General Gaming Article |
- Netflix Customers Charged Past 1 Billion Hours of Streaming Video in June
- Judge Denies Samsung's Request to Lift Galaxy Nexus Sales Ban
- Toshiba Faces $87 Million Pricing Fixing Fine, Proclaims Innocence
- Amazon Targets August for Second Generation Kindle Fire Launch
| Netflix Customers Charged Past 1 Billion Hours of Streaming Video in June Posted: 04 Jul 2012 07:18 AM PDT
"Congrats to Ted Sarandos, and his amazing content licensing team. Netflix monthly viewing exceeded 1 billion hours for the first time ever in June," company CEO Reed Hastings posted to Facebook. "When House of Cards and Arrested Development debut, we'll blow these records away. Keep going Ted, we need even more!" That works out to about 38 hours/month per subscriber, up from an estimated 28 hours in December, the Associated Press reports. It's also indicative that any ill will (on the consumer side) still lingering from the proposed Qwikster spinoff last year has mostly subsided, though the company's $72.04 share price is still well below its peak of $305 last July. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
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| Judge Denies Samsung's Request to Lift Galaxy Nexus Sales Ban Posted: 04 Jul 2012 06:52 AM PDT
According to The Verge, Apple has already posted the necessary $96 million bond, so the ban on Galaxy Nexus devices is now in full effect. Google has halted orders for Galaxy Nexus devices in its Google Play store, which has been downgraded to "coming soon" after recently dropping in price to $349. "Although some consumers may be disappointed that they cannot purchase the Galaxy Nexus, the Galaxy Nexus, as Samsung itself has repeatedly insisted, is not Samsung's only smartphone product on the market," Judge Lucy H. Koh of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, wrote in her order. The point of contention is a universal search patent -- U.S. patent number 8,086,604 -- held by Apple which relates to heuristic algorithms initiated by the phone's "Quick Search" feature. Samsung argues that Apple hasn't proven that Galaxy Nexus customers would have purchased an iPhone, or any other phone, if it weren't for the Quick Search feature, but Koh said the Federal Circuit "has not required proof of specific lost customers." In place of such proof, Koh looked at market share trends, noting that "Apple's U.S. market share fell by several percentage points in the first quarter of 2012 – i.e., the three months after the Galaxy Nexus was released – while Samsung's U.S. market share grew by roughly the same percentage points." |
| Toshiba Faces $87 Million Pricing Fixing Fine, Proclaims Innocence Posted: 04 Jul 2012 06:20 AM PDT
Toshiba says the jury made a mistake. "Toshiba has consistently maintained that there was no illegal activity on its part in the LCD business in the United States, and Toshiba continues to hold that view," Toshiba said in a statement, according to an AFP report. The company went on to say that while it certainly "appreciates the jury's time and effort," the "verdict is in error as to the finding of wrongdoing." Toshiba is also confident that it will never end up having to a pay a single cent of the $87 million fine. This is all related to a class action lawsuit filed back in 2007. The suit accused competing LCD makers of conducting secret meetings in karaoke bars, tea rooms, and hotel conference rooms in Taiwan to set artificially high prices for LCD panels. Chi Mei Innolux, Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Epson Imaging Devices, HannStar Displays, Samsung, and Sharp all agreed to pay a combined $538 million to settle the suit back in late 2011. Image Credit: icanhascheezburger.com |
| Amazon Targets August for Second Generation Kindle Fire Launch Posted: 04 Jul 2012 05:56 AM PDT
The first wave of shipments will total 2 million units, China Times says. Quanta is said to be manufacturing the device, which is being upgraded from a plastic chassis to one that's constructed of metal. Other details are unknown at this time, but the general consensus is that Amazon is looking to get the hardware up to par with the Nexus 7 while maintaining the same price point. If that ends up being the case, it would mean the original Kindle Fire will go down in price next month. According to China Times, Amazon is aiming for an August 7 launch date. A week ago today, CNet reported it had been told by a "credible source" that Amazon was targeting a July 31 launch. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
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Netflix is home to the first three seasons of Sons of Anarchy, as well as all eight seasons and 249 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, named after the main character who would go on to star in Matlock and, unfortunately, 
Samsung is having a crummy week. After losing a court battle in which Apple was successfully able to convince an appeals court to ban sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the U.S., Samsung learned a day later that it would also have to pull its Galaxy Nexus smartphone from store shelves. Adding insult to injury, Samsung has just been denied a preliminary injunction against sales of said smartphones.
Everyone knows you 'don't do the crime if you can't do the time,' or in Toshiba's case, if you can't pay the fine. The only problem with that is Toshiba is innocent, or so the company claims, just like every single person serving hard time will tell you. Legally speaking, the U.S. District Court in San Francisco found Toshiba guilty of collaborating with other liquid crystal display (LCD) panel makers to fix prices at artificially high levels, and has ordered the company to pay $87 million to absolve itself of its sins.
Google figured out the key to fighting fire -- Amazon's Kindle Fire, that is -- is with a similar sized Nexus 7 device rocking Jelly Bean (Android 4.1). That strategy may ultimately work, but don't expect Amazon to roll over and concede defeat as the one offering the second best selling tablet in the world. Instead, Amazon is reportedly getting ready to fire back with a second generation Kindle Fire device slated to arrive on virtual store shelves in August.| You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC - All Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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