Apple loses patent case against Samsung in Japan

Days after winning a stunning patent battle in a US Court, American software giant Apple faced a setback when a Japanese court today rejected its claim that its South Korean business rival Samsung stole its technology. 

The Tokyo District Court in a significant ruling that could cause ripples in Asian market ruled that Samsung Electronics had not infringed Apple INC Smartphone and tablet computer, Kyodo reported. 

The US maker of iPhone and iPad had demanded the South Korean technology giant pay damages of 100 million yen, claiming that some of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones and tablets infringe Apple’s technology patent related to transfers of music and other data among portable devices. 

The Tokyo battle is the latest saga in a global court fight being waged by two rivals. 

“The defendant’s products do not seem like they used the same technology as the plaintiff’s products so we turn down the complaints made by (Apple),” Judge Tamotsu Shoji told the court. 

Samsung has denied its rival’s claims in a string of similar cases filed across the globe, hailed the Tokyo court’s ruling and in a statement said the ruling “confirms our long—held position that our products do not infringe Apple’s intellectual property.” 

The Tokyo ruling comes a week after the iPhone maker won more than USD 1.0 billion in a massive US court victory over Samsung with jurors finding that the South Korean firm had “willfully” infringed on Apple’s patents. 

The battle in Tokyo focused on Apple’s claim that Samsung stole technology used to transfer music and video files, but sought a comparatively smaller damages running into $1.27 million. It also sought an injunction to block Samsung sales in Japan. 

The US and Tokyo legal turf war comes after a court in Seoul last week ruled that the two business rivals had swiped each other’s technology and awarded damages to both the sides.

Microsoft changed it a number of times in its early years.

The newest

1975-1979

1987-2012

1982-1986

1980-1981

           For the first time in 25 years, Microsoft is changing its corporate logo. 

        Microsoft, which has used its solid, boldfaced, italicized logo since 1987, is expected to unveil its new, more colorful logo Thursday at the Boston opening of the 23rd Microsoft store. It will also appear Thursday at the Seattle and Bellevue Microsoft stores, as well as on the microsoft.com home page.

              The new logo, which incorporates a multicolored Windows symbol in addition to the "Microsoft" name in straightforward, lighter type, is intended to "signal the heritage but also signal the future — a newness and freshness," said Jeff Hansen, Microsoft's general manager of brand strategy.

              It's coming at a time when the company is preparing to launch new or significantly updated versions of nearly every one of its products, from Windows to Windows Phone to Office.

                 Many of those products will feature a new look and feel — cleaner, with fewer borders and less clutter, and more colorful tile-based designs.

              Given all that, "we felt it was a good time to express the newness in the Microsoft logo as well," Hansen said.

           The new logo features the name "Microsoft" in the Segoe font — a font Microsoft owns and has used in its products and marketing for several years. The font also figures prominently in the new Windows 8 user interface. 

            The "f" and "t" in the name "Microsoft" are connected in the new logo, just as they were in the old. "It was one of the subtleties we thought we could bring forward," Hansen said.

            For the first time, the company's logo will also include a symbol: In this case, a square formed by four multicolored square tiles — reminiscent of the company's multihued Windows logo in years past. (Ironically, Windows 8's new logo is now single-colored.)

           The colors in the squares — blue, orange, green and yellow — are those long associated with Microsoft and from which the company's product brands draw.

The colors are also meant to convey "the diversity of our products and the diversity of people that we serve," Hansen said.

           The new logo also bears great resemblance to, and is an evolution of, the Microsoft Store logo, which was inspired by the Windows flag.

                  A lot is at stake when a company changes its logo.

             A logo is the instant communication of a brand, said Barbara Kahn, professor of marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "It's what is seen time and time again," she said.

           A strong logo, she said, needs to be "distinctive, clearly identified with the brand and consistently used over time."

               The new logo marks the fifth time Redmond-based Microsoft has changed it since the company was founded in 1975 and only the second time since Microsoft went public in 1986.

          Microsoft's first logo, used from 1975 to 1979, evokes its era, with its disco-y typeface. The multilined logo, with "Micro" on the first line and "Soft" on the second, reflects how co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen supposedly came up with the original company name "Micro-Soft" — something that reflected both "microcomputers" and "software."

              The second logo, with some jagged edges and strong diagonals, was used from 1980 to 1981 and reflected the computer and video-game culture of the time, Hansen said.

             The third logo, used from 1982 to 1986, introduced a stylized letter "o" with lines through it — meant to symbolize the hyphen between "Micro" and "Soft," Hansen said. The stylized "o" was referred to fondly on campus as the "blibbet" and, at one time, the cafeteria on campus served a "Blibbet Burger."

