How do we know we're years away from a final resolution to the Nokia / Apple patent lawsuit? It's been six months since Nokia first filed its complaint, and the two parties are just now starting to argue about which specific substantive claims they're eventually going to argue about. Let's do a quick refresh: at the heart of the lawsuit is a conflict over Nokia's wireless patents, some of which are almost certainly essential to how cell data and WiFi operate. As a member of the ETSI and the IEEE licensing groups which oversee GSM and WiFi, Nokia's required to license its patents to anyone who asks on fair terms, but those terms aren't set in stone -- Nokia can negotiate separate licenses as it sees fit, and it apparently wanted Apple to cross-license its touchscreen patents as part of the deal. Apple said no, and now we're all in court, with both sides alleging patent infringement in three different lawsuits (one of which is on hold) and Apple claiming that Nokia is also liable for breach of contract, because it promised fair licensing terms and didn't deliver. Got all that? Right.

So that brings us to yesterday, when Nokia asked the court to dismiss all of Apple's contract-related claims, saying that they're simply a distraction from the real issue, which is patents, and that its license offers aren't unfair simply because Apple doesn't like them. In short: Apple and Nokia's patent lawsuit is currently not really about patents at all, but about whether or not it should also be a fight about contract terms in addition to a fight about patents, and that question won't be resolved for months. And that's why vigilante justice is the future of America's tarnished civilization something like 90 percent of patent cases eventually settle out of court.

P.S. Oh, and in case you're wondering, today Reuters reported that the first trial date in the ITC case isn't expected until 2012. So, yeah.

Nokia asks court to dismiss part of Apple patent lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Greetings humans! If you've seen The Engadget Show, then you've been privy to some pretty incredible performances by a group of musicians and artists who eschew familiar instruments in exchange for hacked and modded handheld gaming devices. We grabbed our cameras and got a brief look at the history of the chiptunes movement, the difference between Game Boy music and music from Game Boys, and most importantly, how these artists and visualists make it all happen. Kick back and take a look at the segment (featuring the likes of Glomag, Paris, and Outpt) -- you'll be glad you did!

Special guests: Glomag, Paris, and Outpt
Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm
Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger
Edited by: Michael Slavens
Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec

Download the Show: The Engadget Show Segment - 005 (HD) / The Engadget Show Segment - 005 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted)

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Continue reading The Engadget Show: Inside chiptunes and 8-bit visuals

The Engadget Show: Inside chiptunes and 8-bit visuals originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Novothink has launched a case for iPhone which can also charge the phone's battery using solar energy. The company unveiled its new solar charging Surge cases

When Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, it slashed the 8GB version’s $599 price tag to $399 just 10 weeks later and we might see the same thing with Apple iPad.

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I remember the good ole days as a kid when going to Chuck E. Cheese's was the absolute best! One of my all time favorite games to play there was Skee Ball. There's a certain level of skill required to truly master Skee ball. You have to use ...

Cool iPhone Apps: iCardU-Easter Edition-Decorate Easter eggs with great colors, designs then MMS or email them http://bit.ly/bAiQvH #iphone

The iPad too has all this knowledge, but at what cost. Too expensive and too big to be the go-anywhere device that the iPhone is, it seems then like the iPad is destined to fight for the same space in our bags that would go to our netbooks & laptops. So why then should we care about the iPad?

Cell phone inventor swaps iPhone for Droid

Rumors are swirling that the next major release of the iPhone operating system will include true multitasking, but does the iPhone really need it?

GDC is a time for many game developers to show their stuff, each vying for media and consumer attention in the last big press period before E3. Gameloft, one of...

China now has the iPhone and more big-name smartphones are due in the country, but high prices mean few Chinese buyers overall are choosing smartphones.

Prepare for the tournament (or your office pool) with these handy iPhone apps.

NewsFactor - The Federal Communications Commission unveiled three digital tools Thursday that will enable consumers, businesses, schools and other organizations to test the real-world performance of their fixed and mobile broadband connections and help identify gaps in the nation's broadband coverage. The tools include downloadable applications for mobile devices based on Google's Android platform and Apple's iPhone OS.

Last night, we wrote about a CauseWorld teaming up with TechCrunch to provide double karma points during the SXSW festival starting today in Austin, Texas. These points, obtained through checking-in at various locations, can be used to donate to charities through big brands that support the app. It's a great feature, and we hope you'll use it in Austin. What we didn't talk too much about is the app itself that enables it, CauseWorld, which just released a new version of its iPhone app in the App Store. We first covered the app back in December, but now it has been significantly upgraded. One of the core ideas behind the app has always been the intersection of the mobile and physical world (something I've thought a lot about as well). A new feature bridges the gap a bit more as you can now scan barcodes on individual items with your iPhone to earn extra karma points. Proctor & Gamble are the ones sponsoring these points on different products they make. It's a good idea, because even if you choose not to buy the item, it forces you to pick it up and look at it a bit.

We talk about the FCC a lot here, but usually the ways ye olde Commission affects our lives are indirect. A little extra spectrum here, a nice leaked image there, that kind of thing. Not this time, though, as the FCC is getting involved directly with its own Consumer Broadband Test app, designed to probe network latencies and download speeds on your home connection or mobile device. Part of the hallowed National Broadband Plan, this will furnish the FCC will useful data to show the discrepancy between advertised and real world broadband speeds, and will also -- more importantly perhaps -- serve as a neat way for users to directly compare network performance in particular areas. It's available on the App Market and App Store right now, with versions for other operating systems coming up, so why not get with the program and give it a test drive?

FCC comes through with a Consumer Broadband Test app for iPhone, Android and the home originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China now has the iPhone and more big-name smartphones are due in the country, but high prices mean few Chinese buyers overall are choosing smartphones.

Nokia as a response to Apple's countersuit on Thursday put forward a motion to dismiss Apple's claims. The argument insists that Apple's counterclaims are "designed to divert attention" away from the iPhone's alleged violation of Nokia's 3G patents. In the 28-page motion, it maintains that it tried negotiating "fair" royalties with Apple but that the American company doesn't have a right to sue simply because it feels the rates are too steep or the contract harsh....

Fox News featured a new iPhone app designed to assist illegals with their quest to enter the US by locating safe water sources, monitoring border patrol and inspiring through poetry. All funded by your tax dollars. Cue the outrage!

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