HTC says licensing agreement with Apple will lead to better devices in 2013

Apple (AAPL) and HTC (2498) signed a 10-year licensing agreement in November that covered all current, pending and future patents and ended the ongoing litigation between the two companies. It has been estimated that the company will pay Apple between $6 and $8 for every Android device shipped, however HTC CEO Peter Chao refuted the claim. Regardless of how much is being spent, HTC China president Ray Yam believes the deal will begin to benefit the company in 2013.
[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]
“The settlement with Apple will start to pay off next year, and the fourth quarter of this year is still going at a set pace,” the executive said in an interview with the Economic Observer of China, according to Focus Taiwan. “The biggest benefit to us is that we can put more energy into innovation, which is more important than anything else for a technology company.”
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
Yam notes that HTC has wasted too many resources on lawsuits with Apple in the past and that the company is now encouraging employees to “take broader steps” when creating new and better products. The executive revealed that HTC has adjusted its product, sales and marketing strategies for 2013 in the wake of the settlement. He said that many of the company’s projects are now proceeding at a faster rate and it has also changed the way it negotiates with its telecom partners.
While the settlement will ensure that HTC’s devices will remain on sale in the U.S. and other markets, the company must still find a way to increase its dwindling market share as its struggles continue.

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Nokia’s Lumia 920 remains as expensive as Apple’s iPhone 5

One thing handset industry analysts are watching like hawks is the price graph of the most important Windows Phone 8 model in the European handset market. Nokia (NOK) priced the Lumia 920 very, very ambitiously for its November debut. How long can the model maintain a stiff premium? Was the early pricing just designed to skim high margins from the pool of eager Nokia/Windows Phone early adopters?
[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]
Christmas is now over and the year 2013 has rolled in. But in the most important handset market in Europe, the Lumia 920 still costs as much as the 16 GB iPhone 5. At Phonehouse Germany, the price is 640 euros. At Handy Attacke, Ebay Germany, Amazon.de and other leading German phone retail sites, the price remains rock solid and notably uniform 650 euros. Most of these sites offer shipment within two to three days, so the price is no longer jacked up by lack of supply.
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
In comparison, the 16 GB iPhone 5 costs 630 euros at Ebay Germany, 650 euros at Notebooksbilliger and Handyschotte; and 670 euros at Telbay, Modeo and other sites.
Even as the unsubsidized price of Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Note II is slipping below 510 euros in Germany, the Lumia 920 keeps levitating at the same price as the most expensive mass-market smartphone on the planet. Germany remains the biggest smartphone market in Europe, so this is going to be one key issue to keep an eye on as January price-cutting starts in earnest.

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Patent trolls’ latest gambit: Sue businesses if they dare to use office scanners

We’ve seen a lot of ridiculous claims asserted by patent trolls over the past few years, but this one truly takes the cake: Ars Technica reports that an entity called “Project Paperless LLC” has been sending out letters to small and medium-sized businesses demanding licensing fees for using office scanners capable of sending PDFs via email. Steven Vicinanza, founder of Atlanta-based IT services provider BlueWave Computing, told Ars that both his company and several of its customers had received letters telling them that they needed to buy licenses for “distributed computer architecture” patents that cover basic networked scanning technology. At a cost of $1,000 per employee, Vicinanza said that the licenses would have cost his company a grand total of $130,000 just for the right to scan documents.
[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]
Vicinanza couldn’t believe that he was actually being threatened with a lawsuit for using office scanners, so he decided to contact the attorney for Project Paperless to get some clarification.
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
“[The attorney] said, if you hook up a scanner and e-mail a PDF document — we have a patent that covers that as a process,” Vicinanza told Ars. “So you’re claiming anyone on a network with a scanner owes you a license? He said, ‘Yes, that’s correct.’ And at that point, I just lost it.”
Vicinanza isn’t the only one “losing it” over patent suits, of course. Cisco (CSCO) late last year decided to go on the offense against patent trolls by flat-out accusing them of breaking the law. What’s more, we’ve heard rumblings that the United States Department of Justice’s antitrust division may be ready to do something to limit patent trolls’ ability to extract licensing fees, so there could be some relief for patent suit-stricken firms on the horizon.

