Archive for October, 2011

A senior Microsoft attorney says the number of patent lawsuits filed between tech companies is natural because of U.S. patent laws, suggesting the company will likely continue its legal attack on Google's Android system.

Horacio Gutierrez, deputy general counsel for Microsoft, told the San Francisco Chronicle patent protections are a necessary part of the industry. Microsoft has already patented several "features that just make the phone much more efficient," for which Android makers should compensate Microsoft, according to Gutierrez.

Microsoft's strong stance comes as it signs licensing agreements with HTC and Samsung, generating more revenue from those arrangements than it makes from its own Windows Phone operating system.

These agreements are often the goal of patent-related legal actions, and most companies would rather come to licensing agreements rather than halt the production of the devices due to bans and injunctions. But the rise of patent lawsuits has escalated of late, prompting debate over the effects on innovation and reform of the patent system.

Gutierrez denied, however, that Microsoft is waging a vendetta against Android, saying patent battles often happen when "technologies are really disruptive."

Gutierrez says the rise is unique to this time and place and that the U.S. patent system isn't in need or a reboot.

"People who lived in that particular time would look and say, 'What a mess, we certainly must live in the worst time. The system is broken and something has to be done to fix it,'" he said. "That's the situation we're in right now. If you think of a mobile phone or a tablet computer today, they're not your father's or your grandfather's cell phone."

One proposed remedy, the America Invents Act, attempts to clean up patent regulation by granting intellectual property rights on a first-filed, rather than first-invented basis.

The new federal act may keep some patent lawsuits from going forward because the law speeds up patent applications, but will likely not keep companies like Microsoft from seeking lucrative awards through patent lawsuits.

Microsoft is one of the most powerful tech companies in the world, with an extensive patent portfolio. Companies such as Samsung and HTC do not want to face product bans, so they settle with Microsoft to pay settlements instead, which often include per-device fees as much as $5 of every smartphone sold.

In addition to profiting the Redmond, Wash.-based company, which Gutierrez says the company is entitled to, he believes the system is an all-American tradition.

"If you look at the development of the technology industry in the U.S., intellectual property protection has been essential in bringing about the success of this industry throughout the 20th century and even before that," Gutierrez said. "Study after study has demonstrated that the patent system has actually played a role in securing the leadership that the United States has in this field."

Microsoft will likely stay the course with its patent-related legal strategy, and Android phone makers may need to be more wary as the powerful company shows no signs of backing down.

Microsoft Justifies Patent Suits Against Android originally appeared at Mobiledia on Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:28 pm.

Steve Martin is writing a book based on his Twitter posts, another example of the how the popular social network is emerging as an entertainment avenue.

Martin announced the book, appropriately enough, via Twitter, tweeting, "Due to absolutely no demand, soon I'm publishing a book of my tweets. Many of your replies included!"

The slim volume is anticipated to total less than 120 pages and is due for release in summer 2012 from publisher Hachette Book Group. Profits from its sale are slated for donation to charity.

The book by former "Wild and Crazy Guy" from "Saturday Night Live" is titled, "The Ten, Make That Nine, Habits of Very Organized People. Make That Ten," and is expected to contain a collection of the veteran actor's tweets, as well as responses from followers.

"With over 1.4 million followers (a number growing by the day), and a now famously uncanny ability to pack 140 characters with a maximum amount of humor and wit, Steve Martin has defined what it means to be a celebrity in today's world of social media," according to the publisher.

The 66-year-old Martin has embraced Twitter, but he isn't the first to compile tweets in book-form.

Dan Sinker, unmasked as the author of the Twitter account @MayorEmanuel, which was wildly popular during Chicago's recent election cycle, cut a deal with Scribner for a book of profanity-laced tweets written by someone pretending to be the mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel.

Tracey Moberly, who saved 60,000-plus text messages since 1999, wove the best ones into a narrative about her life in the new book, "TEXT-ME-UP!"

Moberly's colorful life added a dimension to her story, far outweighing the brief nature of text messages. Her book includes details about her travels to Siberia, Haiti and Colombia, protests against corporations such as Coca-Cola, art projects like releasing a thousand pink balloons over Manchester to seek out random new text friends, and counting graffiti artist Banksy and other British art stars as correspondents.

Moberly said she decided to write the book with text messages, previously the subject of one of her art exhibitions, because she finds their content powerful.

Social media sites like Twitter are doing more than allowing heightened communication in today's digital age, they are providing a powerful entertainment platform. And the collection of tweets into traditional print media highlights the growing relationship between the two.

Martin's last book, a novel called "The Object of Beauty" was published by the same publisher, Hachette Book Group, in 2010 and made the New York Times bestseller list.

Comedian Steve Martin to Publish Tweets originally appeared at Mobiledia on Mon Oct 31, 2011 4:07 pm.

Android browser Dolphin HD admits it inadvertently exposed users' Web traffic patterns, prompting questions on Android developers' security policies in an increasingly insecure environment.

People who surfed the Internet from their Android phones using Dolphin also connected automatically to a company called MoboTap, which determined how to format the pages.

But the links sent from Dolphin to MoboTap were unsecured, meaning hackers could access unsuspecting users' browsing history without much difficulty.

"In some cases, if you knew the URL, you can take over the user's session," says Seth Schoen, staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Alan Cooper, MoboTap's founder, says his company "never stored anyone's user data," adding, "We've just published version 7.0.2, which fixes all URL issues."

Dolphin did not store or misuse any user data either, according to a company statement.

Whether or not anyone monitored or stored data, Dolphin HD's security snafu raises questions about Android developers' preparedness against increasingly frequent privacy breaches.

Schoen, whose organization advocates for better online privacy protections, is clear on this point.

"I wish browser vendors would think things like this through before implementing them," he said. "It seems like they could have foreseen the security implications of it."

Schoen's statement echoes that of Fared Adib, vice president of product development at Sprint.

"In mobile security circles, you never wait on it to become a problem and it's too late," he said.

Both experts support security programs like Lookout, which recently partnered with major U.S. carriers and is available both for users and for companies wishing to strengthen their mobile defenses.

Android-based programs especially are in need of protection, given the platform's growing number of viruses. DroidDream, HippoSMS and Zeus Trojan- viruses are infesting Android's free-range Marketplace in droves.

If Dolphin HD users implemented a security program like Lookout, Symantec, Sophos, or AVG to monitor its MoboTap connection, the browser may have avoided scrutiny over privacy concerns.

As the number of viruses and malware on Android's Marketplace multiply, it may be more and more difficult for companies to ensure airtight privacy controls, a lesson the browser issue illustrates all too clearly. The platform may be growing in usage, but compared with the relative security of rival iOS, its security flaws may grow to be more of a liability as mobile usage grows.

Android Browser Exposes Users' Online History originally appeared at Mobiledia on Mon Oct 31, 2011 3:51 pm.