Verizon Wireless today confirmed that four of its 4G LTE smartphones will be able to roam onto the GSM-based 3G networks abroad once updated with new software. The company said in a statement, "Customers will see a notification on their device when the software update is available for their device. After the software update, customers will be able to take their smartphone overseas and use voice service in more than 220 countries and receive data in more than 205 countries." The devices include the HTC Rezound, and the Motorola Droid RAZR, RAZR MAXX, and the Droid 4. The update is scheduled to be delivered later this year, though specific timing wasn't provided.

Kodak hasn't caught a break lately, and that trend isn't easing up any time soon with a second rejection arriving in its main International Trade Commission (ITC) patent dispute with Apple and RIM. Despite having had its case remanded after a loss last year, Kodak is once more being told that BlackBerrys and iPhones don't violate a patent on previewing photos. The one violation was rendered moot through "obviousness," according to administrative law judge Thomas Pender. It's still an initial ruling, and Kodak is trying to put a positive light on the situation -- it's "pleased" there's still an infringement, even if the patent claim is invalid -- but the patent wars aren't looking good for a photography company that has already had to give up cameras to have a chance of staying afloat. Most of Kodak's hope, then, will be pinned on a second wave of ITC disputes that might stand a better chance of putting at least Apple's feet to the fire.

Continue reading ITC says again that Apple and RIM don't violate Kodak patent

ITC says again that Apple and RIM don't violate Kodak patent originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Are you so enthused with the 2012 Olympics that special tablets and non-stop TV coverage won't fully scratch the itch? O2 UK is letting you flaunt your British competitive pride every time you check Twitter by selling Olympic editions of Samsung's Galaxy Note and Galaxy Y. Either comes with a choice to drape your Android gear in a Union Jack or the Team Great Britain logo. If cosmetic patriotism isn't enough, O2 is making it meaningful by contributing

Kodak today announced that an administrative law judge found the Apple iPhone 3G and several older Research In Motion BlackBerries infringe on a Kodak patent. However, the judge also recommended that Kodak's patent be declared invalid. The patent at issue relates to a technology invented by Kodak for previewing images on a digital camera-enabled device that is fundamental to how those devices take pictures. Kodak plans to appeal the judge's validity recommendation, but the iPhone 3G isn't available for sale any more. Further, the ITC cleared Apple and RIM's current device line-ups from infringing on the patents in question. The full International Trade Commission will need to sign off on the law judge's ruling. Kodak has been mostly unsuccessful at using its patent portfolio as a litigation tool.

In separate filings, both T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS have asked the Federal Communications Commission to force Dish Networks to give up 50% of its spectrum in order to gain approval for its proposed LTE broadband network. Dish has 40MHz of S-Band spectrum in the 2000-2020 MHz and 2180-2200 MHz bands. Dish wants to repurpose this spectrum for a terrestrial LTE-Advanced network. T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS contend that Dish should agree to give up 20MHz of the 40MHz block in order to avoid a "windfall" should the company eventually sell to AT&T or Verizon Wireless. They believe that the spectrum could be auctioned off to non-dominant players and still allow Dish to recoup the cost of purchasing the spectrum. The Rural Carrier Association added its own comments, suggesting that if the FCC grants the waiver for which Dish is requesting, it should be required to offer competitive roaming rates to smaller operators. The RCA also wants to prevent Dish from inking roaming agreements with AT&T and Verizon Wireless without FCC approval. Dish's proposal is similar to that of bankrupt LightSquared, but Dish's spectrum doesn't abut GPS signals.

Virgin Mobile USA's payLo pre-paid service today announced a new plan that offers unlimited voice minutes, unlimited messages, and 50MB of data for $40 per month. The new plan is compatible with a number of payLo's feature phones, which are available from the payLo web site. payLo also offers 1500 minutes/messages and 30MB of data for $30 per month; and 400 voice minutes for $20 per month (messages costs $0.15 each, data costs $1.50 per megabyte).

Motorola today filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission indicating that it expects to conclude its sale to Google by Wednesday, May 23. "As the transaction has now received all required regulatory approvals, the companies are moving to close the transaction within two business days," said Motorola. Chinese anti-trust regulators approved the deal over the weekend, though Google had to agree to keep Android open for five years as a condition of winning approval. The deal already has the approval U.S. and European government bodies. Google agreed last August to acquire Motorola for $12.5 billion. Along with Motorola's smartphone and cable box businesses, Google will also acquire some 17,000 patents.

The European Union has been taking a leisurely pace investigating Google over possible antitrust abuses, but it's now accelerating to a full-on sprint. European Commission competition head Joaquin Almunia has given Google just a "matter of weeks" to propose how it would patch things up and soften fears that it was unfairly pushing its own web services over others. If Google makes the Commission happy, Almunia says, the whole investigation might wrap up and avoid fines. Google hasn't responded yet, but we wouldn't guarantee that it makes a deal: its execs have usually argued that there's nothing keeping users from going to another search site, and the company has been eager to emphasize that competition still exists. That said, Google only has to see what happened to Microsoft to know how expensive an EU antitrust fight can be.

EU competition head gives Google a 'matter of weeks' to offer an antitrust fix originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 May 2012 09:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Three months following US and EU approval, China has given Google's Motorola acquisition the green light. Now that all of the regulatory red tape has been removed, Google say that the deal will be finalized on their end by early next week. Such a quick timeframe indicates that this was indeed the last barrier that Google needed to overcome in order to finalize things, having already received...

The CEOs and legal counsel of Apple and Samsung plan to meet today in hopes of resolving the on-going patent-related lawsuits between the two companies. Apple is sending CEO Tim Cook and General Counsel Bruce Sewell, while Samsung is sending CEO Choi Gee-sung and Chief Legal Officer Kim Hyun-chong. A judge overseeing several of the lawsuits arranged for the meeting to take place. It is unclear whether or not the talks will lead to a resolution that ends the patents wars. Both companies have filed lawsuits against one another around the globe. Each is seeking to block the imports of the other's products into various countries, including the U.S.