Apple is seeking US$2.5 billion in damages and more than $30 per device sold by Samsung for patent infringement, according to new court documents. 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. Florian Mueller, writing for "FOSS Patents" (http://macte.ch/Z3JBJ) explains Apple's latest move: "The largest part of Apple's $2.525 billion claim, an amount of $2 billion, is related to Apple's demand for a disgorgement of Samsung's total profits with products that infringed its design patents. A disgorgement of profits is not available with respect to technical patents. But once Apple collects all of Samsung's profits on an allegedly infringing device, it can't claim a 'reasonable royalty' on those devices ... The $2.525 billion amount could still increase. Apple argues that Samsung...

According to new data from Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com), Apple has over 50% of the tablet market. Even though Intel has been aggressively promoting its ultrabook products aiming to secure its share in the notebook market in 2012, besides notebook computers, most of the vendors still have to deploy tablet related products in order to face possible changes in market structure, according to the research group. Other points from the latest Research and Markets report: ° Microsoft aims to expand the company's footprint into the consumer market, detachable industrial design is adopted by most of the tablet vendors, while the vendors still attempt to differentiate their products through new technology adoption and application service launch ° Price tags of Android-based tablets are projected to fall and increasing Chinese vendors have forayed into the tablet market, but there is still room for improvements for tablets released by Chinese vendors. Chinese...

By shutting down hosting servers, banning IP addresses and adding new protections to its iOS 6 firmware, Apple appears to have succeeded in putting an end to the in-app purchasing flaw by Russian hacker Alexey Borodin, reports "The Next Web" (http://macte.ch/3rWv2). Posting to his In-Appstore blog (http://www.in-appstore.com/2012/07/its-all-over-for-now.html), Borodin says that after examination of Apple’s new in-app purchase protections -- which includes the sharing of private APIs [application programming interfaces] -- there's "no way to bypass updated APIs." He adds that "the game is over." "Currently we have no way to bypass updated APIs," writes Borodin. "It's a good news for everyone, we have updated security in iOS, developers have their air-money. But, service will still remain operational until iOS 6 comes out."

Jaksta Technologies has released Jakta Music Miner , a new Mac application specifically designed to create MP3 songs from video or audio web sites. The software is intended to help people enjoy offline music listening and build affinity for new songs and bands.   Jaksta Music Miner creates MP3 files automatically, just by playing a song or video. Once it's open, it starts creating an MP3 from any unencrypted audio or video file it hears -- purportedly at speeds up to 10 times faster than real time.   Additionally, Jaksta Music Miner tags most captured songs with artist and title information. Customers can add saved songs to a iTunes library with one click, edit song information, and play back downloaded MP3s.   Jaksta Music Miner is available now from http://www.jaksta.com/ , with a free trial option. Customers may purchase it by itself for US$19.95, or as a part of the $69.95 Jaksta Deluxe for Mac Bundle, which also includes Jaksta for Mac, Jaksta Video Converter and Jaksta Music...

CompanionLink is now shipping Mac software that allows people a secure Mac to Android sync option for devices like the Samsung Galaxy SIII and the Nexus 7 tablet. CompanionLink for Mac offers USB and Wi-Fi sync of Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, and Notes. CompanionLink’s product is compatible with Outlook for Mac 2011 and the latest versions of Mac OS X (10.7 and 10.8). It also supports two-way sync of data in Outlook for Mac 2011. CompanionLink says it will also shortly introduce a new service called DejaCloud that allows PCs, Macs, Android and iOS devices to securely share their Outlook data. CompanionLink for Mac starts at US$14.95 for a three-month subscription. It’s backed by free phone support and a 90-day money-back guarantee. Fore more info go to http://www.companionlink.com/mac .

