Another day, another lawsuit. The Law Offices of Todd M. Garber says a class action lawsuit has been filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, on behalf of a class consisting of all purchasers of the common stock of Audience pursuant and/or traceable to the company’s prospectus issued in connection with its May 10, initial public offering. Audience provides intelligent voice and audio solutions for mobile devices worldwide. The complaint alleges violations of the Securities Act of 1933 and further alleges that defendants’ public statements misrepresented and/or failed to disclose material adverse facts concerning the Company’s business, operations and prospects. On Sept. 6, Audience disclosed that Apple was unlikely to use its processor intellectual property in the iPhone 5. Apple’s licensing of the Company’s processor intellectual property had accounted for 37% of Audience’s total revenue for both the three and six months ending June 30. Following this news,...

Eye-Fi (www.eye.fi) has announced a new Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB, Class 10 card that increases both storage and speed capabilities while continuing to deliver wireless uploading of photos and videos from cameras. The new 16GB card (US$99) provides twice the storage capacity of the prior Pro X2 card, while the Class 10 performance delivers "ultra-fast read and write speeds," according to Eye-Fi CEO Yuval Koren. The new Pro X2, like Eye-Fi's other X2 series cards, enables you to wirelessly connect a camera to a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet, or use an authorized WiFi network to move content directly to a computer. Eye-Fi's auto WPS Geotagging feature tags photos, allowing users to instantly see where the shots were taken. The Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB card is available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

Apple's billion-dollar trial victory over a patent dispute was tainted by the jury foreman’s failure to disclose a lawsuit and his personal bankruptcy, Samsung said in a request to a judge for the verdict to be thrown out, reports "Bloomberg" (http://macte.ch/0D0mt). Samsung said foreman Velvin Hogan was asked during jury selection whether he’d been involved in lawsuits and didn’t tell the judge that he had filed for bankruptcy in 1993 and had been sued by his former employer, Seagate Technology. Per "Bloomberg," Samsung has a “substantial strategic relationship” with Seagate and the lawyer who filed the complaint against Hogan is married to an attorney who works for the firm that represented Samsung in the trial against Apple, the Suwon, Samsung said in a Tuesday filing in federal court in San Jose, California. This is all part of the ongoing, global legal battle. Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits against each other across four continents. For example, Apple alleges...

The iOS 6 Maps app has been trashed by most folks, but Onavo (www.onavo.com) -- a privately held company backed by Magma Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, Horizons Ventures and Motorola Mobility Ventures -- thinks it's "Maptastic." In light of the frenzy created by Apple Maps, Onavo took a look at something industry experts and iPhone users haven't yet considered: Is it possible that Apple Maps is actually better for iPhone users? Is the app more data efficient? Will using Apple Maps actually help users save their precious and limited megabytes, as well as being more responsive and faster to operate? Onavo’s team of data experts say "yes." They set out to compare the data consumed by Apple Maps on iOS 6 to that of the Google-based iOS 5 Maps app. They compared a number of scenarios and investigated how both apps use data over the cellular network. The data proved that Apple Maps is up to five times more data efficient than Google Maps. Here are their conclusions: "In Standard Map...

Less than a year after the launch of the Nest Learning Thermostat, Nest Labs (www.nest.com) -- founded by Apple alums Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers -- has announced the next-generation of the Nest thermostat, which is 20% slimmer and now compatible with 95%of low-voltage residential heating and cooling systems. Nest is also releasing version 3.0 of its software. New and existing customers will get several industry-first features that help to even better balance comfort and conservation, says Fadell, Nest founder and CEO. The second-generation Nest Learning Thermostat has a new all-stainless steel ring that mirrors your wall color or pattern to create a chameleon effect and blend into any décor even more effectively, he adds. It extends support to two-stage cooling, three-stage heating, and emergency heat for heat pumps, as well as whole-home humidifiers and dehumidifiers. To help you get the most out of your system and save even more energy, the Nest Learning Thermostat now includes...

AOC (http://us.aoc.com) has announced the retail availability of the i2757fh, a 27-inch IPS display with a 2 mm bezel that gives the monitor a borderless appearance. It's Mac compatible and is available at a special price of USS$299.99 for a limited time. The monitor’s widescreen IPS (in plane switching) panel also allows for more consistent, uniform color from all viewing angles, delivering amazingly sharp image quality, according to AOC Marketing Manager Chris Brown. It sports a metallic hook-shaped stand that allows for three different modes of viewing -- as a photo frame without a base, as a standard function stand, and as a height-adjustable stand that detaches with the push of a button. The i2757fh is made of eco-friendly materials such as arsenic-free glass and mercury-free panels, says Crown. Also, the LED backlight panel requires 50% less energy than typical CCFL monitors. The i2757fh can display 16.7 million colors, while its 50,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio provides...

