Apple says Google told Samsung that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 looked too much like the iPad

The Apple vs Samsung patent-based U.S. case is set to start on July 30, but until then we already have various tidbits to show you from the cases each company will try to prove in court in this legal clash of the titans – and they surely have a complex relationship.
The two companies are fighting for market share and profits in the smartphone and tablet business, but they are also bound by a multi-billion dollar component supply partnership. Also important is the fact that they are facing each other off in more than 50 cases spread across 10 countries, and they’re all mobile-related.
Apple argues that Samsung Galaxy-branded smartphones and tablets are violating its iPhone and iPad patents and designs, while Samsung says that Apple is infringing with various iOS products its own 3G patents – which happen to be FRAND, or standard essential patents.
Apple has scored a few victories against Samsung in pre-trial rulings including a couple injunctions in the U.S. against the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 – albeit the Galaxy Nexus is still selling in the region after a second Samsung appeal succeeded to stay the initial decision, but also an adverse inference jury instruction. The company also won a few days ago a EU-wide injunction against Galaxy Tab 7.7 sales but also lost an injunction in the UK against the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
What’s worth remembering is that while all these verdicts came out in the last few weeks, Google decided to officially help Samsung in its fight against Apple, especially after the Galaxy Nexus sales ban was obtained in the U.S. by the iPhone maker.

 

But it turns out that Apple lawyers may also use Google against Samsung, at least according to Apple’s brief which mentions some Samsung interesting documents:

“Samsung’s documents show the similarity of Samsung’s products is no accident or, as Samsung would have it, a ‘natural evolution,’” Apple argues in its brief. “Rather, it results from Samsung’s deliberate plan to free-ride on the iPhone’s and iPad’s extraordinary success by copying their iconic designs and intuitive user interface. Apple will rely on Samsung’s own documents, which tell an unambiguous story.”

Apparently these documents reveal that the Search giant warned Samsung in the past that some of its Android products are too similar to the iPhone and iPad:

•  In February 2010, Google told Samsung that Samsung’s “P1” and “P3” tablets (Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Tab 10.1) were “too similar” to the iPad and demanded “distinguishable design vis-à-vis the iPad for the P3.”
•  In 2011, Samsung’s own Product Design Group noted that it is “regrettable” that the Galaxy S “looks similar” to older iPhone models.
•  As part of a formal, Samsung-sponsored evaluation, famous designers warned Samsung that the Galaxy S “looked like it copied the iPhone too much,” and that “innovation is needed.” The designers explained that the appearance of the Galaxy S “[c]losely resembles the iPhone shape so as to have no distinguishable elements,” and “[a]ll you have to do is cover up the Samsung logo and it’s difficult to find anything different from the iPhone.”

These are all points that Apple will make in court, and we’re certainly interested what the jury will think.
This sort of evidence is all the more intriguing in this case as Judge Lucy Koh, who presides the U.S. case, famously asked Samsung counsel in one of the early U.S. face offs to recognize the Galaxy Tab from two tablets she was holding, one being an iPad. The lawyers were not able to identify the tablet of their client “from that distance” – or about 10 feet away – although they finally managed to provide the right answer.
We’ll be back with more news from this battle of giants in the near future.

Source: http://www.androidauthority.com/apple-says-google-told-samsung-that-galaxy-tab-10-1-looked-much-like-ipad-103868/

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Dubai-based Axiom offers Google Nexus 7 for $350

Most folks in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia have gotten their units of Nexus 7 by now. Others, meanwhile, await Google’s announcement on when it’s planning to bring the Jelly Bean tablet to the rest of the world. If you happen to reside in the Middle East, you may want to make that short trip to Dubai to snatch one.
Axiom Telecom has announced that they have Google’s premier tablet in stock. The Nexus 7 is listed on its website for AED 1,299, which translates to about $350. Pricey? Yes. But that’s something that you’ll have to swallow for wanting to be the first on the block to sport the Nexus 7.
We’re not sure if the price above is for the 8GB or the 16GB model, because the listing doesn’t specifically mention the tablet’s model. Given that the carrier has to pay for import fees and taxes, we wouldn’t be too surprise to see if it’s indeed the price for the 8GB model. Axiom clearly knows there’s a big demand for the Nexus 7 to justify the steep price tag.
If you’re one of the lucky few who are now waiting for the Nexus 7 to arrive,  you may want to check some video tutorials that Google has posted on how to personalize your tablet’s home screen right here.

