Judge deals Kodak a major setback in Apple patent suit

Those of you longing for more news regarding the ongoing court battle between Apple and Kodak over image patents will be happy to hear that we’ve just received an update on the case.

It appears that the judge, today, has denied the struggling camera company’s request to fast-track the trial, meaning that Kodak could go broke before a decision is reached in court…
As many of you are aware, Kodak is currently going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It was hoping to sell off some of its extensive IP portfolio to help pay for the proceedings, but given the fact that some of those patents are being used in this lawsuit, that’s not really an option at the moment.

This is why the company requested that the trial be fast-tracked, but it looks like Judge Allan Gropper isn’t going to allow it. In a hearing today, Gropper stated, “an adversary proceeding will permit the parties to raise issues in an orderly and expeditious fashion and preserve all of their just rights.”

The patents in question are image-related. Apple says that they stem from technology the two companies shared together back in 1994 while working on the QuickTake 100 digital camera. Kodak, however, says that’s not the case, and is seeking compensation for the use of its IP in Apple’s products.

You have to feel bad for Kodak at this point, as the one-time camera giant appears to be getting extremely desperate.

iOS 6 brings built-in support for Government Alerts

Still looking for new iOS 6 features? Then you’re in luck, because we’ve just come across one that you might not have seen yet: Government Alerts.

That’s right, it looks like the latest iteration of Apple’s mobile OS includes built-in support for AMBER alerts, and other emergency notifications…
For those of you who aren’t familiar with AMBER alerts, they are sent out to the public on the suspicion of a child abduction. Then there’s general emergency alerts, which are typically issued during severe weather or other life-endangering events.

From the looks of the above screenshot, users will have the option to receive these alerts natively via push notifications in iOS 6 — something that could come in handy for folks who aren’t constantly around local news sources.

It’s not known, however, how Apple will go about implementing this feature in the public release of iOS 6. It doesn’t appear to be available on all devices in the beta (we’re not seeing it on ours, anyways), and obviously government alerts are going to be country-specific.

Regardless, this is definitely a step in the right direction. These push notifications have the potential to prevent injuries — say in the event a hurricane or tornado is approaching — or even save lives. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

6 months later, OnLive app is still waiting for approval

In late 2011, OnLive announced that it would be bringing its over-the-air console gaming platform to iOS. It promised that users, wielding its dedicated controller, would have access to a library of tens of thousands of popular games on their iOS devices.

But as cool as it sounded, the magic soon wore off as the app’s ETA went from “imminent” to “your guess is as good as ours.” It’s now been 6 months since the OnLive team submitted its iOS client to the App Store. And it’s still awaiting Apple’s approval…
TouchArcade recently spoke to OnLive at the ongoing E3 gaming conference. And here’s what it had to say:

“It’s not much of a surprise that Apple might have issues with the OnLive app, as it’s offering a complete platform that Apple doesn’t have control over, promotes a gamepad, and provides content purchased outside of the App store ecosystem. So, here’s to keeping our fingers crossed to OnLive and Apple coming to some sort of middle ground to get the app out.”

It’s pretty much common knowledge these days that if Apple doesn’t understand or like what your app is doing, it won’t see the inside of the App Store. We’ve seen evidence of this as recent as the whole Airfoil Speakers Touch debacle, where Apple pulled an app that wasn’t technically breaking any of its guidelines.

But you have to admit that this would be a difficult decision. Would you approve an application that would surely negatively impact your App Store revenue? Because not only would OnLive sell its service outside of the App Store (and Apple’s 30% cut), but it would also likely cause a noticeable drop in App Store (game) downloads.

That’s a tough call. And you can bet that all eyes in the industry are on Apple right now awaiting its decision. If it shoots down the gaming client, then everyone will likely say “figures,” and move on. But if it approves it, it could unlock a whole new world of possibilities for developers.

What do you think Apple should do?

Spending time with Kickstarter’s Touchtype iPad & keyboard case

Not too long ago we told you about a new Kickstarter project that caught our eye. Called the Touchtype, the project offered up a new type of iPad case that really piqued our interest.

More than just an iPad case, the Touchtype promised to offer a safe home for not just your tablet, but also an accompanying Apple wireless keyboard. If you’ve ever wanted to leave your hefty MacBook Pro at home when popping down to the coffee shop to do a little work, then the Touchtype aimed to make using your iPad for work a real possibility.

The thing is, and as we have all witnessed before, Kickstarter projects all look great when asking for money, but what about the finished article? We have been lucky enough to spend some time with a shipping version of the Touchtype, and we don’t think you’ll be disappointed…
Before we get started, this is not going to be a 1,000 word review of the Touchtype, covering its every feature and benefit because, to be honest, the project’s founder does a much better job of that than we could. Check out the video on the project’s Kickstarter page and you will see what we mean.

The project, now with less than 24 hours left to run, requires backers to offer a minimum of $47 in order to get their hands on a Touchtype. That gets you the grey polyurethane model. The one we have been testing is the $85 espresso leather version, and we have to say it is gorgeous.

Made from top layer buffalo hide, the Touchtype oozes quality and has that lovely leather smell to it. We have not had our hands on the polyurethane version so we cannot really compare, but we can’t recommend this particular color and material enough. Top marks there.

A black leather version is also available, should the espresso brown color not be to your liking.

Packaging is also gorgeous, with a black cardboard box that has a real feel of quality about it. It may not seem like much, but being presented with something with such a neat finish sets you up nicely for what is inside.