LG Google Nexus quad-core 2GB RAM coming in November.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

LG Google Nexus quad-core 2GB RAM coming in November.

LG’s Nexus: quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 1280×768  resolution display, on-screen soft keys, 8-megapixel camera, 8GB and 16GB internal storage models (no microSD card slot), non-removable battery and wireless charging.

In addition to the purported spec leak, MoDaCo says that it’s also possible that other manufacturers might be building Nexus smartphones as well. That jibes well with news that Google could split its Nexus smartphones among numerous handset makers. LG’s Nexus smartphone will reportedly be released in mid-November.

Google market value overtakes Microsoft.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Google market value overtakes Microsoft.

Google has overtaken Microsoft for the first time in terms of market value, becoming the third-most valuable company on public markets behind Exxon Mobil and Apple.

Based on closing prices yesterday, Google's shares ended the day to value the company at US$249.1 billion, nearly US$2 billion more than Microsoft. Google is in an escalating arms race with Apple (US$628 billion), the next company in Google’s sights, after Apple launched its own less-than-stellar maps application that replaced a Google-powered version on the iPhone.

Apple goes after Google`s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Apple goes after Google`s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Apple said it plans to extend its claims of infringement to include Samsung products released since the last case management conference in May. Having evaluated the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet and the OS used in it, Android 4.1, Apple said it believes both infringe on the patents at issue, and intends to amend its suit accordingly.

Samsung Electronics intends to drag the iPhone 5 into an ongoing patent lawsuit with Apple, according to documents filed with a U.S. court.

The companies revealed their plans in a joint case management conference statement filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, on Wednesday.

How Google is going to react to Apple`s claim against Samsung use of the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, remains to be seen.

Source: MacWorld

Google acquired top iOS based photo app Snapseed, challenging Facebook`s Instagram

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Google Inc  has acquired a top iOS based photo app, Snapseed, in a bid to challenge Facebook Inc ’s Instagram, as Google+ subscriber base and monthly active users soar. According to recent reports, , the search engine giant has decided to enhance its social platform, Google+’s, competitive edge as it tries to challenge Facebook’s dominance in the social networking business, by acquiring the top iOS photo app.

According to reliable sources Snapseed deem as the the best app ever built by the German Software company. It is noted that the $4.99 app won Apple’s coveted iPad App Of The Year award in 2011, for its inventive multitouch photo editing interface, and gained over nine million users during its first year on sale. 

This week we also hit an important milestone–over 400,000,000 people have upgraded to Google+. It was only a year ago that we opened public sign-up, and we couldn’t have imagined that so many people would join in just 12 months. While Google+ is all about creating a better experience across Google, it’s also a destination. And here too, I’m happy to report that we have just crossed 100,000,000 monthly active users on Google+ (plus.google.com and mobile app).

http://www.snapseed.com/

Google is buying Frommer's brand of travel guides from publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Google is buying Frommer's brand of travel guides from publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Google Inc., which bought the Zagat restaurant review service in September, plans to use Frommer's guides to hotels and destinations around the world to complement the Zagat listings.

Google is buying Frommer's from publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc. in a deal that includes John Wiley's other travel-related businesses. Financial terms were not disclosed in Monday's announcement.

Frommer's got its start in 1957 with the publication of Arthur Frommer's "Europe on $5 a Day." Frommer's now publishes more than 300 guidebooks and runs the Frommers.com website.

John Wiley is trying to sell off a number of businesses that no longer fit with its long-term focus on professionals and education. 

In addition to travel, businesses up for sale include the company's culinary, general interest, nautical, pets, crafts, Webster's New World and CliffsNotes businesses.

John Wiley, which is based in Hoboken, N.J., says it plans to use the proceeds from the sales to support growth opportunities in its other businesses.

The stock of Google, which is based in Mountain View, Calif., rose $12.80, or 2 percent, to $654.80 in afternoon trading Monday. John Wiley's stock fell 17 cents to $47.42.

Press Release:

August 13, 2012

Wiley to Sell Travel Publishing Program

Hoboken, N.J.

On March 7, 2012, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa, JWb), announced that it intends to explore opportunities to sell a number of its consumer print and digital publishing assets in its Professional/Trade business as they no longer align with the company’s long-term business strategy. Those assets include travel (including the well-known Frommer’s brand), culinary, general interest, nautical, pets, crafts, Webster’s New World, and CliffsNotes. 

On August 10, 2012, Wiley entered into a definitive agreement to sell all of its travel assets, including all of its interests in the Frommer's brand, to Google.  Proceeds from this sale, and others that may arise from the sale of other consumer assets, will be redeployed to support growth opportunities in Professional/Trade; Scientific, Technical, Medical, and Scholarly; and Global Education businesses.

About Wiley

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations.  Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology/Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. 

Wiley’s core businesses include scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly (STMS) journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, online applications, and Web sites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, N.J., with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The company's Web site can be accessed at www.wiley.com.

USA: Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University sues Apple over voice-to-text technology (SIRI).

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

USA: Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University sues Apple over  voice-to-text technology (SIRI), examining Google`s and Microsoft`s voice recognition systems.

Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University said on Monday it had launched a suit alleging that Apple's use of Siri in its iPhone and future versions of its iPad infringes two U.S. patents it was granted in 2007 and 2010 that relate to voice-to-text technology.

The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division, on Friday, it said.

"We filed that lawsuit in the Texas court because it processes faster and its rulings are usually in favor of patent owners and the compensations are usually higher," said Yama Chen, legal manager of National Cheng Kung, in the southern Taiwan city of Tainan.

He declined to disclose the amount of compensation the university was seeking but said any calculation would be based on Apple's U.S. sales of devices that use Siri.

An Apple representative in Asia could not immediately be reached for comment.

Chen said the university was also examining whether smartphone voice recognition systems used by Google Inc and Microsoft Corp have infringed its patents.

Source: Reuters

Apple,Google, Microsoft, Samsung, LG , HTC eyeing Kodak patents.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

Apple,Google, Microsoft, Samsung, LG , HTC eyeing Kodak patents.

Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung are among the big names reportedly eyeing an acquisition of the patent portfolio of troubled imaging company Eastman Kodak.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Apple has partnered with Microsoft and patent licensing firm Intellectual Ventures Management to make a bid, while Google and Samsung have partnered with two more companies from the Android ecosystem – LG Electronics and HTC – as well as patent aggregation firm RPX.

The initial deadline for bids is today.

Kodak has previously accused a number of mobile phone companies of infringing its digital imaging intellectual property, including Apple, RIM, Samsung and HTC. It has struck licensing deals with others.

However, last week the US International Trade Commission ruled that a patent asserted by Kodak against RIM is invalid.

According to the WSJ, this setback has stopped Kodak from securing a “stalking horse” – a bidder prepared to commit to buying the assets at a set price, creating a minimum bidding level.

It has previously been noted that any buyer would end up with a portfolio that is already at the heart of numerous ongoing legal disputes, and which has in many cases already been licensed, limiting its strategic appeal.

This could mean that the auction starts off with a low valuation.

Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year. Its patent portfolio is seen as its most significant asset, due to the inclusion of digital camera features in a range of devices, including smartphones and tablets.

The company picked up clearance to sell its assets via an auction earlier this month, after Apple and FlashPoint Technologies “asserted ‘ownership’ interests in a small number of the 1,100 patents in the portfolio”. This objection was overturned by the Bankruptcy Court.

Intellectual Ventures, the suggested partner of Microsoft and Apple, was co-founded by former Microsoft executive Nathan Myhrvold. It is said to have a portfolio of “more than 35,000 assets”.