Android Army
Are you in the Android clan?
2 postsThe Verge
- 3 posts
- 156 comments
Forum Memberships
-
-
Apple Core
All things Apple
0 posts -
Microsoft Tribe
Let your Microsoft flag fly
0 posts
Jony Five
On The Verge since Mar 13, 2013
-
Comment
BlackBerry is looking pretty good. Looks like they’re the #3 contender. Microsoft should be very worried as they’ll easily be outsold by BlackBerry.
-
Comment
I see what you did there.
-
Comment
Mat Honan would like to have a word with you.
-
Comment
there was something about the simple act of using a BlackBerry that made you feel more important and productive. Whenever I pulled it out and started typing, I was “getting stuff done.”
The lack of apps/distractions will do that for you.
-
Comment
Does the Sun know it’s being tracked by Nest? Aren’t there Sun privacy laws in place to prevent this sort of thing?
-
Comment
Yes, but can I use a virtual keyboard with it?
-
Rec
Recommended kopmis's comment in Microsoft creates an Apple vs. Samsung wedding fight for its new Windows Phone ad
-
Comment
In essence it was Microsoft calling iPhone users ‘iSheep’. Low blow and once again very unprofessional. That seems to be par for the course for microsoft marketing. Looks like they’ll resort to anything to sell their phones instead of making compelling software.
-
Comment
Turn off GPS and just use WiFi for location services. Google now is awesome for getting the weather, package shipment notifications, sports updates, etc.
-
Comment
Amusing ad. But it just made you want an iPhone or Android phone in the end even more so.
-
Rec
Recommended Strand0410's comment in Microsoft Has A Higher Credit Rating Than Apple
-
Comment
The mystery buyer? BlackBerry London.
-
Comment
More stuff that no one wants. Remind you of anything? Is this seriously the fruits of their “R&D” labs?
-
Comment
What’s stopping you? Change all your services to microsoft while you’re at it.
-
Comment
Great move by Google. It’s just one more thing windows phone will never get. But hey, have fun with your microsoft services.
-
Comment
Why blur his face? Everyone in the know knows it was Sven Olaf Kamphuis aka SK
-
Comment
From Groklaw:
I feel confident that this will be appealed by Motorola, because the judge in effect sets the “rule” that you can be ordered to accept pool rates in pools you haven’t joined instead of following the normal negotiation structure of the standard body you did agree to put your standard essential patents in. And that just can’t be right. Who’d donate patents to standards bodies if they know it has no bearing on the royalties they can expect in return?
Here’s another issue I see in the judge’s reasoning: he thinks the purpose of RAND patents is to make sure there’s no holdup or stacking. Standards bodies are set up to allow patent owners a reasonable return, as they see it, if they will donate to the standard. That is a goal that is ignored in this ruling. Instead, he seems to think it’s a generous act on the part of patent owners to make this a better world, writing that RAND patent owners have to abide by “… the purpose of the RAND commitment of widespread adoption of the standard through avoidance of holdup and stacking.” No. That sounds like the BSD license, where people care more about widespread adoption than protecting the code base from takeover, so they give it away. Patent owners who donate to standards bodies under RAND terms do not do so with such public-improvement goals. They expect to get something for their patents.
Next, he devalues the RAND patent further by saying you have to look at all the other patents that are essential to the standard, whose owners might also seek royalties from an implementer’s use of the standard in its products. In other words, he doesn’t want the XBox to be overwhelmed with royalty requirements from others, so Motorola has to reduce its price to leave room for others to also get paid.
Does that sound like the patent universe we’ve been watching? Don’t get me wrong. I totally hate patents, particularly software patents, which I don’t believe are patentable subject matter to begin with. And RAND patents are not a solution to my way of thinking. I think standards should be totally royalty free or they shouldn’t be in a standard. But in the current world of patents, companies don’t donate their patents to make the world a better place. And so the judge’s solution is impractical. If widely adopted, it’s the end of standards, except in the FOSS world which learned long ago the value of sharing without payment. And that is the real solution here, not reducing the RAND patents’ value to almost nothing but getting rid of software patents, everybody’s software patents. They are gumming up the works, and I don’t mean just RAND patents. What the judge has created is a tilted playing field.
-
Comment
Silly man. This lawsuit is far from over. Don’t think for one second Google is going to let a backyard Microsoft judge determine RAND rates. And don’t worry, Microsoft will lose.
-
Comment
The absence of any Google apps or services on that wretched and ugly windows phone platform is punishment enough.
-
Comment
Yes, it is about Google. So let’s do the math.
The rest of Motorola included $3.5B in cash, which people seem to miss a lot. As such Google didn’t really pay $12.5B, they paid $9B. They then sold off the Home division for $2.2B, so now you’re talking Google forking over $7B for Motorola’s hardware and IP (and other assets – Motorola does actually own buildings and stuff too). If we value the IP at $3B which is what you say other offers were, that means Google bought a defensive shield from Samsung for $4B – probably not a bad deal, that.
-
Comment
Motorola only cost Google 1.5 Billion after all the tax breaks, cash in the bank and the sale of Motorola Home. Not bad.
Know what’s even funnier? Microsoft flushed a cool 7 Billion down the toilet with their failed aQuantive purchase. And then there’s that Skype dog
-
Comment
I didn’t say he was paid off. But, let’s just say he was very sympathetic to Microsoft. No worries, the ruling will be overturned in the appeal.
-
Comment
Yeah, it did. Being a pompous Dbag also had a lot to do with it.
-
Comment
Well, at least they got paid. Apple fans do it for free.
-
Comment
A Seattle judge ruling for Microsoft? I’m shocked. This will clearly be appealed and tried in another non pro Microsoft state.
-
Rec
Recommended Dorrell Wilson's comment in Instapaper acquired by Betaworks, owner of Digg
-
Comment
Apparently, Marco isn’t above cashing out. He was probably dreaming of Instagram money, but his app was never that popular due to his myopic view.
-
Rec
Recommended bqrius's comment in Samsung Galaxy S4 review
