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Business
January 27, 2012
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Apple, Google and others face antitrust lawsuit over secret no-poaching agreements

By on January 27, 2012 at 2:20 PM.

Apple, Google and others face antitrust lawsuit over secret no-poaching agreements

Apple, Google and five other technology companies must face a lawsuit for violating antitrust laws, according to a federal judge. The two companies, along with Intel, Adobe, Pixar, Intuit and Lucasfilm, are accused of entering into agreements to not recruit each other’s employees. U.S. District Judge Lucy H. Koh in San Jose, California said on Thursday that even if the claims were dismissed, she would give the plaintiffs a chance to amend their complaint and refile it, reports Bloomberg. “They still have an antitrust claim that’s going forward so I don’t want to see any obstruction on discovery,” she told lawyers during a hearing. More →

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Business
January 26, 2012
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Intel to buy 190 patents and video codec software from RealNetworks for $120 million

By on January 26, 2012 at 11:05 PM.

Intel to buy 190 patents and video codec software from RealNetworks for $120 million

Intel and RealNetworks announced on Thursday that Intel will purchase video codec software, 190 patents and 170 patent applications from RealNetworks for a total of $120 million. “We believe this agreement enhances our ability to continue to offer richer experiences and innovative solutions to end users across a wide spectrum of devices, including through Ultrabook devices, smartphones and digital media,” said Renee James, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Software and Services Group. The two companies also agreed to work together on future advancements in video codec software. “RealNetworks does not anticipate that the sale of the approximately 190 patents and 170 patent applications and next generation video codec software will have any material impact on its businesses,” the company said in a statement. RealNetworks’s full press release follows after the break. More →

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Rumor
January 20, 2012
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Acer, Asus and Lenovo to equip ultrabooks with Thunderbolt ports in Q2

By on January 20, 2012 at 7:30 PM.

Acer, Asus and Lenovo to equip ultrabooks with Thunderbolt ports in Q2

Acer, Asus and Lenovo will reportedly begin selling ultrabooks equipped with Intel’s fast and versatile Thunderbolt I/O port, which combines DisplayPort and PCI Express, during the second quarter of 2012. DigiTimes said mostly high-end computers will adopt Thunderbolt this year since it now costs more than $20 to add Thunderbolt connectivity to a computer. Apple was one of the first companies to adopt Thunderbolt and it currently equips a number of its computers and displays with the technology. A recent patent filing also suggested Apple may begin using Thunderbolt in iOS devices, too. More →

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Business
January 20, 2012
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DoJ evidence suggests Apple, Google and others had illegal ‘no poach’ agreements

By on January 20, 2012 at 11:00 AM.

DoJ evidence suggests Apple, Google and others had illegal ‘no poach’ agreements

The Department of Justice recently released information that suggests a number of large U.S. technology companies may have created secret “no poaching” agreements with one another. The companies that have been under investigation include Apple, Google, Intel, Adobe, Intuit, Pixar, Adobe and Lucasfilm. The alleged no poaching agreements may have been pretty scary: According to TechCrunch, which published the DoJ’s early findings, companies were told to deny offers to anyone who applied for a job voluntarily from competing firms, and were to alert the employee’s current boss. That’s in addition to agreeing not to steal employees from one another. In one excerpt, Adobe’s senior vice president of human resources said: “Bruce [Adobe's former CEO] and Steve Jobs have an agreement that we are not to solicit ANY Apple employees, and vice versa.” The results of the DoJ investigation will be revealed as part of a class-action lawsuit hearing in San Jose next week. More →

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Business
January 19, 2012
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Acer chairman eyes MacBook Air-like ultrabooks for PC growth

By on January 19, 2012 at 10:15 PM.

Acer chairman eyes MacBook Air-like ultrabooks for PC growth

Acer chairman JT Wang on Thursday reaffirmed the company’s dedication to the new “ultrabook” market, further distancing his company from the low-margin netbooks that have dominated its PC lineup in the past. Following the success of Acer’s first-generation ultrabook — the Aspire S3 reportedly shipped between 250,000 and 300,000 units during its first quarter of availability — Acer plans to launch new ultrabook models in both the second and third quarters this year. According to DigiTimes, Wang estimates that Windows and Intel-powered ultrabooks will account for between 25% and 35% of the company’s PC sales in 2012. Wang expects notebook shipment volume to slide between 10% and 15% sequentially in the first quarter, however he expects full-year shipments to grow 10% compared to 2011. While sales in the U.S. and Europe are likely to remain relatively slow according to Acer, the company projects strong sales in Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand and other Southeast Asia markets. More →

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General
January 18, 2012
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AMD to undercut Intel with cheaper ultrabooks

By on January 18, 2012 at 2:00 AM.

AMD to undercut Intel with cheaper ultrabooks

AMD is reportedly planning to undercut Intel by offering cheaper ultrabook components later this year. The notebooks are expected to cost between $700 and $999, which is a good deal cheaper than the $999-$1,200 price tag that many ultrabooks carry now. DigiTimes notes that AMD’s technology will not add any new innovative functions but will instead be focused on delivering consumers thin and light devices at a much more wallet-friendly price. The first round of AMD-powered ultrabooks is expected to hit the market in June. More →

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mobile
January 16, 2012
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Samsung to merge Bada OS with Intel-backed Tizen

By on January 16, 2012 at 1:35 PM.

