Motorola forces Germany to ban iOS push mail

If you’ve emailed an iOS user in Germany during the last couple of days and they haven’t gotten back to you instantly, don’t be too hard on them – Apple has been forced to disable push mail for iCloud and MobileMe there.

The move is the result of a permanent ban Motorolawon on the feature earlier this month. Although it almost goes without saying, the tussle is all to do with patents, and the ban on push mail constitutes just one facet of the sprawling, all-out war between Apple, Android and a good chunk of the wider mobile industry.

According to Apple:

“Due to recent patent litigation by Motorola Mobility, iCloud and MobileMe users are currently unable to have iCloud and MobileMe email pushed to their iOS devices while located within the borders of Germany.”

The patent in question covers a “multiple pager status synchronization system and method”, which turns out to be pretty essential for offering push mail. The ban doesn’t mean that iCloud and MobileMe aren’t working in Germany – it just means the services can’t use that one feature. That’s why iOS users there have to set their iPhones and iPads to do mail-pulls at timed intervals, or (shudder) check their mail manually.

And for those reading this in the U.S. and chuckling, I wouldn’t get too comfy if I were you. Motorola launched a similar suit in Florida in January, accusing Apple of infringing on the U.S. equivalent of the same patent.

However, the permanent ban on iCloud and MobileMe push mail in Germany shouldn’t be confused – although confusion is more than understandable – with the temporary injunction Motorola won at the same time against certain models of iPhone and iPad. That was a temporary injunction that only resulted in the devices being taken off sale for a couple of hours, and was to do with a standards-essential 3G patent, rather than a push mail one.

The 3G patent stuff may backfire on Motorola. Standards-essential patents are supposed to be licensed out on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, but Motorola – and its almost-owner Google – reckon 2.25 percent of the entire device’s sale price is a fair deal. Apple disagrees, and has fired off a complaint to Europe’s antitrust authorities about the issue.

But that will have to be dealt with in the future. For now, Apple’s German customers are really feeling  the pain of the patent wars for the first time. However, it may work out for Apple in getting users to take up iCloud, which is largely a replacement for MobileMe.

Until its appeal gets accepted or rejected, Apple is offering two slightly different solutions for its iOS users in Germany. iCloud users get the easier deal, as the service will switch back to push as soon as the user leaves Germany. MobileMe users just lose push forever as soon as they check their mail in Germany, and Apple recommends switching to iCloud instead – which was kind of what they were pushing for anyway.

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Article source: http://gigaom.com/2012/02/24/motorola-forces-germany-to-ban-ios-push-mail/?utm_source=broadband&utm_medium=specialtopics

NUTS: Apple Preps IPhone 5, Revamps App Store

News Under the Sun is a weekly column rounding up all the events in the mobile industry. Want the news but don’t want it every day? Subscribe to our weekly Facebook or Twitter page.

Apple’s iPhone 5 is reportedly set to debut in October with substantial improvements over the iPhone 4S. Analysts expect a major change in the phone’s design, and LTE capability combined with strong battery life. Apple launched previous versions of the device in the summer, but analysts believe Apple set the fall date to allow time to perfect the model and ride out the continued success of the iPhone 4S.

The company is also revamping its iTunes and App stores to better compete with Google and Amazon. Apple’s overhaul will put the company at the forefront of digital music and entertainment offerings once again, as Amazon’s “Prime” service and Google’s growing entertainment portfolio introduced competing services.

Apple acquired Chomp, an app search-and-discovery company, to bolster its App Store. Apple, which plans to integrate Chomp’s tailored search engine, hopes the feature will help users find apps suited to their taste.

In addition to making changes to stay ahead of competition, Apple considered changes to its supply chain as criticism of its Foxconn factories intensified. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company encouraged media scrutiny and ordered a voluntary audit to curb outrage surrounding the working conditions at its Chinese factories. Apple pledged to monitor and change factory policies depending on the outcome of the audit.

Apple also ordered environmental audits for its Chinese factories, demonstrating the company’s commitment to transparency in all aspects of its supply chain. With its dual audits, Apple sent a message to concerned consumers, attempting to prove the company has a proactive approach to ethical manufacturing.

