Samsung is replacing faulty Galaxy S IIIs that are suddenly dying for no reason

DEAR ABBY: While searching for two of my husband's childhood friends, with his knowledge, I believe I may have found a child he doesn't know is his. I'm not positive that the child is his, but the time frame and location indicate that he could be, and there's a strong resemblance to my husband's brother. (I have seen photos on the Internet.) I am curious whether my hunch is correct, but I'm afraid of asking the questions, not knowing how they would be received. My husband is a kind and caring person, a great husband and father. ...

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Samsung faces EU patent abuse case over Apple battle

The EU competition watchdog is investigating whether Samsung broke EU competition rules by filing lawsuits over "standards essential" patents.

They cover technologies used in all mobile phones such as radio signalling standards and are regulated to ensure a fair market. Patent owners must license them to rivals on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory basis.

"We will issue a statement of objections very soon," Almunia said, referring to the Commission's charge sheet.

The investigation into whether “Samsung has failed to honour its irrevocable commitment” to Frand terms, given in 1998, was prompted by a barrage patent infringement cases from the firm. It sued Apple over at least 13 patents related to 3G, for instance.

In apparent anticipation of Mr Almunia's interventon, on Tuesday Samsung said it was dropping an attempt to stop the sale of some Apple products in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, though it did not say it would halt its court battle for compensation.

In August, Apple was awarded $1.05bn damages after a Californian jury found Samsung had copied critical features of the iPad and iPhone. The patents Apple accused Samsung of infringing in its Galaxy range were not "standards essential", however.

The Samsung products run on the Android operating system, developed by Google.

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Samsung drops attempt to ban Apple sales in Europe

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Korea's Samsung Electronics on Tuesday said it would drop law suits aimed at banning the sale of Apple Inc. products in Europe just a day after scoring a victory in a battle in the United States with the maker of iPhones.

Samsung and Apple, the world's top two smartphone makers, have been locked in patent disputes in at least 10 countries over the last 18 months since Apple sued Samsung, saying the Korean firm copied its best-selling iPhone and iPad.

On Tuesday, Samsung said it was dropping an attempt to stop the sale of some Apple products in Germany, Britain, France, Italy and the Netherlands, though it did not say it would halt its court battle for compensation.

"Samsung remains committed to licensing our technologies on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, and we strongly believe it is better when companies compete fairly in the marketplace, rather than in court," the company said in a statement.

A spokesman for Apple declined to comment on Samsung's decision.

The decision comes a day after a judge rejected Apple Inc's request for a ban on the sale of Samsung Electronics' smartphones in the United States.

In August, Apple was awarded $1.05 billion in damages after a U.S. jury found Samsung had copied critical features of the iPhone and iPad. The Samsung products run on the Android operating system, developed by Google.

In January, the European Commission opened an investigation into whether Samsung Electronics has distorted competition in the European mobile device market, breaking EU antitrust rules.

(Reporting by Simon Johnson, additional reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Louise Heavens)

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EU charges Samsung with abusing vital telecoms patent

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission charged Samsung Electronics on Friday with abusing its dominant position in seeking to bar rival Apple from using a patent deemed essential to mobile phone use.

The Commission sent a "statement of objections" to the South Korean group, with its preliminary view that Samsung was not acting fairly.

"Intellectual property rights are an important cornerstone of the single market. However, such rights should not be misused when they are essential to implement industry standards, which bring huge benefits to businesses and consumers alike," Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in statement.

Apple and Samsung, the world's top two smartphone makers, are locked in patent disputes in at least 10 countries as they vie to dominate the lucrative mobile market and win over customers with their latest gadgets.

The filing of competition objections is the latest step in the Commission's investigation. After notifying Samsung in writing, the company will have a chance to reply and request a hearing before regulators.

If the Commission then concludes that the firm has violated the rules, it could impose a fine of up to 10 percent of the electronics firm's total annual turnover.

Technology companies are increasingly turning to the European Commission as the European Union's competition authority, to resolve their disputes. The Commission is also investigating Google and Microsoft .

In the case of Samsung, its standard-essential patents (SEPs) relate to the EU's 3G UMTS standard. When this was adopted in Europe, Samsung committed to license the patents fairly to competitors, the Commission said.

However, it began seeking an injunction in 2011 in various EU member states against Apple's use of these patents. The Commission opened its investigation in January 2012.

Samsung said it was studying the Commission's statement. It said it would cooperate fully and "firmly defend ourselves against any misconceived allegations".

"Samsung is confident that, in due course, the Commission will conclude that we have acted in compliance with European Union competition laws."

(Reporting By Philip Blenkinsop and Barbara Lewis; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford and Mike Nesbit)

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EU charges Samsung with abusing vital telecoms patent

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission charged Samsung Electronics on Friday with abusing its dominant position in seeking to bar rival Apple from using a patent deemed essential to mobile phone use.

The Commission sent a "statement of objections" to the South Korean group, with its preliminary view that Samsung was not acting fairly.

"Intellectual property rights are an important cornerstone of the single market. However, such rights should not be misused when they are essential to implement industry standards, which bring huge benefits to businesses and consumers alike," Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in statement.

Apple and Samsung, the world's top two smartphone makers, are locked in patent disputes in at least 10 countries as they vie to dominate the lucrative mobile market and win over customers with their latest gadgets.

The filing of competition objections is the latest step in the Commission's investigation. After notifying Samsung in writing, the company will have a chance to reply and request a hearing before regulators.

If the Commission then concludes that the firm has violated the rules, it could impose a fine of up to 10 percent of the electronics firm's total annual turnover.

Technology companies are increasingly turning to the European Commission as the European Union's competition authority, to resolve their disputes. The Commission is also investigating Google and Microsoft .

In the case of Samsung, its standard-essential patents (SEPs) relate to the EU's 3G UMTS standard. When this was adopted in Europe, Samsung committed to license the patents fairly to competitors, the Commission said.

However, it began seeking an injunction in 2011 in various EU member states against Apple's use of these patents. The Commission opened its investigation in January 2012.

Samsung said it was studying the Commission's statement. It said it would cooperate fully and "firmly defend ourselves against any misconceived allegations".

"Samsung is confident that, in due course, the Commission will conclude that we have acted in compliance with European Union competition laws."

(Reporting By Philip Blenkinsop and Barbara Lewis; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford and Mike Nesbit)

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Samsung Galaxy S II Plus GT-i9105P and Galaxy Grand Duos GT-i9082 Android smartphones

Two upcoming smartphone from Samsung have been pictured on internet, the Samsung Galaxy S II Plus (GT-i9105P) and the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos (GT-i9082). Both handsets are unannounced yet but got certification from the Chinese authorities (TENAA).
The Samsung Galaxy S II Plus GT-i9105P smartphone is looks similar to the Galaxy S II i9100 that already available since last year. But, the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos GT-i9082 is looks like as the original Galaxy S III smartphone.

New i9105P Galaxy S II Plus sports a 1GHz dual-core processor, and runs Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean OS. This phone has a 4.3-inch touchscreen WVGA display, a 2MP camera on the front, and an 8MP rear-facing camera with flash. Dimensions of Galaxy S II Plus I9105P are 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.98 mm and weighs 121 grams.
The second handset, new i9082 Galaxy Grand Duos boasts a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as its operating system. The Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos GT-i9082 is support for dual-SIM cards and packs a 4.5-inch touchscreen WVGA display. Other features are an 8MP camera on the back and a 2MP forward-facing camera.

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