Australia pondering joining e-book lawsuit bandwagon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier this weak, Australian regulators claimed that Apple was misleading consumers with false promotions and advertisements for its new “4G” iPad tablet. While the new iPad supports some 4G LTE networks, users in most regions are stuck with HSPA and HSPA+ 3G networks. After the allegation, Apple began to offer refunds to Australian iPad owners who felt duped by the company’s 4G claims. Now, regulators in the U.K. have confirmed that they are looking into various complaints regarding the new iPad, Pocket-lint reports. The Wall Street Journal is also reporting that Sweden’s Consumer Agency is considering an investigation into whether Apple’s “4G” marketing is misleading as well. Apple has not addressed the matter publicly.

Read [Pocket-lint] Read [WSJ]

Shares of Apple stock briefly jumped above $600 shortly before the market opened on Thursday as investors anticipate the launch of the new iPad. Apple’s iPad, which is already available in Australia, launches in preliminary markets at 8:00 a.m. local time. The tablet features a new high-resolution 2,048 x 1,536-pixel Retina Display, a faster dual-core Apple A5X processor, an upgraded 5-megapixel camera and an option for integrated 4G LTE connectivity. Shares of Apple stock had dipped back below $600 at the time of this writing.

What begins as a seemingly cheesy commercial for the Central Institute of Technology in Australia quickly devolves into a morass of extremely dark silliness. But yes, it's actually a real ad for a real school. Very creative, twisted, and funny. [Henry and Aaron via Reddit] More »

Here's a bit of bad news for those who actually enjoy receiving Nokia's regular tips via SMS: Reuters reports that the Australian Communications and Media Authority has slapped the Finnish company a hefty A$55,000 ($58,000) fine, with the reason being that there was no way to unsubscribe from said messages. This kind of flaw sure is a surprise at this day and age, but Nokia's already taken action by simply axing this spammy service entirely in Australia, while at the same time "ramping it down elsewhere" just to be safe, according to Reuters. If Pope Benedict is still going about his texting business over there, we sure hope he won't be next on the Aussie naughty list.

[Image credit: Ester Inbar]

Nokia penalised for texting tips to Aussie users, regrets not adding unsubscribe option originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are two hard and fast rules in this world: "Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line" and "Never get involved in a prank war in Australia." Or else very bad things will happen to your Holden. More »

Seattle-based Cequint Inc. filed a lawsuit against Apple accusing the company of infringing on two patents related to its caller ID technology. “Cequint has been damaged by Apple’s infringement,” the company said in its complaint, filed in a federal court in Wilmington, Delaware. The firm argues that it “will be irreparably harmed” should Apple continue to use its patents without permission. Apple is locked in a number of patent lawsuits around the globe with other companies such as Samsung and HTC, as well. Apple is currently seeking to ban the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N in Germany and, until recently, had successfully banned the Korea-based company from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia. 

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Apple has accused Samsung of copying its designs on a number of occasions. While the foundation for Apple’s accusations is questionable, this is one area where Samsung clearly stole a page right out of Apple’s playbook. BGR reported earlier this week that a passenger aboard a flight in Australia was welcomed to his destination by a spontaneously combusting iPhone 4. Now, just three days later, a user on the xda-developers forum posted images of his friend’s Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, which supposedly exploded in the man’s pocket. “He said he heard a sound, [felt] a burning sensation on his leg and as he pulled this piece of junk out of his pocket he smelled burning,” the forum user wrote. “There was smoke coming out of his pocket and out of the phone.” It does not appear that the man was injured by the smoldering smartphone. Additional images of the fried Galaxy S II Skyrocket follow below.

Thanks, Scott M.

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Apple has accused Samsung of copying its designs on a number of occasions. While the foundation for Apple’s accusations is questionable, this is one area where Samsung clearly stole a page right out of Apple’s playbook. BGR reported earlier this week that a passenger aboard a flight in Australia was welcomed to his destination by a spontaneously combusting iPhone 4. Now, just three days later, a user on the xda-developers forum posted images of his friend’s Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, which supposedly exploded in the man’s pocket. “He said he heard a sound, [felt] a burning sensation on his leg and as he pulled this piece of junk out of his pocket he smelled burning,” the forum user wrote. “There was smoke coming out of his pocket and out of the phone.” It does not appear that the man was injured by the smoldering smartphone. Additional images of the fried Galaxy S II Skyrocket follow below.

Thanks, Scott M.