         The Microsoft logo most people are familiar with today was the one the company started using in 1987. It featured a slice in the "o," a connection between the letters "f" and "t." Compared with the earlier logos, it looks more solid, stable — corporate.

             The newest logo starts its rollout Thursday, making its appearance on several well-trafficked areas of Microsoft.com, as well as the company's official Microsoft pages for Twitter and Facebook.    

                    The new logo will also be used on a new wave of TV commercials in the next few weeks and on the new products being released this fall and into the holiday season.

           "The majority of the items that people see from the company — websites, marketing, communications — people will be seeing the new logo pretty quickly," Hansen said.

Cheteshwar Pujara hits century for India

Cheteshwar Pujara, brought in as a replacement for Rahul Dravid, struck his maiden Test century to put India in command on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand on Thursday.

Scorecard

Pujara's unbeaten 119 took the hosts to 307 for five at the close after winning the toss. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (29) was the other not-out batsman.

Batting in the number three spot vacated by the recently-retired Dravid, the 24-year-old Pujara displayed a cool temperament akin to his predecessor as he came in for his fourth Test match and his first since January 2011.

He hit 15 fours and a six during his 226-ball stay and added 125 for the fourth wicket with Virat Kohli (58) to help India overcome the loss of Gautam Gambhir (22), Virender Sehwag (47) and Sachin Tendulkar (19).

Pujara, who survived a close caught-behind call towards the end of the day, also shared an unbroken 47-run stand for the sixth wicket with Dhoni after the team lost Kohli and Suresh Raina (three) in quick succession.

Microsoft reboots logo

                 Microsoft, on Thursday, unveiled a new corporate logo “to express the company's diverse portfolio of products” as the U’.S. tech giant ramps up for a series of big launches.

                The new logo, updated for the first time in 25 years, features a square which contains four separate coloured squares. The old logo had a similar look but the squares appeared deformed as if part of a flag waving in the wind.

                  The move comes with Microsoft ramping up for its Windows 8 platform and its first tablet computer, called Surface. The company is also making an aggressive effort to gain ground in the smartphone market.

               “It's been 25 years since we've updated the Microsoft logo and now is the perfect time for a change,’’ said Microsoft brand strategy manager Jeff Hansen. “This is an incredibly exciting year for Microsoft as we prepare to release new versions of nearly all of our products. From Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 to Xbox services to the next version of Office, you will see a common look and feel across these products providing a familiar and seamless experience on PCs, phones, tablets and TVs.

Wave of new releases

              “This wave of new releases is not only a reimagining of our most popular products, but also represents a new era for Microsoft, so our logo should evolve to visually accentuate this new beginning.’’

The logo also includes the name Microsoft in the Segoe font which is used in products and marketing communications, along with the new squares.

            “The symbol is important in a world of digital motion,’’ Hansen said. “The symbol's squares of colour are intended to express the company's diverse portfolio of products.’’

The new logo is being used starting Thursday on the Microsoft.com website and in three Microsoft retail stores on Thursday.

             “It will sign off all of our television ads globally,’’ Mr. Hansen said.

              “And it will support our products across various forms of marketing... We're excited about the new logo, but more importantly about this new era in which we're reimagining how our products can help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential.’’

Mary Kom sets her sight on 2016 olympic

           Even as she is basking in the glory of her Olympics victory in the 2012 Games, boxer Mary Kom, who bagged a bronze medal, has already set her sights on the next Olympics in 2016.

           “I will try to give my best in Rio de Janeiro. If they have 46 kg and 48 kg categories then I will surely win a gold, if not I will give my best,” she said at a felicitation ceremony organised by the Edelweiss Group on Thursday.

               After the Olympics medal life has not been the same again. “I have completed 12 years of boxing. There was little recognition earlier. It was a challenge to face comparisons with other sportspersons. But now I like the fact that I am recognised. My dream has been fulfilled. In the Beijing Olympics, only men won medals. So, I am happy to have won a medal,” she told journalists.

                Ms. Kom said she was the first medal winner from the northeast. “I am happy that youngsters from the northeast will be motivated by my achievement.”

              Responding to a question from the media on the strife in Assam and exodus of people from the northeast, Ms. Kom voiced a message of peace. Ms. Kom underlined the attitude of men towards women boxers as her first challenge when she took up the sport.

            “Boxing is not easy. When I started, my male friends would say it is not a woman’s sport. But I say if men can do it then why not women.”