As Apple policed its own offerings, the company struck out against rivals and accused Motorola of patent infringement. Instead of directly filing a lawsuit, Apple lodged a complaint with the European Commission and asked authorities to look into Motorola’s potential FRAND violations. Apple’s plate is full with the Foxconn controversy and impending updates, so the company’s decision to defer to E.U. authorities reflects a strategy shift away from aggressive, direct litigation.

Though Apple accused Motorola of copycat behavior, Apple was also on the defensive side of the patent war this week, as the company’s struggles in China extended beyond manufacturing and into trademark battles. A Shanghai court ruled Apple could continue selling its iPad, despite Chinese company Proview’s claim that Apple infringed on its trademark. Proview intends to continue the lawsuit, but analysts say the company is unlikely to succeed.

Google is replacing Motorola’s CEO Sanjay Jha, and Bloomberg expects former Google VP Dennis Woodside to take his position, indicating the software giant plans to promote from within to encourage a smooth transition.

As Google makes changes at Motorola to promote unity during its push into hardware, the company is also planning an expansion into entertainment services, launching a paid TV service called Google Fiber in Kansas. If the company’s test run succeeds, Google’s offerings could shift dramatically, with a new focus on multi-platform entertainment.

Analysts say Google plans to diversify its offerings further, introducing a tablet to compete with Amazon and Apple. The search giant plans to bolster its entertainment library to offer exclusive content on the Android-powered tablet. Google is expanding in a number of different directions to keep up with competition, but its Motorola acquisition will help the company roll out tablets with trusted hardware.

Google’s plans to expand have several components, including an increased presence in Washington. The company’s decision to hire former Congressional lobbyist Susan Molinari reflects its ambition to avoid additional government scrutiny, and to influence policy on privacy and other regulations.

Mobile technology is on the rise in Africa, but it’s facing a squeeze in the U.S. Spectrum auctions in the U.S. would benefit the government, carriers and customers, but political infighting has prevented a consensus on how to expand airwaves. Republicans and Democrats agree the FCC should oversee the auctions, but pressure from varying lobbyists prevented sales. Some Republicans see spectrum sales as politically motivated, and they are expected to continue resisting bipartisan efforts to allow auctions.

Vice President Joe Biden emphasized the Obama Administration’s support of spectrum expansion as he spoke of a recent report outlining the benefits of spectrum auctions and reallocation. He discussed how these actions could help the wireless industry and increase public safety by ensuring unclogged airwaves. Though Biden gained support from first responders, Democrats still face opposition from Republicans on the spectrum issue.

Following LightSquared’s failed spectrum deal with Sprint, the company now languishes near bankruptcy, highlighting the negative impact of strict spectrum monitoring on the wireless industry. LightSquared needs to resolve its issues with the FCC to launch another network, but without Sprint, the company lacks the financial power to develop a network on its own.

ATT is seeking innovative solutions to the spectrum crunch, using new technology to create a “living network” designed to boost data speeds and make better use of available spectrum. As carriers continue to fight for additional spectrum, ATT’s tactic to optimize its current resources may position the company on the forefront of alternative data.

T-Mobile announced plans to launch its own LTE network by 2013, commencing a full-throttle campaign to win back customers scared off by its failed merger with ATT. Although other competitors will have LTE networks up and running first, T-Mobile believes pushing for LTE in tandem with affordable prices will help the company regain customers.

T-Mobile’s upcoming LTE push also positions the company to carry the iPhone, as an LTE upgrade will allow the carrier to offer customers better data speeds for high-end smartphones. Offering the iPhone could help T-Mobile regain footing in the market and avoid losing more subscribers.

T-Mobile’s comeback centers on establishing its upcoming LTE network and offering better devices, which means high-end Android handsets as well as the iPhone. The company is continuing the second leg of its turnaround with its plans to sell the Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G in March. The Blaze represents T-Mobile’s shift into exclusive smartphones.

T-Mobile is also striking out against competitors on the spectrum front, filing a complaint against Verizon’s planned spectrum deal, saying it dilutes competition. T-Mobile’s appeal to the FCC illustrates that smaller carriers are likely to intensify their fight for spectrum as they struggle to compete against larger carriers.

