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- Samsung strikes blow in big trial with Apple, damages reduced by 43% to $599 million
- Acer Developing The Liquid S Quad-Core Powered Phablet
- HTC One VX quick review: The best features from the One series at a bargain price
- Rovio releases teaser video for The Croods
- Do these Tweets mean the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is about to get an update? Probably not
- PhotoSphere Installer available in Google Play Store for rooted devices
- Sergey Brin says smartphones are ‘emasculating’ and a ‘nervous habit’ while Google Glass is a ‘little freaky at first, but you get used to it’
- Which Tablets Are The Least Repairable? iFixit Releases New List
- Pandora institutes a 40-hour free listening limit for users
- AT&T Sony Xperia TL Jelly Bean Update Available Now
| Samsung strikes blow in big trial with Apple, damages reduced by 43% to $599 million Posted: 01 Mar 2013 02:30 PM PST
In the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung, the latest blow from Judge Lucy Koh has landed squarely on Apple this time. Judge Koh released a ruling today that has at least temporarily reduced the original $1.05 billion award to almost $599 million. Judge Koh’s ruling indicates “the Court identified an impermissible legal theory on which the jury based its award.” Koh has ordered a new trial relative to determining the correct amount due in place of the amounts she disallowed. Koh indicated in her latest ruling that there were two main errors related to the calculation of damages. First, the jury based damages for infringement of utility patents on Samsung’s sales. This method is only used when design patents are infringed, not utility patents. The second error involved the time frame for calculating the award. The jury used a date of August 24, 2010 based on a meeting held that day between Samsung and Apple when Apple informed Samsung that they thought they were infringing Apple’s ’381 “scrollback” patent. However, a full list of all intellectual property Apple believed was being infringed upon was not provided until April 15, 2011 when Apple filed their complaint. The issue was muddied just a bit more when Apple added additional devices to their list on June 16, 2011. The jury should have only awarded damages for sales that occurred after Apple had informed Samsung of the specific violations it was claiming existed. Samsung had asked Koh to calculate new damages herself based on these errors. However, she declined to do so citing an inability to determine the jury’s intent and process in assessing damages. Koh has suggested to the two sides that they wait for the appeals process related to the rulings of infringement to complete before filing for the new trial on damages. Koh also agreed with Apple that Samsung had sold some devices after the end of the trial that should be included in the damages calculations. It is unclear whether Apple will be able to win damages anywhere close to the original $450 million wiped out by this latest ruling. Anyone need to refill their popcorn? source: The Verge
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| Acer Developing The Liquid S Quad-Core Powered Phablet Posted: 01 Mar 2013 01:50 PM PST
Acer is looking to create its very own phablet dubbed the Liquid S according to some clues left behind in an interview. Mobile World Congress (MWC) took place February 25th through 28th and the Taiwanese manufacturer had a small showing with devices such as the Liquid E1, a 4.5 inch Android smartphone running Jelly Bean. In an interview for the official MWC paper, the President of Acer’s smartphone business hinted at an upcoming phablet:
The company doesn’t currently have a phablet on the market and the Liquid S will be their first ever quad-core phone. Specs for such a device are non-existent at the moment and one has to take into question Acer’s definition of a phablet. There are more than a couple of Android phones currently available with screens larger than 4.7 inches. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S III has a 4.8 inch screen and the HTC DROID DNA has a 5-inch display. Depending on who’s holding it, they probably wouldn’t quality as a phablets. Source: GSMArena
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| HTC One VX quick review: The best features from the One series at a bargain price Posted: 01 Mar 2013 12:54 PM PST Flagship phones will always be popular, but a recent trend of high quality mid-range phones started late last year. The DROID RAZR M is a perfect example because it gives you a lot for the money. Now HTC is attempting to get in on the bandwagon with the One VX. It’s priced at $49 on AT&T, and although the specs are not what you would find on a high-end phone, they are far from embarrassing. Is it just another cheap device or is it worthy of your money? Hit the break to read the rest and find out.
Design HTC continues to amaze me with their quality of workmanship. The One VX looks like a baby One X, which is a good thing because it sports the same polycarbonate body. After using the DROID DNA for a while, the VX almost seems tiny, but it’s not. It packs a 4.5-inch display, which is just under what you will find in most flagships. The result is a really nice size (9.19mm thick and weighs 124.7g) for most people, and feels very comfortable in the hand. I generally don’t like white phones, but I fell in love with the color on the One X. With the One VX, the white back is very similar to the One X, but they added a nice touch of silver around the bezel, sides, and the top of the back. The other major change is that the back is removable, which gives you access to the microSD slot and microSIM slot. Unfortunately the battery is still non-removable, but that shouldn’t be a problem for the target user.