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Typical American without a landline: A 27-year old Latino living in Columbus, Ohio

The statistical study compiled by NHIS about landline and mobile phone usage in American households is a pretty fascinating read. The number of U.S. adults with a mobile phone but no landline rose to 34% in the first half of 2012. That percentage is ticking up roughly two points every six months — a fairly rapid clip. The number of adults with a landline but no mobile phone plunged below 8% according to the study, which was picked up by GigaOm. These numbers may explain why some of the pollsters using landline-only calls in the last election ran off the rails so spectacularly. So many Americans can no longer be reached via a landline phone that polling methods simply must be adjusted.
[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]
Latinos are far more likely to have a mobile-only household (46%) than non-hispanic whites (30%) according to the study; this gap is surprisingly large. The number of 25- to 29-year-old adults living in a mobile-only household hit a remarkable 60% in the beginning of 2012. There is a sharp generational divide here: Fewer than 25% of 45- to 64-year-old Americans have dared to drop the landline.
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
Somewhat surprisingly, the Midwest is the region with the highest level of mobile-only households. Naturally, metropolitan households are more likely to depend solely on mobile phones than suburban or rural households. For the first time ever, women edged out men as the larger group of mobile-only adults.
Back in 2006, only 10% of adults lived in a mobile-only household. Americans are kicking their landline habit with remarkable alacrity considering that many homes with small children still feel that depending solely on a mobile phone is too risky.

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Microsoft lashes out at Google’s decision to spurn Windows Phone

Dave Heiner, vice president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft (MSFT), took aim at Google (GOOG) and the company’s unwillingness to develop for Windows Phone 8 in a blog post on Wednesday. Heiner claims that, “Google continues to prevent Microsoft from offering consumers a fully featured YouTube app [among other] for the Windows Phone.” Microsoft has been apparently been trying to get a full-feature YouTube app for its Windows Phone operating system for more than two years, however it has been unsuccessful.
[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]
Despite the fact that the Windows Phone Marketplace has doubled in the past year, Google has not yet produced any quality apps for the platform. The company previously said that it will not be launching a native Gmail or Google Drive app for Windows 8 or Windows Phone until people start using the operating systems.
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
Windows Phone is estimated to account for a mere 2.6% of the mobile market and adoption of Windows 8 is said to be weak as well.

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D.H. Clark/I.B. Long Pen New Book, ‘A Grasp for Life”

Tilton, NH (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
The new book “A Grasp for Life: The continuing story of Howard Walker” (published by iUniverse) by D.H. Clark/I.B. Long tells the tale of Howard Walker, a man looking to find what many take for granted: the love of a family.
Howard’s story tells of his ups and downs in life as he struggles to grasp the life that had been taken from him as a young boy. The authors tells of his life in the military, later marrying and continuing through the normalcy of life, finally finding a place in a loving family, something that had allured him since the state removed him and his siblings from his home.
An excerpt from the opening of “A Grasp for Life”:
“Howard D. Walker has grown into a handsome young man who has been drafted in the U.S. Army and he finds love and romance. It is during their marriage that they find there are many bumps in the road. Howard finds himself reflecting back on his childhood life while his wife Sueanne takes her loneliness into the arms of a friend. Howard is tossed back and forth from army to navy to army again as he searches for a grasp of life.”
“I believe that there have been many families torn apart in their youth who have tried to find their way in searching for the safety and comfort of a loving family,” Clark explains.
“A Grasp for Life”

By D.H. Clark/I.B. Long

Softcover | 5 x 8 in | 312 pages | ISBN 9781475954913 |

E-Book | 312 pages | ISBN 9781475954920 |

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author

Born in Concord, N.H., on September 28th, 1945, D.H. Clark/I.B. Long is a disabled veteran. He has three brothers and one sister. His interests are in the space program, and he has written books on each mission. He is also author of "Behind the Chain linked Fence." He is married and lives at the New Hampshire veteran’s home in Tilton, N.H.
iUniverse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse has a strategic alliance with Indigo Books & Music, Inc. in Canada, and titles accepted into the iUniverse Rising Star program are featured in a special collection on BarnesandNoble.com. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Reader’s Choice, Rising Star and Editor’s Choice designations—self-publishing’s only such awards program. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, iUniverse also operates offices in Indianapolis. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS. For the latest, follow @iuniversebooks on Twitter.

