| LightSquared officially files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy May 14th 2012, 18:24  As expected, May 14th is indeed a dark day for LightSquared. The company has just filed paperwork in order to initiate Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in Manhattan's US Bankruptcy Court, effectively killing its dream of providing a high-speed mobile wireless network to upwards of 260 million people. Not quite a year after Sprint and LightSquared put together an agreement that would ensure 15 years of blissful LTE enjoyment together, Philip Falcone's baby looks weaker than ever. With the Sprint tie-up now void, and over $1.6 billion in debt, there's probably not too many places for LS to turn. The primary hurdle -- one it never could seem to overcome -- was the FCC's outright refusal to believe any of the company's mitigation proposals in relation to GPS interference issues. Despite "profoundly disagreeing" and raising all sorts of chaos in an effort to get its way, LightSquared never did manage to convince the powers that mattered. Where it turns from here is anyone's guess, but it won't be a quiet fall from grace, we're surmising. LightSquared officially files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Bloomberg | Email this | Comments | | UnEasyshare: Kodak's now-defunct, Rochester-based nuclear reactor May 14th 2012, 18:17  Ready for this unsettling Kodak moment? It seems the one-time imaging powerhouse held a decades-long secret deep in a bunker below Building 82 on its Rochester campus. The now vacant facility, a concrete-shielded chamber built in 1974, was once home to a californium neutron flux multiplier (CFX) or, in layman's terms, a small nuclear reactor as recently as six years ago. Certainly, that's not the technology one would normally associate with an outfit built on the foundations of photography, but according to recently released documents, its three and a half pound store of enriched uranium was used primarily for neutron radiography -- an imaging technique -- and chemical purity testing. The site's long been shut down and the radioactive material in question carted off with federal oversight, but for denizens of that upstate New York territory, alarming news of the reactor's existence has only just surfaced. Before you cast Kodak the evil side eye, bear in mind post-9/11 policies forbade the company from making the whereabouts of its small reactor widely known, though earlier scientific studies did make reference to the CFX's existence. It's an eye-opening glimpse into the esoteric machinations of private industry and the deadly dangers that lurk below your feet. UnEasyshare: Kodak's now-defunct, Rochester-based nuclear reactor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Gizmodo | Democrat and Chronicle | Email this | Comments | | Apple gets another bite, wins appeal to pursue preliminary injunction against Samsung May 14th 2012, 17:58  We'll forgive you if you've forgotten, given the myriad Apple/Samsung legal shenanigans, but back in February, Apple attempted to obtain a preliminary injunction against Samsung to prevent the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a few phones from being sold in the US. Samsung emerged victorious, as the district court denied Cupertino's request because it questioned the validity of a couple of Apple's patents and didn't see how Apple would be irreparably harmed if it failed to get Sammy's products banned. Naturally, Tim Cook's crew appealed that decision, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) has decided to give Apple another crack at obtaining an injunction. The CAFC upheld the lower court's ruling as to three of the four patents, but found fault with the District Court's holding that Apple's tablet design patent had substantial questions of validity. Essentially, the lower court held that Apple's patent was likely no good because it was an obvious design in light of two tablets that were created long before Apple patented the iPad's look. However, the CAFC found that one of the previous slate's asymmetrical bezel and lack of an unbroken, all-glass surface (among other differences) were sufficient to render Apple's patent non-obvious. Basically, the appellate court found that the District court "construed the claimed design too broadly," and remanded the issue so that the district court could complete its preliminary injunction analysis. So, Apple's cleared a big hurdle towards getting the Galaxy Tab 10.1 off the US market, but the company's still got to persuade Judge Koh that it'll be irreparably harmed without the injunction. This decision assures even longer legal proceedings, but given how well both of these tech titans are doing these days, we're pretty sure they can afford the attorneys' fees. Apple gets another bite, wins appeal to pursue preliminary injunction against Samsung originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Wall Street Journal | CAFC ruling (PDF) | Email this | Comments | | NVIDIA, Intellectual Ventures partner to acquire 4G patents from IPWireless May 14th 2012, 17:43  It's hard to read the word 'patent' and not leap immediately to 'infringement,' given the tech industry's recent track record. But in this rare case, access to that oft-contested IP is being spread like love -- very expensive love. Under the terms of a joint agreement, NVIDIA and Intellectual Ventures have acquired nearly 500 patents from IPWireless, some of which pertain to essential tech for LTE, LTE-Advanced and 3G / 4G, bolstering the duo's inroads into the mobile space. Though the exact financials weren't disclosed, IPWireless will retain the right to utilize that portfolio royalty-free for as long as it chooses, while NVIDIA will have to license whatever patents it didn't acquire from its partner. With official word of LTE Tegra 3 chips being pushed off into 2013, this latest business handshake's paving the way for an uncontested market debut. Check out the official PR after the break. Continue reading NVIDIA, Intellectual Ventures partner to acquire 4G patents from IPWireless NVIDIA, Intellectual Ventures partner to acquire 4G patents from IPWireless originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Microsoft to offer $15 Windows 8 upgrade, when you buy a Win7 PC May 14th 2012, 17:31  In need of a new computer, but holding out because you don't want to be saddled with a last-gen OS when Windows 8 lands? Worry not potential consumers, Microsoft plans to offer a cheap upgrade path to its latest and greatest if you buy in now. Well, not now, but soon. Starting June 2nd Redmond will offer a $15 upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 Pro. Mary Jo Foley first reported the deal last week, but wasn't able to put a price on the offer. Now, Paul Thurrott is filling in those blanks. For $14.99 any new PC purchaser will be insured against the coming Metro revolution. This is hardly a new tactic for Microsoft, which has used similar deals to try and stave off steep drops in computer sales as the release of a new OS approaches. The only question we have left is, why the push to Pro? Though, far be it for us to look a gift horse in the mouth. Microsoft to offer $15 Windows 8 upgrade, when you buy a Win7 PC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TNW | Paul Thurrott | Email this | Comments | | Samsung T699 for T-Mobile teased in UAProf, reveals 720p display May 14th 2012, 17:08  No doubt, T-Mobile is in the middle of a rebuilding stage as a result of the AT&T merger attempt. Should it be much of a surprise, then, that the carrier would be looking at cranking out a smartphone lineup full of tempting options? Not at all. It turns out that Samsung is making some contributions to the cause, as a UAProf file for the unannounced T699 has been discovered. Just like most user agent profiles, there's little to discern here aside from the obvious inclusion of a 720p HD display -- but at least this lets us know that the handset exists, and that we have something new to look forward to on T-Mobile. Check out the source if you want to do some deciphering of your own. Samsung T699 for T-Mobile teased in UAProf, reveals 720p display originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 13:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TMoNews | Samsung | Email this | Comments | |
