Category: I-phone

To start off this new series of daily apps, I thought I’d pick something close to home — an app by TUAW’s own Erica Sadun. The free, ad-supported app is called Sadun’s Collage, and it produces fun photographic collages of pictures taken with the cameras in your iPad 2.

Sadun’s Collage is very intuitive to use. When you launch the app for the first time, you see a corkboard with a live image frame on it, as well as a group of buttons that are at the top of the screen. The buttons fade out, but are summoned back with a tap on the corkboard. To take a photo with Sadun’s Collage, you tap on the live image frame. Once the photo is “pinned” to your corkboard, you move it by sliding it around with your fingers, use the pinch gesture to make it bigger or smaller, and rotate it by twisting it clockwise or counterclockwise with two fingers. Every photo has a white Polaroid-like frame, and displays shadows for a feeling of depth as you layer the images.

To take another photo — there doesn’t seem to be a limit to how many you can place on the corkboard — just tap on the corkboard and then tap the + button that appears in the toolbar. If you’ve been snapping photos of your friends with the rear-facing camera but want to add your face to the board, there’s a button for toggling between the cameras.

You’re not stuck with just the cork background; there are also slate, marble, sandstone, and limestone to use as backgrounds. Once you’ve captured, sized, and placed images on the background, a tap on a “photo” button sends the collage (sans advertising) to your iPad photo library. Another button opens a blank email with the collage attached for sending to friends.

Any individual image on a collage may be removed by tapping on it to display a minus sign (-), and then tapping the minus sign to confirm the deletion. If you decide to erase the entire collage and start over, a tap on the “recycle” button offers up a clean slate to start with.

I asked Erica why the app doesn’t let you place images from your iPad photo library into the collage. Her response was that the app is designed for spontaneous fun with groups of people more than after-the-fact collage creation. It’s also possible that the standard iOS photo browser was omitted because it tends to be a bit slow and is a memory hog, but that’s just my opinion.

While you’re hanging around at a picnic, hiking in the mountains, or waiting for the fireworks to start over the Independence Day holiday in the U.S. this weekend, be sure to download Sadun’s Collage, have a little fun passing around the iPad 2, and enjoy those holiday memories in a clever photo collage that you created.

TUAW’s Daily iPad App: Sadun’s Collage originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all know that Apple’s iOS devices are popular. Surveys and analyst predictions place Apple at or near the top in the smartphone, tablet and media player market. That’s great for headlines, but what does it mean for Apple’s bottom line?

Horace Dediu of Asymco did some fancy figuring and calculated that the annual revenue for each iOS owner is US$150. This is based on 180 million current iOS users with 200 million iOS devices. Given the astronomical growth of the iOS platform, this installed user base could quickly climb to 500 million users, a lofty figure that would provide Apple with $74 billion per year in recurring revenue.

Mac sales are also climbing and could easily reach 100 million active users who generate $24 billion a year in revenue. Combine the Mac users with the iOS users and Apple could pull in a cool $95 billion per year in revenues from OS X and iOS devices alone.

These numbers are a conservative estimate as Dediu does not factor in sales from iTunes, iPods, accessories and software. It also assumes a very generous 3.5 year life span for iOS devices and 5.5 years for Mac hardware.

Annual revenue per iOS user estimated at $150 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve spent the last couple of days testing and exploring Relaxation Portal, an iOS app from SRS Labs that provides stunning audio recreations of several environments in places like Namibia, Crete, an Amazon Rainforest and Martha’s Vineyard.

For the full effect, you must listen on headphones. In my tests I used a Jabra Halo Bluetooth and a wired B&W P5 headset. SRS Labs has been innovating in audio design in both hardware and software for years, and SRS tech has found its way into live concert recordings, music enhancing hardware, HD displays, car audio and laptops.

The audio illusion is certainly impressive. The sound effects are layered, which makes them truly interactive. On the island of Crete, for example, you can turn off the sounds of sea birds, crowd noises and wind, while just listening to the surf. You can control the mix of sounds to fit your mood, or try night mode where the sounds are tuned to replicate the island at night. The 3D effect is quite uncanny, and uses a variety of sound processing techniques to fully immerse you in the aural environment.