HEX and The Hundreds have teamed up for The Hundreds x HEX Code Wallet, a combination wallet/case for the iPhone 4/4S that "encompasses a mix of punk and street culture." “Following the success of our first collab with The Hundreds, we are excited to announce our second product—The Hundreds x HEX Code Wallet—with the brand that encompasses a mix of punk and street culture,” said Trent Valladares, vice president, HEX. “The wallet is a fresh upgrade of our highly successful Code Wallet collection, mixing California culture with an everyday wallet and case for iPhone users.”   The Hundreds x HEX Code Wallet is constructed of leather with a redesigned and reinforced molded bed that keeps the iPhone 4/4S in place. The interior of the wallet features The Hundreds’ signature Adam Bomb logo in CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) coloring, three card slots to hold I.D., credit cards, or a bus/subway pass, while the rear has a cash pocket for easy access. The exterior aesthetic has a cover...

A new report from Juniper Research (http://www.juniperresearch.com) finds that the NFC retail payments market will exceed US$180 billion globally by 2017, more than a seven-fold increase over 2012. The leading regions of North America, Western Europe and Far East & China will contribute 90% of this market value as smartphones with NFC payment technology become standard. The Juniper report found that 2011 was a watershed year for NFC payments.  Major technology infrastructure standards were finalised, many mobile network operators committed to the market and NFC payment pilots from both mobile operators and financial institutions transitioned to commercial service. Above all, NFC-enabled smartphone models were announced by almost all handset manufacturers and Google ignited the market by launching its wallet in the US. The Juniper report warned, however, that the market acceleration of 2011 revealed some parts of the ecosystem unprepared for the future. In particular, retailers...

While in San Francisco, TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at Apple's WWDC 2012 about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. In the weeks following the event, we'll bring you those videos on TUAW, MacTech and MacNews. If you aren't currently a reader of MacTech Magazine, check out the special WWDC free MacTech on iPad issues for MacTech Magazine here. This video features Neil Ticktin (Editor-in-Chief, MacTech Magazine) and Florian Dejako of Elgato at WWDC. Florian was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on the announcements on WWDC, and how it will affect their plans moving forward.

Apple and Motorola Mobility, now a subsidiary of Google, have separately appealed the June decision of a U.S. federal judge to throw out their patent infringement case, according to the "IDG News Service" (http://macte.ch/HyLTX). In June U.S. Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner canceled Apple's patent infringement jury trial against Motorola Mobility after rejecting each side’s damages arguments. "You have to prove injury," he told the companies’ lawyers at the time. Posner’s ruling scraps what would have been the first patent trial between them since Google completed its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility Holdings in May. In separate filings Friday, Apple and Motorola Mobility appealed Posner's rulings, notes the "IDG News Service."


Google wants several Apple iPhone patents to be considered industry standards. Yeah, good luck with that. 

According to a "T3" report, Google has appealed to have a selection of Apple-held telecommunication patents that are utilized in the iPhone to be made standardized systems due to their generic nature and industry wide use. In a letter to the US Senate Judiciary Committee, Google’s counsel Kent Walker has raised concerns over a selection of Apple’s proprietary technologies and put forward the idea that such tech sound be standardised and made freely accessible to all. Read more at http://www.t3.com/news/google-calls-for-iphone-patents-to-be-made-indust... .


According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics (http://www.strategyanalytics.com), the Nokia Lumia smartphone family with Microsoft operating system has outshipped Apple’s iPhone and Samsung’s Android family in the first three quarters after their respective commercial launches. "We estimate Nokia shipped 6.9 million Lumia smartphones with the Microsoft Windows Phone operating system cumulatively worldwide during the first three quarters after commercial launch, from Q4 2011 to Q2 2012," says Neil Shah, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics. "This compares with 3.7 million units of the rival Apple iPhone family in its first three quarters during 2007, and 1.3 million units for the Samsung Android family in its first three quarters during 2009. It is an encouraging start for Nokia and Microsoft." Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, adds: Based on historical shipment benchmarks, Nokia’s new Lumia portfolio is performing reasonably well. Some of the...

Onanoff (http://www.onanoff.com/) has released US$69.95 Leather Skins for MacBook Air. They're thin, artificial leather skins designed to protect the tiny Macs. The Leather Skins have a strong adhesive. It purportedly sticks well, while being easy to remove. The skins also protect and preserve all the surface around the MacBook aAir with top, middle and bottom patches. The package comes wtht a screen protector.    

Harman Kardon (http://www.harmankardon.com) has released several new headphone models. The in-ear model NI (US$99.95) features 9mm drivers to provide a wide-dynamic range and high sound-pressure levels. This ultra-light model has a rectangular black housing -- shaped like the back of an iPhone -- and a 3-button remote with a built-in microphone for calls. It comes with three sizes of silicon sleeves. The in-ear model AE ($149.95) acoustically enhanced headphones isolate noise and is enclosed by a silver-toned aluminum casing for superior acoustic dampening. The headphones include premium 9mm drivers optimized to work with the metal housing to deliver extended bass response. A 3-button remote with a built-in microphone is included, while foam sleeves are offered along with three sizes of silicon sleeves.  The on-ear model CL ($199) are defined by precision with metal hinges, a sand-blasted metal finish and rectangular ear cups that reflect the iPhone’s iconic design. The 40mm drivers...

With the growth in smartphones and wireless data services, will the prepaid wireless market in the U.S. keep expanding? With the major milestone reached of one out of four U.S. cell phone subscribers already switching to prepaid/no-contract services, two experts -- telecommunications analyst Mark Lowenstein, managing director, Mobile Ecosystem, and Sam Simon, senior fellow, New Millennium Research Council -- are forecasting continued growth in prepaid wireless, as consumers search for lower cost, more flexible options to connect their multiple mobile devices. Lowenstein and Simon see three major factors as making it very likely that prepaid subscribers could reach the level of one out of three in the U.S. in the next 12 months. "What we are seeing today is an almost perfect storm of factors that are making prepaid wireless increasingly attractive for middle-class consumers," says Simon. "When you combine the ongoing expense and rigidity of contract-based wireless service with the...

RE:Vision Effects (http://www.revisionfix.com) has released ReelSmart Motion Blur (US$89.95) and DE:Noise plug-in products ($149.95) for Vegas Pro by Sony Creative Software.  ReelSmart Motion Blur (RSMB) automatically adds more natural-looking motion blur to a sequence. Proprietary tracking technology is at the heart of RSMB, so there is no handwork involved. You can add as little or as much blurring as you need and even remove motion blur. DE:Noise handles spurious frame-to-frame defects ranging from fine digital/electronic noise to blotchy spots (e.g. dirt on the film). It combines motion estimation techniques with feature-sensitive, edge-preserving spatial filtering methods to reduce the visual impact of various problems such as: noisy video (that can happen with low-light capture), excessive film grain, CG renders affected by ray-tracing sampling artifacts, fingerprints and dust captured during film scan/transfer and printing, snow, drop-outs and many other defects. RE:Vision...

Here are the latest updates for Mac OS X apps: Mireth Technology (http://www.mireth.com) has released version 6.0.3 of ShredIt X, its simple to use file shredder and hard drive cleaner software for Mac OS X.  Version 6.0.3 of ShredIt X adds support for Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. MaBaSoft (http://www.mabasoft.net) has announced World Clock Deluxe 4.8.1, an update to their world time utility for Mac OS X. The new version solves incompatibilities with with upcoming Mountain Lion and updates daylight-saving time information for Morocco and Western Sahara. MacFamilyTree (http://www.syniumsoftware.com/macfamilytree/), the modern genealogy application for Mac OS X, has grown to version 6.2.15. The upgrade is ready for the upcoming Mountain Lion release.

While in San Francisco, TUAW and MacTech Magazine teamed up to speak to developers at Apple's WWDC 2012 about the keynote and how Apple's new technologies will help them and their customers. In the weeks following the event, we'll bring you those videos on TUAW, MacTech and MacNews. If you aren't currently a reader of MacTech Magazine, check out the special WWDC free MacTech on iPad issues for MacTech Magazine here. This video features Neil Ticktin (Editor-in-Chief, MacTech Magazine) and David McNeely of Centrify Corporation at WWDC. David was kind enough to tell us about their thoughts on the announcements on WWDC, and how it will affect their plans moving forward.