Epson America has expanded its line of business printers with four new WorkForce all-in-one printers -- the Epson WorkForce WF-3540, WorkForce WF-3520, WorkForce WF-2540 and WorkForce WF-2530. The WorkForce all-in-ones also include built-in wireless and Ethernet networking and offer the ability to print and scan from mobile devices such as an iPad, iPhone, tablet, or smartphone. With Epson Connect, users can print documents on-the-go. According to Jennifer Liao, product manager, Consumer Ink Jets, Epson America, the WorkForce WF-3540 and WF-3520 offer the world's fastest two-sided print speeds -- 15 ISO ppm (black) and 9.2 ISO ppm (color) -- and printing costs up to 40% lower than color laser printers.  The two models also offer savings up to 50% on paper with automatic two-sided printing, scanning, copying and faxing, she adds. WorkForce WF-3540 and WF-3520 offer productivity features including high page capacity (500 sheets for the WF-3540; 250 for the WF-3520) and extra high...

MEElectronics (www.MEElec.com) has added five new colors to its Sport-Fi M6, a sports headphone. The new colors are white, teal, orange, purple and pink. Featuring an over-the-ear design with stainless steel memory wire that holds the earphones over your ear, the maximum comfort and fit of the Sport-Fi M6 ensures you always have access to your favorite soundtrack during the most intense workout and activities, according to Joe Daileda, vice president of marketing, MEElectronics. Other features include six sets of ear tips in different sizes to conform to any ear shape, tangle resistant cord and a color-matched carrying case to protect your favorite listening device.   Sport-Fi M6 over-the-ear headphones are compatible with most iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, MP3 players and laptop computers. The headphones are now available for order at www.MEElec.com and www.Amazon.com with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$34.99.

Kiip (www.kiip.com) has announced Apple Passbook integration to enable easier redemption of Kiip rewards for users’ moments of achievement in mobile games and apps. Apple Passbook coupons for Kiip rewards will be redeemable directly from reward notifications, Kiip reward emails and the Kiip App.   Currently in beta testing, Kiip’s integration with Apple Passbook will soon be available to all brand partners. Unveiled in Apple’s new version of its iOS 6 mobile operating system, Passbook is a tool for managing boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards and now Kiip rewards all in one place. Users can simply scan their iPhone or iPod touch to receive their reward. There are currently more than 500 Kiip-enabled games and apps.   "As soon as Apple Passbook was announced, we sought to capitalize on its potential as an additional outlet for redemption of Kiip rewards," says Brian Wong, CEO and co-founder of Kiip. "To date, 30 percent of our real rewards campaigns involve...

Meadows Publishing Solutions has released their 2D Bar Code Module for Adobe InDesign, with a free license option for producing QR Codes. This new software module is designed to generate QR Code, Data Matrix, and PDF417 two-dimensional bar codes directly in any Adobe InDesign document. The software will be demonstrated in booth #767 at the Graph Expo show, Oct. 7-10, at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.   Using this new plug-in module, 2D bar codes can be created inside of any InDesign frame, and the sizing and positioning of the codes is handled automatically. There are also several built-in templates for popular QR Code formats such as the vCard format, which has been utilized extensively in business card and other applications. To help introduce the product, Meadows is currently offering a FREE license of the new module, which is limited to the production of QR Codes. The free license can be obtained by visiting www.meadowsps.com/free2d .

Google’s Motorola Mobility has withdrawn its second ITC complaint against Apple. It's an unexpected development. "The simplest explanation for a motion like the above would be a global settlement deal between the parties. But dismissals in such situation are usually with prejudice," writes Florian Mueller of "FOSS Patents" (www.fosspatents.com). "Also, note the passage [in Motorola Mobility's filing] saying that 'there are no agreements between Motorola and Apple, written or oral, express or implied, concerning the subject matter of this investigation.' The ITC has strict requirements that settlements must be disclosed to it in full detail. The ITC requires parties to make truthful representations in that regard." All this is part of an ongoing battle between the two companies. Apple has previously alleged that Motorola infringes 24 of its patents (21 of them with Android-based phones, the remaining three with set-top boxes and DVRs), while Motorola previously asserted 18 patents...

The "Interbrand 2012 Best Global Brand report, "the definitive guide to the world’s most valuable brands," has been released. And the results look great for Apple. Interbrand, the leading brand consultancy, publishes the report each year, ranking the top 100 global brands using its proprietary methodology. Much to the chagrin of its competitors, Apple (#2 on the Best Global Brand list) continues to redefine the consumer electronics sector by offering customers innovative retailing experiences and establishing what Apple looks like -- from its retailing and branding to retail sales staff training and industrial design. Appropriately, Apple experienced the largest growth in brand value on this year’s report with 129% growth. With the recent launch of the iPhone 5, Apple continues to develop products consumers demand and build brand advocates across dissimilar, global retailing markets. The brand’s one misstep: the iOS Maps app, which is a complete failure and marks the first time the...

The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) -- a rights advocacy group -- says the privacy changes in iOS 6 give iOS device users substantially more control over their private data while setting the bar for others to follow, reports "Computerworld" (http://macte.ch/GPKMJ). "CDT applauds Apple's decision to incorporate these substantial pro-privacy elements into iOS 6, allowing users to finely control how their data gets shared with specific apps, and to more easily express a desire not to be tracked by marketers," the CDT said. "We hope that this effort encourages mobile OS vendors to continue to iterate and compete on built-in privacy controls." Joseph Lorenzo Hall, CDT's senior technology analyst, says one of the most important changes in iOS 6 is the introduction of a new Privacy tab that allows users to determine which applications have access to the device's location data, contact information, calendar, reminders and Bluetooth. The settings allow users to exert far more...

In a note to clients -- as reported by "The Mac Observer" (www.macobserver.com) -- Sterne Agree analyst Shaw Wu says that the demand for the iPhone 5 remains high and that production is improving. "Despite well-publicized concerns with its new Maps app, we have not picked up changes in supply chain build plans," he said. "Demand appears robust with its online store quoting a lead time of 3-4 weeks. In addition, we are seeing improving yields on in-cell touchscreens meaning it is becoming less of a constraint."

Judge Lucy Koh has granted Samsung's request to dissolve the preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1, following a limited remand by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, reports "FOSS Patents" (www.fosspatents.com/). However, after a hearing scheduled for Dec.r 6, Apple can still win a permanent injunction over the D'889 tablet design patent if it prevails on the related part of its Rule 50 motion, the article adds. In related news, Samsung has filed an amendment to is lawsuit against Apple, adding the iPhone 5 to the list of allegedly infringing products that already includes the iPhone 4/4S, the iPad 2 and new iPad. This is all part of the ongoing, global legal battle. Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits against each other across four continents. For example, Apple alleges that Samsung copied the slide-to-unlock technology of its iPhone and iPad devices.

Hughes Network Systems (www.hughes.com), which specializes in broadband satellite networks and services, says its new high capacity satellite Internet service -- HughesNet Gen4 — has been successfully activated and is available for new subscribers.   HughesNet Gen4 delivers dramatically increased speeds (up to 15 Mbps, depending on the plan) and greater download capacity, enabling customers to do more online than ever before, according to Mike Cook, senior vice president, North American Division at Hughes. It's ideal for those living in areas in which high-speed landline connections are just not available, he adds. In addition to a better web surfing experience, HughesNet Gen4 purportedly delivers the performance required to support high-bandwidth applications, including social media and video and music streaming. HughesNet Gen4 is available in a variety of plans. Also,Hughes is offering an upgrade program for current subscribers.

Sample Logic (www.samplelogic.com) has introduced Cinematic Guitars 2, a suite of over 1,200 instruments and multis. It hosts a collection of interface controls providing over 40 sections of onscreen effects and parameters.  The main foundation of the interface is built upon Sample Logic’s "multi-core effect sequencer," first introduced in the original Cinematic Guitars. Now, in CG2, this interface has been brought to a new level with the ability to control effects by assigning tempo-synced step sequencers and LFO’s to any instrument parameter and the option to sequence the bypass feature of each effect in realtime. In addition, all loop-based instruments can be controlled, effected, and manipulated at the transient slice level directly from the waveform view. CG2 also employs the new 4-band SSL EQ with multi-core sequencer functionality. Cinematic Guitars 2 is divided into three main categories: Atmospheres, Instrumentals and Percussives. Each contains a variety of unique sounds....

Valpak Direct Marketing Systems (www.Valpak.com), which specializes in print and digital coupons, has enhanced its iOS app, enabling consumers to now add their favorite local coupons from Valpak to the new iOS 6 Passbook,. Passbook, announced by Apple last week, makes it easy for consumers to organize, manage and retrieve local coupons, loyalty cards, and other money-saving information from one place. With this new functionality, consumers will even be alerted with a reminder to use the coupon in their Passbook when they're in close proximity to the business, says Michael Vivio, president of Cox Target Media, provider of Valpak.  This feature will be available in the Valpak iOS app soon. It will be a free download at the Apple App Store.

