Google has dropped two patent claims it was pursuing against Microsoft after the Redmond company refused to pay royalties.
The claims relate to H.264 video compression patents held by Motorola Mobility, which Microsoft refused to cough up for because it said Motorola/Google was asking for far more than the patents were worth.
Under the freshly inked FTC agreement announced last week, Google has to abide by the friendly-sounding FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) terms, meaning its royalty payments have to be fair.
You've got a FRAND in me
If Google has withdrawn these patent claims because of the new FTC deal, which seems likely, there could be more patent disputes leaving the courtroom in the near future.
Microsoft's corporate vice president and deputy general counsel said that the company hopes that Google "will now withdraw similar claims pending in other jurisdictions" and leave them the hell alone.
Could this signal the beginning of the end of the tech patent wars? Until someone can rein Apple and Samsung in, we suspect not.
It may only be shipping to China for now...actually three months from now...but Lenovo's new K900 smartphone is worth taking a look at.
Announced during CES 2013, the company's new flagship phone sports a 5.5-inch IPS display and a 6.9-millimeter side view. 6.9 millimeters? Seems there was another phone announced today with just that profile.
What sets the Android-running K900 apart from its preceding smartphone is its processor: it will be packed Intel's new Z2580 dual-core chip aimed at forthcoming handsets.
The screen stands a solid 1080p and 440-plus pixels, allowing Lenovo to stake the claim that has the first IPS display of its size with the Full HD res.
Good, K9
The phones a mesh of stainless steel alloy and polycarbonate material, creating a Unibody bod that's as strong and sharp as appears.
For the pocket conscious, Lenovo said the rear 13MP camera and sensor stay within the shell of the phone - no protruding bump here.
The camera also comes with a F1.8 focal length lens, meaning users can take clear, flash-less photos. On the front side of things, Lenovo's stretched out that camera to an 88 degree angle, the "widest available" for a phone's front camera.
And to keep Intel's new chip (of which full specs aren't yet public) it's coated the screen in Gorilla Glass 2 for protection.
Lenovo didn't announce pricing, but we hope we see some iteration of this phone make it out of China before long. It sounds like it could really hold its own.
Microsoft isn't ready to talk about the exact launch date for the Surface Windows 8 Pro, as the Windows 8 version of Surface is going to be called, but we have had a chance to use the Surface Pro and to try out the new pen.
Microsoft also wouldn't let us take any images of the new device during our preview here at CES 2013 and it isn't giving any additional details about price, battery life or the internal components beyond what we already know: $899 for the 64GB model and $999 for the 128GB model, both with 4GB of RAM and neither with a keyboard included.
Unlike the already-released Surface RT, the Surface Windows 8 Pro is a full-power PC that you use like a notebook, or a tablet, or both. It runs Windows 8 Pro and all the desktop Windows applications you want, but it's still a touch-friendly tablet that you can rip the keyboard off of when you don't need it.
Surface Pro has the same styling as Surface RT, with the same premium feel and the same 22-degree angle on the edges to put it at a good viewing angle with a keyboard.
Yes, it's a little heavier than Surface RT, at two pounds rather than 1.5, but it's balanced which means it doesn't feel significantly heavier in your hands. Lighter devices use plastic cases rather than the magnesium alloy that makes Surface so robust; like Surface RT, Surface Pro feels solid and sturdy.
And when we say balanced, we had the Surface Pro on the side of one hand and it didn't tip sideways or slide off, so it's certainly not going to tip backwards while you're holding it single-handedly. It's also just as stable propped up on the kickstand. As promised, the existing Type and Touch covers from Surface RT are compatible with Surface Pro and they click in and out in exactly the same way.
Performance to go
With an Intel Core i5 processor inside, the Surface Pro has more heat to deal with than the Surface RT. Microsoft still isn't being more precise than saying it's a "third generation" chip with Intel HD graphics 4000, so essentially they're not saying whether it's the updated low-power 7W processors Intel announced here at CES.
In action, what Microsoft calls the peripheral venting - a ventilation strip that runs all around the beveled edge of the Surface Pro - works well to dissipate heat without hotspots building up. Even with demanding desktop programs running we didn't feel any parts of Surface Pro getting hot and it doesn't feel like a warm air blower the way many laptop fans do.
Surface Windows 8 Pro could feature one of Intel's new 7W chips
We couldn't hear any fan noise either. Surface Pro certainly doesn't feel like a laptop crammed into the body of a tablet - although it gives you the power of one.
Even with the vent, Microsoft has found room to move the microSD slot from underneath the kickstand (where it's hard to find) to the right side of the case next to the video connector where you can easily swap it in and out.
With Windows 8, it's more likely that you'll swap cards - and unlike Windows RT, you can make a microSD card part of a library so any media files show up in the Music and Videos apps properly. This is a VGA rather than HDMI port, because there are still so many VGA screens and projectors in businesses, and the angle of the case edges means you'll still need Microsoft's own cable to connect with to make sure it plugs in correctly.
Also different from Surface RT is the USB port, which is USB 3.0. Transferring large files, like the 30-megabyte files a DSLR camera produces, takes just a few seconds. USB 3 isn't as sexy as Apple's Thunderbolt connector, but you're getting similar speeds - and there are plenty of fast USB 3 drives out now.
The screen is the same 10.6-inch size and it still looks beautiful, with true deep blacks and vivid, saturated colours, but the resolution is higher; 1,920 by 1,080 makes this a true HD display. It's still a touch screen, but it can detect ten fingers at once rather than just five (so you get even more control with music apps, for example).
The new pen
But Surface Pro also has its own active pen so you can tap as precisely as with a mouse, or draw and write smoothly on screen. Surface Pro doesn't come with Office but we tested the pen in OneNote 2013 as well as in FreshPaint and you can write quickly without the pen tip skidding over the surface of the screen.
