Jordan Kahn

Working on leg to unlock your mobile phones. It is a freedom issue. You own the phone, you should be able to unlock it. .@DerekKhanna

— Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) March 5, 2013

Following a statement from the White House on Monday confirming it would support “narrow legislative fixes” to make unlocking cellphones legal again, several lawmakers have announced plans to introduce legislation. According to a report from The Hill, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and Chair of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights Senator Amy Klobuchar have confirmed they will introduce bills in support of the legalization of cellphone unlocking:

“I intend to work in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to restore users’ ability to unlock their phones and provide them with the choice and freedom that we have all come to expect in the digital era,” Leahy said in a statement.

The Judiciary Committee, which handles copyright issues, would likely have jurisdiction over any bill to legalize cellphone unlocking.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who chairs the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, said she plans to introduce her own bill this week.

During a recent panel discussion on Capitol Hill, other lawmakers voiced their support for the legislation, including Representatives Darrell Issa and Jared Polis, while The Hill reported the Federal Communication Commissions’Jessica Rosenworcel “encouraged Congress to re-examine the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.”

The decision was made by the Library of Congress in October to make unlocking cellphones illegal, and that policy officially took effect in January. Following the White House’s statement in response to a petition with over 110,000 signatures, the Library of Congress issued a statement and agreed that “the question of locked cell phones has implications for telecommunications policy and that it would benefit from review and resolution in that context.”
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Nick Hayek, CEO of Swiss watchmaker Swatch, said today during a press conference for the company’s annual results that he doesn’t see a smart watch product from Apple being the “next revolution.” We can’t help but be reminded of Palm CEO Ed Colligan’s comments before the iPhone hit:

“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone,” Ed Colligan apparently laughed about with John Markoff last Thursday morning. “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”

Hayek’s main reasoning is difficulty delivering compelling content on such a small display, something the company has explored with its Paparazzi line of watches in collaboration with Microsoft:

“Personally, I don’t believe it’s the next revolution,” the chief of the largest Swiss watchmaker said at a press conference on annual results in Grenchen, Switzerland. “Replacing an iPhone with an interactive terminal on your wrist is difficult. You can’t have an immense display.”

Hayek also reasoned that consumers often buy watches as a piece of jewelry and like to change them on any given day. The CEO claimed that Swatch has had talks with Apple over the years regarding “materials for products and so-called energy harvesting technology that would generate energy from physical movement.” Bloomberg reported earlier this year that Apple had a team of over 100 product designers working on a wristwatch-like device and more recently said Apple would launch its watch product some time this year.

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As Ferrari unveils its new 1 million euro “LaFerrari” hybrid, the company has also confirmed it plans to strengthen its partnership with Apple in the months to come. According to Bloomberg, Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo said the company is now “in talks with Apple about broadening a partnership on in-car entertainment.”

Ferrari SpA, the luxury carmaker owned by Fiat SpA (F), will be “more precise” about its partnership with Apple (AAPL) Inc. in the next few months, Chairman Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo said.

Ferrari, which today unveiled the 1 million euro hybrid model “LaFerrari,” is in talks with Apple about broadening a partnership on in-car entertainment, Di Montezemolo said today at the Geneva motor show.

Ferrari also said today that its new four seater FF coupe will come equipped with iPad minis:

The FF is also now seamlessly integrated with Apple technologies, thanks to direct access to the infotainment system via SIRI voice commands and the adoption of two iPad Minis as the entertainment system of choice for the rear seat passengers.

Ferrari announced in November 2012 that Apple Senior Vice President Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue was joining its board of directors. Cue tweeted about the launch of the new LaFerrari mode today, saying, “Ferrari does it once again… it is stunning.”

Ferrari does it once again…it is stunning #LaFerrari – http://t.co/27tw1VQBE2

— Eddy Cue (@cue) March 5, 2013

The full video of Di Montezemolo speaking at the Geneva motor show is below.

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Temple Run: Oz: Developers of the Temple Run franchise have once again teamed up with Disney to release a game built on the Temple Run 2 engine but set in the world of an upcoming Disney film. This time Imangi Studios brings the Temple Run gameplay experience to the world of Oz in support of the upcoming Oz the Great and Powerful film. The game is available for 99 cents now and features new gameplay elements you haven’t seen in past Temple Run titles.

NEW FEATURES
• Stunning environments inspired by the film – explore them all.
• Fly in a hot air balloon – earn even more coins.
• Explore different locations in Oz – follow sign posts!
• The environment changes as you run – test your reflexes.
• Compete in weekly challenges – beat your friends!