              Ms. Kom said marriage and motherhood also posed as a challenge to her. “When I had two children even my father did not believe in me, let alone others. However, my family’s love and support helped me to reach my dream.”

 

            The tough boxer was moved and in tears when she expressed her gratitude to all Indians for their support. “I was surprised,” she remarked, “that everybody, from all religions, was praying for me. I am thankful for that.”

            Ms. Kom’s husband Onler Kom said, “Everyone thinks she made it because of my support, but I am just doing my ‘homework.’ Because of my love for Mary, I can cook and wash and do everything. She says, ‘If men can do it why not women?’ And I say if women can do it, why not men?”

            Asked if she would like to see her twin sons become sportspersons, especially boxing, Ms. Kom replied, “Yes, I would be very happy. As it is they fight a lot.”

             Hoping that the next Olympics has more weight categories, Ms. Kom said she would continue her fitness training. Her doctor Nikhil Latey, who attended the event, said Ms. Kom’s “best weight” was 46 kg.

“It was a massive effort to move her from a lower to higher weight category. She was fighting opponents who weighed 54 kg and were four inches taller than her and yet she managed a bronze. She works very hard and also loves to sleep,” he said.

           The Edelweiss Group presented Ms. Kom a life insurance policy of Rs. 2 crore. Group Chairman and CEO Rashesh Shah said Ms. Kom was an inspiration as an athlete as well as a human being.

Mechanical comes out top

            For the first time in five years, mechanical engineering has emerged as the favourite among engineering aspirants as nearly 29, 319 have chosen the stream, followed by 27,082 who chose ECE and 18, 706 who opted for computer science and engineering. 

             With nearly 1.4 lakh students allotted engineering seats in over 500 colleges across the State, the general counselling of Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions 2012 came to an end on Saturday. 

          This year, there are 15,000 more takers for engineering, compared to 2011. There were indeed many more seats than required here, and students had ample choice, much to the relief of those who had their counselling dates this week, the last of the counselling that lasted over a month. 

            S. Kumar, a parent from Salem, said he was uncertain whether to wait for a seat through counselling process or get through by paying donation. “Many of my sons’ friends did that, but I was hoping we would get through general counselling,” said the relieved father, proudly showcasing his admission document for a seat in SRS, Salem.

         Many others had their share of problems. For instance, a candidate chose a college in Tiruvannamalai, not knowing it was facing legal problems. “They then told me that Anna University won’t be responsible if there is a legal issue. I was shocked. But thankfully, I reversed my decision and took another college,” he said.

         "There are many vacant seats but most of these colleges are not the known ones. So we had to be extra careful," said Rudran, another student, from Perambalur. Ajith Kumar, the last student to be allotted the engineering seat, got one in Anna University in Panruti.

            As many as 55,813 engineering seats will go vacant this year, of which 55,168 are in self-financing colleges, and 644 in colleges under Anna University. “There is one vacant seat in the ST category in the textile technology,” said an Anna University official. 

           This year, the number of seats available through single window counselling was 1.73 lakh. Self-financing institutions surrendered 14,000 seats before counselling started.

           “Last year, the allotment for 1.50 lakh students was done in 35 days; this year, the same task was accomplished in the same time for 1.24 lakh students. We hope all those who got in enjoy and learn something substantial in their course,” said V. Rhymend Uthariaraj, secretary, Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions.

             The officials expect the number to go up to 1. 26 lakh, with two more days — vocational phase II and supplementary counselling — scheduled on Sunday and Monday.

Google Maps integrates public transit information in a simplified way(latest version 6.1)

              If you have a smartphone, you no longer need to worry about finding out information on public transit in any major city across the globe. 

               Last week, Google announced that it had crossed the one- million mark in public transit stop information available through its Maps application. The million transit stops are spread across 500 major cities presented in an easy-to-understand format. 

               The Indian cities on the list are Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.

Simple to use

               In an update on its official Google blog, dated August 15, Christopher Van Der Westhuizen, Software Engineer, Google Maps, said the latest iteration of the Android app from Google Maps (version 6.10) simplified transit information, allowing users to pick their preferred mode of transit. This feature will be useful in cities that have multiple modes of transit available, and thus multiple layers of data embedded on Maps.

Comprehensive list

           “Since 2005, we’ve collaborated with hundreds of transit authorities around the world to make a comprehensive resource for millions of riders to find out which bus, train, subway or tram can take them to their next destination,” Westhuizen wrote. “We’ve made some changes to the Transit Lines layer, so that you can select a specific mode of public transportation [train, bus, tram or subway] to display on the mobile map, hiding the other modes. This is helpful in areas where there is a tight concentration of several types of public transit.”

