| Google weighs in to aid Samsung in second court battle with Apple Apr 12th 2014, 10:20, by Chris Smith 
Google has done its best to stay out of Apple and Samsung's legal squabbles, but came to the aid of its Android partner in the second patent trial between the rivals, on Friday. The company's VP of Android Engineering Hiroshi Lockheimer took the stand in California to defend copycat allegations from Apple, which claims Samsung stole its ideas. The thrust of the argument is that Google used specific features - like universal search - on devices like the Galaxy Nexus before Apple patented them. "We liked to have our own identity, we liked to have our own ideas," Lockheimer told the court. "We were very passionate about what we were doing, and it was important that we have our own ideas." 'Doing our own thing'"People tend to think of Google as a big company, but we were a small team," he added. "We were autonomous, and the company let us do our own thing." Apple rested its case earlier on Friday. The company is seeking $2.91 billion (£1.73, AU$3.07) in damages from Samsung relating to five patents it claims the Korean firm infringed. Samsung will continue its defence against the allegations on Monday. The case is follows a length battle in front of the same judge in 2012, which saw Apple awards a billion dollars.        |  | Move aside 1080p, the first QHD AMOLED mobile display has arrived Apr 12th 2014, 09:33, by Chris Smith 
Samsung has been working on next generation QHD AMOLED screens for it's mobile devices for quite a while now, but it won't be the first to bring the tech to market. That accolade goes to Taiwanese firm AU Optronics, which has developed a 5.7-inch panel boasting a resolution of 2560 x 1440, the highest yet for any such display. The display, which is just 0.57mm thick brings a eye-popping pixel density of 517ppi. AUO will seek to push the tech to its various customers, which include Samsung. Take Note, SamsungSamsung confirmed in January that a QHD display was on the horizon, with many expecting the tech to appear within the newly-released Samsung Galaxy S5. That, of course, wasn't the case, but perhaps Samsung could have it ready for the Galaxy Note 4, expected to launch at IFA in September? LG is also thought to be considering a QHD panel for its forthcoming LG G3 release, so in one way, shape or form, we may see the display tech in a mobile device this year.        | | Amazon phone release pegged for September, glasses-free 3D display in tow Apr 11th 2014, 21:32, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
Amazon will unveil its smartphone in June and follow it with a launch in September, the latest word on the web reveals. "People briefed on the company's plans" have chittered to the Wall Street Journal (pay wall) that the Amazon smartphone is headed toward release later this year. Amazon has reportedly been showing a version of the phone to developers in San Francisco and Seattle and is plotting a late June debut for the handset. The phone reportedly won't start shipping it until the end of September, which is traditionally Apple's time to bring new iPhones to market. While Amazon's handset will face fierce competition from Apple and Samsung, it may have one ace up its sleeve. According to the Journal's tipsters, the Amazon phone's display will be able to produce 3D images without the need for special glasses. Using retina-tracking tech stuffed into four front-facing cameras, the Amazon phone can project 3D images with a hologram-like effect, sources said. Amazon on fireAmazon has launched a full-fledged assault on hardware, and only last week broke into the set-top TV biz with Amazon Fire TV. Its no stranger to the tablet side of things, and a smartphone seems the next logical step to bring everyone under the growing Amazon empire. Sources warned Jeff Bezos and Co.'s smartphone plans may change, so we'll believe the Amazon smartphone when we see it, but the increasing amount of smartphone smoke has us searching for its source.        | | LG G3 monster specs revealed thanks to leaky US carrier website Apr 11th 2014, 19:14, by JR Bookwalter 
Much to the chagrin of wireless carriers, a tiny fragment of XML text can often reveal plenty about upcoming smartphones, and now a new leak for LG's next flagship appears to have broken cover on its way to the US' third-place network. MyLGPhones.com has turned up evidence that supports the arrival of the LG G3 on Sprint and confirms a bevy of specs in the process. Those details come courtesy of a user agent profile (better known as UAProf), an XML file format typically found with an RDF extension that outlines the capabilities of a mobile device. One such UAPro has turned up on Sprint's own website and lines up nicely against already reported specs for the LG G3, even though the handset in question appears to go by another name entirely. What's in a name?Sprint's UAProf for the device refers to the smartphone as LG LS990, but a bit of detective work looks to reveal this is as none other than the G3. The handset should launch with Google's latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat, a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor and a 5.5-inch QHD screen. Display resolutions hits a whopping 1440 x 2560. Curiously, this big-screen beast claims to have an enormous 3GB of RAM onboard, and another 32GB for onboard storage, which is capable of being expanded with up to 64GB more by way of micro-SD card. In other words, it may have more than enough room to store your high-res photos and videos. The LG G3 is rumored to launch on May 17, meaning Sprint subscribers may not have to wait very long to wrap their mitts around the manufacturer's latest slab of plastic and glass. Naturally, we expect the G3 to go global, so stay tuned for further release details.        | | Lenovo looks to be cooking a mid-range Android phone with the Midas touch Apr 11th 2014, 18:09, by JR Bookwalter 
Lenovo is still a smartphone unknown in many parts of the world, but in its native China, the new owner of Motorola Mobility has been taking names and kicking butt on the high end, and now it appears poised to do the same for cheaper handsets as well. Android Headlines caught wind (via WebTrek) of a new Android smartphone on the way from Lenovo, and this one appears aimed squarely at buyers on a budget, despite the handset's classy looks and scrappy name. The so-called Golden Warrior S8 may sound like poorly-dubbed kung fu film straight out of the '70s, but it's reportedly the name of Lenovo's latest attempt to release a smart-looking, big-screen handset with mid-range specs. As the name implies, the Golden Warrior S8 features an attractive gilded casing and is said to pack 13MP rear-facing and 5MP front-facing cameras, but that appears to be where the really good news ends. Auric championJudging from the internal specs, Lenovo's foray into mid-tier devices isn't exactly a walk on the wild side, such as the the 5.3-inch display which features a decidedly "meh" resolution of 1280 x 720. The whole package is tied down by what's referred to as a "mediocre" octa-core MediaTek MT6592 CPU saddled to Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which isn't exactly a slouch but is certainly no longer the freshest candy in the cupboard, either. Consumers certainly won't mistake this handset for Lenovo's coveted K900, but given the rumored price of roughly $130 (about £78, AU$138), they may not ultimately care all that much. No word on when Lenovo may unleash its budget-minded Golden Warrior S8 upon an unsuspecting world, but judging from the leaked press images, a formal announcement shouldn't be too far away.        | |
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