Google Maps version 1.1: Google Maps for iOS gets the ability to search Google Contacts, quickly access search for local places, and select between Kilometers or Miles. Google announced the new features in a blog post and also noted that it is rolling out the English version of the app to seven new countries including: Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

Your Google Contacts are now integrated into Google Maps for iPhone – meaning that when you’re signed-in and search for a friend’s name, their address will appear as a suggestion (if you have their address saved). Simply tap their name to see the address, which will visible only to you, on the map. To learn an easy way to keep your Google Contacts synced with your iPhone, click here.

* Search your Google Contacts; sign in to have your saved addresses show up when you search for friends and family by name.
* Quickly search for local places by selecting popular categories such as restaurants, bars, cafes, gas stations, etc.
* Choose between Kilometers or Miles for your preferred distance units.
* Note that some features may not be available in all countries.

RunKeeper version 3.1: Many new features for the popular RunKeeper iOS app today including a Night Mode, In-Activity Settings, and weight logging and visualization tools:
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Well, what have we here? A new Mac Pro video card? What year is it? PCGamesHardware is at the CeBit trade show in Hannover where AMD partner Sapphire is showing off a Mac version of the Sapphire HD 7950 graphics card for the first time (via tonymacx86). In November, we noted that support for the AMD 7000 series was discovered in a 10.8.3 beta. We speculated at the time that the added support was likely for future Mac Pro-level cards, and that’s exactly what Sapphire, one of the larger suppliers of AMD products, is showing off at CeBit.

According to the report, the Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition is based off the original 7950 that packs in 850MHz Engine Clock (up to 925MHz with Boost), 3GB GDDR5 memory, 240GB/s memory bandwidth, and 1250MHz Memory Clock. PCGamesHardware said Sapphire plans to sell the Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition for $450. The report noted that the Mac Edition has been redesigned:

Quite new is the hood, which approximates by milky white the famous Apple design. The cooler is based ansich on the AMD reference design, provides a radial fan in the rear, a large Vapor Chamber on the GPU as well as plenty of vents for heat dissipation. On the slot panel both a dual-link DVI and one HDMI and two mini DisplayPort outputs can be reported. The well-known of the original HD 79×0 video cards BIOS switch on the top of the PCB is on board. The hardware of the Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition, the Windows version is similar ergo strong, we assume that the changes are mainly found in the BIOS. As a result of use in a Mac Pro is possible.

Go below for a hands-on video of the Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition from CeBit:
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Verizon CFO Fran Shammo spoke at the Duetsche Bank Annual Media, Internet & Telecom conference this morning, where he was asked a few questions related to the iPhone. Verizon reported its fourth quarter 2012 earnings last month with 9.8 million smartphone activations—a record 6.2 million of which were iPhone. We knew about half, or 3.1 million, of those iPhone sales were driven by the first full quarter with the iPhone 5, but today Shammo talked about just how important getting the free iPhone 4 was during the quarter:

But this past fourth quarter you had a couple — you had really one thing happen that never happened before, especially with Verizon Wireless, and that was for the first time ever, because of the iPhone 5 launch, we had the 4 at free. So it was the first time ever you could get a free iPhone on the

Verizon Wireless network. So that produced a lot of volume for us. We had a lot of new customers come into Verizon who took that free phone, and that was great for us because again if you think about — we sold a lot of LTE product in the fourth quarter. We sold a lot of 3G product from the iPhone products in the fourth quarter.

But that is key for us, because if you think about our two networks it is important for me as I migrate people into the 4G network I still have this very large 3G network that operates very efficiently. We are not investing any more capital in that network other than to keep it up and running, so no more coverage capital, no more capacity capital. If I can keep that network up and running that just generates more contribution margins for us. So it is critical for us to balance that. But, again, I think you had one point in time where you had a free phone, a free Apple phone that never happened before with us and that generated a lot of volume.

While noting that 53 percent of the carrier’s smartphone activations were iPhones in 2012, Shammo was asked about the opportunity to incentivize employees to sell non-Apple devices that would also come with lower subsidies for Verizon:

The answer is, no, we don’t and it is critical that we don’t do that. The reason for that is because what is more important for us is when a customer walks into a store that customer walks out with a phone that they will be happy with and not return under our 30-day guarantee. Because the worst thing that can happen for us is for me to incentivise a salesperson to get you into a phone that you walk out the door with thinking you are going to like and in three days you come back because you don’t like it. Therefore, now I’ve just subsidized two smartphones because that phone you used I can’t resell as a new phone.

You can read more from Shammo’s presentation and where he discusses the growth of Share Everything plans, tablets, and more here.

Unlock your phones at Chronicunlocks.com

Following a petition on whitehouse.gov that urges the Library of Congress to change its decision on making unlocking cellphones illegal, the White House has issued an official response agreeing with the over 110,000 people who have signed the petition (via AllThingsD). White House Senior Advisor for Internet, Innovation, and Privacy R. David Edelman issued the official response, admitting the White House agrees “consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties.”

