15
Aug
play

Google Play Movie Rentals Come To Germany, Hangouts On Air Spread Through Europe

Posted by in Android OS, Google, News

One of the most common complaints against Google's Play Store is the lack of certain content or functionality in countries outside the US. Google has been making progress in expanding access to other corners of the globe, though. You may remember, for example, that Play Books hit France just last month after Play Movies opened for the French in March and for Spain in June.

Today, Google (finally) brought Play Movie rentals to Germany, much to the delight of German users who have been asking for more Play content for quite some time. Strangely, the addition of movie rentals to the German market came without an official announcement, but was confirmed by multiple Twitter users and our own readers.

06
Aug
image

Samsung Officially Launches The Galaxy Note 10.1, Throws In Smart Stay And 2GB Of RAM, Includes Global Availability

Posted by in Galaxy Note 10.1 (GT-N8000 / N8010 / N8013), News, Samsung, Videos
Last Updated: August 13th, 2012

After a long series of post-MWC changes, Samsung has finally readied its long-awaited flagship Galaxy Note 10.1 Android tablet and officially announced its global availability. The release schedule is set to start immediately with the United States, United Kingdom, Korea, and Germany, followed by other markets "starting in August." The initial release includes only the Wi-Fi only and the 3G/HSPA+-enabled variants, with the LTE flavor coming later this year.

Note: The press release is a little ambiguous on whether the "starting in August" bit refers to the four aforementioned countries or the following global availability, but we're inclined to side with the latter.

24
Jul
GALAXY-Tab-7.7-Product-Image-1

Apple Receives EU-Wide Injunction Banning The Galaxy Tab 7.7, Right When Everyone Stops Caring About It

Posted by in Galaxy Tab 7.7, News

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 has been banned in Germany for a while. Now, though, the 7.7" tablet is officially banned throughout the whole of the EU. Previously Apple was able to enforce a ban on the smaller of the Tabs because it has proven in German courts that it owns the design IP for black rectangles in reference to the Galaxy Tab 10.1. In Germany, Apple can enforce this injunction against the Tab 7.7 due to a principle known as "kerngleicher Verstoß", or "violation sharing the same core". Now, thanks to an appeals court, the decision can be applied to the whole of the EU.

20
Jun
amazonappstore_thumb

Amazon: Appstore Going Live In UK, France, Germany, Spain And Italy "This Summer"

Posted by in Applications, Apps/Games, Development, News

According to a press release just sent out by Amazon, the company's Appstore will be headed to Europe this summer as rumored, though only to five countries to start. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy will all be getting access to Amazon's Appstore in the coming months, and developers can head over to the App Distribution Portal to get started on certifying their apps for distribution in those countries right now. Building on that, developers will now be able to control where and when their apps will be available to customers.

Additionally, Amazon has made some changes to the terms of its developer distribution agreement.

15
Jun
unnamed

[Update: Spain, Too!] Google Announces Books On The German Play Store, Continuing Into Non English-Speaking Markets

Posted by in Apps/Games, News

Update: Google just announced that Books is now available in Spain, as well. Yay for reading!

Not a bad week for German Android fans. First on the map in Europe with the recently-reviewed LG Optimus 4X HD, and now the release of books for sale in the Google Play store. The soccer team's not doing too badly, either.

Posted today on its Google+ account, Google Play announced the availability of book purchases effective immediately in Germany, including plenty of German-language bestsellers. Unfortunately their German-speaking neighbors of Austria and Switzerland have been left out in the cold with no way to get their deutschsprachige literary groove on, but this is the service's first step another step beyond the realm of English and is unsurprisingly gradual.

11
Jun

LG Announces Release Of Optimus 4X HD In Europe, Available Now In Germany

Posted by in News, Optimus 4X HD

As promised by LG back in May, its top of the line quad-core Optimus 4X HD is now seeing release in Europe. First seen at MWC in February, this is set to take on the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X for the favor of powerhouse-craving phone shoppers throughout the continent. The device is now available for purchase from Amazon DE in either black or white, both close to the €500 mark.

