“First rumored in the Korean press last month, Apple and Samsung have now said in a filing with the US district court that they’ve been unable to amicably resolve a new round of patent disputes after having agreed in January to try mediation before going to court.”
Samsung Mentions Next Galaxy Smartphone ‘Expected Later This Month’ While Talking Up Improved LED Flash Modules
“While certain manufacturers are removing LED flashes from high-end smartphones (we’re looking at you, Sony) Samsung is improving theirs.”
Samsung lays out which devices will get Android 4.4.2 KitKat
“Galaxy Note 3 Galaxy Note II Galaxy S4 Galaxy S4 mini Galaxy S4 Active Galaxy S4 zoom Galaxy S III Galaxy S III mini Galaxy Mega Galaxy Light Galaxy Note 8.0 Galaxy Tab 3 Galaxy Note 10.1 Galaxy Note 10.”
Samsung wins order from U.S. Army, close to NSA order
“Samsung might be on its way to supplanting BlackBerry as the smartphone maker of choice for government agencies. According to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung recently won an order from the U.S.”
Samsung hails 10 million Galaxy Note 3s sold after second month on sale
“Not long after the company announced it had shipped 5 million Galaxy Note 3s worldwide, Samsung has revealed that the device has now passed the 10 million sold mark.”
Galaxy Note 3 to Launch Mid-September, Pre-Orders Could Go Live on September 4 – Droid Life
“September 4 is the day that Samsung plans to pull back the curtain on the Galaxy Note 3 (and maybe even the Galaxy Gear smartwatch), but what’s even more important is the date that the Note cult can start lining up in front of stores to buy one.”
Galaxy S IV will definitely be announced on March 14th
Earlier today, mobile-review‘s Eldar Murtazin suggested on Twitter that March 14th would see a “big announcement,” implying that it would cause HTC to miss sales estimates on the One that is widely expected to be announced tomorrow. Murtazin made no mention of Samsung or the next-gen Galaxy S, but SamMobile — a site well-known for its Samsung leaks — followed shortly thereafter claiming that the tweet was indeed a veiled reference to the Galaxy S IV, allegedly tied to an event in New York City.
The Verge has now confirmed with sources familiar with Samsung’s plans that March 14th is “definitely” the day that the Korean giant plans on revealing one or more new devices, one of which is presumed to be the Galaxy S IV. As SamMobile says, we are also hearing that the event will be in the US, though it’s unclear whether carrier availability will be announced at that time.
DESIGN OF THE NEW MODEL IS SAID TO BE A “TIGHTLY-GUARDED SECRET”
As with the Galaxy S III — which was part of an effective campaign of misinformation waged by Samsung ahead of its announcement — design of the new model is said to be a “tightly-guarded secret.” We’re told that the company will once again emphasize features over raw specs; tricks like the eye-tracking Smart Stay were a big part of the S III’s story, and we’d expect more of the same next month. “The leap in cool new features from [Galaxy S III] to the next flagship will be bigger” than the leap from the S II to the S III, sources say.
Where does that leave Samsung at Mobile World Congress next week? Expect the Galaxy Note 8.0, which has been leaked far and wide — but maybe not in final form. “That mockup […] that has been making the rounds? That’s old news,” we’re told. If Samsung has disguised the actual Note 8.0, it’d be following in the Galaxy S III’s footsteps. When it’s revealed next week, expect the real design of the midsize tablet to foreshadow that of the Galaxy S IV, which hasn’t leaked at all.
Via The Verge
AT&T wins ruling in price-fixing suit against LCD makers
(Reuters) – AT&T on Thursday won a ruling from a federal appeals court in a lawsuit against liquid crystal display panel makers alleging a price-fixing conspiracy. The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco reinstated AT&T’s claims based on California law over panel purchases outside the state. The decision reversed a lower court partial dismissal of AT&T’s lawsuit. The manufacturer defendants, including Taiwan-based AU Optronics Corporation and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, had argued that AT&T’s claims violated the due process clause of the U.S. Constitution. …
via Tech News Headlinesl
Judge Koh finds Samsung infringement of Apple patents was not willful, won’t triple damages
Judge Lucy Koh has decided on several post-trial motions from Samsung and Apple in their long running patent case, overturning one key element of the jury’s ruling while upholding several others. What was overturned was the jury’s ruling that Samsung’s acts of patent infringement were willful, which meant Judge Koh could have tripled some parts of the $1 billion+ in damages granted to Apple. On the other hand, she also rejected Samsung’s request for a new trial, and invalidated two claims a wireless patent it holds. AppleInsider posted the decision to Scribd, which you can find embedded after the break, hit the source links for a few other looks at the ruling and what this means going forward. Naturally of course, it’s not over yet (it’s never over) as each company can still appeal elements of the ruling, and other appeals in the case are already ongoing.
via Engadget
Samsung now ships more smartphones than Apple and Nokia combined
It seems that Santa delivered a lot Samsung (005930) phones over the holiday quarter. According to the latest numbers from Strategy Analytics, Samsung shipped a whopping 63 million smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2012, a 73% increase from the 36.5 million smartphones it shipped in the fourth quarter of 2011. Samsung’s smartphone shipment market share also rose to 29% on the quarter, larger than the combined market shares of Apple’s (AAPL) 22% and Nokia’s (NOK) 3%. Just one year earlier, Samsung’s market share stood at 23.2%, which at the time trailed Apple’s 23.6% share. Samsung reported yet another record-breaking quarter with a $6.6 billion profit on Friday, so it’s not surprising to see its share of the overall smartphone