          The public transit information available for Chennai, for example, includes data from the Chennai MRTS, Southern Railway and Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC). 

           For New Delhi, the list includes the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System, DMRC, Northern Railway, Delhi Metro Rail and the Delhi Transport Corporation.

            Quite naturally, the accuracy of the data depends on the transit authority more than the information provided by the Maps application.

Signages

           The update to Google Maps is particularly useful in cities where visitors are at odds reading signages in local languages and have difficulty in getting around places. The Google Maps application for Android mobile devices can be downloaded free from Google Play. It requires data connectivity.

Other offerings

              The maps segment in the mobile applications space has become very competitive in recent times, with the service finding favour among smartphone users. While Google Maps has been the key player across platforms, Nokia too offers a robust service with its Nokia Drive. 

            Google has announced in recent months that it will revamp its Maps experience and offer offline maps that can be downloaded by smartphone users and used even when there is no data connectivity.

Meanwhile, Apple has announced a major revamp of its on-device Maps application in the next iteration of its iOS 6 operating system, which will be launched next month.

Maruti's Manesar plant will be reopen

After a month-long lockout at its Manesar facility, Maruti Suzuki India is ready to reopen the plant tomorrow with less than a tenth of its total workforce slated to resume operations in a single shift. 

The company had declared an indefinite lockout at the Manesar plant on July 21 following the worst-ever violence in its history on July 18 that left one senior official dead and nearly 100 others injured.

“We are reopening the plant with 300 workers. With this workforce, we will operate just a single shift from 8 am to 4:30 pm,” Maruti Suzuki India Chief Operating Officer (Administration) S.Y. Siddiqui told PTI.

Initially about 150 cars will be rolled out every day instead of 1,500-1,700 units earlier. Production will be gradually ramped up at the plant, which has an annual capacity of 5.5 lakh units.

The company will restart the production at the unit under heavy police presence. It has also formed its own special force, comprising ex-service men. 

 Maruti Suzuki has also decided to terminate the services of 500 permanent workers, who were allegedly found to be involved in the violence inside the plant.

Besides, the company is also said to be planning to remove another 500 contract workers over their alleged role in the violence and arson. 

Prior to the incident, the plant had an employee strength of 3,300, of which 1,528 were permanent. 

To increase the workforce, the company will start fresh recruitment of permanent workers from September 2 and existing contract workers will also be considered for the same.

Assange likely to approach The Hague for safe passage out of Britain

WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange could appeal to the International Court of Justice at The Hague if Britain continued to refuse him safe passage to Ecuador where he has been granted asylum, his lawyer Baltasar Garzon said on Friday arguing that London had a legal obligation to allow him to leave the country.

As the diplomatic stand-off continued with Foreign Secretary William Hague indicating that it could drag on for “some considerable time’’, there was speculation that as a last resort Ecuador could give Mr. Assange diplomatic status that would allow him leave its embassy in London without risking arrest.

He has been holed up at the embassy since seeking refuge there in June to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of sexual assault.

WikiLeaks, meanwhile, announced that Mr. Assange would address his supporters “outside’’ the embassy on Sunday sparking rumours that he might be planning to court arrest in a public show of “going down fighting’’ while at the same time putting his hosts out of their misery.

In a statement, he hailed Ecuador as a “courageous, independent’’ country which stood up for him.

“It was not Britain or my home country Australia, that stood up to protect me from persecution, but a courageous, independent Latin American country,’’ he said.

Mr. Assange was said to be “bored’’ and “restive’’ having been stuck inside Ecuador’s cramped embassy in Knightsbridge for more than two months. He is allowed visitors and has access to television and computer but the pressure of being isolated from the outside world had started to tell, according to people who have met him.

His mother, Christine Assange, said she was “worried about his health, as I would be for anybody who is having to stay indoors and not get exercise and sunlight’’.

Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said his government would “use the alternatives under international law to demand the safe passage” but did not elaborate.

“We don't think it is reasonable that, after a sovereign government has made the decision of granting political asylum, a citizen is forced to live in an embassy for a long period,” he said as Britain insisted that it was under legal obligation to extradite Mr. Assange to Sweden as he had exhausted all legal options.

Sweden accused Ecuador of wanting to “halt the Swedish judicial process’’. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Sweden “emphatically reject the gross accusations that is made against the Swedish judicial system”.

The lawyer for the two Swedish women behind the allegations of sexual assault against Mr. Assange accused his supporters of overlooking their ordeal.