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Australian lawsuit leads to Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 being pulled from store shelves

Michael Kwan — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:24:07 +0000

Can’t we all just get along? The legal battle between Seoul and Cupertino is continuing to heat up, this time taking the combat down under. Because of the current patent dispute launched by Apple, Samsung has agreed to halt sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Australia until further notice. After going through a hearing in an Australian federal court, Samsung agreed to stop advertising the Android tablet and it will not sell the device until it gets a go-ahead from the courts that the disputes have been resolved. So, Samsung is the loser here, right?

Not necessarily. Since Samsung isn’t selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia anymore, Apple has also agreed that it will “pay damages” if it loses the infringement lawsuit. It is then up to the Samsung lawyers to justify a number that would represent lost sales and other damages. Remember that, for now, this is only Australia. There’s no saying that Apple and Samsung won’t end up with similar (or totally different) arrangements in other markets.

Does this mean that Aussies can’t have a Samsung tablet? No, that’s not true either. The ban is on the US version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Samsung will develop an Australian version that’s different enough, whatever that means, providing samples to Apple before it starts shipping them out to Aussie vendors.

DSLR cameras get banned by Kuwaiti government

Michael Kwan — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 02:11:48 +0000

Planning on taking a trip to the Middle East? You might want to leave your Digital Rebel at home. It seems that Kuwait has effectively banned the use of DSLR cameras in public. I don’t know what the punishment would be, but I’m assuming that confiscation is at least the beginning.

It’s not like cameras are being completely banned either, if these early reports are to be believed. If you’re a member of the press, you can go ahead and whip out your EOS like nobody’s business… just be prepared to prove that you’re a journalist of some kind.

Does this mean that you’ll have no vacation photos whatsoever? No, not at all. From what I can gather from the scant reports is that tourists and locals alike are still allowed to use point-and-shoots and camera phones; they just can’t use an SLR.

Maybe they think that the camera could be used to hide a real weapon. If that’s the case, what would their response be to someone using a micro four-thirds camera like my new Olympus E-PL1? It’s compact, but it has an SLR-like lens on the front of it. Surely they will release an acceptable list of camera models? [Kuwait Times via Thinq]

iPod nano Gets Banned from Gyms Because of Camera

Michael Kwan — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:18:41 +0000

If you’ve ever been to your local gym, then you’ll know that it’s a big no-no to bring a camera into the dressing room. No one wants to see their junk posted all over the Internet. Many gyms also ban cameras from the workout area, because some people don’t want their sweaty selves so publicized either. Well, it seems that the new nano falls into this restriction too.

A number of different gyms have effectively banned people from using the new Apple iPod nano 5G while in dressing rooms and while working out. That’s because this new nano has that video camera on the back and the gyms are looking out for the best interests of their clients. Privacy is important.

Does this mean that you’ll need to invest in a different MP3 player to pump “Eye of the Tiger” into your skull as you trot along on the elliptical trainer? Well, maybe and maybe not.

Most gyms will probably still allow you to use the iPod as a music device, but don’t hold it up pointed at anyone in particular for too long of a period. One spokesperson said that “discerning whether someone is taking video or just queuing up a music mix can be difficult.” In this way, some gyms might have an outright ban.

How can you overcome this? Seeing how the nano 4G and nano 5G have similar dimensions, couldn’t you just get an old (opaque) case or sleeve and slip it over the new nano? This would block the camera and eliminate the problem, right?

Source: Slashgear

Chinese Clones to Be Banned in India

Michael Kwan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:28:42 +0000

They may be two of the fastest growing emerging markets in the world today, but it seems that they’re not exactly playing nice with one another. We already know that China can be home to a lot of knockoff products and it seems that India has had enough. As such, India is moving to ban the sale of “cheap copy-cat Chinese mobile phones and accessories.”

Part of this has to do with its supposed “efforts to fight terrorism,” but I think this has more to do with the “lobbying by Nokia” and other handset makers who are tired of seeing the fake Chinese knockoffs bite into the sales of legitimate phones. We don’t want to see another Mokia, BlueBerry, or uPhone, right?

This is not only to protect the sales of the “real” phones, but the Indian Cellular Association (ICA) is saying that some of the phones coming from China come with faulty batteries and these can blow up on users. That’s a major safety hazard.

Further still, the phones may not come with a IMEI number, so they become much more difficult to track. That’s where the “fight terrorism” part of the equation comes into play. It is estimated that between one million and 1.5 million Chinese knockoff handsets are imported into India each month.

Talk about Clone Wars, eh?

Source: Intomobile