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Nielsen: Android leads U.S. market with nearly 43 percent share originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

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Syndicated from: Nielsen: Android leads U.S. market with nearly 43 percent share

Are you sick and tired of reading about the patent wars between Apple and Samsung yet? Well it appears that Samsung has won one legal battle against Apple in Australia. Samsung won its appeal lawsuit against Apple in the land down under, and overturned a ban on selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1. An appeals court said that the original judge in a lower court made a mistake that approved Apple’s request for an injunction against the tablet. The three-judge panel believed that the original court “erred in principle” and was quoted to say:

“We cannot see how Samsung’s conduct in refusing the offer of an early trial could properly be weighed.”

Nam Ki Yung, a spokesman for Samsung, also remarked:

 “The ruling clearly affirms that Apple’s legal claims lack merit.”

However, Apple isn’t backing down without a fight. They are still accusing Samsung of copying their products. Bloomberg received an email from an Apple spokesperson that wrote:

“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,”

So it appears that, as of right now, Samsung has won a victory in Australia, but things appear different on the German front. Even with Samsung’s modifications to their original Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, still appears too similar to the iPad for Apple’s liking. Too similar in fact, that Apple has requested yet another injunction to stop sales of the tablet in Germany. The hearing for said injunction is scheduled for December 22nd, according to Down Jones Newswires.

So the patent wars continue to well, continue. It does appear however, that even with Apple’s slew of preliminary victories, that Samsung is starting to win some cases of their own. As the Apple versus Samsung battle continues, things are surely to heat up.

Syndicated from: Patent Wars: Australian Court Overturns Samsung Tablet Ban, Apple Wants to Ban Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Germany

For now ASUS’ Transformer Prime is the lonely king of the quad-core tablet hill, but as we’d heard a few weeks back, it looks like it’ll have company soon enough. Insider sources have reported to DigiTimes that you’ll be able to snag a nifty Android tablet with a quad-core GPU for between $459 and $599 in 2012. Acer and Lenovo are apparently set to target Apple’s iPad tablet as well as ASUS with NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 GPU tablets running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) in the first quarter of 2012. These sources also stated that since neither Acer nor Lenovo have a direct advantage over Apple or Amazon’s tablet devices, they’d only be competing for about 10 to 15 percent of the total PC tablet market. And yes, there are mathematical formulas that prove that owning a reasonably priced tablet with a quad-core GPU does make you the coolest kid on the block.

Acer, Lenovo looking to release Tegra 3-equipped tablets in early 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s right, despite its short-lived battle with Apple last year, Meizu has finally decided it is time to make it out of China. Well, out of mainland China at least, as the company has chosen Hong Kong as its launch pad for entering the international market. In fact, back when we visited Meizu in Zhuhai late last year, its marketing director had already expressed interest in opening a flagship store in said city — more so as a status symbol, if not for profit — so we weren’t really surprised by this news, but we’re definitely happy for his gang.

Later this month, visitors of Mongkok will notice a brand new Meizu store pop up somewhere along Sai Yeung Choi Street (yes, that gadget street), where the upcoming dual-core, 4-inch 960 x 640 MX Android phone will also be sold starting in early January — just a tad later than its mainland counterpart. What’s more, the Hong Kong version will come with extra features such as Facebook, Google Mobile Services and various Android Market apps that are absent on the original MX. Prices and absolute date to be confirmed later this month, but either way, we have a feeling that we’ll be seeing some long lines again around China, if not Hong Kong.

Meizu to launch first store outside mainland China, opening in Hong Kong this month originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carrier IQ has recently found itself swimming in controversy. The analytics company and its eponymous software have come under fire from security researchers, privacy advocates and legal critics not only for the data it gathers, but also for its lack of transparency regarding the use of said information. Carrier IQ claims its software is installed on over 140 million devices with partners including Sprint, HTC and allegedly, Apple and Samsung. Nokia, RIM and Verizon Wireless have been alleged as partners, too, although each company denies such claims. Ostensibly, the software’s meant to improve the customer experience, though in nearly every case, Carrier IQ users are unaware of the software’s existence, as it runs hidden in the background and doesn’t require authorized consent to function. From a permissions standpoint — with respect to Android — the software is capable of logging user keystrokes, recording telephone calls, storing text messages, tracking location and more. It is often difficult or impossible to disable.

How Carrier IQ uses your behavior data remains unclear, and its lack of transparency brings us to where we are today. Like you, we want to know more. We’ll certainly continue to pursue this story, but until further developments are uncovered, here’s what you need to know.

Continue reading Carrier IQ: What it is, what it isn’t, and what you need to know

Carrier IQ: What it is, what it isn’t, and what you need to know originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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