Google lobs antitrust complaint against Microsoft, Nokia in EU, claims they're playing patent footsie

The gloves just came off at Google: the company has just filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission against Microsoft and Nokia. Its gripe accuses the two Windows Phone partners of playing dirty pool through handing 1,200 wireless-related patents to Mosaid, a Canadian firm which spends most of its time suing the industry over WiFi rather than making products. Microsoft and Nokia are allegedly hiking the prices of devices by "creating patent trolls" that bypass deals preventing them from suing directly, possibly steering a few companies towards picking Windows Phone instead of Android.

Google argues that it's launching the complaint as an early defensive measure. Neither Microsoft nor Nokia has responded, although there's a degree of irony to the action: the complaints assert that Nokia is jeopardizing standards-based patents, but Google's recent acquisition Motorola has itself come under EU scrutiny for possibly abusing standards with its lawsuits against Apple and Microsoft. Either way, it's clear Google is concerned that Microsoft's Android patent licensing campaign might lose its decorum in the near future.

Google lobs antitrust complaint against Microsoft, Nokia in EU, claims they're playing patent footsie originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 18:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/31/google-lobs-antitrust-complaint-against-microsoft-and-nokia-in-eu/

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Windows 8 welcome screen revealed, looks very Metro

It's not really a secret the Microsoft had planned on bringing bits of Windows Phone 7's Metro UI to Windows 8, but we haven't seen a lot of really telling evidence. However, with the Windows 8 milestone 3 build now available to Microsoft Connect partners, it was really just a matter of time before we started to get a peek.

Thanks to Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott, we've now had a glimpse at what the Windows 8 welcome screen will look like. As you can see, the typography is very Metro indeed. Within Windows also mentions that the background image is customizable, and we're wondering if it might not pull from your current Windows 8 theme. This particular shot shows the CTRL + ALT + DELETE login option, but we imagine you'll still be able to log in by clicking your account picture tile as well.

Rivera and Thurrott also mention that the tablet version of the welcome screen will allow you to log in by swiping a pattern on the screen -- as you can on current Android devices.

Windows 8 welcome screen revealed, looks very Metro originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/windows-8-welcome-screen-revealed-looks-very-metro/

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A Lovely Book-Shaped Shelf With a Terribly Awkward Name [Design]

It's surprising to think that no one's thought to create a bookshelf sculpted with the same form and curves as a book left sitting open on a desk. But it's even more surprising what the creators of this bookshelf decided to name it. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/lAMPYodkmRc/a-lovely-book+shaped-shelf-with-a-terribly-awkward-name

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A sneak peek at the next version of Android Market and Music app

Update: Tech From 10 seems to be offline -- but we have lots of images and a hands-on review if you want to see what the new Music app is like.

In what is probably a bit of a big-G whoopsie, the folks at Tech From 10 woke up to find a new, test version of Android Market installed on their Galaxy S.

Visually, the new version is almost identical. The carousel of featured apps has been updated slightly, and apps now have a 'Content rating,' but that's it (image after the break). The interesting bit, however, is the inclusion of alpha and beta apps -- most notably, there's a new version of the Music app, which looks like a scaled-down version of the Android 3.0 Honeycomb Music app (see right).

Also available from the test Android Market is 'Google Gallery 3D New 10.2', 'Google - Camera v12' and 'Google Desk Clock 10' -- but, curiously, all of the apps refused to launch on Tech From 10's Galaxy S (Vibrant) smartphone. Are they Honeycomb apps? Or, more likely, are they destined for the next Android smartphone OS, Ice Cream?

If you want to try out the new Honeycombish Music app, Tech From 10 has made the APK available for download. You can also download the three Google apps, if you want to have a poke around.

Continue reading A sneak peek at the next version of Android Market and Music app

A sneak peek at the next version of Android Market and Music app originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/a-sneak-peek-at-the-next-version-of-android-market-and-music-app/

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The Stoner Channel: Thomas Beale's Cipher, Good Advice from Andy Samberg, and Water Go Down the Hoooole! [Video]

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Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/PoL_TUbDmrY/

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Marine Robot Helicopters Can Now Snatch Cargo Without Landing [Robots]

With a skilled pilot at the controls, a helicopter can easily pick up cargo while remaining hovering in the air. It's a time-saving maneuver that the Marine Corps' K-MAX autonomous helicopter has just learned to perform itself. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/usfkJaZHOXk/marine-robot-helicopters-can-now-snatch-cargo-without-landing

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Survival Lab is a fun pixelated game where dying doesn't matter

In most games, dying is a bad thing. You have to start all over again, or at least revert to the last save point and lose some progress. Not so in Survival Lab: in this pixelated gem you play as a lone individual pitted against ruthless weapons in a sealed chamber. You have to run, jump and duck, collecting little yellow things (I have no idea what they're called).

For each donut-like yellow thing you pick up, you gain a bit of experience. If you manage to collect several in a row without getting hit, this counts as a combo. You can see my mad combo skills in the screenshot, of course. Collecting combos is a good thing, because a ten-point combo gives you for more experience than just collecting ten dounts one by one (getting hit in-between).

Having experience is useful, because once you die, you get to a screen where you can upgrade your skills. You can learn to run faster, double-jump (and then double-jump higher), and duck. You can also gain more armour so that getting hit won't kill you so quickly.

What makes this simple game so addictive is that when you die, your experience doesn't reset. You just go back to the same level, or another level of your choosing, and keep accumulating more and more experience. Lots of fun, especially if you're into the whole retro-gaming thing.

Survival Lab is a fun pixelated game where dying doesn't matter originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/28/survival-lab-is-a-fun-pixelated-game-where-dying-doesnt-matter/

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Turn Your Cramped Apartment Into a Weekend Workshop [Daily Desired]

You might have projects to do, but you don't have the space to dedicate an entire room to them. But that doesn't mean you can't spread out. This foldable workbench gives you room to do so, without sacrificing sturdiness. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/tZCwvvG82h4/turn-your-cramped-apartment-into-a-weekend-workshop

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God Has Opened New Offices On Earth [Image Cache]

Check out the Shard—London's latest skyscraper and Europe's tallest building at 1,016 feet—gleaming with light reflected from the Sun. It looks like a door to another dimension, about to open. [Daily Mail] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/k9jgmrA2IP8/god-has-opened-new-offices-on-earth

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