Android and the Future of Smartphones

Goog should better 'protect' Android if it wants to become Android a 'stayer' :

Quoting:Alexander Polotrak, chairman and CEO of General Patent Corp., which advise companies on their patent strategies, says the decision "validates that the Android operating system has implemented a number of inventions from Apple." He predicted that the decision would "go a long way" in convincing HTC to consider a global patent settlement with the California company.

An HTC spokeswoman declined additional comment.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297020479110457710...

Dear HTC....we have extra stones if you want to borrow them.

Regards,

Barnes and Noble

I've read the patents. Prior art extravaganza. The ITC is an Admin. body,... HTC can appeal their rulings to a Court of Law... Plus, they can easily remove the 2 or 3 functions that the HTCs apparently "steal" from Apple, and keep shipping dates (probably already have). It's going to be patent Armageddon soon,...

Quoting:Motorola is infringing on a Microsoft patent in its Android smartphones, a US International Trade Commission judge has said in an initial determination.

http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/intellectual-property/2011/12/21...

Google needs to hire the Nazgul and put em to work on this kind of litigation. Nothing less than scorched-earth retaliation is going to put a stop to this crap (especially against Apple, who, if they're still following their late Fearless Leader's guidance, have declared jihad on Android).

I really wish IBM would just go postal and open a can of whoop "axe" on the whole patent world ... Then, ... maybe, ... we'd see REAL patent reform.

@JaseP: Not gonna happen. IBM makes a lot of money off their patents (usually on things they actually did in R&D, not just by trollboothing the obvious path). I figure they're doing pretty good when they ease open-source projects around their own patent minefield instead of blowing up on em (not that I've heard specifics on that).

This is Google's war and so far they've been irresolute and reactive in fighting it. Maybe they thought if they hung back the hardware makers would pick up the slack and the tab?

Somebody's gotta enforce some sanity before one or more of these outfits figure out that a contract hit on one or two key people, including CYA, is far cheaper than the protracted costs of the courtroom, and act on it. Troll-hunting does have its appeal, but, even in East Texas, innocents might get hurt.

Oh,... don't get me wrong, ... I know it would never happen, I just wish it would happen ...

Forbes wrote:Microsoft Milking The Patent Cow Up To $32 Stock Price

Microsoft Could Score $1 billion dollars in patent licensing revenue from Android

Google’s Android is now the most popular smartphone platform globally. Andy Rubin, the division head of Android, recently announced that more than 700,000 new Android devices were being activated every day by users around the world. [2]

Each Android device sold by manufacturers who have licensed patents from Microsoft generates close to $5–$10 in licensing revenue for Microsoft.

We expect Android patent licensing to generate more than a billion dollars in revenue for Microsoft in 2012

http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2011/12/22/mic...

I had to read that last post twice:

the first time around I read that headline as "Microsoft Milking The Patent Con Up To $32 Stock Price".

And I was pretty sure that Forbes wouldn't express it quite that way....

:-P