Samsung to merge Bada OS with Intel-backed Tizen

During the Consumer Electronics Show, Samsung announced that the company is working on merging its Bada mobile operating system with the open-source Tizen operating system. “We have an effort that will merge bada and Tizen,” said Tae-Jin Kan, senior vice president of Samsung’s Contents Planning Team, in an interview with Forbes. While he wasn’t aware when the work would be complete, Kang indicated that is has already begun. Read on for more. More →

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Tablets
January 16, 2012
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Windows 8 tablets could be priced right out of contention

By on January 16, 2012 at 9:35 AM.

Windows 8 tablets could be priced right out of contention

Tablets were the talk of the Consumer Electronics Show this year, but not the same way they were last year. In 2011 we saw more than 100 slates unveiled, the lion’s share of which were powered bu Android, and companies pushed hard to compete with Apple’s iPad. This year, barely any Android tablets were shown off at the show, but a number of companies had nameless prototypes on hand that were intended to show us what Windows 8 will be capable of once it hits the market. Unfortunately, according to a new report, the fantastic “Wintel” tablets we saw on display at this year’s show may end up with price tags that could deter most consumers and hurt Windows 8 tablets’ chances right out of the gate. Read on for more. More →

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CES
January 11, 2012
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Hands on with Intel’s Medfield Android phone

By on January 11, 2012 at 7:55 PM.

Hands on with Intel’s Medfield Android phone

On Tuesday, Intel announced that it was entering the smartphone space and that Lenovo will be the first vendor to introduce a smartphone powered by Intel’s Medfield processor. Intel also had its manufacturer reference design on display at CES however, which we had a chance to play with. The current device runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and felt just as fast as other high-end smartphones we’ve played with recently, such as the DROID RAZR MAXX. The device was extremely thin and is capable of taking 15 8-megapixel photos in a single second — something no other mobile processor can handle at this point. Intel explained that the reference design is used to show manufacturers what Medfield is capable of, but that manufacturers can and likely will add their own tweaks to their devices. Motorola Mobility announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a multi-year partnership with Intel, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see the first Medfield-based smartphones hit store shelves later this year. Check out our gallery below for a closer look at the reference device.

 

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CES
January 11, 2012
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Lenovo K800 Intel Medfield phone hands on

By on January 11, 2012 at 5:41 PM.

Lenovo K800 Intel Medfield phone hands on

We swung by Intel’s booth to check out the Lenovo K800 during the Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday. The Lenovo K800 is the first commercial device to launch with Intel’s brand new Medfield mobile processor. It currently runs Android and, unfortunately, all of the menus were in Chinese so it was a bit hard to navigate. Still, it was noticeably fast and we love Lenovo’s hardware design. The phone felt solid but still was able to be extremely thin. It offers an 8-megapixel camera and the Medfield platform technically supports shooting of up to 15 frames per second, although Lenovo wasn’t sure if the camera on the K800 was actually capable of doing that. It doesn’t appear that there are any plans to deliver the K800 to the United States at this point in time, but we’re sure to see Medfield devices from Motorola in the coming year. Check out our full gallery below.

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CES
January 10, 2012
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Motorola and Intel enter into a multi-year, multi-device agreement for Intel-based devices

By on January 10, 2012 at 8:17 PM.

Motorola and Intel enter into a multi-year, multi-device agreement for Intel-based devices

Motorola joined Intel on stage at the Consumer Electronics Show on Tuesday, with the two companies announcing a major agreement. Motorola and Intel have entered into a multi-year, multi-device strategic partnership to incorporate Intel chips into Motorola’s Android tablets and smartphones. The first Intel-based smartphones will go through carrier validation this summer, with launch shortly after that. Read on for the press release. More →

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CES
January 10, 2012
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Lenovo K800 is the world’s first Intel-based smartphone

By on January 10, 2012 at 7:59 PM.

Lenovo K800 is the world’s first Intel-based smartphone

Lenovo and Intel took the stage at the Consumer Electronics Show on Tuesday to announce the world’s first Intel-based smartphone, the Lenovo K800. The device features a 4.5-inch HD 720p display and is heading first to China’s Unicom network during the second quarter of this year. Additionally, the K800 sports a 1.6GHz Intel processor and an 8-megapixel rear camera. Lenovo hasn’t announced when or even if the device will be available stateside.

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CES
January 10, 2012
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Live from Intel’s CES 2012 keynote

By on January 10, 2012 at 7:20 PM.

Live from Intel’s CES 2012 keynote

Day 1 of the Consumer Electronics Show is drawing to a close, and a keynote featuring Intel is the perfect way to end the day. Intel is the driving force behind a seemingly endless line of devices that have helped shape the industry as we know it today, and this evening we should get a look at how Intel intends to continue driving innovation moving forward. Smartphones and tablets powered by the company’s next-generation Medfield processors will definitely be on display, and the company invested $300 million in ultrabooks so we’ll undoubtedly see a parade of slim new laptops on stage during the event as well. Will Intel have a few surprises up its sleeve? The keynote is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern / 4:30 p.m. Pacific, so hit the jump and tune in for our live coverage. More →

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