Using Apple's quarterly and yearly earnings along with a few other interesting financial tidbits, Gabriel Morgan of "MacGateway" (http://www.MacGateway.com) has created an infographic designed to Apple's massive earnings into perspective. You can find a bigger version at http://macte.ch/qd1Hn . "It seems as though each time Apple releases a quarterly earnings statement, the amount of money the company has made has eclipsed some previous record and reached a new mind-boggling level that’s practically impossible for us ordinary people to comprehend," says Morgan. "So, we’ve put together this infographic to put the question of how much money Apple makes into perspective."

Apple has hired ex-AMD engineer John Bruno, the man who gets a great deal of credit for the Trinity APU, reports "SlashGear" (http://macte.ch/MM77S). The Trinity APU is a second generation A-Series Accelerated Processing Unit (APU). According to AMD, APUs "allow you to configure small-form-factor, long-battery-life PCs that consumers crave, while enabling the powerful, next-generation visual experiences that can set you apart and help create a competitive advantage in a hyper-competitive market." Bruno is now “System Architect at Apple” according to a recent update to his LinkedIn profile. However, the exact nature of his role at the Cupertino company hasn't been detailed, notes "SlashGear." (Photo courtesy of "SlashGear.")

Apple has completed the first round of third-generation iPad reservations in China using a new reservation system meant to both keep crowds at bay and stymie scalpers usually present during big product launches, reports "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com). The system is identical to the method Apple used when the iPhone 4S debuted in January. It calls for would-be buyers to reservations on Apple's online store from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for an assigned next-day in-store pickup time, reports "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com).

Bang & Olufsen has announced a new wireless sound device that will wirelessly connects digital music sources to any Bang & Olufsen speakers. It's coming later this month. The new Bang & Olufsen Playmaker is both DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) and Apple AirPlay compatible. AirPlay is a feature for streaming music, video and photos wirelessly from an iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to various devices. The Playmaker can stream music from practically any smart phone, tablet, Mac, PC or media server. Additionally, it sports a Digital Audio converter that's specified for even the most powerful B&O speakers, says Zean Nielsen, president of Bang & Olufsen. He adds that Playmaker has extreme ease-of-use and intuitive operation; you simply add Playmaker to any set of Bang & Olufsen active Playmaker can also be hardwired. It will be available in Bang & Olufsen showrooms in US, Canada and Mexico at the end of the month at a retail price of US$425. It can also be...

Ordered by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of the Northern District of California, Apple CEO Tim Cook and top-ranking Samsung executives Choi Gee-sung and Shin Jong-kyun met in the US on July 16, "with the view to putting an end to the numerous patent lawsuits currently being fought across the world," reports "The Next Web" (http://macte.ch/dOoxR). Samsung Electronics COO Lee Jay-yong also reportedly met with Cook while the Apple CEO was attending the Sun Valley Media Conference between July 10 to July 14, the article adds. 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.

IPEVO has increased the number of available colors for its KA-01 Origami Folio with Fold-Out Stand to five. Colors for the iPad accessory now include black, azure, lemongrass, honeysuckle and tangerine. The KA-01 is constructed with microfiber, which provides sturdy protection while being soft to the touch, according to IPEVO CEO Royce Hong. This material is moisture-resistant as well as stain-resistant, including fingertip acid, he adds. In the event KA-01 is soiled, it can be spot cleaned. The folio's cover can be pinched inward to form a triangular support that acts as a stand. The case for the new iPad 3 and iPad 2 is available for US$39 and is sold exclusively through IPEVO's online store (http://www.ipevo.com/).

LA-based type foundry, Aerotype has released Keepsake, a new tattoo-inspired script font family. Designed by Stephen Miggas, the five member type family can be combined and overlapped to provide a range of creative options. Behind Keepsake's exterior resides a set of OpenType font technology features including contextual characters and ligatures, discretionary characters and stylistic alternates, affording the typesetter creative flexibility and versatility. Each face includes three options for every capital letter and multiple lowercase options, including, for example, special characters that automatically substitute-in at the ends of words. Other features include four swashy decorative elements and optional old-style figures accessible by supporting application's OpenType menu. The Keepsake Drop Shadow version can be used in conjunction with the other family members, and colored separately if desired. All five fonts support Latin, Eastern European and Baltic languages. As the name...