In addition to the audio treats, the app provides some still pictures of the actual location, and even a bit of history. The app is free, and comes with the 5 locations I’ve listed above. If that’s not enough, you can purchase expansion packs, with locations like Las Vegas (maybe you will hear people crying after they lose a bundle at blackjack), Paris, the Kremlin, the Ross Ice Shelf and Cape Canaveral. Expansion packs contain 5 destinations, and are US$1.99 each.

It should be noted that the sound environments created are not really from the locations listed, but rather layers of very high quality recording of natural sounds that match the local environments. For example, birds that are native to Crete or New England.

I have a few quibbles with this app. It doesn’t run in the background. Check an email, or respond to a text, and the app simply stops. If you launch it again, you will be returned to the place you left. I talked with Allen Gharapetian of SRS Labs and he agrees the app must multitask, and to look for that upgrade soon. The app features a night mode, which I assumed might change the character of the sounds, but night mode just blackens the screen, except for little pop-up ads that are always present. You can upgrade to an ad-free version for $1.99.

Gharapetian says the SRS sound enhancing technology is built into smartphones from Samsung and HTC, and they would love to have it on Apple iOS devices. Ultimately this app serves as a technology demo of how good the SRS audio processing can be.

Relaxation Portal is not the only white noise, audio environment app for iOS. I’ve previously enthusiastically reviewed NatureSpace, which has excellent natural recording and it doesn’t stop when you navigate away from it. It is also free, but offers in-app purchases of expansion packs.

Relation Portal is a unique approach to creating aural environments. With the ability to control the mix and levels of individual sounds, you can tailor your session to taste. I’d like to see the app allow multitasking, and the GUI is not particularly attractive to my eye, but ultimately, it is the sound that matters and the app works very well as a way to relax. Great on a vacation, a long airplane trip, or just unwinding at home.

The app runs natively on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch and requires iOS 4.2 or later. Check the gallery for some screen shots and let us know what you think of the audio illusion it creates.

Relaxation Portal for iOS can transport you to another world for free originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all know that Apple’s iOS devices are popular. Surveys and analyst predictions place Apple at or near the top in the smartphone, tablet and media player market. That’s great for headlines, but what does it mean for Apple’s bottom line?

Horace Dediu of Asymco did some fancy figuring and calculated that the annual revenue for each iOS owner is US$150. This is based on 180 million current iOS users with 200 million iOS devices. Given the astronomical growth of the iOS platform, this installed user base could quickly climb to 500 million users, a lofty figure that would provide Apple with $74 billion per year in recurring revenue.

Mac sales are also climbing and could easily reach 100 million active users who generate $24 billion a year in revenue. Combine the Mac users with the iOS users and Apple could pull in a cool $95 billion per year in revenues from OS X and iOS devices alone.

These numbers are a conservative estimate as Dediu does not factor in sales from iTunes, iPods, accessories and software. It also assumes a very generous 3.5 year life span for iOS devices and 5.5 years for Mac hardware.

Annual revenue per iOS user estimated at $150 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all know that Apple’s iOS devices are popular. Surveys and analyst predictions place Apple at or near the top in the smartphone, tablet and media player market. That’s great for headlines, but what does it mean for Apple’s bottom line?

Horace Dediu of Asymco did some fancy figuring and calculated that the annual revenue for each iOS owner is US$150. This is based on 180 million current iOS users with 200 million iOS devices. Given the astronomical growth of the iOS platform, this installed user base could quickly climb to 500 million users, a lofty figure that would provide Apple with $74 billion per year in recurring revenue.

Mac sales are also climbing and could easily reach 100 million active users who generate $24 billion a year in revenue. Combine the Mac users with the iOS users and Apple could pull in a cool $95 billion per year in revenues from OS X and iOS devices alone.

These numbers are a conservative estimate as Dediu does not factor in sales from iTunes, iPods, accessories and software. It also assumes a very generous 3.5 year life span for iOS devices and 5.5 years for Mac hardware.

