Nokia claims Nexus 7 treads on its WiFi patents, wants a little dough for that Jelly Bean

We're fans of the Nexus 7. Nokia, however, isn't quite so keen. It claims to The Inquirer that the ASUS and Google joint project is using Nokia WiFi patents without a license. The two companies never even asked, Nokia argues. As it's a question of standards-based patents, it's more likely that Nokia will simply cough politely and ask for a royalty rather than launch into yet another legal battle -- still, it's not exactly a minor accusation. We've reached out to both ASUS and Google for comment, but we can't imagine that either will be happy with the potential hit to their respective bottom lines. Sending a slice of what's left to Finland could be more than a bit painful when that $199 Jelly Bean tablet is already operating on virtually non-existent margins.

Nokia claims Nexus 7 treads on its WiFi patents, wants a little dough for that Jelly Bean originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  The Inquirer  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/yr1bFwkX2LA/

mary did you know john carter trans siberian orchestra trans siberian orchestra little big town little big town bennett

Bailout envoy urges Greece to speed up reforms

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? A senior official from the European Central Bank on Monday urged Greece's new government to avoid further delays in implementing major structural reforms.

ECB board member Joerg Asmussen is in Athens as the struggling country's new coalition government holds talks with its rescue creditors. The government is seeking to amend Greece's bailout program as it battles a fifth year of recession.

Asmussen, who met Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras, said Greece should not "stretch the pain" of reforms any further.

"If one has identified that something needs to be done, do this quickly," Asmussen told a financial conference in Athens. "Don't wait. Don't stretch the pain ... because this is better to restore confidence in an economy."

Greece's new conservative-led government was formed quickly after June 17 general elections that ended months of political uncertainty, but saw a sharp rise in support for parties opposed to the bailout.

New Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who is convalescing at home following an eye operation, argues that the terms of bailout agreements that started in 2010 have failed to stimulate growth.

Asmussen, however, said failure to tackle the underlying problems of Greece's crisis ? in public administration and competitiveness ? would only result in more pain.

"The problems do not go away. Instead markets lose their trust in official statements," he said. "Governments have to take even more drastic policy measures to win back credibility."

Greece narrowly avoided bankruptcy earlier this year, before winning a major debt structuring deal with banks and additional bailout money from rescue lenders ? other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund.

Debt inspectors from the so-called troika ? EU, IMF and ECB ? are due in Athens this week to meet the new government, that is backed by Samaras' conservatives, traditional rival Socialists and a small left wing party.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-07-02-Greece/id-141e601557694371987f369fc8462bca

boise state jordans prometheus movie posterior michelle obama adam lambert arrested barkley

Russia to hold talks with Syrian opposition, Annan

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-hold-talks-syrian-opposition-annan-094215925.html

the stand josh mcdaniels cotton bowl wizards of waverly place cedric benson playoff schedule charles addams

Spain erupts in joy after historic Euro 2012 win

/

By ALAN CLENDENNING, CIARAN GILES

updated 6:14 p.m. ET July 1, 2012

MADRID - Spaniards blasted off fireworks and jumped for joy after their soccer team won the European Championship on Sunday night, giving the country a burst of national pride and temporary relief from the crushing economic woes that have engulfed the nation.

Tens of thousands gathered in central Madrid to watch their team beat Italy 4-0 and shout out "Gol!" more times than they thought possible. Even better for Spain, the country's team became the first ever to win a Euro, then a World Cup and then another Euro.

"We needed this win to counteract the suffering caused by the crisis, which seems endless," said a smiling Antonio Ferrillo in downtown Madrid.

Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the 17-nation eurozone, is immersed in a deepening recession and recently asked for a bailout to prop up its hurting banks.

Cars drove by with passengers yelling "Espana!, Espana!" and "I am Spanish! I am Spanish!" as they waved the country's red and yellow flag.

The victory gave Spaniards undisputed proof the team is the best in the world, setting off celebrations in all corners of the country.

"This is the best thing in the world that could happen," Vanesa Galilea, a 32-year-old civil servant, said as she danced with friends and thousands more in Madrid's central Cibeles square. "This generation of soccer players is incredible.

"Tonight everyone can forget about the crisis, but it won't disappear, unfortunately," she said. "Economically this won't change anything, but at least we will be happy for a while. Half of Spain won't show up at work tomorrow, that's for sure!"

