Your 2 hourly digest for Engadget

Engadget Engadget

Kodak sues Apple for allegedly interfering with patent sales, has little nostalgia for your QuickTake Jun 19th 2012, 16:09 Kodak may have recently obtained clearance to sell some patents and help dig itself out of bankruptcy, but it wants to be extra-certain Apple is nowhere near potential buyers if a deal goes down. The former camera maker is suing Apple in hopes of making the former collaborator drop challenges to the ownership of 10 imaging patents from the early 1990s, when the two were still buddy-buddy enough to design the QuickTake camera line together. Claims by Apple and patent transfer recipient FlashPoint Technology are purportedly just attempts to stall any patent sale as long as possible and spook buyers away, forcing Kodak to make some hard decisions about its own lawsuits. That's not to say Kodak is a doe-eyed innocent here: Apple has accused Kodak of trying to sweep any patent disputes under the rug with bankruptcy as the pretext. Although the lawsuit is just one part of a larger story, it could more definitively answer whether or not Kodak has enough bullets left in its patent gun. [Image credit: Mikhail Shcherbakov, Flickr] Kodak sues Apple for allegedly interfering with patent sales, has little nostalgia for your QuickTake originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Reuters  | Email this | Comments iFixit tears down the new MacBook Pro's Retina display, finds a minor marvel of engineering Jun 19th 2012, 15:48 We've already seen them go to town on the body of the MacBook Pro with Retina display, but the staffers at iFixit have seen fit to disassemble the 2880 x 1800 panel at the heart of the new beast. As they've since found out, it takes no less than a rethink of LCD construction to make that kind of resolution work in a laptop screen that's thinner than its ancestor. The unibody aluminum casing acts as the frame for the display, and the LCD becomes its own front glass; even the wireless antennas are threaded through the hinges to eke out that last drop of space. Combined, Apple's part layouts do make repair near-impossible -- the teardown gurus at iFixit ended up cracking the glass despite their knowledge. The team is nonetheless a little more forgiving on the lack of repairability here than with the computer underneath, noting that something had to give for Apple to have its high-resolution cake and eat it too. That just won't be much of a consolation if your MacBook Pro faceplants and requires a whole LCD swap. iFixit tears down the new MacBook Pro's Retina display, finds a minor marvel of engineering originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  iFixit  | Email this | Comments Square lets merchants offer first visit deals, reward regulars with digital punch cards (video) Jun 19th 2012, 15:33 The great philosopher, Huey Lewis, once mused that it was "hip to be square." And it looks like he might have been right. The nifty geometrically-named payment widget is fast gaining popularity, no doubt thanks to its simplicity and accessibility. The system's had basic loyalty functions for a while, but now, users of its Pay with Square app can rack up loyalty points for repeat visits, or certain spend amounts. That means no more scratching around trying to find that bent up punch card, just pay up and -- literally -- reap the rewards. New customers can also now be lured in with the ability for retailers to add first visit specials. Merchants also get an upgrade, including real-time in-app analytics and the ability to give on the spot discounts. Great news, of course, though we wonder if it'll extend to a free ride home? Continue reading Square lets merchants offer first visit deals, reward regulars with digital punch cards (video) Square lets merchants offer first visit deals, reward regulars with digital punch cards (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink New York Times  |  iTunes, Google Play  | Email this | Comments Barnes & Noble's Q4 and FY 2012: revenue up, losses up, hopes Microsoft hurries up Jun 19th 2012, 15:18 Barnes & Noble has released its financial results for both the final quarter and full financial year of 2012. It's a picture of a company that's holding steady in the face of continued onslaught from its rivals, albeit with some hope on the horizon. In preparation for its as-yet-unnamed venture with Microsoft, the company has begun the process of spinning off its Nook and College businesses -- while sales from stores and BN.com now come under the umbrella term of "retail." On that front, it sold $1.1 billion worth of books in the quarter and $4.85 billion for the year -- down from $4.92 billion in 2011. Nook-wise, the company had turnover of $933 million, with device sales increasing 1 percent for the quarter and 45 percent of the year -- but had to eat a loss on taking back unsold Simple Touch readers. Content sales on its various devices increased 65 percent in the quarter and 119 percent in the year -- clearly showing where the market is headed. Continue reading Barnes & Noble's Q4 and FY 2012: revenue up, losses up, hopes Microsoft hurries up Barnes & Noble's Q4 and FY 2012: revenue up, losses up, hopes Microsoft hurries up originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink CNET  |  Barnes & Noble  | Email this | Comments LG backing off tablets for now, would rather circle smartphone wagons Jun 19th 2012, 15:05 LG has decided not to chip in any more tablets to the huge pile that's already out there, and will focus on smartphones instead. It hasn't exactly stormed the market anyway -- with recent tab offerings like the Optimus Pad LTE falling flat -- and has said that the move would free it up to improve its No. 4 spot on the world's cellphone charts. It insists the decision has nothing to do with Microsoft's recent Surface announcement, and says it doesn't compete in that particular sphere anyway. So that's that. LG backing off tablets for now, would rather circle smartphone wagons originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Slashgear  |  Bloomberg  | Email this | Comments Twelve South launches redesigned BookBook for iPad and BookBook for iPhone cases Jun 19th 2012, 14:47 During a visit to Twelve South's headquarters earlier in the year, we learned that its heralded BookBook lines would be getting a refresh for the iPad and iPhone. Today, we're able to actually talk about 'em. Both products are getting a gentle facelift, and better still, both products are shipping immediately to those interested. The star of the show is quite clearly the iPad edition, which has been "completely redesigned" in order to be some 33 percent thinner while weighing 358 grams. The interior is refreshed, too, with a rigid casing that hides a slip-in cover and a built-in stand. Reportedly in response to popular demand, a black and a red version are joining the classic brown edition, with each one constructed from leather and offering up a dual zipper system. The BookBook for iPad ($79.99) is built to support both the iPad 2 and the new Retina-equipped iPad, while the slightly tweaked BookBook for iPhone ($59.99; now available in brown and black) will comfortably house the iPhone 4 or 4S. Word hounds can find more where this came from in the PR past the break. Gallery: Twelve South redesigned BookBook for iPad and BookBook for iPhone cases (2012) Continue reading Twelve South launches redesigned BookBook for iPad and BookBook for iPhone cases Twelve South launches redesigned BookBook for iPad and BookBook for iPhone cases originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Twelve South (BookBook for iPhone), (iPad)  | Email this | Comments Unity 4.0 game engine adds Linux support, Mecanim animation, Flash and DirectX 11 (video) Jun 19th 2012, 14:32 Unity is about to give a jolt to the Linux gaming community with version 4.0 of its engine. The Penguin has been "underserved," according to the game engine company, so it'll now join the list of supported operating systems alongside Windows, OS X, iOS, Android, Xbox, PS3 and Wii. Developers will also get the new Mecanim system for making character animation easier, on top of DirectX 11 for Windows and Flash publishing options. Details are in the video after the break, but it's good news considering how Linux's namesake just decried the lack of love for the platform. Continue reading Unity 4.0 game engine adds Linux support, Mecanim animation, Flash and DirectX 11 (video) Unity 4.0 game engine adds Linux support, Mecanim animation, Flash and DirectX 11 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Phoronix  |  Unity 3D  | Email this | Comments

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions