Apple and Samsung’s CEOs are scheduled to meet on May 21st to discuss a possible settlement to the widely-publicized on-going legal battle, FOSS Patents reported. The two companies have been in a bitter patent war since last April that includes more than 20 cases in 10 countries. Despite the scheduled settlement talks, however, the Korean manufacturer asserted eight additional patents against the Cupertino-based company last week. Apple CEO Tim Cook told analysts during the company’s earnings call that he would rather settle lawsuits than fight them in court. “I’ve always hated litigation, and I continue to hate it. We just want people to invent their own stuff,” the CEO said. “I would highly prefer to settle versus battle. But the key thing is that it’s very important that Apple not become the developer for the world.” If the two companies cannot come to an agreement, a trial is scheduled for July in the United States.

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Maybe the reason that the Afghan counterinsurgency has been such a flop is that the people there are too traumatized and depressed to make nation-building work. More »

Maybe the reason that the Afghan counterinsurgency has been such a flop is that the people there are too traumatized and depressed to make nation-building work. More »

A new study from J.D. Power and Associates has revealed U.S. drivers are interested in adding one of the newest and most expensive technologies to their next vehicle — autonomous driving. The feature allows the vehicle to take control of acceleration, braking, and steering without any human interaction. While the technology is still being developed and tested, 20% of all car owners in the U.S. said they “definitely would” or “probably would” include the technology in their next vehicle, even after learning the estimated market price of $3,000. Prior to learning the price, however, a whopping 37% of people were interested in the feature. “Consumers are still learning about how autonomous driving technology could be used in their vehicles,” said Mike VanNieuwkuyk, executive director of global automotive at J.D. Power and Associates. “Many owners are skeptical about releasing control of their vehicle and would like to see the technology proved out before they adopt it.”Males were more interested in the feature than female, especially males between the ages of 18 and 37 and those living in urban areas. Interest in autonomous driving mode also differed greatly among premium and non-premium vehicle owners. After learning the price, interest in the feature among non-premium owners sat at 18%, while 31% of premium owners were interested in the technology.The 2012 “U.S. Automotive Emerging Technologies Study” was conducted in March 2012 and based on responses from more than 17,400 vehicle owners.Read

Architizer is a blog dedicated to the past, present and future of architectural design. They scour the internet finding the best/coolest/weirdest structures people crawl around in. Today they look at floorplans which have been fashioned in the likeness of classic guns. More »

People have been pushing to talk for a good number of years, but it's a service that has largely remained untouched by the passing of time. Bell, however, thinks it's due a little lick of "next-generation" paint. What's new? Well, the firm boasts that it's the firs PTT service in North America to make use of 4G, which on Bell, means a slice of that "up to" 21Mb goodness. The service launches on a slew of devices that includes the BlackBerry Curve 9360, the Samsung Galaxy SII and the rugged Sonim XP5520 with a range of plans available. Want to know more? Push (the press release button) to find out more.

Continue reading Bell Canada launches revamped push-to-talk service, now with added 4G

Bell Canada launches revamped push-to-talk service, now with added 4G originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon’s cloud computing infrastructure has seen tremendous growth and is silently becoming a core element of the Internet. According to research from DeepField Networks, one-third of the millions of users covered by the study visited a website that uses Amazon’s infrastructure each day, WIRED reported on Wednesday. While most people still think of Amazon mainly as an Internet retailer, the company is quietly becoming “a massive utility” that is responsible for 1% of all Internet traffic in North America, according to Craig Labovitz, the co-founder of DeepField Networks. “My mother, for example, has heard of Facebook. She’s heard of Google. She buys stuff from Amazon. But I don’t think most people realize just how pervasive Amazon is becoming,” he said. “The number of websites that would now break if Amazon were to go down, and the growing pervasiveness of Amazon behind the scenes, is really quite impressive.” The company stored 762 billion objects in its S3 storage cloud last year, three times the number of objects stored 2010, and it operates several data centers on the West Coast, across Europe, and in Virginia, Singapore and Tokyo.

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Verizon Wireless on Tuesday announced plans to bring its 4G LTE network to 27 new markets on Thursday and expand its service in 47 existing markets. The additional markets bring Verizon’s total coverage to 230 4G LTE markets across the United States, covering nearly two-thirds on the nation’s population. By the end of 2012, the carrier plans to have its LTE service available in more than 400 markets covering more than 260 million Americans. “Verizon Wireless 4G LTE is the premier wireless data service in the nation, with more than six times the geographic coverage of our nearest competitor’s 4G LTE network and now available to more than two-thirds of the nation’s population,” said David Small, chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless. “We will continue to introduce new markets and expand covered markets to ensure even more wireless users across the United States can take advantage of the benefits that 4G LTE brings to consumers, small businesses and enterprises.” Read on for Verizon’s press release.

Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Network Will Be Available To More Than 2/3 Of U.S. Population Starting April 19

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless, owner of the nation’s largest 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, today announced that it will cover more than two-thirds of the U.S. population when it introduces its 4G LTE network in 27 new markets and expands in 44 markets on April 19. With the new and expanded markets, Verizon Wireless continues to lead the industry in 4G LTE deployment, offering network coverage in 230 markets across the United States. By the end of 2012, the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network will be available in more than 400 markets, and will be available to more than 260 million people in the United States.