Crowds hugged each other, cried and danced with glee after they watched Spain win on a huge screen erected outside the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the home of the Real Madrid club team.

"This is very important for Spain and if it brings the risk premium down tomorrow, all the better,'" said Adrian Barajas, a 35-year-old bank clerk, referring to the skyrocketing risk premium level for Spanish government debt that has raised fears the nation may soon need a full-blown public finances bailout like those accepted by Greece, Portugal and Ireland.

Sunday's stunning victory "will raise morale for sure, but for three days, no more," Barajas said. "Spaniards realize this is just soccer."

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

advertisement

More newsFranck Fife / AFP - Getty Images

Xavi had Spain on its game

PST: Midfielder's pinpoint passing, pace and skill had Spain on track right from the start in its 4-0 win against Italy.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/48035916/ns/sports-soccer/

protect ip act jim caldwell internet blackout jessica capshaw seattle times seattle times walker recall

Exclusive: Microsoft tie-up, network sale among RIM options

By Nadia Damouni

NEW YORK | Fri Jun 29, 2012 11:20am BST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd's board is under mounting pressure to consider unpalatable options such as selling its network business or forming an alliance with Microsoft Corp after the Blackberry maker again delayed the release of its next-generation smartphones, said three sources familiar with the situation.

Shares in the Canadian company, which announced a steeper-than-expected quarterly operating loss on Thursday, plunged 18 percent in extended trading, slashing its market value to $4.1 billion. The stock has fallen about 70 percent in the past year.

RIM said the launch of BlackBerry 10 mobile devices has been postponed to early 2013 - more than a year later than initially promised - because the development of its new operating system had "proven to be more time-consuming than anticipated."

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins - who replaced long-time co-chief executives Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie in January - kicked off a broad strategic review in March that seeks to tie the fortunes of the company to the success of the new operating system.

But the latest setback has increased pressure on RIM's board to more seriously explore other options, including measures that would amount to an admission that its current strategy is untenable, said the sources, who declined to be identified because the information was confidential.

One of these options is for RIM to abandon its own operating system and adopt Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer approached RIM shortly after Balsillie's departure, looking to strike a partnership similar to the one the software giant has with Nokia Oyj, the sources said. Under that partnership, Nokia will use Microsoft's latest Windows operating system on its smartphones.

In such a scenario, RIM could also look for Microsoft to buy a stake in the company and fund marketing and other expenses, the sources said. However, this option is not attractive to RIM because it would mean the end of the Waterloo, Ontario-based company's technology independence, they said.

The RIM board still prefers to see through the efforts to develop the new operating system, according to the sources.

Microsoft could also be interested in RIM's wireless patents, the sources said.

Another option for RIM would be to sell its proprietary network to a private equity firm or a technology company. The buyer could then open up RIM's network operating centres to other smartphone providers, allowing them to also provide highly secured emails and other services to companies and government agencies, the sources said.

In that scenario, however, RIM's device business is seen to have no future, they said, adding that private equity firms have been considering how to separate the hardware business from the network business.

RIM and Microsoft declined to comment.

Separating the network business would be an about-face for RIM after it rejected a similar proposal from Balsillie, who had been in advanced negotiations with wireless carriers to boost revenue by letting them use the RIM network.

The idea was to clearly define the network as an asset that could exist without BlackBerry handsets, which are facing fierce competition from Apple Inc's iPhone and Google Inc's Android phones.

RIM is "going to have to be much more open-minded to the idea that Jim Balsillie was working on before he was ousted of opening their network to third parties," said Eric Jackson, a hedge fund manager at Ironfire Capital in Toronto.

STRATEGIC REVIEW

On Thursday, Heins gave away little in regards to the strategic review, which is being conducted with the help of investment bankers at JPMorgan Chase & Co and Royal Bank of Canada.

But he did reiterate his faith in RIM's integrated model and dismissed a suggestion that the BlackBerry will adopt Google's Android software. He said on a conference call with analysts that he is "convinced that BlackBerry can deliver value as an integrated hardware, software and services offering."

Analysts have said RIM should assess opportunities to license its untested BlackBerry 10 software, make money from its patent portfolio or invite a partnership with another mobile company.