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Samsung’s tweaks to the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 weren’t enough to satisfy Apple’s legal team. Apple successfully banned Samsung’s German subsidiaries from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 after it accused the South Korea-based company of patent infringement. Samsung responded by releasing a modified Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet it believed had addressed all of Apple’s concerns. Unfortunately, Apple isn’t satisfied with the changes and it wants to ban Samsung from selling the new tablet as well. A hearing for Apple’s request for an injunction is scheduled for December 22nd, Dow Jones Newswires said. The two companies have been locked in patent-related legal battles around the globe and currently have similar ongoing cases in the United States, Japan, France and Australia.

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Score one for Samsung! It just registered a major victory in its cantankerous dispute with Apple over the Galaxy Tab. An Australian court has overturned its October injunction against the devices for violating Apple's touchscreen technology after a quick redesign by Samsung. Tabs will be back on store shelves Friday at 4pm, local. [BBC News] More »

Score one for Samsung! It just registered a major victory in its cantankerous dispute with Apple over the Galaxy Tab. An Australian court has overturned its October injunction against the devices for violating Apple's touchscreen technology after a quick redesign by Samsung. Tabs will be back on store shelves Friday at 4pm, local. [BBC News] More »

You can't expect to see one for "one to two weeks," but those hellbent on holding out for an unlocked iPhone 4S here in the US of A can finally snag one without jetting off to Australia (among other places). Nearly five months to the day after Apple started selling the iPhone 4 in unlocked fashion in the States, the iPhone 4S is joining the club, with a 16GB model going for $649, a 32GB model for $749 and a 64GB variant for $849. Just so you're aware, the unlocked phone enables you to use any micro-SIM from any GSM carrier worldwide, but it won't play nice with CDMA carriers "such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint." And yes, both the black and white versions are up for order. Hit the source link to part ways with your chosen amount of cash.

[Thanks, Hicham]

Apple's US online store begins selling unlocked, contract-free iPhone 4S: $649 and up originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As Autoblog Green points out, Australia's Varley Electric Vehicles is known more for bulky industrial vehicles than high-end sports cars, but the company's now looking to change that perception with its new all-electric evR450 supercar. While it'll no doubt turn a few heads simply standing still, it also looks to measure up reasonably well under the hood, boasting a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour (or 124 MPH) and a zero to 100 km/h time of 3.8 seconds. The company's also promising a range of 150 kilometers (or 93 miles) that can be doubled with an optional range-extension pack, although its not letting anyone actually drive the car just yet (or even look under the hood, for that matter). As for a price, Varley's saying that the base package will come in "below" $200,000 Australian dollars (or about $213,000 US), and it says it could roll out "as early as January 2012."

Varley's evR450 all-electric supercar set to hit Australian roads next year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung recently offered Apple a secret deal in Australia that could potentially allow the South Korea-based phone maker to put its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet on store shelves as soon as next week, The Wall Street Journal said Friday. Samsung’s lawyer David Catterns discussed the deal briefly in the Federal Court in Sydney but did not divulge the details of Samsung’s offer. However, Apple lawyer Stephen Burley suggested the iPhone maker may be interested in taking Samsung up on the offer. Samsung’s “inconvenience would be diminished and we would be comforted” if the deal was accepted, Burley explained. Apple and Samsung are locked up in multiple patent-related lawsuits around the globe, as Apple has accused Samsung of creating “copycat” versions of its iPad and iPhone. An injunction has not been leveled in Australia just yet, but Samsung has agreed not to sell or advertise the Galaxy Tab 10.1 until a judge rules whether or not Samsung is in violation of Apple’s patents.

This whole thing is starting to play out like a giant game of patent Risk. As it did in Australia, Samsung is hitting back against Apple in the Netherlands, asking for a preliminary injunction aimed at Apple's mobile line, including the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad and iPad 2, claiming that the products infringe on 3G patents held by the Korean electronics giant. The proposed ban would prohibit importing the products into the country and would recall them from Dutch retail stores.

Samsung asks Netherlands courts to block iPad, iPhone sales originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want to get content from your Samsung Galaxy S II to your HDTV, but don't want to shell out for the fancy new Toshiba Regza? Shortly after yesterday's announcement of the Australia-only WL800A, Kanex unveiled its $29 adapter, letting users connect their MHL-capable handsets to HDTVs via the HDMI port. The adapter is available now -- full PR after the break.

Continue reading Kanex's MHL HDMI adapter brings your smartphone content to an HDTV near you

Kanex's MHL HDMI adapter brings your smartphone content to an HDTV near you originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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