The news for Monday, May 5, 2014
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Jury finalizes $119.6 million damages award to Apple for Samsung patent infringement - The Next Web
Following an initial ruling in the Apple vs. Samsung patent lawsuit, the federal jury has finished its calculations and finalized its $119.6 million damages figure after finding Samsung guilty of infringement.The judgment comes as a mixed result for Apple, which had originally asked for $2.2 billion in damages. Samsung also had a minor win against Apple on a “camera and folder organization” patent, but it received a paltry $158,000 in damages.
Google expands same-day delivery service to New York and Los Angeles | The Verge
Residents of Manhattan and parts of Los Angeles can now enjoy same-day deliveries courtesy of Google Shopping Express. Coverage areas include Culver City, Inglewood, Marina del Ray, Santa Monica, Venice, West Los Angeles, Westwood, and the entire island of Manhattan in New York. Previously, the service was only available in the San Francisco Bay Area. Google also plans on expanding coverage in the coming months to encompass Brooklyn and Queens in New York as well as other locations in Los Angeles.
Google Play Music Arrives in Canada
Google today finally launched Google Play Music in Canada, two-and-a-half years after first debuting the service back in November 2011. Canadians can finally listen to custom radio without rules (over 20 million songs), store 20,000 songs for free online, and listen to them alongside the All Access catalogue on any Android device or on the Web.
Amazon now lets you shop through Twitter | The Verge
Ever feel compelled to buy a product based on less than 140 characters worth of information about it from a friend or tastemaker? Amazon's betting that you will, and it's launching a new service today to let you add items to your shopping cart straight from Twitter. After connecting your Twitter account to Amazon, you'll then be able to reply to any tweet that includes an Amazon link using the hashtag "
John McAfee launches Chadder, a new encrypted private messaging app - The Next Web
Antivirus software pioneer John McAfee has launched a new messaging app called Chadder, with a focus on encryption and security.The app is produced by Future Tense Private Systems (FTC), a company founded by McAfee that has previously developed the Dcentral1 app, in conjunction with Etransfr. FTC says that “other privacy and security solutions are under development” too.
Amazon Launches #AmazonCart to Shop Using Twitter
Amazon is today rolling out an interesting new feature called #AmazonCart, which lets you add Amazon products to your shopping basket without leaving Twitter.
To use the feature, you first have to connect your Twitter and Amazon accounts, which you can do through your social settings. Then, all you have to do is reply with #AmazonCart to any tweet that contains an Amazon product link, and it will be added to your shopping basket. With one eye on localization, the service is actually called #AmazonBasket for UK shoppers, which makes sense. The feature only appears to be live in the US and the UK for now, however.
Samsung reportedly bringing fingerprint sensor to upcoming tablets | The Verge
Samsung is reportedly planning to introduce a new tablet branded the Galaxy Tab S, with a high-res AMOLED display and fingerprint sensor serving as the device's distinguishing features. According to SamMobile, the Tab S will include a 2,560 x 1,600 WQXGA display. That's the same resolution seen in several of Samsung's recent efforts like the Galaxy Note Pro, but those all use LCD panels. This time, Samsung will upsize the Super AMOLED technology it's been putting in smartphones for years, which should lead to deeper blacks and increased color saturation.
Spielberg's 'Halo' series might premiere on Showtime | The Verge
Microsoft has a ton of original TV shows in the works for the Xbox One, and no series has been quite so anticipated as the Halo show being executive produced by Steven Spielberg. But now, Variety is reporting that Spielberg's Halo may not actually be an Xbox exclusive — a decision that would mean Microsoft is giving up its biggest draw to Xbox's original content push. A deal is reportedly underway to develop the series alongside Showtime, which will air the episodes first before they head over to the console. It's not stated how long the window would be between their airtimes.
Oculus VR gets a virtual reality headset design patent | Polygon
Oculus VR, the company behind the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, received approval for a patent application on March 18, 2014, according to the document on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.Patent D701,206 covers the "ornamental design of a virtual reality headset," which is described and shown in several images. Inventors credits go to Palmer Luckey, Brendan Iribe Trexler, Graham England and Jack McCauley