"They need to get to a strategic decision soon. Even though it may cause some near-term pain if you separate the business, it might be the best course of action," said Scott Sutherland, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.

With the delay in the launch of that software now, RIM's working capital is also likely to come under more scrutiny. The company held $2.2 billion in cash at the end of its fiscal 2013 first quarter.

"If you want to rip the company apart for its assets and cash, this is the year to do it because the cash balance increased this quarter, but it's likely they're going to start burning cash as they move into the back half of the year," said Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Partners.

On a conference call with analysts, RIM Chief Financial Officer Brian Bidulka said working capital management was one of the areas of focus for the company.

Bidulka said the company also had an unused credit facility and it was "continuing to work with our banks on renewing that facility."

It is also trying to reduce costs by about $1 billion, including by cutting about 5,000 employees.

(Reporting by Nadia Damouni; Additional reporting by Alastair Sharp in Toronto; Editing by Ryan Woo)

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/06/29/uk-rim-options-idUKBRE85S04K20120629?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

sat cheating scandal hangover cure lebron james engaged auld lang syne end of the world 2012 pink martini times square

Whistleblower wins in Supreme Court in Japan first

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2011 file photo, Masaharu Hamada, a salesman for camera and precision-equipment maker Olympus Corp., speaks during an interview in Tokyo. Japan's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the whistleblower, dismissing the appeal of his employer Olympus Corp. Hamada said he received the notice from the nation's highest court Saturday, June 30, 2012 for the decision dated Thursday. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2011 file photo, Masaharu Hamada, a salesman for camera and precision-equipment maker Olympus Corp., speaks during an interview in Tokyo. Japan's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the whistleblower, dismissing the appeal of his employer Olympus Corp. Hamada said he received the notice from the nation's highest court Saturday, June 30, 2012 for the decision dated Thursday. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2011 file photo, Masaharu Hamada, a salesman for camera and precision-equipment maker Olympus Corp., speaks during an interview in Tokyo, Japan. Japan's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a whistleblower, dismissing the appeal of his employer Olympus Corp. Hamada said he received the notice from the nation's highest court Saturday, June 30, 2012 for the decision dated Thursday. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)

TOKYO (AP) ? Japan's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a whistleblower for the first time in a case that highlights the harsh treatment outspoken employees have endured in a nation that zealously values loyalty and conformity.

Despite being a good salesman with experience in the United States, Masaharu Hamada, 51, was demoted at Olympus Corp., forced to take rudimentary tests and ignored by colleagues, in what he alleged was reprisal for raising the issue of supplier complaints.

He received a notice Saturday from this nation's highest court, dated Thursday, dismissing the appeal by Tokyo-based camera and medical equipment maker Olympus of a 2010 lower court decision. It sealed the victory of the little "salaryman" against a giant of Japan Inc.

"We need a society where honest hard-working people don't lose out," Hamada told The Associated Press. "This is about justice and human rights."

Hamada's story highlights how workers labeled as misbehaving are punished in Japan, where major companies like Olympus offer lifetime employment, although they more freely fire contract and part-time workers.

That means employees like Hamada become targets of cruel harassment designed to silence them or make them quit. Hamada was nearly driven to breakdown during his five-year battle.

Japan is behind some Western nations in protecting whistleblowers. A law to protect them was enacted only in 2006, and critics say it is inadequate because it does not penalize companies that punish whistleblowers. To pursue legal action, whistleblowers can't quit as the law only applies to employees.

Only a handful of whistleblower has come forward in Japan in the past few decades. When they do, they are treated as outcasts, sometimes being told to sit in closet-sized offices or to mow the lawn. Sometimes even their children become victims of discrimination. So abhorred is the employee who dares to question the company.

Hamada sued Olympus in 2008, saying he was punished for relaying a supplier's complaint that its best employees were being lured away by Olympus. Olympus said he was merely transferred, not demoted.

His case is considered a whistleblowing case in Japan because he went first to his bosses and then to the company compliance unit, trying to raise questions about the professional behavior of colleagues for the public good, and, as the Supreme Court found, was punished unfairly in retribution.

Last year, the Tokyo High Court reversed an earlier district court decision and ordered Olympus to pay Hamada 2.2 million yen ($28,000) in damages for the transfer. Olympus had appealed.

Olympus was not immediately available for comment Saturday. In the past, it has called the court rulings favoring Hamada "regrettable."