In case the specs have slipped your mind, here's a quick refresher:

  • 4.7" (720p) True HD IPS display
  • 1.5 GHz Quad Core NVIDIA Tegra 3 SoC
  • 8MP rear camera and 1.3MP front shooter
  • 1GB RAM
  • 16GB onboard storage
  • 2150 mAh battery
  • 8.9mm thickness
  • SHSPA+ 21Mbps connectivity
  • NFC and MHL

Following on from this initial release in Germany will be the Netherlands, Sweden, UK and Italy.

16
Feb
ohnoes

Apple Receives Injunction Against Motorola In Germany For Slide Unlock - Will Have To Use Circle Unlock Now, Might Have Mattered Two Years Ago

Posted by in Legal, Motorola, News

Apple is causing more mischief over in Germany today, having received an injunction from a Munich Regional Court against phone manufacturer Motorola for utilizing slide-to-unlock style lockscreen methods patented by Apple. Motorola intends to appeal the ruling. The basic point to take away is this: the court ruled that Apple's patent on the concept of moving a tracked image from left to right in order to unlock a phone is valid, and it seems likely that every slide-to-unlock implementation on Android would be infringing in their eyes.

applepatentlock1

REVOLUTIONARY

The appeal will likely take months, and after a Hague court in the Netherlands ruled that Apple's slide-to-unlock patents were invalid for obviousness and existence of prior art, it seems that there are still some very relevant substantive issues in need of higher review here.

17
Jan
evil apple

Apple Files Two New Lawsuits Against Samsung In Germany: One Against 10 Phones, The Other Against 5 Tablets

Posted by in Legal, News, Samsung

The ridiculous and wasteful patent war continues, with a German court confirming that Apple has filed two new suits against Samsung. The first is against 10 phones including the SGSII, and the second against 5 tablets. Details are light at the moment, but evidently Apple is using these two (unsurprisingly very vague) patents in the smartphone suit:

000888920-0018 00074280-0006

Yes, seriously - their patents are basically for a shape. Readers familiar with the current lawsuit situation in the tech world know the situation is violently out of control, and close followers of AP have heard my thoughts on just how hypocritical and ridiculous Apple is.

29
Nov
htc-logo

HTC Might Ignore IPCom And Keep Selling Smartphones In Germany, Despite Injunction

Posted by in HTC, Legal, News

If you haven't heard, Germany has pretty much become the hotspot for smartphone and tablet patent litigation. Most recently, HTC has been hitting headlines in its ongoing battle against IPCom, an intellectual property firm. IPCom claims that HTC's smartphones violate a number of its patents in the realm of 3G GSM technology. HTC says that the last time it made a phone which might have violated those patents was in 2009, and that it has since developed a workaround which does not infringe on IPCom's patents.

A court in Karlsruhe issued an injunction against HTC because of these patents last week.

18
Nov
motorola-red-logo

Motorola Says Apple's iCloud Infringes On Patent In Germany, Presiding Judge Seems To Agree

Posted by in Android OS, Legal, Motorola, News

A court in Mannheim, Germany today held a preliminary hearing in a patent dispute between Motorola Mobility and Apple Sales International (a European Apple distribution subsidiary), and it seems like Apple's on the ropes.

While the hearing didn't discuss the particular merits of Motorola's patent infringement claim against Apple, the presiding judge issued substantial blows to Apple's defense by indicating that he believed the patent-in-suit was ripe for trial. The judge also seemed to agree with Motorola's reading of that patent (also known as "construction claims") in important ways that would allow it a broader scope of applicability at trial.

The judge did not seem interested in many of Apple's defenses, such as Motorola's claim lacking specificity, the patent in question being invalid, or that the patent should be construed more narrowly.

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