HP announced its intentions to strengthen its product line and optimize its struggling WebOS, signaling changes to come from new CEO Meg Whitman. HP’s plan refocuses energy on enterprise offerings, targeting businesses with commercial tablets. The company also intends to open up its WebOS software, attracting app developers in hopes of enticing Samsung and LG away from Android.

Meanwhile, ATT is planning to carry a new type of smartphone, the Samsung Rugby. The Rugby’s extremely sturdy, waterproof body withstands harsh conditions, making the phone perfect for outdoor workers. ATT hopes to tap into a new market of smartphone customers prioritizing durability without sacrificing function and design.

President Obama announced a plan to protect consumer privacy online, putting pressure on Google, Apple and other tech giants, to show how they track user information. Obama’s guidelines illustrate the government’s desire to protect its citizens’ privacy. Users share data with increasing frequency without realizing companies can manipulate the information to learn more about them.

Tech companies agreed to sturdier privacy policies for mobile apps, indicating that increased government pressure is inspiring substantial privacy policy overhauls. The agreement affects Apple and Google, and the companies will enforce stringent guidelines on how apps collect user information.

In addition, a Facebook glitch, which lets the social network monitor other sites users visited, is prompting class action lawsuits. With its impending IPO, Facebook risks alienating its user base by allowing these privacy breaches as public attention intensifies on tech companies’ privacy policies.

U.S. officials focused on safety and urged automakers to stop integrating mobile technology services into cars, as distracted driving accidents are on the rise. Government officials asked car companies to help stop distracted driving, but their recommendations are not binding. Since consumers still want in-vehicle Wi-Fi and other tech hookups, car makers are unlikely to adhere to the standards until compelled.

Even if the U.S. government fails to convince automakers to produce safer vehicles, NEC’s new motion-sensing software sends calls to voice mail or turns them into texts if the user is in transit, which could curb distracted driving accidents. NEC’s technology exists in the device itself, removing the need for automakers to change their designs. Consumers unaccustomed to waiting, however, might not warm to NEC’s system of delayed communication.

U.K. courts used Facebook to serve legal papers, pointing to a larger trend of governments embracing social media for their own purposes. The courts recognized suspects’ Facebook profiles as legitimate extensions of their identities, further cementing the social network and other social media as semi-official parts of citizens’ public identities, and illustrating the site’s move away from the private sphere.

African community officials are also embracing social media, as Kenyan village authorities used Twitter to lower crime rates. Chiefs broadcast information about missing children and stolen goods. Across the African continent, urban and rural communities are using mobile technology with increasing regularity. Mobile finance is especially popular, and humanitarian aid became more accessible due to smartphone technology. Tradition-minded chiefs are embracing social media with as much ease as urbane youth in Nairobi, showing how the technology’s relevance cuts across vast swaths of culture.

The NSA accused hacker group Anonymous of plotting to attack the U.S. power grid, prompting increased government precautions against a cyber-attack. Anonymous originally enjoyed substantial underground support, but the leaderless group’s erratic attempt to bribe Symantec turned off fans. The collective’s violation of its ideals makes its behavior unpredictable, prompting increased government attention.

As Anonymous’ threats of attacks grow bolder, the number of everyday hackers is also growing. Customers are storing personal data on smartphones with increased frequency, and thieves are quickly learning how to extract that information for their benefit. The number of smartphone-related identity theft cases swelled exponentially in the past year, indicating a need for consumer education.

Article source: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/129620.html

iPhone 5 rumor rollup for the week ending Feb. 24

February 25, 2012, 7:40 AM — Beguiled by curvaceous images of yet another iPhone 5 “concept,” the iOSsphere contemplated a future where iPhone 5 has a smaller dock connector and a 3D screen, and replaces your credit card.

Even though you’d be replacing it with something much larger and way heavier.

You read it here second.

___________

“Sometimes all you want to carry is your iPhone (or any other smartphone) without having to worry about a wallet as well. It’d be much easier to just pay for anything you want with the phone.”