When the pen is near the screen, finger touch is blocked so your hand doesn't interfere with what you're writing or drawing. It's a pressure-sensitive pen (although it's not the Wacom pen we've seen on most PC tablets), so the harder you press the thicker the line you draw.
The pen itself is a good size; not the tiny stylus Asus is including with its pen systems or the over-large pen that comes with the HP EliteBook Revolve.
It's light, comfortable and very well balanced in your hand. Turn it round to use the end as an eraser; this is a large eraser button with quite a lot of travel which makes rubbing out ink feel very smooth and natural.
There's a large button on the side with a very positive click for when you need the right-mouse button. This is also a magnet that fits into the power charging port on the side so you can clip the pen in place.
The magnet holds the pen on very securely; we couldn't quite dangle the Surface Pro by the pen the way you can hold the Surface RT by the keyboard, but when we picked up the pen, it didn't pull off at once and it isn't going to twist off in your bag or fall off at the first knock.
Full Windows 8
Like the keyboard, the magnets hold the pen in sideways as well, so it takes a firm and deliberate pull to get it off. Yes, we'd prefer to have the pen dock inside the body of the tablet, but we wouldn't want to make Surface Pro larger or thicker to make room so this is an elegant alternative.
Using the pen button as the holder means that the usual pocket clip on the pen is offset by 90 degrees so it doesn't get in the way when it's connected (and it doesn't stick out further to be knocked off more easily). That's also more comfortable in your hand, because the clip isn't catching against your hand.
That's the same kind of attention to detail that makes the Surface RT stand out, but this time you're getting a full Windows 8 PC that can run all your software.
We didn't have enough time to test battery life but Windows Store apps feels just as responsive as on Surface RT, and desktop programs feel as responsive as you'd expect from a Core i5. Microsoft' s first real PC is shaping up to be what looks like a really great and really portable PC.
The way HTC sees it, it's in perfect position to take over the world in 2013.
"We are definitely going to build off of the success of 2012 to push out new innovations in 2013," said Jeff Gordon, global online communications manager at HTC during a meeting at CES.
The company isn't showing any new phones at the event, save the Cricket Wireless-bound One SV.
Gordon stayed mum on what's coming down HTC's pipes, but the company will be at Mobile World Congress next month, an event it has attended for years and the prime time to release a phone to the mobile-centric crowd.
With a year that saw the release of the Windows 8X, Windows 8S and the TechRadar-recommended One X+, Gordon said the HTC line - with its bright colors and top tier design - is meant to inspire customers not just to buy but to use.
Solid foundation
Three pillars hold up the HTC brand, Gordon said: beautiful design, camera development and an authentic audio experience.
"I think we're second to none on design," he said. "And when people use our cameras, they are blown away by the speed. As for audio, we're second to none there, too. We want to create a visceral listening experience and we're able to do that with out Beats Audio partnership."
While Gordon sees the company's U.S. presence as strong, he said the European landscape could use some growth.
"There's a lot of growth potential with our One series there," he said. "We definitely want it to grow in the European market."
Though Euro-expansion is on HTC's radar, Gordon said there is an international issue facing the company.
"One of the big challenges we face is in how people see us," he said. "We don't want to be pigeonholed as a Taiwanese company but as a global company. There's nothing inherently Asian about our products or company, so we hope people see that."
The company is no stranger to struggling financials - its October revenue was down 60 percent year-on-year. However, it had a nice uptick in December sales that could signal happy times ahead.
HTC is tenacious and its phones, for the most part, hold up, so look for more mobile developments coming from the Taiwanese...er...global company in the coming months.
Samsung has already integrated Dropbox into its recent products like the Galaxy S3 smartphone and Galaxy Camera, but the two companies promise to offer even more in the near future.
Softpedia reported Tuesday that Samsung and Dropbox have announced plans to build upon their existing partnership, which integrates the popular cloud storage service into the Korean manufacturer's Android-based devices.
Officially announced in August 2012, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 became the first device to integrate Dropbox directly into the photo and video gallery for automatic uploading of new images or movies.
Apparently the alliance was a success, as the two companies now plan to extend the partnership even further to old and new devices alike.
Common goal
In addition to extending Dropbox integration to more current devices, Samsung plans to add document storage and additional sharing options to upcoming devices.
"Dropbox and Samsung share a common goal when it comes to connectivity across devices.," said Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen, head of Mobile Business Development at Dropbox.
"We believe that the things that matter most to people should be accessible at all times. Extending our successful relationship with Samsung from mobile phones to cameras gives users more opportunities to access and share photos, videos and documents, regardless of what device they are on."
The companies have yet to announce which devices have been earmarked for deeper Dropbox integration, or when such products will begin shipping to carriers.
Sony has launched its new TV SideView app at CES 2013 in Las Vegas as it looks to offer consumers an even better TV experience.
The app which runs on the firm's Android smartphones and tablets allows users to browse the EPG, find out additional information on programmes including details on cast and crew, and find related shows to what's been watched in the past – all without having to inturrpt what's currently on the TV.
Once you've found something you like you can then use the app as a remote control, allowing you to change the channel, adjust the volume and press the red button.
Third-party support
SideView incorporates third party services such as Netflix and YouTube while also supporting Sony's own Music and Video Unlimited packages.
There are downsides though – you will need a Sony made Smart TV and/or Blu-Ray player which supports this fancy technology and a Sony Xperia device such as the Xperia Z or Xperia Tablet S with the smarts to accompany it – which is all going to add up.
It's certainly a nice idea and we're always fans of being able to control home applications and entertainment systems from our mobile devices, but we'd rather see this technology become universal between brands instead of forcing you into a particular company's ecosystem.
