Technology Industry Archive

Laurie Sullivan at MediaPost News mentioned how recently published Amazon patent applications show something about the company’s advertising model for the Kindle. These and other filings show some interesting patterns and suggest major corporate strategies on the part of Amazon. I will break this topic into two entries, as there is too much for a single post. We’ll start with...

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Back in March I wrote about the closely-watched Tafas v. Doll lawsuit challenging new patent rules put into place by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. At the time, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) came down with a mixed ruling that could have significantly changed the IP landscape. Well, it’s back to the beginning, as yesterday the CAFC...

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Apple’s iPhone is a runaway hit worldwide, as I noted last week, and again earlier today based on a new set of numbers from Japan. I just got a look at a summary of Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster’s report to clients, which includes the incredible fact that 38 percent of 3GS customers were upgrading from the original iPhone, validating the idea that the only way for a customer to...

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The Department of Justice has begun investigating certain practices in the wireless telecom industry, including exclusive deals between carriers and handset makers that limit competition, and violations of network neutrality rules, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The DoJ will certainly have the support of customers who’d like their iPhones on the Verizon network, but...

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Apple’s iPhone is taking it to the competition worldwide, belying the idea that the iPhone’s popularity is a uniquely American phenomenon. TG Daily reported that “Apple has cleaned up in the smartphone market in Japan,” based on a survey of 2,300 retail stores by market research company BCN. The iPhone 3G 8GB, sold by Softbank, easily came in at number one, followed by...

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Nokia issued a statement through various press outlets denying the rumor that it’s planning a smartphone based on Google’s Android mobile operating system. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have other plans for Android. Clearly Nokia responded to this report, rather than ignoring it entirely, because the rumor seemed realistic on the face of it. Nokia has shown...

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Marc Andreessen announced on his blog that he and his investing partner Ben Horowitz have funded an investment pool to the tune of $300 million for the purpose of investing in technology start-ups. The investment philosophy of the new firm, Andreessen-Horowitz, more closely resembles the behavior of an individual angel investor, backing firms with relatively small amounts (typically under $10...

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A look at highlights of the past week in the high tech legal world: courts, regulation, and lawsuits. Ex-AMX exec sentenced for corporate espionage — A New Jersey state court sentenced a former AMX executive to three years probation and psychological counseling after he pled guilty to wiretapping and intercepting emails in a corporation espionage campaign. [Source: TWICE] FCC getting...

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If you’re on Twitter, you may have noticed that a number of people suddenly started complaining about their accounts being suspended — a variety including some with large followings. It was no coincidence, though apparently a large accident. So when will this Internet force become reliable? On Sunday, Twitter noted that it had accidently suspended a number of accounts: We regret the...

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Some people find being spurned as a reason to be hostile. Others react by trying even harder for the object of their affections. EMC seems to be doing both, upping its hostile bid for Data Domain to have what it wants — and to keep it away from rival NetApp. But Data Domain says it has some compelling reasons to stick with the one what brought ‘em. Back in early June, my colleague...

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