 ~ Shawn Ingram, GottaBeMobile, on why “worrying about a wallet” is, or should be, a design focus for the iPhone 5

__________

iPhone 5 will have a smaller dock connector

“Apple is fearless when it comes to driving the future,” writes Rene Ritchie in a ringing post at iMore.com. “And the dock connector might be next on their list.”

To be honest, Rollup doesn’t immediately associate Fearless Futurity with the iDevice dock connector. We usually associate that with LTE+ or High-High Definition screens or six-core processors.

“We’ve heard that Apple is getting ready to ditch the dock connector as it’s currently sized and implemented on iPods, iPhones, and iPads,” says Ritchie, without even hinting from whom he might be hearing this. “The reason isn’t anything political, like a new desire to conform to an outdated micro-USB standard, but typically Apple: to save space inside the iPhone 5 for what are now more important components.”

His basic argument is that Apple has been ruthlessly imaginative in packing and repacking the iPhone’s innards to optimize the use of the highly limited volume for components. “The dock connector as it exists now is a relatively big component that takes up, while not a lot of space compared to the entire assembly, a lot of space compared to the difference between mini and micro SIM.”

Given that the iCloud synchronization and storage is now available, Ritchie notes, the use of that relatively big component is less important than it used to be. And more important are components like the long-expected LTE radio, and more space for a bigger battery to run it and higher resolution screens and a four-core processor.

“Apple probably won’t go micro-USB either, because it’s not faster and not Apple’s style,” Ritchie predicts. “A smaller dock connector — a ‘micro dock’ if you will — makes a lot more sense.”

Such a decision would be a cause for rejoicing for many but for just as many a cause for weeping and gnashing of teeth because “not all current accessories would be compatible, of course, even if Apple offered an adapter dongle.”

As with any Apple decision, the rule is: Get over it.

iPhone 5 3D display “a possibility”

Over at the aptly named PlanetInsane.com, Delaon has finally picked up on recent reports that Apple has been granted another patent for 3D technology and spun this gossamer filament of fact into gold. “3D Display a Possibility for iPhone 5″, reads the headline. 

As they say, anything is possible. It’s possible that President Obama will decide to forego the next election and retire to Martha’s Vineyard. It’s possible that the alternative energy industry will figure out to way to make money without taxpayer handouts.

Delaon apparently is convinced that Apple is filing 3D patents left and right in a frenzy of innovation because Android smartphones have been leading the way in 3D, stealing a march, getting the upper hand, and so on. “The attempts of Android to offer a 3D smartphone have challenged Apple to file various bold patents for 3D displays in the previous years,” he intones.

But as PC World’s Ginny Mies concluded in her June 2011 review of the HTC EVO 3D, “Well, let’s just say it is a very good thing that there’s more to this phone than just a 3D display.”

Reviewing the same phone for Wired’s U.K. Website, Dave Oliver wrote “Your eyes may start to cross after a while, but it’s certainly a fun party piece when you’re showing off your pics and vids taken with the stereoscopic cameras — though you’ve got to look at it straight on, and it doesn’t take much of an angle to lose the effect.” The technical term for this is “damning with faint praise.”

Someone is being challenged, alright. But we don’t think it’s Apple.

Article source: http://www.itworld.com/networking/253150/iphone-5-rumor-rollup-week-ending-feb-24

iPhone 5 rumor rollup for the week ending Feb. 24

Beguiled by curvaceous images of yet another iPhone 5 “concept,” the iOSsphere contemplated a future where iPhone 5 has a smaller dock connector and a 3D screen, and replaces your credit card.

Even though you’d be replacing it with something much larger and way heavier.

You read it here second.

___________

“Sometimes all you want to carry is your iPhone (or any other smartphone) without having to worry about a wallet as well. It’d be much easier to just pay for anything you want with the phone.”

 ~ Shawn Ingram, GottaBeMobile, on why “worrying about a wallet” is, or should be, a design focus for the iPhone 5

__________

iPhone 5 will have a smaller dock connector

“Apple is fearless when it comes to driving the future,” writes Rene Ritchie in a ringing post at iMore.com. “And the dock connector might be next on their list.”

