February 6, 2012
The iPad is back (in Germany)
Patent battles have been all the rage between mobile companies in recent months, and Apple is finally feeling the sting. Last week, after a German patent court ruled against Apple in a patent battle with Motorola, the Cupertino company was forced to pull 3G versions of the iPad and iPhone from German stores. Today, however, those devices are back on the shelves while contests the ruling. According to Apple lawyers, Motorola hasn’t played fair by refusing to license the patent in question. Back in January, Motorola scored another win against Apple on U.S. soil when the International Trade Commission ruled that a number of Motorola devices did not violate Apple patents as it had alleged.
Facebook cashes in
While viewing Facebook on a phone used to offer refuge from the site’s notorious advertising, the free ride is up. With pressure to make a profit mounting in the face of an upcoming IPO, Facebook will soon begin plastering ads on the mobile site to generate more ad revenue. Previously, Facebook had resisted mobile advertising because of the limited screen real estate on phone and tablets. According to the Financial Times, the mobile ads will begin cropping up in March.
Netflix challenger?
If you’re still fuming after Netflix’s price hike last year, it looks like a new competitor may finally offer competition. And it’s from some familiar names. Verizon and Coinstar, the company that owns Redbox, have teamed up on a new venture that will offer both streaming video through the Internet and physical discs. Verizon will contribute its network and streaming expertise, while Redbox will leverage its network of over 28,000 rental kiosks across the country. The yet unnamed venture will begin operating in the second half of 2012.
Related links on Digital Trends:
- Can Verizon and Redbox bring down Netflix?
- How a Netflix-like service from Verizon and Redbox might work