Hardware The One VX comes with a 4.5-inch qHD (960 x 540) Super LCD display at 245ppi, a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8930 processor, 1GB of RAM, an Adreno 305 GPU, 8GB of internal storage, microSD slot for expansion, 5MP rear camera with ImageSense, VGA front camera, 1,800 mAh battery, 802.11a/b/g/n, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC. As for mobile bands, it supports LTE (bands 4 and 17), tri-band HSPA+ / UMTS (850/1900/2100) and quad-band GSM / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900).
Performance I remember when a $49 phone meant that it was slow and unresponsive. That’s not the case with the One VX. Is it the fastest phone in the world? Absolutely not, but I don’t see any casual user complaining about the speed. The best part is that it will only improve once the buttery smooth Jelly Bean update lands. For giggles, I ran the AnTuTu Benchmark and it came in at 10,384, which isn’t too shabby at all. In fact, it’s much higher than the One X, which came in at 6,772 and utilized the older S4 chip (sans Plus). To give you another perspective, the DROID DNA came in at 14,544, so the One VX sits right in the middle, which is very good for a sub $100 phone. With the current crop of high end devices sporting 1080p, the qHD display on the One VX seems so 2011. However, HTC makes the best displays in the business. No, it’s not as nice as the DROID DNA, but I am going to repeat myself again in saying that the average user won’t find any complaints. Beats Audio is onboard, and as we stated in the past, it might be more of a gimmick than anything else. With that said, I would still rather have it then not.
Battery I ran my usual battery rundown test that yielded just about 6 hours on 4G LTE. This test is done by running continuous video and setting the display to 2/3′s brightness, while WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS are on. (WiFi and Bluetooth not connected). However, the real world is where it matters, and you should be able to go from morning until bedtime without a charge under moderate use. Software The one glaring negative for the One VX is that it comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich underneath Sense 4. HTC does promises the Jelly Bean update that will come with Sense 4+. If and when that does happen, I think it’s safe to say that it will be the only major update, so you will have to decide if you will be happy with that for the next two years. Other than some minor bug fix updates, don’t expect to see Sense 5 or Key Lime Pie, but most users looking for a sub $100 phone probably isn’t worried about what dessert their phone is running. To learn more about Sense 4 and Ice Cream Sandwich, see our One X and One S reviews from last year.
Camera The One VX sports only a 5MP camera, but don’t let that detract you. It has ImageSense, an f/2.2 lens, and can record 1080p video. It also has the same settings and features that are found on the higher-end One X such as HDR, panorama, burst shooting, and a lot of effects. You can learn more about these features in our One X and One S reviews. Below are some example shots for you to judge for yourself (last one needing flash), but you won’t find a better camera in a sub $100 phone period.
Closing If you’re looking for a sub $100 phone and on AT&T, it’s pretty clear to me that the One VX is a solid choice. It’s priced at $49 on contract, and you won’t find anything better at that price. It should also be noted that if you don’t mind your One VX in red, you can currently grab that one for 99-cents ( Web only). If you’re not tied to a carrier, you could look at the DROID RAZR M on Verizon Wireless, but to me the One VX is the better phone because it has a much better camera.
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| Rovio releases teaser video for The Croods Posted: 01 Mar 2013 12:18 PM PST
Fans of Rovio’s Angry Birds franchise may be interested in a new movie tie-in the company has in the works. Later this month Dreamworks is releasing The Croods, an animated look at pre-historic humans. Rovio has partnered with Dreamworks Animation to release a new, free game based on the motion picture. Not much information is provided regarding game play for the new title, but Rovio’s teaser text indicates the Croods will “Hunt & Gather their way through spectacular new landscapes as they tame fantastic and never-seen-before creatures.” Rovio lists the game as being available for phone and tablet devices running both Android and iOS on March 14th. You can check out the teaser video after the break. Click here to view the embedded video.
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| Do these Tweets mean the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is about to get an update? Probably not Posted: 01 Mar 2013 12:15 PM PST
Owners of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus got excited when a Tweet from a Verizon Support rep (LH) sent yesterday stated that Samsung was going to push an update out, but didn’t have any other information. Speculation is that it will be Android 4.2.2 or at least 4.2.1. Tweets from Verizon support should always be taken with skepticism as there are countless examples of mistakes and miss information. Let’s take a look at this tweet. They said that Samsung is going to push it. If an update does occur, we already know it will be Google, but that could be an honest mistake, so I will give him or her the benefit of the doubt. A little later another rep (EO) tweeted..