Annual revenue per iOS user estimated at $150 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve been looking forward to this one. I first enjoyed Graham Annable‘s Puzzle Agent last summer actually on the iPhone, even though it was also released for the Mac and PC previously. The sequel is now available on iOS, and I can’t wait to play it. Annable’s weird mix of homespun comedy and creepy gnomes is fascinating to me (and you’ll love it too, especially if you have a taste for the weird and slightly frightening), and Puzzle Agent’s puzzles were ingenious little bite-sized affairs, paced perfectly well with a story full of wacky characters and twists.

There’s no Game Center integration here, and the presentation might not be perfect — the first iPhone title suffered a little from weird graphical glitches (though there were no game-breaking bugs that I found). But nevertheless, the Puzzle Agent series is much-loved by a certain crowd, myself definitely included. If you know you’ll like it already, you can pick it up on the iPhone for US$4.99 or on the iPad in HD for $6.99. If you’ve never played the series before, you can check out the first title for the same prices, play through the free version, or just wait a bit for them to go on sale.

TUAW’s Daily iPhone App: Puzzle Agent 2 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve spent the last couple of days testing and exploring Relaxation Portal, an iOS app from SRS Labs that provides stunning audio recreations of several environments in places like Namibia, Crete, an Amazon Rainforest and Martha’s Vineyard.

For the full effect, you must listen on headphones. In my tests I used a Jabra Halo Bluetooth and a wired B&W P5 headset. SRS Labs has been innovating in audio design in both hardware and software for years, and SRS tech has found its way into live concert recordings, music enhancing hardware, HD displays, car audio and laptops.

The audio illusion is certainly impressive. The sound effects are layered, which makes them truly interactive. On the island of Crete, for example, you can turn off the sounds of sea birds, crowd noises and wind, while just listening to the surf. You can control the mix of sounds to fit your mood, or try night mode where the sounds are tuned to replicate the island at night. The 3D effect is quite uncanny, and uses a variety of sound processing techniques to fully immerse you in the aural environment.

In addition to the audio treats, the app provides some still pictures of the actual location, and even a bit of history. The app is free, and comes with the 5 locations I’ve listed above. If that’s not enough, you can purchase expansion packs, with locations like Las Vegas (maybe you will hear people crying after they lose a bundle at blackjack), Paris, the Kremlin, the Ross Ice Shelf and Cape Canaveral. Expansion packs contain 5 destinations, and are US$1.99 each.

It should be noted that the sound environments created are not really from the locations listed, but rather layers of very high quality recording of natural sounds that match the local environments. For example, birds that are native to Crete or New England.

I have a few quibbles with this app. It doesn’t run in the background. Check an email, or respond to a text, and the app simply stops. If you launch it again, you will be returned to the place you left. I talked with Allen Gharapetian of SRS Labs and he agrees the app must multitask, and to look for that upgrade soon. The app features a night mode, which I assumed might change the character of the sounds, but night mode just blackens the screen, except for little pop-up ads that are always present. You can upgrade to an ad-free version for $1.99.

Gharapetian says the SRS sound enhancing technology is built into smartphones from Samsung and HTC, and they would love to have it on Apple iOS devices. Ultimately this app serves as a technology demo of how good the SRS audio processing can be.

Relaxation Portal is not the only white noise, audio environment app for iOS. I’ve previously enthusiastically reviewed NatureSpace, which has excellent natural recording and it doesn’t stop when you navigate away from it. It is also free, but offers in-app purchases of expansion packs.

Relation Portal is a unique approach to creating aural environments. With the ability to control the mix and levels of individual sounds, you can tailor your session to taste. I’d like to see the app allow multitasking, and the GUI is not particularly attractive to my eye, but ultimately, it is the sound that matters and the app works very well as a way to relax. Great on a vacation, a long airplane trip, or just unwinding at home.

The app runs natively on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch and requires iOS 4.2 or later. Check the gallery for some screen shots and let us know what you think of the audio illusion it creates.

Relaxation Portal for iOS can transport you to another world for free originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

I’ve spent the last couple of days testing and exploring Relaxation Portal, an iOS app from SRS Labs that provides stunning audio recreations of several environments in places like Namibia, Crete, an Amazon Rainforest and Martha’s Vineyard.

