Galaxy Nexus pulled from Google Play Store in wake of Apple injunction

That didn’t take long. Less than 12 hours after Judge Lucy Koh denied Samsung’s request to stay the Galaxy Nexus injunction, the handset disappears from Google Play Stores.

Last week, Apple was able to convince Koh that the Nexus was infringing on its patents — enough to warrant a preliminary ban. And it looks like that ban is already in effect…

The Verge noticed the missing device, and contacted Google to find out what’s up. While the company wouldn’t get into specifics, the timing of the pull is certainly suspicious:

“The timing of Google’s missing Nexus is interesting, to say the least: we’ve just confirmed that Apple has posted the nearly $96 million dollar bond required to begin the Galaxy Nexus in earnest.

Update 3: We just spoke to Google, which confirmed that the Galaxy Nexus is no longer on sale right now, but Google says the device will begin shipping next week.”

The Nexus is still available from Amazon, Target and other retailers. But just because it’s available for order, doesn’t mean it will ship. It’s likely that these companies have yet to receive instructions regarding the injunction.

Last night we learned that Google planned to help Samsung get around the ban by issuing a software patch to remove the infringing invention. And The Verge has more on that as well:

“We just spoke with a Google spokesperson, who informed us that the update, which will be rolling out to all Galaxy Nexus devices in the US regardless of carrier, will essentially dumb down the quick search bar on the Android homescreen, limiting its results to just those from the web. No local searches on the device will be performed at all, taking on-device apps, integrated Gmail, and other search results out of play.”

The update could very well free the Nexus from the ban, and help Samsung circumvent any future litigation regarding Apple’s ’604 patent, which has to do with unified search functionality.

The patch is expected to start rolling out to devices OTA (over the air) as soon as tonight. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Apple gains ownership of iPad3.com without a fight

Wow, that was fast! Just a week following a complaint Apple lodged with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the original owner of the domain has transferred ownership to Apple’s legal team, reports The Next Web.

It’s interesting that the WIPO case was still filed as active at post time, meaning the organization hasn’t even reached an official ruling, which could indicate that Apple’s legal sharks scared the hell out of the domain owner. Who’s this guy, anyway?

Records exposes the domain’s registrant as a company called Global Access located in the Isle of Man. It’s no wonder they registered this domain as Global Access has been found guilty in cybersquatting cases involving MasterCard and AOL.

Fusible explains:

It appears the previous owner of the name didn’t even want to wait for an arbitration panel to issue the inevitable decision, and has instead decided to quickly transfer the domain following a complaint that was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) at the end of June.

When Apple’s lawyers transfer the domain to Cupertino, expect it to simply forward to the iPad section on Apple’s website, like iPhone.com does.

The Next Web’s Matt Brian explains that in a recent case involving the iPhone5.com domain WIPO changed the status of a successful complaint to “Terminated”.

Also, having gone from filing a complaint to gaining ownership of the domain in just seven days also serves to illustrate that people should really think twice before intentionally registering a domain containing a brand name.

If Apple can force shady individuals into relinquishing ownership of misspelled domain names such as aplestore.com, obtaining control over something like iPad3.com is nothing more than a checkbox on Apple legal department’s morning meeting agenda.

Now, how about finally gaining ownership of that attractive iPad.com domain?



Popular Google Analytics client Analytiks receives major makeover

If you own or operate a website, chances are you have, or have had, a Google Analytics account. The service allows you to monitor your site’s traffic, and gives you all kinds of data regarding your readership.

For those of you who fall in that category, and are in the market for a new Analytics client, you might want to check out Analytiks. The popular app just received a major makeover to bring it to version 2.0…

Analytiks’ strong suit has always been its ability to display hordes of confusing traffic data in an easy-to-read format. And version 2.0 builds on that strength with a completely redesigned UI, which looks great.

But the app’s new user interface doesn’t just look pretty, it’s also a lot faster too. In fact, Blatt Labs says its the fastest UI they’ve ever created. You can navigate the entire app with just a few swipes and taps.

And for those of you who aren’t interested in bouncing around the app, version 2.0 also has a new home page graph, which allows you to see page view count and other useful information at a quick glance.

Whether you’re a novice blogger, or a seasoned web master, Analytiks is definitely worth taking a look at. It’s  so much better than the average Google Analytics app, and it’s a steal at $0.99. If you’re interested, follow this link to the App Store.

What do you think of Analytiks? What’s your favorite Google Analytics app?



Lumicon, word building madness on your iPhone

There are many a word game on the App Store and all of them offer a slightly varied experience, but Lumicon has separated itself from the pack with tense, fast paced gameplay and stunningly attractive graphics.

May I repeat: yes, it is a word game and yes, it is visually stunning. The newly released puzzler is sure to make a great addition to your already cluttered Home screen…

Design
I find the most simulating user interfaces to pose “detailed simplicity” and Lumicon achieves this particular double standard utilizing clean lines, uncluttered menus, and a constantly-changing-gameplay-determined background color. Adding to the visual finesse, the curves of the letters contrast well with the grid patterned board on which words are constructed. The typography really plays into the excellent overall design and garnered Lumicon a highlight from Beautiful Pixels.

Gameplay
At its core, Lumicon challenges the player to build 3+ letter words with a limited and randomly provided set of letter tiles. Time adds another ingredient to the tactical complication of word construction. Tiles drop into the “gutter,” which only holds 6 letters,  at an increasing rate of speed. If the gutter fills before the tiles can be placed, the game is lost. In later levels, even the gutter tiles have a timer and if not placed quickly, become a permanent and unmovable fixture in the available letter box.

Additionally, the playable board space is limited. Once 3+ letter words are built, they can be tapped/eliminated for points and popping multiple words in quick succession awards bonuses such as vowels, time delays, and point bonuses. However, if the letter gutter is filling, simply dump tiles onto the game board to eliminate losing; then, the challenge is to build new words on earlier mistakes, eliminating the tiles.

When described, the game sounds complex, but the learning curve is very short. My biggest challenge was placing the tiles: after many hours of Words with Friends, I tried to drag tiles from the gutter to the board. Lumicon is based on tapping, not dragging, therefore, tap the gutter tile, then tap the board to place it.