VZ Navigator 5.0 introduced by Verizon Wireless
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: VZ Navigator 5.0, the newest version of map, navigation and local search service has been launched by Verizon Wireless. The latest embodiment of the GPS-enabled service is powered by mobile communication technology solutions provider TeleCommunication Systems.
An updated, easy-to-use interface, improved functionality for identifying points of interest and the capacity to run multiple VZ Navigator functions simultaneously within a navigation session are promised by the new service.
VZ Navigator 5.0 will start functioning on devices including the BlackBerry Curve 8530, LG enV Touch, HTC Touch Pro2 and Samsung Omnia and it is available for $9.99 a month for unlimited access or $2.99 for one-day/24-hour access on certain devices.
Access to premium places of interest, opt-in, anonymous Traffic Crowd Sourcing and graphic notifications alerting users of tunnels, U-turns, traffic circles and toll plazas are some of the other special features of the service.
Verizon introduces slotRadio+
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: BlackBerry smartphone users can now enjoy hand-selected playlists assembling 1,000 songs from bestselling artists along with additional 4GB of Flash memory for personal media storage.
Thanks to the slotRadio+ microSD card introduced by Verizon Wireless, the users can enjoy music from contemporary hitmakers in modern rock, dance and hip hop, Latin, and country in slotRadio’s Billboard Hits version and the 1980s, the 1990s, classic rock and oldies songs in Billboard Decades version.
Users can download the slotRadio+ application from the BlackBerry smartphone’s browser after inserting the microSD card.
The slotRadio+ card is optimized for smartphones including the BlackBerry Curve 8530, BlackBerry Pearl 8130 and Flip 8230, BlackBerry Storm 9530 and Storm2 9550, BlackBerry Tour 9630 and BlackBerry 8830 World Edition and costs $49.99.
Patent Battle: Motorola attacks RIM
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A patent complaint has been filed by Motorola against Blackberry maker Research In Motion with the US International Trade Commission (ITC). Motorola claims that five of its patents are infringed by the sale and importation of the RIM products.
ITC has been asked by the US handset and electronics firm to launch an investigation and ban RIM from importing or selling devices that contain the technologies. Wi-Fi access, application management, user interface and power management are the patents infringed by RIM.
According to Jonathan Meyer, senior vice president of intellectual property law at Motorola, in light of RIM’s continued unlicensed use of Motorola’s patents, RIM’s use of delay tactics in our current patent litigation, and RIM’s refusal to design out Motorola’s proprietary technology, Motorola had no choice but to file a complaint with the ITC to halt RIM’s continued infringement.
Patent filed by RIM to boost web browsing on BlackBerry
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A patent has been filed by Research In Motion to accelerate network browsing speeds on BlackBerry devices. It was filed in September and was recently disclosed on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. Employment of a proxy server to compress and decompress data transmitted across wireless networks has been outlined in the patent.
According to independent technology analyst, Carmi Levy, proxy servers aren’t exactly new but they commonly reside in a data center, not on a handheld device and the fact that the company is proposing to put a proxy server on the device itself is fairly radical. Levy also feels that that a proxy server could overwhelm the handset’s processing power, hampering overall performance instead of improving the browsing experience.
A new WebKit-based browser capable of full HTML rendering, scheduled to debut “not too far into 2010 was promised by Research In Motion at its annual BlackBerry Developer Conference in Nov. 2009.
Sony Ericsson to supply Android smartphone to DoCoMo
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Sony Ericsson signed a deal with Japan’s largest mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo to supply its first smartphone using Google Inc.’s Android operating system, Xperia X10, to be launched in April.
However, Sony’s Ericsson’s entry in the iPhone market is late to compete with Apple Inc.’s iPhone or Research In Motion Ltd.’s Blackberry devices.
According to Bert Nordberg, president of the loss-making joint venture between Sony Corp. and Sweden’s Ericsson, DoCoMo will be company’s first customer globally to get its new mobile phone.
Some of the features of the phone include four-inch touch-screen and a powerful mobile processor besides some software features that allows users to track all of their communication with friends or colleagues, spanning phone calls, e-mail and even social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 launched by RIM
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: BlackBerry Messenger v5.0 has been launched by Research in Motion allowing users to add a contact by scanning their BlackBerry Messenger barcode with the BlackBerry smartphone camera.
Status updates, group creation are the other features of the phone which will also allow users to send text messages from within BlackBerry Messenger. Pictures, videos, voice notes can be shared with multiple contacts at once.
BlackBerry Messenger is free at BlackBerry App World or from the BlackBerry smartphone at blackberry.com/blackberrymessenger.
Another complaint filed against Nokia by Apple
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Adding spice to the bitter dispute between the two handset heavyweights, Apple and Nokia, a patent complaint has been filed by former against the latter in the US International Trade Commission (ITC).
Last month, a complaint was filed by Nokia in the ITC for the ban of Apple’s iPhone, iPod and MacBook products import.
In a court case filed in October, Nokia alleged that Apple was using some of its patented wireless technologies without paying for them. The legal battle between the two took another turn when Apple filed a complaint against Nokia alleging that it infringed 13 of its technologies.
Meanwhile, Kodak has filed complaint against both Apple and Nokia alleging that both the iPhone and Blackberry use technology for previewing pictures that infringe its patents.
Apple and RIM sued by Kodak over Imaging Patents
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Lawsuits have been filed against Apple and Research In Motion in the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) by Eastman Kodak, alleging the infringement of Kodak digital imaging technology. The company has claimed that its patent covering technology related to a method for previewing images has been infringed by Apple’s iPhones and RIM’s camera-enabled BlackBerry devices.
According to Laura G. Quatela, Chief Intellectual Property Officer, and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company, the company was bound to take this action as the discussions with both Apple and RIM had been carried out for years to resolve this issue amicably, but no satisfactory agreement was reached.
In the complaint, limited exclusion order preventing the importation of infringing devices, including certain mobile telephones and wireless communication devices featuring digital cameras is sought by Kodak.
LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson are among the 30 countries having Kodak’s licensed digital imaging technology
