Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Airtel Rs.1699 Annual Prepaid Plan Offers Unlimited Calling, 365GB Data; BSNL Launches Half-yearly Plan


via News – MySmartPrice http://bit.ly/2CCtLQF

Apple Settles Lawsuit With Biometric Sensor Company Valencell That Accused it of Stealing Technology for Apple Watch

http://bit.ly/2AUYFUE

Biometric sensor company Valencell has reportedly settled a three-year-old lawsuit against Apple that accused the tech giant of stealing its technology for Apple Watch.


Valencell filed the patent infringement lawsuit against Apple back in January 2016 at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

The lawsuit accused the Cupertino-based company of infringing on four of its patents, all related to heart rate sensing technology, as well as deceptive trade practices and breach of contract, following dealings Apple had with Valencell before the launch of the Apple Watch.

However, according to athletics tech blog the5krunner, as of January 21, 2019, "Valencell's case against Apple has now been settled and neither is able to further comment."

Valencell originally claimed Apple solicited technical information and know-how under the false pretense of a licensing agreement for its PerformTek technology, despite having no real intention of actually licensing it.

The biometric company also accused Apple of deciding it was more financially beneficial to risk infringing on Valencell's patents than to license them, claiming that the practice was "consistent with the statement by Apple CEO Steve Jobs that Apple has 'always been shameless about stealing great ideas.'"

Valencell had requested a preliminary and permanent injunction preventing future acts of infringement, as well as damages and an ongoing royalty rate for licensing purposes should a permanent injunction not be granted.

Valencell provides the optical heart rate monitoring and other biometric sensors in many third party devices. The company filed a similar lawsuit against Fitbit at the same court, but that case is said to be still ongoing as of January 21.

(Thanks, Neil!)

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

This article, "Apple Settles Lawsuit With Biometric Sensor Company Valencell That Accused it of Stealing Technology for Apple Watch" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums



from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2W2LIAS

Vivo Y89 with Snapdragon 626 SoC, 6.26-inch Full HD+ Display Launched in China: Price, Features


via News – MySmartPrice http://bit.ly/2T9oHuq

Samsung Galaxy A20 Makes an Appearance on Geekbench With Exynos 7885 SoC and 3GB RAM


via News – MySmartPrice http://bit.ly/2Mqc0sg

Apple Expected to Switch to All-OLED iPhone Line-up by 2020

http://bit.ly/2DrJkwo

Apple could drop LCD displays for its 2020 iPhones in favor of an all-OLED line-up, a new report today claims. From the Wall Street Journal (paywall):

Apple is likely to drop LCD displays altogether in its 2020 iPhone lineup in favor of organic light-emitting diode displays that allow for more flexible handset design, people familiar with the production plans have said.
This isn't the first time we've heard that Apple is considering dropping LCD models from its line-up in order to making a complete shift to OLED displays in 2020.

WSJ suggested the possibility earlier this month, but today's report gives the rumor more clout by claiming that Apple LCD panel supplier Japan Display is readying contingency plans for when the switch to OLED-only iPhones happens in the form of a bailout from an investor group.
Japan Display Inc. is in advanced talks with Taiwan's TPK Holdings Co. and Chinese state-owned Silk Road Fund about an investment that would include a stake of about 30% with the possibility of greater control later, people familiar with the matter said.

More than half of Japan Display's revenue in the year ended March 2018 came from Apple. But in the latest lineup of iPhones, only the XR uses liquid-crystal displays, the type in which Japan Display specializes, and that model has fallen far short of Apple's expectations.
Multiple reports claim Apple has recently asked its partners to cut down on all iPhone production. Apple has also dropped the price of iPhone XR in China to try and spur additional sales.

The price drops and the production cut follow a recent Q1 2019 guidance downgrade, with Apple expecting revenue of $84 billion during the quarter. That's a year-over-year decline and a drop from the $89 to $93 million revenue guidance Apple provided in November.

Related Roundup: iPhone XR
Buyer's Guide: iPhone XR (Buy Now)

This article, "Apple Expected to Switch to All-OLED iPhone Line-up by 2020" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums



from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2HAaIMy

Xiaomi Mi Band 3 Gets New Firmware Update; Makes Factory Data Reset Easy


via News – MySmartPrice http://bit.ly/2DrFYte

AirPower to Launch 'Later in 2019' According to DigiTimes

http://bit.ly/2Alet2D

Apple's long-awaited wireless charging mat AirPower has entered production and will be released later this year, according to DigiTimes:
Glass passivated package (GPP) bridge rectifier orders for Apple's AirPower continue to pull in, according to sources at related suppliers, who expect shipments for the wireless charger to boost further when it becomes available later in 2019.

Apple's AirPower is finally in production, said the sources. The Apple-designed wireless charging device was unveiled in September 2017, with the company originally targeting 2018 for launch.
The supply chain-focused website published a similar article last year claiming the AirPower would be released by the end of March 2018, a release date echoed by at least two other sources at the time. That obviously did not happen, but perhaps the issues that led to the delay are now resolved.


This isn't the first report we've seen that suggests the AirPower is still coming after all.

Earlier this month, Hong Kong website ChargerLAB cited sources within Apple's supply chain who claimed that manufacturers Luxshare Precision and Pegatron have both started production of the AirPower by today.


A few weeks prior, developer Steve Troughton-Smith said he's heard Apple may have overcome technical challenges with the AirPower and could move forward with a release. Those technical challenges included overheating and interference issues, according to Sonny Dickson, an occasional source of Apple leaks.


And back in October, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Apple may launch the AirPower by early in the first quarter of 2019, according to a research note obtained by MacRumors. The first quarter spans January through March.

AirPower is an oval-shaped mat that would be able to wirelessly charge multiple Apple devices at once, including the iPhone 8 and newer, Apple Watch Series 3 and newer, and AirPods when they are placed in an optional wireless charging case that is expected to launch alongside the AirPower.

Apple first previewed the AirPower at Steve Jobs Theater in September 2017, shortly after introducing the iPhone X, and indicated that it would be released at some point in 2018 in a press release. Apple failed to deliver on that promise, however, and hasn't commented on the AirPower for many months.

Apple also removed all but a few mentions of the AirPower from its website in September 2018. The mat is, however, still referenced in the latest iPhone user guides and in some recent Apple job listings. We also spotted a since-removed AirPower reference on the iPhone XS Smart Battery Case page in Malaysia.

All in all, the chances of the AirPower launching soon are looking better and better.


This article, "AirPower to Launch 'Later in 2019' According to DigiTimes" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums



from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories http://bit.ly/2FQBWft