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Google Nexus 7 video tutorial series continues with “Make Yourself at Home” – how to customize the home screen

After showing Nexus 7 buyers how to perform the initial tablet setup in a short video yesterday, Google released a new mini video tutorial that unseasoned Android users should check out.
Just like last time, we’re looking at a 75-second clip that deals with creating home screens, adding widgets and apps to those home screens and organizing apps into folders according to your needs – in short, you’ll learn how to customize the tablet’s home screen.
It’s all very simple and straightforward, especially if you have owned an Android device or a mobile device before the Nexus 7. In case the Nexus 7 is the first smart device, then these videos should come in handy, although I suspect you’re going to soon learn all there is to know about the tablet, if you haven’t done so already.

We expect Google to release more Nexus 7 videos but those of you that want more advanced tips and tricks for the Nexus 7 should follow our in-depth coverage of the Jelly Bean tablet here at Android Authority.

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Jelly Bean OTA update for WiFi Motorola Xoom now available, soak testers get it early

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Getting jealous seeing those jolly jelly beans on the Nexus 7, Galaxy Nexus, and Nexus S?
The official Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update for the Motorola Xoom will be rolled out soon, but you can try your luck by downloading and installing the OTA file yourself, which has been uploaded by Google on its website.
Manually flashing the Jelly Bean OTA file on your Motorola Xoom will be quite a challenge though, because the file is meant only for “soak testers” and it may still contain bugs and the likes. Those who tried (and failed) have reported a “space issues” error while trying to install the update.

 

But if you’re brave enough and up for the challenge, the folks at XDA-developers have come up with a workaround. It’s worth noting that, at this point, it’s not guaranteed to work 100%. The workaround involves the use of CWM, a USB drive, and an OTG cable. You can head to the original thread at XDA for more details and instructions on how to make that leap to Android 4.1.1.
If this sounds like too big of a hassle, we suggest that you wait for the official rollout of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on your trusty old Motorola Xoom.  The time to flick away those floating jelly beans on your WiFi Xoom will come soon enough.

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Nexus 7, a wolf in sheep’s clothing for other Android tablet makers?

The Google Nexus 7 is right now one of the most popular 7-inch tablets out there, and considering it’s a Nexus-branded device ready to offer buyers a pure Android experience, it will probably become one of the best sold tablets of the year.
Google is yet to mention sales numbers for the device that started shipping last week and which is currently sold out with certain third-party retailers, but Digitimes reports that according to “industry sources” the Search giant may ship as many as 2.5-3 million units this year.
That may not seem like an impressive number, as the tablet is only available in a limited number of markets right now, but will Google hurt its partners when it comes to overall tablet sales and profits? The Nexus 7 doesn’t, and can’t, target the iPad – Apple is expected to sell tens of millions of iPads each quarter – but instead it’s meant to compete against the Kindle Fire, a product Google can’t afford to ignore.
Amazon’s tablet became popular with the crowds because it’s an affordable device, ready to offer a good enough experience for that price, not to mention access to the company’s digital content stores.
Google has adopted the same model, selling the device at cost, hoping to prevent users from jumping ship to Amazon and have them immersed in an improved Google Play environment instead. But while Google can sell the Nexus 7 without making any profits because users would then spend more money in its digital stores, other Android makers won’t be able to enjoy the same perks.