For the full effect, you must listen on headphones. In my tests I used a Jabra Halo Bluetooth and a wired B&W P5 headset. SRS Labs has been innovating in audio design in both hardware and software for years, and SRS tech has found its way into live concert recordings, music enhancing hardware, HD displays, car audio and laptops.

The audio illusion is certainly impressive. The sound effects are layered, which makes them truly interactive. On the island of Crete, for example, you can turn off the sounds of sea birds, crowd noises and wind, while just listening to the surf. You can control the mix of sounds to fit your mood, or try night mode where the sounds are tuned to replicate the island at night. The 3D effect is quite uncanny, and uses a variety of sound processing techniques to fully immerse you in the aural environment.

In addition to the audio treats, the app provides some still pictures of the actual location, and even a bit of history. The app is free, and comes with the 5 locations I’ve listed above. If that’s not enough, you can purchase expansion packs, with locations like Las Vegas (maybe you will hear people crying after they lose a bundle at blackjack), Paris, the Kremlin, the Ross Ice Shelf and Cape Canaveral. Expansion packs contain 5 destinations, and are US$1.99 each.

It should be noted that the sound environments created are not really from the locations listed, but rather layers of very high quality recording of natural sounds that match the local environments. For example, birds that are native to Crete or New England.

I have a few quibbles with this app. It doesn’t run in the background. Check an email, or respond to a text, and the app simply stops. If you launch it again, you will be returned to the place you left. I talked with Allen Gharapetian of SRS Labs and he agrees the app must multitask, and to look for that upgrade soon. The app features a night mode, which I assumed might change the character of the sounds, but night mode just blackens the screen, except for little pop-up ads that are always present. You can upgrade to an ad-free version for $1.99.

Gharapetian says the SRS sound enhancing technology is built into smartphones from Samsung and HTC, and they would love to have it on Apple iOS devices. Ultimately this app serves as a technology demo of how good the SRS audio processing can be.

Relaxation Portal is not the only white noise, audio environment app for iOS. I’ve previously enthusiastically reviewed NatureSpace, which has excellent natural recording and it doesn’t stop when you navigate away from it. It is also free, but offers in-app purchases of expansion packs.

Relation Portal is a unique approach to creating aural environments. With the ability to control the mix and levels of individual sounds, you can tailor your session to taste. I’d like to see the app allow multitasking, and the GUI is not particularly attractive to my eye, but ultimately, it is the sound that matters and the app works very well as a way to relax. Great on a vacation, a long airplane trip, or just unwinding at home.

The app runs natively on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch and requires iOS 4.2 or later. Check the gallery for some screen shots and let us know what you think of the audio illusion it creates.

Relaxation Portal for iOS can transport you to another world for free originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

I’ve spent the last couple of days testing and exploring Relaxation Portal, an iOS app from SRS Labs that provides stunning audio recreations of several environments in places like Namibia, Crete, an Amazon Rainforest and Martha’s Vineyard.

For the full effect, you must listen on headphones. In my tests I used a Jabra Halo Bluetooth and a wired B&W P5 headset. SRS Labs has been innovating in audio design in both hardware and software for years, and SRS tech has found its way into live concert recordings, music enhancing hardware, HD displays, car audio and laptops.

The audio illusion is certainly impressive. The sound effects are layered, which makes them truly interactive. On the island of Crete, for example, you can turn off the sounds of sea birds, crowd noises and wind, while just listening to the surf. You can control the mix of sounds to fit your mood, or try night mode where the sounds are tuned to replicate the island at night. The 3D effect is quite uncanny, and uses a variety of sound processing techniques to fully immerse you in the aural environment.

In addition to the audio treats, the app provides some still pictures of the actual location, and even a bit of history. The app is free, and comes with the 5 locations I’ve listed above. If that’s not enough, you can purchase expansion packs, with locations like Las Vegas (maybe you will hear people crying after they lose a bundle at blackjack), Paris, the Kremlin, the Ross Ice Shelf and Cape Canaveral. Expansion packs contain 5 destinations, and are US$1.99 each.