He said the policy should also extend to tablets, while devices still under contract should be allowed to function on other networks:

And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren’t bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network. It’s common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers’ needs.

The decision was made by the Library of Congress in October to make unlocking cellphones illegal, and that policy officially took effect in January. The Library of Congress issued a statement today in response to the White House, stating it agrees that “the question of locked cell phones has implications for telecommunications policy and that it would benefit from review and resolution in that context.”

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski also published a statement following the White House’s response to consumers today, explaining the FCC is investigating the decision by the Library of Congress to make unlocking illegal. He added that it didn’t “pass the common sense test.”

“From a communications policy perspective, this raises serious competition and innovation concerns, and for wireless consumers, it doesn’t pass the common sense test. The FCC is examining this issue, looking into whether the agency, wireless providers, or others should take action to preserve consumers’ ability to unlock their mobile phones. I also encourage Congress to take a close look and consider a legislative solution.”

Edelman said the Obama Administration will work with the FCC and others to implement legislative fixes that prevent consumers from risking criminal penalties related to unlocking:
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We reported over the weekend that there was some confusion over exactly how Apple’s new Lightning digital AV adapter works and why it lacks the ability to carry a native 1080p signal. One theory is that Apple was using an AirPlay wireless streaming protocol, but we’ve since learned that is not the case. According to a post  that purports to be from an anonymous Apple engineer explaining how the cables function, Apple does not use Airplay protocol. It instead uses the same H.264 encoding technology as AirPlay to encode the output into the ARM SoC. From there, the data is decoded and sent over HDMI:

It’s vastly the same thing with the HDMI adapter. Lightning doesn’t have anything to do with HDMI at all. Again, it’s just a high speed serial interface. Airplay uses a bunch of hardware h264 encoding technology that we’ve already got access to, so what happens here is that we use the same hardware to encode an output stream on the fly and fire it down the Lightning cable straight into the ARM SoC the guys at Panic discovered. Airplay itself (the network protocol) is NOT involved in this process. The encoded data is transferred as packetized data across the Lightning bus, where it is decoded by the ARM SoC and pushed out over HDMI.

Perhaps even more interesting is that Apple could improve the quality with future software updates since the firmware is stored in RAM as opposed to ROM. The poster noted that Apple deemed the quality “suitably acceptable” but *will* make improvements with future iOS updates:
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Bloomberg reported earlier this year that Apple had a team of over 100 product designers working on a wristwatch-like device. At the time, we noted that all the recent rumors and intel surrounding the iWatch seemed like the lead up to an impending product launch. Bloomberg is out with a new report today, claiming Apple will indeed launch its watch product in 2013:

Apple seeks to introduce the device as soon as this year, this person said. Apple has filed at least 79 patent applications that include the word “wrist,” including one for a device with a flexible screen, powered by kinetic energy… The watch business is experiencing a renaissance reminiscent of the cell phone industry before the iPhone.

The report added information about some of the potential features of the device that we had also heard of previously, including the ability to receive incoming calls, view maps, and record health data via various sensors:

Features under consideration include letting users make calls, see the identity of incoming callers and check map coordinates, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. It would also house a pedometer for counting steps and sensors for monitoring health-related data, such as heart rates, this person said.

Citigroup Inc. analyst Oliver Chen estimated Apple could generate $6 billion of the approximately $60 million in sales he expects the global watch industry to bring in during 2013. As pointed out by Bloomberg, gross margins are roughly four times bigger than TVs, which would only bring about $1.79 billion in gross profit for the company compared to $3.6 billion for watches.

Former creative director at Nike Scott Wilson told Bloomberg that Apple’s Jonathan Ive “has long had an interest in watches.”
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According to a report from MSN News/MacRumors, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has invalidated part of the $1 billion originally awarded to Apple in its patent infringement case against Samsung in August 2012. The $1 billion verdict has been cut by $450 million, and that leaves Apple with ‘just’ $598.9 million.

US District Judge Lucy Koh affirmed the remainder of the award, amounting to $598.9 million, in the blockbuster patent infringement case, while denying Apple’s request for an increase in damages.

The report also noted that the judge said the initial calculation for the $1 billion award was the result of “an impermissible legal theory.” The court denied Apple’s request for an increase in damages.

Bloomberg added that Judge Koh ruled Samsung deserves a new trial related to the Galaxy Prevail and several other devices that made up the $450 million cut from the initial judgment. The judge will also consider additional damages for sales of infringing products that weren’t considered by the jury, but she urged both parties to seek appeals court review of today’s decision before a new trial.

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