To be honest, Rollup doesn’t immediately associate Fearless Futurity with the iDevice dock connector. We usually associate that with LTE+ or High-High Definition screens or six-core processors.

“We’ve heard that Apple is getting ready to ditch the dock connector as it’s currently sized and implemented on iPods, iPhones, and iPads,” says Ritchie, without even hinting from whom he might be hearing this. “The reason isn’t anything political, like a new desire to conform to an outdated micro-USB standard, but typically Apple: to save space inside the iPhone 5 for what are now more important components.”

His basic argument is that Apple has been ruthlessly imaginative in packing and repacking the iPhone’s innards to optimize the use of the highly limited volume for components. “The dock connector as it exists now is a relatively big component that takes up, while not a lot of space compared to the entire assembly, a lot of space compared to the difference between mini and micro SIM.”

Given that the iCloud synchronization and storage is now available, Ritchie notes, the use of that relatively big component is less important than it used to be. And more important are components like the long-expected LTE radio, and more space for a bigger battery to run it and higher resolution screens and a four-core processor.

“Apple probably won’t go micro-USB either, because it’s not faster and not Apple’s style,” Ritchie predicts. “A smaller dock connector — a ‘micro dock’ if you will — makes a lot more sense.”

Such a decision would be a cause for rejoicing for many but for just as many a cause for weeping and gnashing of teeth because “not all current accessories would be compatible, of course, even if Apple offered an adapter dongle.”

As with any Apple decision, the rule is: Get over it.

iPhone 5 3D display “a possibility”

Over at the aptly named PlanetInsane.com, Delaon has finally picked up on recent reports that Apple has been granted another patent for 3D technology and spun this gossamer filament of fact into gold. “3D Display a Possibility for iPhone 5”, reads the headline. 

As they say, anything is possible. It’s possible that President Obama will decide to forego the next election and retire to Martha’s Vineyard. It’s possible that the alternative energy industry will figure out to way to make money without taxpayer handouts.

Delaon apparently is convinced that Apple is filing 3D patents left and right in a frenzy of innovation because Android smartphones have been leading the way in 3D, stealing a march, getting the upper hand, and so on. “The attempts of Android to offer a 3D smartphone have challenged Apple to file various bold patents for 3D displays in the previous years,” he intones.

But as PC World’s Ginny Mies concluded in her June 2011 review of the HTC EVO 3D, “Well, let’s just say it is a very good thing that there’s more to this phone than just a 3D display.”

Reviewing the same phone for Wired’s U.K. Website, Dave Oliver wrote “Your eyes may start to cross after a while, but it’s certainly a fun party piece when you’re showing off your pics and vids taken with the stereoscopic cameras — though you’ve got to look at it straight on, and it doesn’t take much of an angle to lose the effect.” The technical term for this is “damning with faint praise.”

Someone is being challenged, alright. But we don’t think it’s Apple.

iPhone 5 will have mobile payment feature to shut up clamoring consumers

“Consumers Clamoring For iPhone 5 With Credit Card Capabilities” screams the headline for Shawn Ingram’s post at GottaBeMobile. 

Frankly, this came as a surprise to Rollup, who goes days, even weeks and sometimes months without hearing a single clamor for the Right to Pay With an iPhone.

“Mobile payments isn’t an entirely new concept, but it’s a concept that many hope would become a reality much sooner,” Ingram declares. The “many” probably refers to the venture fund backers who’ve poured money for years into various mobile payment software and hardware vendors, including near field communications (NFC) radios.

“Sometimes all you want to carry is your iPhone (or any other smartphone) without having to worry about a wallet as well. It’d be much easier to just pay for anything you want with the phone,” writes Ingram, veering dangerously close to whining.

But he’s got facts: specifically a “new Nielsen report,” which shows that “71 percent of people who download apps to their smartphones want to use their phones to pay at store registers.” And iPhone users are even more enthusiastic: 75% of them “said they would like to use their phones as a credit card.”

Apple needs to wake up and hear clamoring. “The Nielsen numbers are one of the more compelling reasons why Apple should build NFC into the new iPhone,” Ingram declares. “If Apple can make some sort of deal with credit card companies an iPhone 5 with NFC could make mobile payments much bigger than they are now.”