Olympus has been targeted recently by another high-profile whistleblower, Briton Michael Woodford, the former chief executive.

Woodford was fired in October after he blew the whistle on dubious accounting at Olympus. The company later acknowledged it hid 117.7 billion yen ($1.5 billion) in investment losses dating back to the 1990s. Three former Olympus executives, including the ex-chairman, were arrested earlier this year on suspicion of orchestrating the accounting cover-up.

Woodford has become a hero in Japan. Three weeks ago, Woodford won a 10 million pound (1.2 billion yen, $15.4 million) settlement from Olympus in a British court. He had sued alleging unlawful dismissal and discrimination as he was not given the same treatment as a Japanese employee.

How Hamada will be treated at Olympus on Monday remains unclear.

He plans to show up at work at 8:45 a.m. as usual, wearing his company color, blue, as he is confident he is an upstanding "Olympus-man."

Hamada said he would like to be transferred to the corporate compliance division, given the serious problems that have surfaced with Woodford's case and the knowledge he has gained about proper management through his court battle.

"I would like to work for the true revival of Olympus, where dedicated employees can work and feel joy, in a nurturing environment, and be proud," said Hamada.

___

Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-06-30-Japan-Whistleblower/id-2e9b56cfbc6844fe9aa7096d471f285a

elliot la galaxy la galaxy jordy nelson hot chelle rae guile alton brown

Why Google+ Trumps Facebook for Online Invitations

Amid all the excitement of Google?s I/O event this week ? the Nexus 7 tablet, the Nexus Q entertainment device, people jumping out of planes ? it was easy to miss the addition of an ?Events? feature to the company?s foundering Google Plus (Google+) social network.

But unlike with?Facebook, Events doesn?t require people to be on?Google+. All they need is an?email?address. And if the host or guests use Google?s much more popular network, Gmail, Events works especially smoothly.

Facebook Events is now the default way to send invites. But many people are paying less attention to every Facebook alert, including invites. And to invite a friend to your event, they have to first be on Facebook and also be your friend. If you often glance at your friends list and say ?who is that guy?? you may not want to add yet more people in order to just send an invite.?

Google+ Events takes its basic design from Facebook, so the process is familiar. But Facebook no longer allows you to add email addresses of people who you aren?t already Facebook friends with or who aren?t on the network. Google+ does, and if you have Gmail, you can pull the addresses right from your Contacts list.

If the guests use the online Google Calendar, the invite automatically appears as an entry. (With Facebook, you have to download and a open a clunky calendar file, or just type the event on your calendar.)

In fact, it?s more useful to think of the feature, not as Google+ Events, but as Gmail Events.

Setup

Events starts by offering a seemingly endless choice of themes ? photos or illustrations of cocktail glasses, people dancing, popcorn and many others that appear as banners across the top of the invitation. You can also upload your own image, but it has to at least 940 pixels wide, and it will get cropped to a stubby 280 pixels tall. Most photos won?t work or won?t be worth the trouble of resizing.?The rest is very familiar. Fill in the day and time (annoyingly using the 24-hour military-style clock) and pick a location using?Google Maps.?

Then type in a note or other details and invite guests. If they are on Google+, thier ID will appear. But don?t worry about them never logging into the actual network. They will get an alert in Gmail, too. And if they aren?t in the Google universe, just select from your contcts or manually type in thier email address. They will get the same email message, with a button that they can click on to access the event page and RSVP.

As with Facebook, you can see a listing of who has been invited, who has accepted and who has declined. Anyone can post comments to the event, and you can send updates to guests.

Google+ Events has several innovative features that go beyond Facebook, however. The best is Party Mode, which allows people to upload and view photos of the event in real-time and see in an album afterward. But this requires people to be active Google+ users, with the smartphone app. So it probably won?t work for most people.

If you and your friends are drifting away from Facebook, or you don?t want to add yet more acquaintances to your ?Friends? list, Google?s new Events feature is a handy alternative for getting folks together.

?Article provided by?TechNewsDaily, a sister site to Laptopmag.com.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/laptopTipsandAdvice/~3/dZZt2ERsP84/why-google-trumps-facebook-for-online-invitations

ricky martin chauncey billups caucus results exton ricky williams kurt warner kurt warner