Dates of possible ICS upgrades for T-Mobile devices revealed

T-Mobile customers waiting for the latest Android OS update may have to wait until June for a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich.

If you have a T-Mobile device in your possession, an upgrade to Android 4.0 may be in your nearby future. At least, until June anyway.
Tmo News, an unofficial blog covering T-Mobile, got a hold of a 2012 enterprise calendar, which details possible launch dates for Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades on three of the carrier's devices.
Among the devices listed are HTC's Sensation 4G and Amaze 4G -- both are slated to get ICS on June 16. The third is the Samsung Galaxy S II, which was a tentative upgrade date of May 14.

Source: news.cnet

Apple v. Samsung: 50 suits, 10 countries -- and counting

One year ago this month the two companies locked horns over patents, and their legal fight has since extended around the globe. It will apparently even bring the two CEOs face-to-face in May.

With patent litigation fast turning into the tech industry's favorite pastime, the yearlong legal battle between Apple and Samsung that began last April now extends to more than 10 countries around the world and at least 50 initial filings. Incredible.
Patent expert Florian Mueller, who, thankfully, tracks this stuff closely so the rest of us don't have to risk having our brains explode, has done his usual first-rate job compiling a list sorting out the venues of this "massively escalated, planet-spanning dispute." Amazingly, he noted, the number of legal filings might even climb higher. As Mueller notes in his latest post:
After an initial filing, lawsuits can be consolidated (which effectively happened to the first two lawsuits the parties filed against each other in California) or, which happened far more frequently, split up into multiple lawsuits by the courts. For example, German courts usually look at only one patent per litigation, and sometimes assign more than one case number per patent if there's a delay with serving the complaint on one of two or more defendants. Also, these parties tend to appeal each and every decision, and the list below doesn't contain cases before appeals courts.
Of course, there's always the possibility that these two might be able to work out a deal. During a conference call last week to discuss the company's quarterly earnings, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered a general statement of his desire to end the litigation that has engulfed much of the wireless industry, without mentioning Samsung specifically.
"I would highly prefer to settle than to battle," he said. "But it's important that Apple not become the developer for the world. We need people to invent their own stuff."
Both Cook and his opposite number at Samsung, along with their top lawyers, are supposed to give settlement talks a shot in front of a judge in San Francisco on May 21 and 22.
This long-running legal confrontation began in April 2011 when Apple filed a lawsuit in California accusing Samsung of copying "the look and feel" of its iPad tablet and iPhone smartphone. "Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smartphone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple's technology, user interface, and innovative style in these infringing products," Apple complained.
Samsung quickly responded with a countersuit against Apple, taking the fight overseas to South Korea, Japan, and Germany.
Ever since, it's been a veritable full-time employment act for the lawyers.
Clarification:: We tweaked the earlier headline to correct the wording.

Source: news.cnet

Far Cry 3 PC

Release Date: September 4, 2012

 

Beyond the limits of civilization lies an island, a lawless place ruled by piracy and human misery, where your only escapes are drugs or the muzzle of a gun. This is where you find yourself, trapped in a place that's forgotten right from wrong, a place that lives by the principles of violence. In Far Cry 3, players step into the shoes of Jason Brody, stranded on this mysterious tropical island. You dictate how the story unfolds, from the battles you choose to fight down to the allies or enemies you make along the way. Slash, sneak, detonate and shoot your way across the island in a world that has lost all sense of right and wrong. Beware the beauty and mystery of this unexplored paradise and live to outwit its roster of ruthless, desperate characters. You'll need more than luck to survive.

Genre: First-Person Shooter
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Also on: PS3, X360
RP-T+ for Rating Pending, Targeting a Rating of Teen or Above

Assassin's Creed III PC

Release Date: October 30, 2012

Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution in the late 18th century, Assassin's Creed III introduces a new hero, Ratohnhaké:ton, of Native American and English heritage. Adopting the name Connor, he becomes the new voice for justice in the ancient war between the Assassins and Templars. Players become an Assassin in the war for liberty against ruthless tyranny in the most stylized and fluid combat experiences in the franchise to date. Assassin's Creed III spans the Revolutionary War, taking gamers from the vibrant, untamed frontier to bustling colonial towns and the intense, chaotic battlefields where George Washington's Continental Army clashed with the imposing British Army.

Genre: Action Adventure
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer/Co-Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Annecy

Also on: Wii-u
RP-M+ for Rating Pending, Targeting a Rating of Mature or Above

Batman Arkham City's Harley Quinn DLC launches next month

Lets you play as Batman and Robin in over two hours of new gameplay

Warner has detailed the Harley Quinn DLC for Batman: Arkham City.

First confirmed via a trailer for an upcoming Game of the Year Edition, Harley Quinn's Revenge is being billed as the game's "final chapter". Featuring over two hours of fresh gameplay, it'll be available to download beginning on May 30 on PS3 and Xbox 360. Pricing has yet to be confirmed.
Warner says: "The Harley Quinn's Revenge mission sends players back into Arkham City to face their final challenge as they interchange between playing as both Batman and Robin.
"Gamers must utilise each of the characters' unique combat and investigative skills to uncover Harley's vengeful plan and shut the gates on the urban mega-prison forever. In addition to experiencing a new storyline, fans can explore new environments and face-off against Harley's all new gang of thugs."

 

GTA 5 to launch in October, reckons Patchter

Analyst thinks Rockstar will show off game off the day before E3

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter expects Rockstar to steal thunder from E3 this year by having a Grand Theft Auto 5 blowout the day before the event begins. He also reckons the game will launch on October 23.

Speaking on the latest episode of GTTV, Pachter said he thinks Rockstar has reached the point where it doesn't need to attend the high-profile event to get eyes on its titles. "They've outgrown the show. I think they're way too cool to go," he said.
"My read on those guys is they like stealing the thunder from everything else. So if I had to bet I'd say you'd get an announcement on GTA 5 the day before E3 starts, that'd be Monday June 4. They don't show up and that's all anybody can do is talk about GTA 5 at the show."
Pachter believes GTA 5 will arrive shortly after BioShock Infinite's mid-October release, suggesting Rockstar "don't care about the 2K game".
In the same episode of GTTV, Sony showed off PlayStation All Stars: Battle Royale for the first time.
In February, Rockstar said we can expect to hear more about GTA5 in a few months' time. The timing seems roughly in line with Pachter's predictions.

 

Samsung turns in record quarterly profit

outh Korean electronics giant says its net profits rose 82 percent in the first quarter on the strength of smartphone sales.

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest consumer electronics maker, reported a record quarterly profit Friday on the strength of its smartphones.
The South Korea-based company said net profits rose 82 percent to a record 5.05 trillion won, or about $4.45 billion, for the fiscal first quarter ending March 31, compared with 2.78 trillion won a year earlier. Samsung also recorded record quarterly operating profits of $5.85 trillion won, in line with earlier guidance provided by the company.
"We cautiously expect our earnings momentum to continue going forward, as competitiveness in our major businesses is enhanced," Robert Yi, head of investor relations at Samsung, said in a statement.
Samsung's handset division accounted for 73 percent of the company's total profit, bringing in 4.27 trillion won, triple over the year-ago period. The division's operating profit margin jumped to 18.4 percent from 11 percent a year ago on the back of strong sales of the Galaxy S and Note smartphones. Analysts estimate Samsung sold 90 million handsets, including 44 million smartphones.
Profits from the company's TV and home appliances business skyrocketed to 530 billion won from 80 billion a year ago. However, semiconductor profits plummeted 54 percent to 760 billion won compared to last year.

Source: news.cnet