 11 patents. FOSS Patents has a much more in-depth analysis of each one, plus links to each patent, if you’re interested in that sort of thing.

At any rate, it’s interesting to see the inventions that have multiple billion dollar tech companies fighting around the world. It’s hard to to believe that these things are causing so many problems.

[BusinessInsider]

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Customize Your Computer’s Battery Warnings To Provent Suprised Laptop Failure

Customize Your Computer’s Battery Warnings To Provent Suprised Laptop Failure

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We’ve all been there before: You’re out with your laptop, engrossed in your work, when your laptop gives you the ever-dreaded battery warning. If you’d rather your laptop warn you a little sooner, you can tweak the alerts to happen sooner, later, and even take different actions when your battery reaches a certain point. Here’s how.

Tweak Your Battery Warnings on Windows

Windows users are lucky enough to have these options built right into the OS. To tweak them, just follow these instructions:

1. Click on the start menu and type “Edit Power Plan” into the search box. Choose the Edit Power Plan option when it comes up.
2. Click the “Change Advanced Power Settings” link at the bottom of the window.
3. Choose the power plan from the top dropdown that corresponds to what you use when you’re on battery power (by default, this is “Balanced”). Scroll down to “Battery” and click the plus sign next to it.
4. Here, you’ll want to tweak two things: Low Battery Level and/or Critical Battery Level. Low Battery Level corresponds to the first alert you get, that lets you know you’re running out of battery. Reserve Battery Level is the second alert you get, letting you know that your computer will hibernate soon, and Critical Battery Level corresponds to when your computer goes into hibernation.

By tweaking these, you’ll be able to give yourself a bit more of a heads up before your computer dies, giving you enough time to finish whatever you’re doing. Of course, while you’re at it, you should also make sure you’re doing everything you can to maximize your battery life—that way you’ll run into those “oh crap” situations less often.

Low Battery Saver Adds More Options to OS X’s Alerts

OS X doesn’t let you tweak your battery alerts, but you can download a $1.99 app called Low Battery Saver that gives you a few more options in how your laptop warns you. When you start up the app, you have the option to:

• Put your computer in Safe Sleep mode when it has a certain number of minutes left. This is particularly useful for old MacBooks that no longer hibernate properly when the battery runs out.
• Provide an extra battery warning besides OS X’s built-in one, at a time of your choosing.

Low Battery Saver gives you warnings based on how much time your battery has left, not a percentage level, which can be handy. However, if you have an old computer and haven’t taken care of the battery properly, this value may be incorrect, so you’ll want to stay on the more conservative side and add an extra few minutes to the notification.

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New Light Sheds On App Review Process From A Former Apple Employee

New Light Sheds On App Review Process From A Former Apple Employee

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Apple’s app review team takes a lot of heat from the iOS community. Their decisions on which apps are let into the App Store, and which ones get rejected, are often criticized for being either too strict or too lenient.

One reason why there’s so much grievance is that fact that people don’t quite understand the process or what it’s like to be an appreviewer. So a former Apple employee decided to clear things up…

Former software engineer Mike Lee recently spoke with Business Insider regarding what it’s like to be a part of Apple’s app review team. And apparently, it’s actually a pretty lousy gig.

“People have this idea that there are 100 people in India doing app reviews,” Lee tells Business Insider. “It’s just people in a building at Apple, and like every other part of Apple, they can’t get enough really good people. Apple will not compromise the quality of its teams to fill it in. I promise you it’s a lot smaller than you imagine.”

This is mind-boggling when you consider that Apple sees between 8,500 and 10,000 app submissions per week. And reviewers must scan each and every one for copyright and guideline infringement, as well as explicit content. In fact, Lee says the latter is particularly troublesome.

“It’s a very serious problem, trying to filter out things that no one is there to see. Somebody has to sit there and filter out all of those d*cks. You can’t let any of those get through. You have to err way on the side of safety. You have to have people sitting there looking at things that may or may not be d*cks all day long.”

It’s no surprise that filtering out these types of applicationsis of particular importance to Apple’s review team. Steve Jobs was extremely vocal about his company’s position on pornography, famously saying “If you want porn, get an Android.”

Nevertheless, while while we may wonder what they’re thinking sometimes, we have to admit that in general, Apple’s review team does a pretty good job of protecting the integrity of the App Store.

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The Mojo Treble Is An All-In-One Keychain Tool

The Mojo Treble Is An All-In-One Keychain Tool

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We’ve shared numerous cables and tools you should have in your go bag, but the last thing you want is to root through piles of stuff just to find one charger. The Mojo Treble Keychain combines an iPhone charger, Android charger, SD card reader/thumb drive, and SIM-ejecting pin into one, tiny tool.