If they build it, people will buy with it.

Ingram doesn’t appear to have actually read the Nielsen report, instead linking to a VentureBeat story, by Jennifer Van Grove, who does link to it. Van Grove leads with a different Nielsen fact: “New data from Nielsen shows that nearly one-third of U.S. smartphone owners (29 percent) now turn to their devices for shopping dos and don’ts.” Mobile Web, browser, social networking: we get that.

Then she continues: “And our new-found love affair with our phones is so promising, most of us are ready to close the deal — 71 percent of app downloaders said they’d like to use their phone to pay at the register.”

The problem is that the 71 percent did not actually say that, according to Nielsen’s own post. That post doesn’t give the exact question the respondents were asked but a chart labels the topic as “Interest in using mobile phone as a credit card.”

The possible answers are: not at all interested, slightly interested, somewhat interested, very interested, and extremely interested. We can assume the verys and extremelys are the aforementioined venture investors and people like Sean Ingram.

But “slightly” and “somewhat” are, let’s face it, hardly “clamoring.” The actual number for the iPhone app downloaders in the survey were: 18% extremely interested, 21% very interested (totalling 39% of the sample), 23% somewhat interested, 13% slightly interested, and 25% or one in four, not at all interested.

So one can say that 75% of these people selected one of four answers that all contained the word “interested” and therefore expressed some level of “interest” in using iPhone as a credit card.

But you can also say that 61% expressed little or no interest. Because, sensibly, they have many other, much more compelling things in which to be interested. So the Nielsen numbers actually become a compelling reason for Apple not to bother with NFC anytime soon in the iPhone.

iPhone 5 release ahead of schedule because iPhone 4S “losing steam”

That’s the theory of Michale Cadiz, in a post at DailyMobile. It’s based, very loosely, on some Gartner projections gleaned not from Gartner but from another story at International Business Times.

Gartner notes that the record-setting quarter benefitted by an extra calendar week, the holidays, and decisions by some number of buyers to delay iPhone 4 purchases in early Fall in anticipation of the new iPhone’s unveiling. Essentially, the idea is that Apple’s record-setting pace of iPhone 4S sales at the close of calendar 2011 will not continue.

But in his post, Cadiz writes that “Gartner expects Apple’s market share to decline for a couple of quarters as holiday demands are sated and iPhone 4S’ availability widens.” But a decline in market share isn’t at all the same thing as “losing steam” — either through declining sales or a slower rate in the growth of sales. Not to mention the fact that widening the availability of the phone seems much more likely to increase sales than decrease them.

Cadiz says the improvements and changes in iPhone 4S – camera improvements, A5 chip, Siri voice assistant – “may not be sufficient to ensure a long-lasting success as the iPhone 4.”

And why’s that? “It’s ‘smallish’ screen (3.5? as against 4? from its Android competitor), lack of 4G-LTE support, short battery life plus it looks no different than its predecessor factors greatly against iPhone 4S novelty,” he writes. It’s a bit confusing because Cadiz actually seems to be arguing that the iPhone 4S is in fact only a novelty compared to the “long-lasting success” of its predecessor.

In any case, the failing 4S is likely to cause panic in Cupterino, Cadiz suggests. “This [losing steam] may ultimately lead to Apple pushing through with their original plans of releasing iPhone 5 ahead of schedule (June or earlier) instead of waiting for October, exactly a year after iPhone 4S was released.”

Another confusing comment, because it suggests Apple’s original plan was to release iPhone 5 in June 2012, just eight months after the 4S, but then it decided inexplicably to wait until October but now, faced with the coming collapse of iPhone 4S sales, will go back to June.

Cadiz describes himself in his online profile as “a corporate slave by day, a full-time partyphile at night.” It’s not clear when in that 24-hour period he posted his analysis.

John Cox covers wireless networking and mobile computing for Network World.Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnwcoxnwwEmail: john_cox@nww.comBlog RSS feed: http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/2989/feed

Read more about anti-malware in Network World’s Anti-malware section.

Article source: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/mobile-phone/3340085/iphone-5-rumor-rollup-for-week-ending-feb-24/