It should be noted that the sound environments created are not really from the locations listed, but rather layers of very high quality recording of natural sounds that match the local environments. For example, birds that are native to Crete or New England.

I have a few quibbles with this app. It doesn’t run in the background. Check an email, or respond to a text, and the app simply stops. If you launch it again, you will be returned to the place you left. I talked with Allen Gharapetian of SRS Labs and he agrees the app must multitask, and to look for that upgrade soon. The app features a night mode, which I assumed might change the character of the sounds, but night mode just blackens the screen, except for little pop-up ads that are always present. You can upgrade to an ad-free version for $1.99.

Gharapetian says the SRS sound enhancing technology is built into smartphones from Samsung and HTC, and they would love to have it on Apple iOS devices. Ultimately this app serves as a technology demo of how good the SRS audio processing can be.

Relaxation Portal is not the only white noise, audio environment app for iOS. I’ve previously enthusiastically reviewed NatureSpace, which has excellent natural recording and it doesn’t stop when you navigate away from it. It is also free, but offers in-app purchases of expansion packs.

Relation Portal is a unique approach to creating aural environments. With the ability to control the mix and levels of individual sounds, you can tailor your session to taste. I’d like to see the app allow multitasking, and the GUI is not particularly attractive to my eye, but ultimately, it is the sound that matters and the app works very well as a way to relax. Great on a vacation, a long airplane trip, or just unwinding at home.

The app runs natively on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch and requires iOS 4.2 or later. Check the gallery for some screen shots and let us know what you think of the audio illusion it creates.

Relaxation Portal for iOS can transport you to another world for free originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in April, the bankrupt telecom manufacturer Nortel put its patent portfolio on the block via a US$900 million ‘stalking horse’ sale agreement with a relative newcomer to the market: Google. The arrangement set a minimum value for Nortel’s intellectual property on the open market, and presumably put Google in a solid position to eventually bid for the final package.

Apparently the bidding got a little too stratospheric for the search/Android giant to keep up. Nortel announced last night that the successful bid was $4.5 billion, and the patent suite (more than 6,000 inventions covering every corner of the mobile computing and telecommunications landscape) will go to an industry consortium full of strange bedfellows: Microsoft, Apple, Ericsson, EMC, Sony and RIM.

The patent sale, which is subject to court approval both in the US and in Nortel’s home jurisdiction of Canada, could mean additional headaches for Android handset manufacturers as they try to fend off patent challenges without indemnification from Google. Of course, Apple’s got patent troubles of its own, both from partner/competitor Samsung (see FOSSPatents’ comprehensive and terrifying battle chart) and from developer-targeting Lodsys, among many others.

[via TechCrunch & Fortune]

Nortel patent auction goes to Apple/Microsoft/RIM consortium originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 06:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve been looking forward to this one. I first enjoyed Graham Annable‘s Puzzle Agent last summer actually on the iPhone, even though it was also released for the Mac and PC previously. The sequel is now available on iOS, and I can’t wait to play it. Annable’s weird mix of homespun comedy and creepy gnomes is fascinating to me (and you’ll love it too, especially if you have a taste for the weird and slightly frightening), and Puzzle Agent’s puzzles were ingenious little bite-sized affairs, paced perfectly well with a story full of wacky characters and twists.

There’s no Game Center integration here, and the presentation might not be perfect — the first iPhone title suffered a little from weird graphical glitches (though there were no game-breaking bugs that I found). But nevertheless, the Puzzle Agent series is much-loved by a certain crowd, myself definitely included. If you know you’ll like it already, you can pick it up on the iPhone for US$4.99 or on the iPad in HD for $6.99. If you’ve never played the series before, you can check out the first title for the same prices, play through the free version, or just wait a bit for them to go on sale.

TUAW’s Daily iPhone App: Puzzle Agent 2 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’ve been looking forward to this one. I first enjoyed Graham Annable‘s Puzzle Agent last summer actually on the iPhone, even though it was also released for the Mac and PC previously. The sequel is now available on iOS, and I can’t wait to play it. Annable’s weird mix of homespun comedy and creepy gnomes is fascinating to me (and you’ll love it too, especially if you have a taste for the weird and slightly frightening), and Puzzle Agent’s puzzles were ingenious little bite-sized affairs, paced perfectly well with a story full of wacky characters and twists.