This little keychain (available in black or white) packs a ton of stuff into a small space, letting you charge and sync nearly any phone and store data like a thumb drive (via the micro SD card reader) through its USB connection. It also comes with a small pin for ejecting your phone’s SIM card, but it’s also perfect for resetting a router or performing any other “pin reset” task, making this a great tool to have with you wherever you go. It costs $25 on Amazon, but considering a normal charging cable from Apple costs $20, that’s actually a pretty good deal.

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Updated Pandora App Now Has UI Changes And Reduced Battery Usage

Updated Pandora App Now Has UI Changes And Reduced Battery Usage

July 8, 2012   Technology

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Pandora has released a major update for its iOS application this weekend, bringing it to version 3.2. The new app includes a refreshed UI, and several other welcomed enhancements.

Among the new features is a modification to the app’s architecture, which, Pandora claims, greatly reduces the amount of battery life it uses. Keep reading for the full change log…

New features in Pandora 3.2 include:

• Visual refresh and design enhancements
• Full lyrics for the songs we play
• Artist biographies
• Detailed track features from the Music Genome Project
• Song history: rate, bookmark, or buy previously played tracks
• Explicit lyrics controls
• Start a new station directly from the Now Playing screen
• Simplified sign-in and registration screens
• Reduced battery usage

The update really makes for a more cohesive user experience. I like the new look, which follows the recent Instagram-esque design trend, and new features like Artist Biographies and Song History are a nice touch.

I haven’t been using version 3.2 long enough to notice any kind of significant impact on the battery life of my iPhone4S, but even the slightest improvement would be helpful at this point.

The app, as always, is free, and can be found in the App Store. And then of course, Pandora is still offering its ad-free $3.99-per-month Pandora One service.

So, what do you think of the new Pandora?

[The Verge]

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What Is The Best Android Web Browser?

What Is The Best Android Web Browser?

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You already know which web browser we think is best for Android, but just because we like it doesn’t mean you have to. Thankfully, there are dozens to choose from, all with different feature sets. This week, we want to know which one you think is the best for browsing the web on your Android phone or tablet.

There are dozens of browsers for Android available, not including the stock one that most of us get with our phones. The stock one is great, but it’s definitely lacking when it comes to advanced features. If you’re an iOS fan, don’t worry, we’ll get around to your favorite picks next week, but we’re starting with Android! Leave your vote for the best Android browser in the discussions below.

Hive Five nominations take place in the discussions, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of nominations, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your comment like so: VOTE: BEST ANDROID WEB BROWSER. Please don’t include your vote in a reply to another person. Instead, make your vote and reply separate discussions. After you’ve made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.

About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get: “Which tool is the best?” Once a week we’ll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we’ll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best.

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Brand New Food and Drink Category Is Now live On The App Store

Brand New Food and Drink Category Is Now live On The App Store

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Earlier this month, several iOS developers reported receiving word from Apple that it was adding a new category to the App Store called Food and Drink.

The new section would showcase a number of applications regarding the topic, that previously got lost in the gigantic Lifestyle section. And now it’s live…

As noted by 9to5Mac, the new Food and Drink category is now live in the App Store. Users can use the new section to find a nice mix of food and drink recipe apps, cooking aids, and local restaurant finders.

To give you an idea, top paid iPhone apps in the new category include Food Network in the Kitchen and MapMuse’s Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives Locator. Top free apps include Starbucks and Urbanspoon.

If you want to check out the new section for yourself, you can view it in the App Store, by clicking here.

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Xbox Live app brings 360 control to iPad

Xbox Live app brings 360 control to iPad

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Last month, Microsoft released an update to its My Xbox LIVE application that brought Xbox 360 control to the iPhone. The feature gave users the ability to control their consoles with an Apple-branded handset.

Yesterday, Microsoft released another update that brings that console control to the iPad…

From the app’s release notes:

“Use your iPad with your Xbox to connect, control and discover content on your console. Connect your iPad for access to a quick list of your most recent console activity. Control your content with play, pause, fast forward and rewind media controls. Find fresh entertainment to play in the new Discover section.”

While it doesn’t offer any advanced options, the control feature serves as a nice backup remote for your Xbox 360. Just make sure that the console has an active internet connection.

If you’re interested, you can grab the new My Xbox LIVE application from the App Store, for free.

What do you think of the updated iPad app?

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Prey’s New Mobile Webapp Finds Your Lost or Stolen Laptop and Smartphone

Prey’s New Mobile Webapp Finds Your Lost or Stolen Laptop and Smartphone

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It’s so easy to lose your laptop or get your phone stolen these days. Luckily, Prey helps you get them back, and today they added a new mobile-friendly webapp to make recovering your gadgets easier than ever.

