| Yahoo hits Facebook with patent infringement lawsuit Mar 12th 2012, 20:44  Yahoo has seen some fairly big shakeups within the company recently, and it looks like it's now also trying a change in tactics. As AllThingsD reports, Yahoo has today filed what's being described as a "massive" patent infringement lawsuit against none other than Facebook. That suit concerns ten patents in all, which cover everything from advertising and privacy measures to messaging and social networking itself. As detailed in the complaint (viewable at the source link below), Yahoo alleges that Facebook is infringing on those patents left and right, including in such core features as the News Feed, user profiles, and its advertising methods. In a statement, Yahoo said that it has licensed its patents to others but that the "matter with Facebook remains unresolved" and that it's therefore "compelled to seek redress in federal court," adding that it's "confident" it will prevail. For its part, Facebook says that it's "disappointed that Yahoo's effort to engage with us was limited to a few short phone calls and that we continue to learn of new developments about a long-time partner through the press," further adding that "we will defend ourselves vigorously against these puzzling actions." Yahoo hits Facebook with patent infringement lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  AllThingsD | Email this | Comments | | Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft: three very different takes on portable gaming at GDC 2012 Mar 12th 2012, 20:01 Tim Cook says the darnedest things. Why, just last week Apple's head honcho suggested that iPad users are ditching their home consoles in favor of Cupertino's favorite slate. Bold words, ones that can't be sitting well with the gaming industry's big three. Steady thy rifle, hardcore gamer, Cook has a point: the console wars have shifted irreversibly. Gone are the days of bickering over somewhat similar 16-bit consoles and their supposed lack of "blast-processing"; today's gaming armies wage war with wildly different artillery. In the pursuit of your mobile gaming dollar, Nintendo towed a traditional line with a new twist. Sony, on the other hand, seems to have bundled every input method it could get its mitts on into its next-generation portable. Microsoft, however, puts the "mobile" in mobile gaming, echoing Apple's own approach with an Xbox Live platform that eschews dedicated hardware to float across Windows Phone devices as a "feature." Take a step back, and suddenly it seems like the major players of consumer gaming aren't even driving on the same track. This war isn't about the "most powerful" console anymore; it's about creating the right experience for today's gamer. We ducked under the unspoken truce of last week's Game Developer Conference to get a bead on Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony's portable gaming strategies. Read on to see what they're doing to differentiate themselves from the competition. Continue reading Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft: three very different takes on portable gaming at GDC 2012 Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft: three very different takes on portable gaming at GDC 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | T-Mobile's Galaxy S Blaze 4G lands in select stores March 21st, everywhere else March 28th Mar 12th 2012, 19:33 A Galaxy S II it is not, but that isn't a bad thing, as not everyone's kosher with cramming 4.65-inches worth of superphone into their pocket. Enter T-Mobile's Galaxy S Blaze 4G -- a souped up Galaxy S class device with some new silicon from its faster (and larger) brother. Hitting select stores March 21st, followed by more retail outlets and online on the 28th, those plunking down the $150 asking price will be treated to a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 processor, a 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA panel and a 5 megapixel rear shooter with 720p video capture. TouchWiz and Gingerbread are still the name of the game here, but Samsung's assured us an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade will come in due course. With a couple of weeks before judgement day, why not get cozy with our hands-on from MWC? Go-on, it won't bite. T-Mobile's Galaxy S Blaze 4G lands in select stores March 21st, everywhere else March 28th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Ralph Baer, video game mastermind, sits down for inventor portrait video Mar 12th 2012, 19:01 Ralph Baer is a name synonymous with gaming lore, credited with the invention of the Magnavox Odyssey and thinking that digital table tennis was a good idea long before Pong proved him right. These days, he's 90 years young, and still inventing as if his best days are ahead of him. Photographer David Friedman has embarked on quite the interesting side project, lining up a number of interviews that profile some of the world's most quietly influential folk; in the effort of concealing spoilers, we'll simply encourage you to tap the play button below after you're settled in. It's a solid watch, regardless of whether you're familiar with the man, the myth or the legend. Continue reading Ralph Baer, video game mastermind, sits down for inventor portrait video Ralph Baer, video game mastermind, sits down for inventor portrait video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  MAKE, Joystiq | David Friedman Photography, Vimeo | Email this | Comments | |
