UPDATED 09:35 EDT / MAY 08 2012

Apple and Samsung Lower Patent Claims, Apple Seeks iPhone 5 Domain

Today’s mobile news roundup features more iPhone 5 news, T-Mobile’s unveiling of Passpoint, TwitPic for iPhones, and more.

Apple filed claim for iPhone 5 domain

It looks like Apple will be naming the next iPhone the “iPhone 5” as they filed a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization for the iPhone5.com domain name.  Anyone who visits the site will be seeing smartphone ads and forums with discussions regarding the rumored iPhone 5.  Apple doesn’t own the site, but they want to.  Currently, there’s an on going forum as to whether Apple should be given the rights to the site, while another forum is asking people to help stop Apple from getting the rights to the domain.

Apple has a history of filing claims to domain names that are closely related to their brand or their products, even if they don’t actually use them.

In other Apple news, the iPhone maker agreed to drop their patent claims against Samsung in California just so the case could be ready for a hearing in the Summer.

Apple “offers a truly impressive narrowing of its infringement claims in that action, roughly cutting them in half, and five hours later, Samsung offered to drop five of its 12 asserted patents but argued that Apple’s case is still far too big to go to trial this summer,” said Florian Mueller in his Foss Patents blog.

“Apple’s filing accused Samsung of being uncooperative in the build-up to these filings, but Samsung puts all the blame on Apple and says the case still isn’t ready for a summer trial.”

T-Mobile to offer Passpoint

T-Mobile, the fourth largest carrier in the US, is planning on deploying Passpoint – the technology that allows wireless users to automatically access Wi-Fi hotspots from 3G and 4G cellular networks.

Carriers who commit to Passpoint-certified devices and gear, users will be able to seamlessly access WiFi hotspots without the need to set it up or enter a password, drastically reducing the cost of browsing for consumers.  The Wi-Fi Alliance will start certifying network gears and end-user devices, like smartphones and tablets by June.

TwitPic for iPhones

TwitPic launched their iPhone app to provide their users an easier way of sharing photos and videos, see photos of the people they follow, and view popular content across the network.

“We’ve always relied on third-party developers … but we wanted to provide a better experience for our users,” said TwitPic founder Noah Everett in an interview with VentureBeat.

TwitPic is very popular among Twitter users, as it is one of the most convenient ways of sharing photos on the the microblogging site.  They now have a reported 35 million users, and the TwitPic for iPhone app is expected to lure in more users.

AT&T app for shoppers

VeriFone GlobalBay Solutions from AT&T launches today to help shoppers checkout their items quicker.

VeriFone GlobalBay Solutions works like this: sales associates armed with mobile devices roam in retail stores and they can scan items, apply coupons and discounts, and complete credit card transactions from any location in the store.  Aside from the roaming sales associates, the tablet-based solutions provide the ability to sell items from inventory not available in the store – helping to prevent lost sales.  With this solution, associates can remain engaged with their customers, quickly and efficiently.

“Customers don’t want to wait in line or stand around as a sales person runs off to find information on a product — they want great service in a timely manner,” said Chris Hill, Vice President, Advanced Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business and Home Solutions.

“The addition of VeriFone GlobalBay Solutions(TM) from AT&T to our mobility portfolio helps businesses complete transactions efficiently and attentively, ultimately helping to drive new revenue generation and increase competitive advantage.”

Qello HD streaming now available on iOS

Qello, the streaming HD concert app, debuts for iOS devices to bring the world’s largest library of the highest quality concert films and music documentaries to Apple users.

“Qello represents a new dimension in HD concert entertainment that offers music lovers an easy-to-use way to engage in the live music experience whenever they want to – on any iOS device,” Qello CEO Brian Lisi said.

Qello is a premier source for HD concert films and music documentaries streamed on demand across multiple touch points. Outfitted with an extensive selection of HD concert films, from the hottest new shows to a vast vault of legendary concerts, Qello brings music aficionados to the front row of the concert anytime, anywhere.


A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE.

One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content.  

Join our community on YouTube

Join the community that includes more than 15,000 #CubeAlumni experts, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and many more luminaries and experts.

“TheCUBE is an important partner to the industry. You guys really are a part of our events and we really appreciate you coming and I know people appreciate the content you create as well” – Andy Jassy

THANK YOU