There’s no Game Center integration here, and the presentation might not be perfect — the first iPhone title suffered a little from weird graphical glitches (though there were no game-breaking bugs that I found). But nevertheless, the Puzzle Agent series is much-loved by a certain crowd, myself definitely included. If you know you’ll like it already, you can pick it up on the iPhone for US$4.99 or on the iPad in HD for $6.99. If you’ve never played the series before, you can check out the first title for the same prices, play through the free version, or just wait a bit for them to go on sale.

TUAW’s Daily iPhone App: Puzzle Agent 2 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

I’ve been looking forward to this one. I first enjoyed Graham Annable‘s Puzzle Agent last summer actually on the iPhone, even though it was also released for the Mac and PC previously. The sequel is now available on iOS, and I can’t wait to play it. Annable’s weird mix of homespun comedy and creepy gnomes is fascinating to me (and you’ll love it too, especially if you have a taste for the weird and slightly frightening), and Puzzle Agent’s puzzles were ingenious little bite-sized affairs, paced perfectly well with a story full of wacky characters and twists.

There’s no Game Center integration here, and the presentation might not be perfect — the first iPhone title suffered a little from weird graphical glitches (though there were no game-breaking bugs that I found). But nevertheless, the Puzzle Agent series is much-loved by a certain crowd, myself definitely included. If you know you’ll like it already, you can pick it up on the iPhone for US$4.99 or on the iPad in HD for $6.99. If you’ve never played the series before, you can check out the first title for the same prices, play through the free version, or just wait a bit for them to go on sale.

TUAW’s Daily iPhone App: Puzzle Agent 2 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s a few more sales popping up for the July 4th weekend:

• EA (duh) is putting a bunch of titles on sale for just 99 cents, including NBA Jam, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, The Sims 3, FIFA 11, and Dead Space. Odds are that you’ve already picked one or two of these up, as EA is having a sale practically every weekend these days, but 99 cents is still a good price for a few of these.
• Adult Swim has some sale titles out, including the great Robot Unicorn Attack for just a buck.
• Trucks and Skulls Nitro just recently got a big update, and to celebrate, it’ll be free for the holiday weekend.
• Zen Bound and its sequel are also on sale for just a buck.
• Gameloft is also having a dollar sale, with Dungeon Hunter 2 and Starfront Collision among the titles for just 99 cents.
• Cross Fingers is a puzzle app that’s free right now.
• Speedball 2 Evolution is on sale for both iPhone and the Mac this weekend.
• Finally, BillMinder will be heavily discounted on July 4 only.

I’m sure we’ll see plenty more before the weekend is done, but that’s probably more than enough to let you do some shopping already. Stay tuned — as we hear about more apps going on sale, we’ll let you know as well.

EA, Gameloft, and lots more app sales for the holiday weekend originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in April, the bankrupt telecom manufacturer Nortel put its patent portfolio on the block via a US$900 million ‘stalking horse’ sale agreement with a relative newcomer to the market: Google. The arrangement set a minimum value for Nortel’s intellectual property on the open market, and presumably put Google in a solid position to eventually bid for the final package.

Apparently the bidding got a little too stratospheric for the search/Android giant to keep up. Nortel announced last night that the successful bid was $4.5 billion, and the patent suite (more than 6,000 inventions covering every corner of the mobile computing and telecommunications landscape) will go to an industry consortium full of strange bedfellows: Microsoft, Apple, Ericsson, EMC, Sony and RIM.

The patent sale, which is subject to court approval both in the US and in Nortel’s home jurisdiction of Canada, could mean additional headaches for Android handset manufacturers as they try to fend off patent challenges without indemnification from Google. Of course, Apple’s got patent troubles of its own, both from partner/competitor Samsung (see FOSSPatents’ comprehensive and terrifying battle chart) and from developer-targeting Lodsys, among many others.

[via TechCrunch & Fortune]

Nortel patent auction goes to Apple/Microsoft/RIM consortium originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 06:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments