| Samsung apologizes to Chinese customers, offers free repairs Oct 24th 2013, 07:05, by Juan Carlos Torres Manufacturers are no strangers to criticism and discontented customers, but it becomes a bigger issue when a government itself is the one pointing its fingers at you. It seems that Samsung has found that out the hard way and is now offering its apologies and peace offerings to its Chinese customers. 
The Korean manufacturer came under heavy fire last Monday when China’s state-run broadcaster CCTV lambasted Samsung on air during a 30-minute program. The manufacturer was chided for shipping sub-par components in its Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III smartphones that were then sold in the Chinese market. It also criticized how the company handled warranty and repairs of the said devices, as well as the high cost of repairs that didn’t effectively repair the units. This is not the first time China has raised its voice against foreign tech companies, and for the same issues, in fact. In an unprecedented move, Apple CEO Tim Cook apologized to Chinese consumers in April for flaws in its repair and warranty system for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s smartphones. It seems that Samsung has decided to imitate Apple’s mea culpa as well. Samsung says that it is welcoming of media scrutiny and has laid the blame on management problems, offering its sincere apologies to their Chinese customers. To help alleviate matters, Samsung will be repairing the two problematic smartphones for free, refunding those who have already paid for repairs, and replacing units for free if the devices still fail to work even after being repaired twice. VIA: The Next Web |  | HP tipped to sell mobile patent portfolio Oct 24th 2013, 06:25, by Juan Carlos Torres Desperate times call for desperate measures and it seems that HP has reached that stage indeed. The PC maker, who has been hard hit by a steadily declining PC market, is reported to be trying to regain some financial ground by selling off several mobile patents that it still holds. 
Patents have become a sort of cash cow these days, especially those related to mobile technology as the battle for mobile supremacy rages on. Buying Motorola Mobility, especially its patent portfolio, cost Google an easy $12.5 billion in 2011, while a consortium headed by unlikely allies Microsoft and Apple spent $4.5 billion to buy more than 6,000 mobile patents from Nortel Networks Corp. If buying patents seem to be a strategy to gain an upper hand in the market, selling off patents sound like a last-ditch effort to win back some cash. HP, the worlds second largest personal computer maker, sounds the least likely to be holding mobile patents but it does posses quite a number of them, most probably related to the WebOS mobile platform which it inherited when it bought Palm in 2010. While HP has actually sold off WebOS to LG, it has kept on to related patents and has simply licensed them to the Korean electronics manufacturer. Now it seems that HP might be letting them go for real this time. There isn’t much information on what those patents are or which ones HP is thinking of selling, as the matters are still private. However, inside sources say that the company has already approached several potential buyers and have even removed restrictive conditions on the patents in order to sweeten the deal. SOURCE: Bloomberg | | Hyundai, Kia to put out Android-based smart cars soon Oct 24th 2013, 05:51, by Juan Carlos Torres Automobile makers Hyundai and Kia are trying to lay claim to the title of being the world’s first automakers to include an Android-based navigation system in its upcoming and future models very soon. Although it sounds quite ambitious and somewhat vague, if all goes according to their plans, we might be seeing such cars by the end of the year. 
The concept of “smart” cars are nothing new, and many car manufacturers are already advertising features that revolve around iOS, so this latest bit of rumor sort of evens out the field. These won’t be autonomous driving cars, neither full nor partial, and will simply be equipped with navigation systems that will come either pre-installed in future cars or offered as an upgrade option after purchase. Details of this so called Android AVN system, for audio video navigation, are a bit unclear at this point. What is certain is that users will be able to connect their Android devices to the car to get access to apps and entertainment feature. There is mention of the system having its own app store, but it is unknown if it will be including Google Play Store. Users will also supposedly be able to control the car remotely over WiFi or modem connection, but the feature is quite vague. Not to mention scary, when you seriously think about security and safety concerns. There is no concrete timetable for cars that will be equipped with the Android-based navigation system, but the automakers are expected to add this feature to new cars to be released next year. Media reports also speculate that the Android AVN system will make its debut with new the Hyundai Genesis and Kia Soul slated to launch later this year. VIA: Android Authority | | Hulu offers free clips on mobile web browsers Oct 24th 2013, 05:21, by Juan Carlos Torres Hulu has set up a new landing page on its website that may or may not be the feature you are looking for. Users who will be navigating to hulu.com via their smartphone or tablet web browser will now be able to view clips of some of their favorite TV shows for free. 
Whereas before, visiting users will simply be shown a page with instructions for downloading the Hulu Plus mobile app, as well as signing up for a paid subscription, of course, now they will be greeted with a choice to instantly watch top clips such as select episodes from Jimmy Kimmel, The Daily Show, The Voice, Grimm, Family Guy, and other shows available on Hulu. One can even select videos to see by category. And, of course, there’s the ever-present option to share to the world the free clip you are watching via Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail. The mobile version of the website is said to look and behave pretty much like a native mobile app, sporting familiar navigation tools, like the triple bar “hamburger” menu icon that brings up a navigation menu on the side. It’s quite commendable how Hulu has made the effort to make the experience as similar with its mobile app. But there will be no confusing the two, as users will be presented with an option to upgrade to Hulu Plus. And upgrade they might want to, as this new feature is simply just a teaser of what Hulu fully provides, for a price. The clips provided for free are just segments of the episodes, so visitors might wish to sign up for an actual account if they want to experience the whole shebang. Hulu is defintely not planning on offering full-length episodes on mobile outside of its Hulu Plus app any time soon. SOURCE: Hulu
VIA: TechCrunch | |
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