 

And they won’t be able to come up with similarly priced devices ready to offer a similar experience. Google did say that’s plenty of room left for innovation in the tablet environment, implying that its product will not hurt tablet sales from its Android partners, but the fact is that each Nexus 7 buyer is a customer that may have chosen an Android tablet from a different OEM. At the same time, that customer may have chosen the iPad too, so having him or her purchase a Nexus 7 instead is a better alternative for Google.
But, and I’ll say this again, Apple may sell as many as 30 million iPads by the end of the year (that’s a guesstimate from my part), that’s not counting what it has already sold in the first two quarters. And Apple did not cut the price of its tablets once the Nexus 7 launched. And Apple also has its digital stores in place that can be accessed almost in full in more markets that Google Play is available in, which means Apple too can make plenty of money off of its digital offerings.
Meanwhile, other Android device makers will have to suck it up, and fight even harder for a piece of the (Android) tablet ecosystem. The same Digitimes reports that various OEMs including Samsung, Asus and Acer, have started to cut the prices of their tablet offerings in order to better adapt to the new competition from Google’s tablet:

Samsung, which enjoys a high level of brand recognition, cut slightly the prices of its tablets in order to cope with increasing competition and to pave the way for the launch of its own new models.
But for Acer and Asustek Computer, they seem to have adopted the same strategy of lowering the prices of their 10.1-inch models to the levels close to those quoted for 7-inch models by Google or other rivals in order to attract consumers.

So is the Nexus 7 a wolf in sheep’s clothing for the Android tablet ecosystem? We’ll be able to better asses that in the following months when we’ll find out more details about tablet sales from the most important players in the business.

Finally, there’s also one more negative effect of the Nexus 7 that we can’t overlook – the iPad mini. Apple was rumored since last year to be working on a 7.85-inch iOS tablet, but the company didn’t make it public. Then the Kindle Fire appeared and the Google Nexus 7 rolled out seven months later revealing that there’s a certain share of the population that’s interested in purchasing cheaper tablets – but not the very cheapest, as there are various cheap Android tablets from unrecognized brands that don’t enjoy the popularity of the Kindle Fire or Nexus 7. And that could be a good enough reason for Apple to launch its smaller iPad this fall/winter. Android tablet makers will then have to fight against the smaller tablet as well.
What tablet are you buying this year?

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Nexus 7 vs iPad: water and drop tests won by Google’s Jelly Bean tablet [video]

The Nexus 7 is in no exactly a true iPad competitor, but it’s definitely the hottest Android tablet in town. And while we can’t fairly compare Google’s and Apple’s devices since they’re essentially tablets that target different segments of prospective buyers, we can definitely check out how these two gadgets fare when it comes to accidental drops and water incidents
SquareTrade decided to put these two tablets to the test in three challenges: a regular drop, a knock off the table and an underwater dunk. While both devices survived the tests, the Nexus 7 came on top even though its build quality is questioned given its low price.
In each incident where dropping was involved, the iPad’s screen was cracked, mainly at one of its corners, while the Nexus 7 only got a few scratches on the back.
When it comes to submerging the tablets in water, they both kept running after being taken out of it – in fact, they kept running while under water as well. But the iPad lost its speakers in the process, while the Nexus 7 hanged on to its sound capabilities.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what device is stronger – in our own Galaxy S3 vs iPhone 4S drop test the iPhone did slightly better than the new Galaxy model – and accident survivability shouldn’t be the main reason for buying a smartphone and/or a tablet. But it’s certainly good to remember that these precious devices, which can cost a lot of money, are still fragile, and you should make sure they don’t get dropped and/or drowned.



On that note, here are some fun facts about such tablet accidents as offered by SquareTrade, based on 2-year tablet claims data:

• 9 out of 10 tablet claims are due to drops and spills
• 1 in 3 reported broken tablets have cracked screens

Have you had any such accidents with your devices?

Source: http://www.androidauthority.com/nexus-7-vs-ipad-water-drop-tests-won-google-jelly-bean-tablet-video-102085/

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