We’ve talked about Prey many times before. It’s great for recovering stolen tech, and it’s super easy to set up, but so far its control panel—the webapp that helps you get your stuff back—has been designed for the desktop. Meaning, if you get your laptop stolen, you need to find another computer to help you get it back. Today, Prey released a mobile-friendly webapp that makes finding your stolen tech much easier. Just like the desktop version, you can lock your device, sound an alarm, track it via GPS, and more. To access it, just head to panel.preyproject.com on your iOS or Android device.

And if you haven’t installed Prey on all your devices yet, check out our guide on how to do it—it’ll only take you a few minutes, and you’ll have a much better chance of getting your gear back if lost or stolen.

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The Five Best Routers Are:

The Five Best Routers Are:

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Buying a wi-fi router these days is no easy task. Long gone are the days where one model rose above the rest: now there are routers with different features, some that focus on range, others that focus on speed, and still others with advanced features like NAS support and traffic shaping options. This week we’re going to take a look at five of the best home wi-fi routers, based on your nominations.

Earlier in the week, we asked you which wireless routers you thought were the best for customization, range, signal strength, and features. You responded with more nominees than we could feature here, but a few models really rose out of the pack and were your clear favorites. Here they are:

Linksys WRT54G Series

The venerable Linksys WRT54G has long been one of the most hackable wireless routers on the market, and while they’re a little trickier to come by these days, they’re still widely available and if you can get your hands on one, you won’t find another router that supports both the DD-WRT and Tomato alternate router firmwares better and more smoothly. Even though it’s an 802.11g model and lacks 802.11n, and the range and speed of some of its more modern rivals, it’s a rock solid router with a well earned fan base. It may be end-of-life from Linksys’ perspective, but they do keep a well-updated support pagededicated to it. There’s a reason this model has its own entry here.

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Apple Airport Extreme/Express

A number of you nominated the Apple Airport Extreme and Airport Express for their simple configuration, minimal design, and remarkably low price point for what you get. It’s not terribly hackable, and you’re not going to buy an Airport model and go home planning to install custom firmware, but you will be able to slip an Airport Express in your pocket or suitcase and be able to set up or extend a wireless network anywhere you go (or plug it into any set of speakers to make them Airplay compatible), and you will be able to set up an Airport Extreme in a matter of minutes and have a cozy dual band 802.11n blanket over your whole house. The Express sports a pair of 10/100 Ethernet ports on the back, and the Extreme boasts four gigabit Ethernet ports for other devices. Both offer USB ports for connected devices like printers or (in the case of the Extreme) NAS devices. If you want a truly fire-and-forget router, the Airport Extreme is a good choice.

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Netgear N Series (WNDR Models)

Netgear has come a long way, and its N-series (also known by their model numbers, WNDRXXXX) wireless routers are proof. PC Mag issued theN750/WNDR4000 an Editor’s Choice award (and I’m a happy owner of one!) and the N900/WNDR4500 is one of the most powerful and speedy dual-band 802.11n home routers on the market today. Many of Netgear’s N-series routers are compatible with DD-WRT, but even if you’re not the type to flash your router’s firmware, Netgear’s own firmware offers quality-of-service controls, advanced access and parental controls, support for dynamic DNS, advanced wireless security options, and offer support for NAS devices and printers connected via USB. They range in price, and many of the better ones are definitely on the high-end, but in this case you get what you pay for.

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ASUS RT Series

You may not think of ASUS when you think of wireless routers, especially if you haven’t purchased a router in several years, but the ASUS RT series, specifically the ASUS RT-N56 and RT-N66 models, combine great features and sharp looks into a networking package that offers dual-band 802.11n, support for connected devices like printers and NAS devices via USB, and some of the strongest signal strength and range available. Plus, most of ASUS’s models support builds of DD-WRT or Tomato, so if you want even more control over the router’s features, it’s readily available to you. The RT-N66 even has detachable antennae that you can swap out for higher-powered versions that you can either buy (like the Mohu Bounce) or build yourself.

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Linksys E Series

When Linksys started to phase out the WRT54G series, they started to direct customers to the E Series—their easy-to-configure (and sharp-looking) replacement models. Every member of the E Series is an 802.11n router, and many of you praised them—specifically the E4200—for their blend of features, simple setup, range and signal strength, and the fact that many of the E-series routers are compatible with DD-WRT, so you can flash the firmware and get even more features once the router is set up the way you like. Linksys’ price point is attractive as well, and even if you opt not to flash the firmware, you can very affordably buy a router that takes moments to set up and needs little maintenance after the fact. It doesn’t hurt that many of Cisco’s routers specifically support household features like VoIP and traffic shaping for things like torrents, putting some relatively advanced features in the hands of people who may have been intimidated by them before.

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