With the continued growth of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network, people in more areas of the United States will be able to take advantage of the speed and connectivity offered by the nation’s fastest 4G network. Verizon Wireless currently offers more than 20 4G LTE-enabled devices, including the new Lucid™ by LG and the Samsung Galaxy Tab™ 7.7.

“Verizon Wireless 4G LTE is the premier wireless data service in the nation, with more than six times the geographic coverage of our nearest competitor’s 4G LTE network and now available to more than two-thirds of the nation’s population,â€� said David Small, chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless. “We will continue to introduce new markets and expand covered markets to ensure even more wireless users across the United States can take advantage of the benefits that 4G LTE brings to consumers, small businesses and enterprises.”

“This year represents a year of growth and investment in our 4G LTE network, which stands out by virtue of its superb combination of coverage, speed and the variety of devices that we offer customers.�

On Thursday, April 19, the company will introduce its 4G LTE network in Auburn and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Pine Bluff, Siloam Springs and Van Buren, Ark.; Visalia/Porterville, Calif.; Fort Walton Beach and Ocala, Fla.; Brunswick, LaGrange and Macon/Warner Robins, Ga.; Peoria, Ill.; Kokomo/Logansport and Marion, Ind.; Dodge City, Garden City, Great Bend and Hays, Kan.; Salisbury, Md.; Cattaraugus/Allegany, N.Y.; Sandusky, Ohio; Ardmore and Ponca City, Okla.; Salem/Albany/Corvallis, Ore.; Pierre, S.D.; and Big Springs and Tyler, Texas.

The company will also expand its 4G LTE network in Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Sacramento, Salinas/Monterey, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo and Stockton, Calif.; Colorado Springs and Fort Collins/Loveland, Colo.; Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla.; Boise/Nampa, Idaho; Carbondale/Marion and Rockford, Ill.; Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Ind.; Des Moines, Iowa; Boston and Worcester, Mass.; Detroit, Mich.; St. Louis, Mo.; Las Vegas and Reno, Nev.; Manchester/Nashua, N.H.; Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M.; Buffalo/Niagara Falls and New York, N.Y.; Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla.; Portland, Ore.; Providence/Pawtucket, R.I.; Nashville, Tenn.; El Paso, Texas; Provo/Orem and Salt Lake City/Ogden, Utah; and Olympia/Centralia and Spokane, Wash.

4G LTE Speed

In real-world, fully loaded network environments, 4G LTE users should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink. When customers travel outside of 4G LTE coverage areas, devices automatically connect to Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, where available, enabling customers to stay connected from coast to coast. Verizon Wireless’ 3G network is the most reliable high-speed data network in the country and allows customers in 3G coverage areas who purchase 4G LTE devices today to take advantage of 4G LTE speeds when the faster network becomes available in their area or when they travel to areas already covered by Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network.

4G LTE Markets

On April 19, Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network will be available in 230 markets across the United States. Visit www.verizonwireless.com/lte for a full list of 4G LTE markets and additional information about Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network. For a comparison of Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network coverage to its competitors, street-level detail of coverage and more, please visit www.verizonwireless.com/4glte.

Finally! A dating site to match awful self-promoting know-it-alls to one another. Tawkify, the latest online romance-finding tool puts people together based on their Klout scores. More »

It doesn't matter how much protective gear you wear or how bright your safety lights are, on a bike, cars consider you an afterthought at best. But with this homebrew bike horn, people will know you're coming from over half a mile away. More »

Roll that spliff phatly, pack some fresh ice into the binger, and set the Volcano to "toastify." It's time for tonight's Stoner Channel. We've collected our best high-times material for the discerning pothead so sit back, relax, and pass that shit on the left, yo. More »

It sounds whack, but a new scientific study suggests that people who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner. Sadly, that doesn't quite mean that you can run out and stuff your face full of candy all day to keep your weight down—but it does mean you probably should be eating some chocolate regularly. More »

It sounds whack, but a new scientific study suggests that people who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner. Sadly, that doesn't quite mean that you can run out and stuff your face full of candy all day to keep your weight down—but it does mean you probably should be eating some chocolate regularly. More »

Folks around the internet are reporting that the new iPad's battery isn't charging when it's pushed to its hardware limit. The culprit? Could be the giant freaking battery Apple shoved down the iPad's pants. More »

AT&T on Monday confirmed that it sold and activated more iPad tablets this past Friday than it has on any other single day. “On Friday, March 16, AT&T set a new single-day record for its iPad sales and activations, demonstrating robust demand for the new iPad on the nation’s largest 4G network, covering nearly 250 million people,” AT&T said in a statement. The carrier did not share any sales figures, however, and neither did Apple CEO Tim Cook earlier on Monday when he said that Apple’s new iPad saw record sales during its debut weekend. BGR noted on Friday evening that while iPads were much easier to find this year compared to Apple’s previous two iPad launches, AT&T’s iPad Wi-Fi + 4G was sold out more than any other model at more Apple Stores we spoke with.

This is strange. Apple's CEO Tim Cook and Apple's CFO Peter Oppenheimer will host a special conference tomorrow. The topic: "the outcome of the Company's discussions concerning its cash balance." That's $100,000 million in cash, people. They can buy bloody Walmart. More »

We are people of the gadget, and thus, we are people of the power socket as well. Laptops, phones, cameras, and noise-canceling headphones all need to be charged sooner or later. Why don't all our furnishings have built-in sockets like this ingenious lamp. More »