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Reverse Cell Phone Lookup Annual Plans Now Offered at Cell Phone Registry

Reverse cell phone lookup annual plans are now offered online at the CellPhoneRegistry.com website. This company has enabled this new and unlimited search feature to provide an alternative to Caller ID or single number searches for mobile numbers online.

San Francisco, California (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
Reverse cell phone lookup services are not new online although one company has improved the cost of these services. The Cell Phone Registry is one of the largest databases online for cell and landline phone numbers. This company has enabled a new annual search plan that provides 365 days of unlimited usage. Adults that use this system can pay a small annual fee for this service instead of single number searches.
Millions of landline and cell phone numbers now exist in the United States according to telecom data. Many people use both phone types for communication purposes. Some individuals operate businesses or use phones for texting or other purposes.
Since some cell phone data is private, traditional Caller ID services could be lacking in the amount of details provided. The new unlimited search plan online is helping to deliver more phone data.
A person that uses this updated database search plan now has the option to print a report that could include information not readily found online. Many of the records include first and last name, former mailing address, telephone carrier information and the age of a phone user. This data can be useful to adults that perform searches for verification or discovery purposes.
The Cell Phone Registry company now has one of the largest online-only databases that can be used for a reverse phone search. Over 218 million landline numbers are included as well as 200 million cell phone numbers. These records included published and unpublished numbers that can be accessed through this search system online. This secure system an be accessed 365 days a year.
About Cell Phone Registry
The Cell Phone Registry company launched its online search tool in 2009 and has updated its records on a regular basis for the past 4 years. Millions of public records can now be searched by adult users in hopes of finding information about the owner of a phone number. The cell, unpublished and landline records that are offered can be reviewed privately online. The Cell Phone Registry company provides one of the only annual plans found for reverse phone number lookup services currently online. The data that is generated by this company complies with all FCC legislation.

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Author Marionette Simmons Announces the Release of “Life's Challenges, Experiences and Blessings”

HAMILTON PARISH, Bermuda (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
In her book of poetry “Life's Challenges, Experiences and Blessings” (published by Trafford Publishing), Marionette Simmons looks back on her life in a series of heartfelt poems.
“Life's Challenges, Experiences and Blessings” is a collection of Simmons’ poetry, expressing a lifetime of emotional records in verse. She explores such topics as God’s plan, destiny and purpose, inspiration and even writing as a topic. She dedicates an entire section to mothers, specifically her mom. Throughout the book she drops in lighthearted poems, humorous poems, inspirational poems and poems about faith and glory. Ultimately, “Life's Challenges, Experiences and Blessings” is meant to allow readers to enjoy the journey she has taken throughout her life.
An excerpt from “Life's Challenges, Experiences and Blessings” from the poem “The Characteristics of a Mother”:
A mother’s touch, so soft and sweet

It’s almost like a gentle breeze

A mother’s hand so firm but loving

As she disciplines her seed
A mother’s love unlike no other

Always felt, even if it’s not expressed

A mother’s heart always yearning

For her child to have the very best
Simmons hopes to reach a wide audience with “Life's Challenges, Experiences and Blessings.” “I think this book will appeal to readers because it touches many areas of people’s lives,” she says. “Their emotions, morals, beliefs and above all it also allow them to laugh in the midst of adversity.”
About the Author

Marionette Simmons has been writing since she was a teenager, and she considers writing a means of expressing herself without hesitation or judgment from others. Her tourism essay won second place in a competition in her home island of Bermuda, and she has had work featured in a book at Bermuda College writer’s club. She was chosen to participate in “Who’s Who in Poetry,” and she considers the publication of “Life's Challenges, Experiences and Blessings” to be one of her greatest accomplishments. Simmons is the mother of one daughter, Kelly. She lives in Hamilton Parish, Bermuda, where she is eagerly looking forward to publishing a second book.
Trafford Publishing, an Author Solutions, Inc. author services imprint, was the first publisher in the world to offer an “on-demand publishing service,” and has led the independent publishing revolution since its establishment in 1995. Trafford was also one of the earliest publishers to utilize the Internet for selling books. More than 10,000 authors from over 120 countries have utilized Trafford’s experience for self publishing their books. For more information about Trafford Publishing, or to publish your book today, call 1-888-232-4444 or visit trafford.com.

