| News for wireless telecommunications professionals |  |
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- Top tech companies license Kodak patents in $525 million deal
Major technology companies, including Apple, Google, Samsung Electronics, Microsoft and Research In Motion, will license Eastman Kodak's trove of digital patents as part of a $525 million bankruptcy court auction in which the companies sought to protect themselves from patent litigation. Other members of the group include HTC, Facebook, Amazon, Huawei Technologies, Adobe Systems, Fujifilm Holdings and Shutterfly. Intellectual Ventures will actually buy the 1,100 patents involved in the deal and license them to the companies. The Wall Street Journal
(12/19)      
| Company News | | |
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- Patent office strikes Apple patent cited in Samsung trial
Federal regulators have struck down a second Apple patent cited in the company's trial victory over Samsung Electronics earlier this year, a decision that some experts say will likely reduce the $1.05 billion in damages awarded to Apple. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled that Apple should not have been awarded a patent for technology that involves touch-screen scrolling and gestures, Samsung revealed in court documents challenging the verdict and the award. Apple can appeal the ruling. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(12/19)
- Ericsson to write off $1.2B on ST-Ericsson JV
Ericsson plans to take a noncash charge against earnings of $1.2 billion in this quarter to write off the value of its joint venture with STMicroelectronics to develop wireless communications chips. STMicroelectronics plans to leave the joint venture, and Ericsson is considering its options for ST-Ericsson, such as shuttering the operation. Bloomberg
(12/20)
| Mobile Marketing | | |
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- Facebook nixes planned mobile ad network
Facebook has pulled the plug on its planned third-party mobile ad network, which had been in beta testing. "Our focus is on scaling ads in mobile news feed before ads off of Facebook. We have learned a lot from this test that will be useful in the future," a company spokesman said. Adweek
(12/19)
| Technology | | |
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- Toyota will pioneer Qi wireless charging in 2013 Avalon Limited
Toyota has become the first automaker to embrace the Qi wireless charging standard, saying Wednesday that it will offer the in-console option for mobile devices as part of a technology package in its 2013 Avalon Limited model, which recently arrived at dealerships. The move is a boost for the Qi approach for charging devices via an in-car pad, a standard that needs automaker support to take hold. The Verge
(12/19)
| Trends & Research | | |
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- Report: LTE handsets to take off in 2013, prices to drop
Sales of smartphones that support 4G technology will soar next year, tripling to 275 million units globally and sending prices lower, research firm Strategy Analytics predicts in a report that provides the most upbeat news for Apple, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics. Analysts, however, say they will have plenty of competition, with multiple carriers and hardware-makers launching Long-Term Evolution models to capitalize on a high-growth market. Computerworld/IDG News Service
(12/19), CNET/Crave blog
(12/19)
| Public Policy | | |
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- Regulators unveil new rules to protect children's online privacy
The Federal Trade Commission has expanded rules governing children's online privacy rights, updating the 1998 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act to take into account new technologies such as mobile devices and behavioral advertising. "Congress enacted Coppa in the desktop era and we live in an era of smartphones and mobile marketing," says FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. "This is a landmark update of a seminal piece of legislation." The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(12/19)
| CTIA News | | |
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- The 5 stages of losing a smartphone
To help consumers, CTIA and its members developed a public service announcement (PSA) video that serves as a funny reminder to use their smartphones' features and apps to remotely lock, track and wipe if the devices are lost or stolen. Watch the video and learn how you can protect your smartphone by visiting CTIA's Before You Lose It website.
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 | No man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true."
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