A glaring problem with this one is the link goes to the original Jelly Bean update that took place several months ago. I’m not here to say that the Galaxy Nexus will or won’t get another update, but I am going to tell you not to expect an update based on these tweets. Personally, I will be surprised if the Verizon GNex gets another update, but hopefully I’m wrong. source: @VZWSupport
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| PhotoSphere Installer available in Google Play Store for rooted devices Posted: 01 Mar 2013 12:03 PM PST
One of the features from Android 4.2 Jelly Bean that consistently scores interest from consumers is the camera app and specifically, the PhotoSphere function. Although Google has made some pieces of Android 4.2 available as standalone apps that can be installed on 4.1 devices, the camera has not been one of them. This means users that really want the new camera, including PhotoSphere, have to root their device and go through some manual steps to get the camera running on their 4.1 Jelly Bean powered devices. Developer Matthias Bosc has developed an app to make installation of the Android 4.2 camera app much easier and it is now available in the Google Play Store. The big caveat remains for users interested in the new camera app – your device must be rooted. Bosc’s installer app not only installs the PhotoSphere function, it includes the full camera app. Users get some of the other improvements like a new user interface and an HDR function for devices with the appropriate hardware. The app is available in the Google Play Store for $1.07. Be sure to check out the reviews though as it appears several users are having issues accessing the PhotoSphere function. You can use one of the download links below to head over to Google Play.
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| Posted: 01 Mar 2013 11:23 AM PST
Google Glass is the next generation of wearable, internet-connected devices, and Sergey Brin believes smartphones are “emasculating” compared to Glass. Sergey recently spoke at the Technology, Education and Design (TED) conference in Los Angeles. He made a few points about how people interact with phones and the outside world:
Sergey also showed the audience how Google Glass works and mentioned that it’s “a little freaky at first, but you get used to it." His TED talk isn’t up yet, but see our recent post for what life is like through glass. With Google Glass ahead of schedule and expected to hit consumers by the end of 2013 at under $1500, it’ll be no time at all before we can see just how less “emasculating” it really is. Source: The Independent
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| Which Tablets Are The Least Repairable? iFixit Releases New List Posted: 01 Mar 2013 10:02 AM PST
iFixit, who is known for taking apart products and seeing what’s inside, has released a new tablet repairability list. The new list examined 18 different tablets from the Nexus 10 to the first generation iPad. Scoring was based on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the best.
The Dell XPS 10 performed best due to being easy to open, easy to remove the battery, and because it has color-coded screws and labeled cables inside. Google’s very own Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 were further down the list. The LCD not separating from the glass on the Nexus 7 was an issue while the Nexus 10 is very difficult to open and has several components attached by both screws and glue. Despite the iPad being notoriously unrepairable, the least repairable tablet went to Microsoft’s Surface Pro. iFixit gave such it a low score due to tons of adhesive holding everything into place, and you risk shearing the display cables by opening it. Source: iFixit
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| Pandora institutes a 40-hour free listening limit for users Posted: 01 Mar 2013 08:21 AM PST
Pandora is no doubt a staple on our Android devices— thanks to the ability to listen to what is seemingly endless hours of music every month. Unfortunately, it appears that users may need to adjust how often they listen to Pandora’s music service on any given month as it has imposed a limit to free listening to 40 hours per month. Using the Pandora blog, founder Tim Westergren offers some reasoning for why the company had to make the important change. He highlights that Pandora’s per-track royalty rates have increased more than 25% over the last 3 years, including 9% in 2013 alone and worse– the royalty rates are scheduled to increase an additional 16% over the next two years. Essentially, the company had to reluctantly institute a 40-hour monthly listening limit in order to help manage the ever-growing costs without interrupting the general service too much for listeners. Fortunately, the limit will generally not affect most users. According to Westergren, the limit will only affect less than 4% of Pandora’s total active monthly users. Moreover, the average listener will spend roughly 20 hours on average listening to music across all devices on any given month. So in essence, this new policy is not too noticeable for most of you out there. However, for the 4% of you who may be expressing some concern, will have some pretty nifty alternatives available: listen to unlimited music on your desktop or laptop computers instead, pay 99¢ for unlimited listening for the remainder of that month or just break down and subscribe to Pandora One for unlimited listening and no advertising. So yeah— aside from a new monthly limit which won’t affect most users anyways— everything else with the Pandora app is pretty much status quo. It may be a good thing anyways since you know— most of us have to deal with those pesky data caps on our wireless service anyways. source: Pandora blog
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| AT&T Sony Xperia TL Jelly Bean Update Available Now Posted: 01 Mar 2013 07:32 AM PST
The Jelly Bean 4.1.2 footprint just got a little larger over night. Reports from XDA members began coming in last night that the AT&T Sony Xperia TL is seeing the 4.1.2 upgrade. These upgrades do appear to be coming via PC Companion however, rather than OTA. From the posts, users are reporting a more fluid user interface and a more reliable WiFi connection. These features are of course in addition to all the standard Jelly Bean features such as Google Now and Project Butter. Additionally there are a few camera tweaks included in the update, including an HDR feature, however burst mode was not added. Go grab it if manually downloading your updates via PC Companion are your thing. Otherwise let us know when you see that OTA update or if you can access the update from your About Phone software update option. source: XDA
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