Apple patent case: Samsung Galaxy Nexus banned in US

A judge in California has blocked US sales of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphones while the court decides on the firm's patent dispute with Apple.

US District Judge Lucy Koh said Apple "has shown a likelihood of establishing both infringement and validity".

Earlier this week, she barred sales of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the US until the case was resolved.

However, she said that Apple would have to post bonds of nearly $100m (£64m) to enforce the rare pre-trial injunctions.

The bonds serve to secure payment of damages sustained by Samsung should it win the cases.

Samsung, the South Korean electronics giant, said it was "disappointed" by Friday's decision.

"We will take all available measures, including legal action, to ensure the Galaxy Nexus remains available to consumers," it said in a statement.

California-based Apple and Samsung are involved in a variety of legal cases in various countries across the globe amid claims and counter claims of patent infringement.

While Apple had accused Samsung of "blatant copying" of its design and look, the South Korean firm has alleged that Apple infringed its patents relating to the way phones and tablet PCs connect to the internet.

Apple and Samsung are two of the biggest manufacturers of tablet PCs and smartphones in the world.

Sales of the iPad more than doubled to 15.43m for the three months to 31 December 2011.

And in the first quarter of 2012 it sold 13.6m, giving it about 63% of the global tablet market, according to research firm Display Search.

Samsung sold 1.6m tablets over the same period, giving it a 7.5% share.

The success of Apple's iPhone and iPad has seen the firm recently become the world's most valuable company.

Meanwhile, Samsung has enjoyed considerable success in the sectors with its Galaxy range of products.

The demand for tablet PCs and smartphones is likely to grow even further in the near term.

Analysts said that given the growth potential, the two firms were using every possible tactic to ensure that they capture a bigger share of the market.

Sunday, July 01, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More

Samsung Galaxy S3 launch fails to attract iPhone-like crowds

Samsung launched its Galaxy S3 handset at its Westfield Stratford store on Tuesday evening, but the firm failed to match rival Apple in the launch event sweepstakes. V3 was in attendance at the S3 launch event, where Samsung's crowd fell short of the standard of Apple, which saw thousands gather outside stores for the launch of the iPhone 4S. 

Busy staff at Samsung's flagship store were unable to provide exact numbers, but we'd say there were around 300 to 400 Galaxy S3 buyers patiently queuing. A Samsung staffer did tell us, however, that the queue started to form at 2pm - just three hours before the Galaxy S III went on sale. In contrast, the first iPhone 4S buyers started queueing two weeks ahead of the smartphone's launch. 

It's good there weren't people camping outside the Samsung store for days on end though, as we witnessed the shop turning away those who had pre-ordered the blue Galaxy S3 handset. It might not have matched Apple on numbers, but Samsung certainly managed to outdo its rival when it came to treating its fans well.

 During the two hours that we queued outside the Samsung store, we were given ice cream, cupcakes, a personal magic show and even champagne and canapés, so we didn't much mind the wait. Check back later this week for our Samsung Galaxy S3 review.

Thursday, May 31, 2012 | 0 comments | Read More