| DOJ greenlights bid by Apple, Microsoft and RIM to buy Nortel patents Feb 13th 2012, 22:01 |  The US Department of Justice didn't just give the go-ahead to Google's acquisition of Motorola today, it also gave the greenlight to a $4.5 billion bid on Nortel's patents from a consortium of companies including Apple, Microsoft and RIM (who have dubbed themselves Rockstar Bidco). Nortel's portfolio includes some 6,000 patents, and the DOJ says the approval comes after it received clear commitments from Apple and Microsoft to license so-called standard essential patents on "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, as well as their commitments not to seek injunctions in disputes involving SEPs." To round things out for the day, the Justice Department has also given its clearance to Apple's proposed acquisition of certain Novell patents. Its full statement can be found after the break.
Continue reading DOJ greenlights bid by Apple, Microsoft and RIM to buy Nortel patents DOJ greenlights bid by Apple, Microsoft and RIM to buy Nortel patents originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Department of Justice | Email this | Comments | | US gives its blessing to Google's Moto purchase Feb 13th 2012, 21:31 | When it rains, it pours. Just hours after European regulators gave the green light to Google to snatch up Motorola Mobility, the US Justice Department gave the couple its own blessing. The $12.5 billion purchase has drawn serious scrutiny from both regulators and Big G's own partners, though, consensus seems to be that Mountain View is more interested in Moto's patents than in entering the hardware business. Though the Justice Department doesn't see the merger as an immediate threat to competition, it did issue a stern warning that it "will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action to stop any anticompetitive use of SEP (standard essential patent) rights." The concern is an understandable one since all the major players in the mobile space, Motorola included, have been at each other's legal throats for some time now. There are still a few more interested parties who will have to give their own consent to the combination including China, Israel and Taiwan. But, with two of the biggest potential blockades giving Google the thumbs up, it's looking more and more likely that the purchase will go through. US gives its blessing to Google's Moto purchase originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Reuters | Department of Justice | Email this | Comments | | VLC hits version 2.0: brings presents to all the platforms (update: it's the RC version) Feb 13th 2012, 21:22 |  Open-source friend to all the video codecs, VLC media player, has hit version 2.0, bringing with it a raft of new features across Mac OS, Windows and Unix versions. VideoLAN's also brought the player kicking and screaming into this decade with a better (read; less Windows 98-looking) makeover. The PC version will include a new 64-bit edition, while Mac OS X users will get a new iTunes-esque look, playback for Blu-ray and a new native full screen mode for Lion. There's also a new subtitle manager and support for multiple videos inside RAR files. There's also two extra surprises; an iOS version makes a return to the fold, with the development of an Android version appearing in the change log. Willing to give the first release a try? The files are available for your platform of choice at the source link below.
Update: This is the release candidate version, so you won't be able to update your existing version. And it looks like 64-bit Windows users will have to wait a little longer.
Image credit: Felix Kühne VLC hits version 2.0: brings presents to all the platforms (update: it's the RC version) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink 9to5Mac | VideoLAN, VLC Change log | Email this | Comments | | Tesla's Model X struts its stuff on video, gets serenaded by Elon Musk Feb 13th 2012, 20:50 | We may have attended the Model X premiere, but despite us pleading for a ride-along, Tesla PR insisted only those who'd plunked cash for a pre-order that evening would get the chauffeur treatment. Thankfully there's YouTube user TheSpeedRead, who either threw down enough cash or was swift enough to evade security, slipping into a Model X and gratuitously posting it for all to see. In the video above you'll catch a glimpse of the interior, which features the same 17-inch touchscreen as in the Model S. In addition, a Tesla employee muses about the advantages of its dual motor AWD system and low center of gravity as he sashays the crossover through a slalom course outside Tesla's design HQ. Our friends at Autoblog Green also culled a video from SmartPlanet featuring the company's CEO, Elon Musk, reflecting on the advantages of the Model X's unique "Falcon Wing" rear doors and touting the advantages of not having a space-hogging combustion engine in its front -- enabling the front trunk, or Frunk, to serve as a crumple zone "two to three times greater" than in competing vehicles. Get the full sales pitch from the entrepreneur extraordinaire after the break. Continue reading Tesla's Model X struts its stuff on video, gets serenaded by Elon Musk Tesla's Model X struts its stuff on video, gets serenaded by Elon Musk originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Autoblog Green | | Email this | Comments | | ESA's Vega rocket takes flight, delivers low-tonnage objects to high places Feb 13th 2012, 20:24 | On Monday, the European Space Agency (ESA) conducted a successful test of its newest projectile, the Vega rocket. Designed to carry up to nine objects totaling less than 2.5 metric tons ("tonnes," for those in the know) into orbit, the four-stage vehicle stands 30 meters tall and weighs in at just under 140 metric tons when fully loaded. The rocket aims to solve a key -- if slightly humdrum -- problem: at present, European researchers send their instrumentation into space on retrofitted Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). The Vega platform should provide greater launch flexibility and reduce the delay (which can be months) scientists experience while waiting to hitch a ride on an ICBM. Although still in the testing stage, Monday's maiden voyage was a promising first step for the new spacecraft. Hit the source for more rocket-related excitement. ESA's Vega rocket takes flight, delivers low-tonnage objects to high places originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | BBC | Email this | Comments | | Canon PowerShot G1 X review Feb 13th 2012, 20:00 | Canon's G1 X boasts a beefy 14-megapixel resolution and a tank-load of ambition. Its mandate, no less, is to deliver the image quality and control of a DSLR inside the discreet body of a compact, aiming to attract serious photographers who want to travel light or supplement their main kit. That's why the G1 X houses a substantial 1.5-inch CMOS sensor, stretching to around 80 percent of the size of APS-C, along with an anti-minimalist array of dials, knobs and buttons to provide quick access to manual settings. It also explains why the G1 X is 30 percent heavier than both its evolutionary ancestor and some of its competitors, and why its price tag is equally hefty: $800, which is SLR-like in all the wrong ways. We've had this shooter long enough to gather our thoughts, but as to whether it deserves a smile or a snarl, you'll have to read on to find out. Continue reading Canon PowerShot G1 X review Canon PowerShot G1 X review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