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Garcinia Cambogia Sales Online Rise in 2013 Reports iTrustNews.com

Garcinia Cambogia sales have increased online in 2013 according to an iTrustNews.com report report. The resolutions that many men and women make for the New Year have helped to increase sales of this new product that has been recently released for sale in the U.S.

Houston, Texas (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
The iTrustNews.com company has released a new report that details how the sales of Garcinia Cambogia have increased in 2013. This product was released in the U.S. early last year and is in use by men and women according to the report. Retail sales in the U.S. typically spike in the New Year for fitness and wellness related products. This published report reveals how some retailers are discounting the prices for many fitness related products online.
Health and wellness manufacturers frequently release new products during the summer months and before the first of the year. The winter months in many U.S. states are a time for men and women to focus on improving things like health, weight and overall wellness according to the new report.
The discounts that some retailers offered for the holiday season are scheduled to continue for select fitness related products online according the report.
Part of living healthier for some people means adding more fruits, vegetables or vitamin sources to a daily eating routine. Not all people are able to maintain a strict dietary plan through the year and typically can seek other measures for assistance. The iTrustNews.com report details the differences in some wellness and health related options online that are now discounted by some retailers.
The new report published online is now part of a series of reports and guides that help introduce new products, services and news to consumers. The iTrustNews.com website employs a team of researchers, writers and editorial staff who locate consumer-friendly information to provide this data to men and women that make purchases online. The discounts, product announcements and one-time only incentives are now published daily to the company website.
About iTrustNews
The iTrustNews company created its website in 2011 as one online resource for consumers to find the latest in independent news. Advancements to the company strategies in 2012 helped to create a product reviews and reports section online. Apart from the writing, publishing and syndication of news a new series of reports are online. The iTrustNews company now locates some of the best discounts on products that are not always advertised to help men and women shopping online. This company has improved its delivery of consumer information and is now one of the largest sources for independent news and consumer reviews in the media category online.

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Wedding Photography Website Now Connects Couples with Photographers Online

A wedding photography website is now connecting couples with expert photographers online at WeddingPhotographyQuotes.com. This new directory launched in 2013 provides a new resources for professionals and clients to meetup to discuss packages, services and pricing online.

Albany, New York (PRWEB) January 04, 2013
Couples that search for wedding photography and professionals that provide services can now be connected together with a new directory online. The WeddingPhotographyQuotes.com website has launched its new directory for 2013. This resource provides marketing services to photographers with a free or premium directory package. Brides-to-be can use this directory to find talented photographers instantly. More information can be found at http://weddingphotographyquotes.com/add-listing.
Photographers generally use referrals to obtain future work. The wedding industry is one area that many choose due to the flexibility in scheduling and monetary gains available. Traditional advertising methods like phone directories and offline advertisements can be expensive and produce lower than expected results.
The launch of the highly trafficked WeddingPhotographyQuotes.com website is now helping to provide resources for professionals and freelancers online.
Couples can now search this online directory and use the state specific search system. Brides-to-be that live outside of metropolitan areas can often find a shortage of professionals. This new directory now offers one of the most complete solutions online that allows instant networking between professionals and new clients. Immediate contact information is provided and direct negotiations can be obtained without third party approval.
The new directory listings offer more than a simple list of professionals available. For studios and freelancers, new marketing services are now offered that take place away from the company website. These additional solutions are part of the pro directory listing plans that are offered. Video marketing, search engine marketing and publicity are now offered through this online resource.
About Wedding Photography Quotes
The Wedding Photography Quotes website first launched in 2010 and has been providing accurate photograph package pricing to brides-to-be for over 24 months. New additions to the company website in 2013 have helped to open up the doors of opportunity for professionals. The company created directory is now available to help connect more clients with photographers online. The Wedding Photography Quotes company now provides one of the largest online resources dedicated to the wedding industry that helps couples and professionals equally.

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