Here are the latest updates for Mac OS X apps: Apple has revved Aperture, its photo software for pro users, to version 3.4.1. It's a maintenance release with some bug fixes. Aperio Lux (aperio-lux.com) has announced uDesktop HD 1.7 for Mac OS X, an update to their desktop wallpaper application that lets users choose from many free, hi-res images, which can be set to change at any interval. It's a maintenance upgrade. EaseUS Software (www.easus.com) has served up EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard 5.6.1 and EaseUS Mac Data Recovery Wizard 5.6.1, new versions of the software that can restore files from formatted disks, deleted or lost partitions with original file names and storage paths. They now support Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Native Instruments (www.native-instruments.com) says the new generation of its groove production studio is now available in stores and at the NI Online Shop. The Maschine range of products have received an overhaul with new updates to hardware and software, the...

Half of all U.S. adults now have a mobile connection to the web through either a smartphone or tablet,, reports the Pew Research Center's (pewresearch.org) Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) in collaboration with The Economist Group. Nearly a quarter of U.S. adults, 22%, now own a tablet device-double the number from a year earlier, according to the report. Another 3% of adults regularly use a tablet owned by someone else in their home. Nearly a quarter of those who don't have a tablet, 23%, plan to get one in the next six months. Even more U.S. adults (44%) have smartphones, according to the survey, up from 35% in May 2011. News remains an important part of what people do on their mobile devices -- 64% of tablet owners and 62% of smartphone owners say they use the devices for news at least weekly, tying news statistically with other popular activities such email and playing games on tablets and behind only email on smartphones (not including talking on the phone). This means...

Another day, another lawsuit. A company named Ameranth (www.ameranth.com) has sued Apple for patent infringement, according to "Patently Apple' (www.patentlyapple.com). The article says Apple is being sued on four counts related to the iOS Passbook ticketing system and linked to iCloud, the "Apple Notification Service", and Apple's Safari browser. Here's how Ameranth describes itself: "Ameranth, Inc. is a leading provider of wireless and Internet based solutions for the hospitality/gaming markets. Its broad suite of innovative applications have included Wireless POS, Table Management, Reservations Management, Mobile Concierge, Electronic Menus, Guest Surveys, Inventory Management, Health Care Services and Enrollment Assistance. Ameranth also has a very strong intellectual property portfolio, including numerous strategic patents."

According to the latest market share survey from NetMarketShare (http://www.netmarketshare.com), the market share for Mac OS X, Safari and iOS all rose in September. According to the report, among desktop operating systems, Mac OS X had 7.16% of the global market share in September compared to 7.13% in August (that's global market share; in the US it's over 10%). That's an all time high for Mac OS X. Windows remains dominant with 91.73% as of September. That's down from 91.77% in August. When it comes to desktop/laptop browsers, Safari had 5.26% in September compared to 5.10% in August. Internet Explorer had 53.63%, Firefox had 20.08% and Chrome had 18.86%. That compares to, respectively, August percentages of 53.60%, 20.05% and 19.13%, respectively, for the browsers. Safari's all-time high is 5.43% in October 2011. The iOS's still dominated in September, according to NetMarketShare. It had 63.48%, compared to 22.10% for Android, 9.34% for Java ME, 1.83% for Symbian, and 1.78% for...

The European Commission has asked members to see if Apple is letting customers know about their right to a minimum two-year warranty, reports "Bloomberg" (http://macte.ch/sXW0w). Consumer groups in 11 countries claim the company has emphasized its after-care service over statutory protections. EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has written to member countries to ask them to check whether Apple retailers failed to advertise buyers’ right to a minimum two-year warranty for products such as the iPhone and the iPad.. "Apple prominently advertised that its products come with a one-year manufacturer warranty but failed to clearly indicate the consumers’ automatic and free-of-cost entitlement to a minimum two-year guarantee under EU law," Reding said to ministers in the letter, which was obtained by "Bloomberg News." "These are unacceptable marketing practices." In December 2011, Italy's Antitrust Authority fined Apple 900,000 euros (approximately US$1.2 million) for its handling of...

Adobe (www.adobe.com) has unveiled Adobe Acrobat XI software with cloud services for Mac OS X and Windows. It's due to ship in about a month. It's a new solution that features: complete PDF editing and export to Microsoft PowerPoint; touch-friendly capabilities on tablets; and newly integrated cloud services, including Web contracting with Adobe EchoSign and forms creation, data collection and analysis with Adobe FormsCentral. Acrobat XI additionally supports IT departments with Microsoft Office and SharePoint integration, deployment, applications virtualization and application security. Products included in this release are: Acrobat XI Pro, Acrobat XI Standard, Adobe Reader XI and newly integrated document services, Adobe FormsCentral and Adobe EchoSign. The list prices are: ° Acrobat XI Standard, US$299 ($139 upgrade); ° Acrobat XI Pro, $449 ($199 upgrade); Pricing for education customers is available through the Adobe Education Store. Pricing for government customers is available...