Nokia's Plan B: Patent litigation

HTC CEO Peter Chou, and Nokia CEO Stephen Elop shared a panel discussing the prospects of Windows Phone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in February.
(Credit: Roger Cheng/CNET)

Just a few short months ago, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop and HTC CEO Peter Chou sat next to each on a panel to discuss their mutual respect for each other and shared optimism over the Windows Phone platform.

Now, the two are poised to duke it out in the courtroom.

Nokia said today that it had filed lawsuits against HTC, Research in Motion, and ViewSonic, claiming that each has illegally used 45 of its patents relating to all manner of wireless technology.

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The quick about face by Nokia underscores the company's willingness to look for new sources of revenue beyond selling handsets. Indeed, just as Oracle has gone after Google over the use of Java in Android, Nokia is going after some of its competitor. Armed with a healthy war chest of patents, Nokia could lean on its licensing business as the company continues its attempt to break into the smartphone market with its line of Lumia Windows Phones. With its financials still extremely weak, the company could use all the help it can get.

Nokia is just one of many companies jumping into the legal fray. Beyond Google and Oracle, Apple has been a key player in much of the litigation in the wireless industry. Apple has sued a number of Android players, including Samsung Electronics, HTC, and Motorola Mobility. The fracas is such that Google felt it necessary to acquire Motorola, which boasts its own wealth of patents, to protect Android and the company's partners.

Nokia, however, is better equipped than most when it comes to the legal arena, The company has actually faced off with Apple -- and won. Last year, the two companies settled their dispute, with Apple agreeing to pay a one-time fee and a recurring licensing fee to Nokia. While the fee went undisclosed, estimates at the time pegged the payment to be in excess of $600 million.

Nokia hasn't always had the same success. When the company settled its long-standing dispute with Qualcomm in 2008, it ended up having to pay. Nokia had to pay a one-time fee of around $2.3 billion, as well as a recurring fee, to Qualcomm.

Still, given its more recent success against Apple, Nokia has to be feeling confident against HTC, RIM, and ViewSonic. The company certainly needs any financial boost it can get from its lawsuits. The company posted a loss in the first quarter and warned that second-quarter results wouldn't be much better.

The tough results come as Nokia attempts to get its Lumia smartphone in the hands of more consumers. In the second quarter, Nokia launched the Lumia 900 in the U.S. through AT&T, spending a massive amount of money to raise awareness of the phone. Stunts include taking over Times Square for a brief concert, with blue flashing banners touting the Lumia 900, as well as a temporary promotion that gave early buyers a $100 credit -- essentially making the phone free -- as compensation for a glitch found in some of the devices.

While litigation and any possible settlement would come months -- if not years -- away, any such victory could bring an unexpected boon to Nokia. The company certainly needs all the victories it can get.

New ticket to Harvard and MIT: An Internet connection

(Credit: Harvard University)

Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology today launched an initiative to make its education material available online for free.

Through an initiative called edX, the two storied learning institutions will develop an open-source software platform and offer some of their courses online starting this fall. Harvard and MIT will govern the not-for-profit joint venture and dedicate $30 million each in grants and institutional support.

With edX, Harvard and MIT are seeking to learn about online education to enhance how they offer classes online, both to remote students and students on campus, university officials said a press conference in Boston.

"Online education is disruptive, it will completely change the world," said Anant Agarwal, the director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. "Our goal is to educate one billion people around the world."

A prototype class in circuits and electronics attracted 120,000 registered students, who will receive a certificate and a grade for completing the classes.

Harvard and MIT hope to offer courses from other universities at edX and that other universities will use its open-source software. MIT content will branded "MITx," the name of MIT's online education program launched last year, and Harvard classes as "Harvardx."

There is growing activity in online learning at universities, non-profits, and start-up companies. MIT launched OpenCourseWare ten years ago to make its class content online. Over the past few years, the Khan Academy has helped popularize online learning with videos on a wide range of topics. Udacity and Coursera are two companies offering free online instruction, too.

In addition to familiar video lectures from teachers, edX will develop software to enhance learning with tests, personalized coursework, and collaboration tools for students. The software will gather information on how students use the software to gain insight into effective teaching methods, said Agarwal. Officials said the universities will use edX for research to better enhance the residential learning experience on campus.
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How the venture will be funded over time is still an open question. The universities are considering different business models, such as charging for certificates.

For its first classes, students will receive a certificate and grade for completing an online class, but not issued under the names of Harvard or MIT. Students already at MIT and Harvard can't take edX classes for credit.

What classes will be offered online is also being determined, officials said. Above all, the launch of edX is a recognition that the Internet is deeply affecting university-level education.

"Today in higher education generally you can choose to view this as an era of threatening change and unsettling volatility or a moment charged with the most exciting opportunities to educators in our lifetimes," said MIT president Susan Hockfield.

Turn an old MagicJack into a Google Voice accessory

Things I didn't know existed until just recently: The Obihai OBiTalk, a gizmo that plugs into your router and pairs with SIP-based voice-over-IP services like Google Voice; and GVJack App, a Windows utility that links a MagicJack to your Google Voice account.

Why are these products significant? Simple: Google Voice offers free local and long-distance calling -- through the end of 2012, at least. After that, it's anybody's guess. Google might continue the free-phone goodness, or it might start charging for service. (If the latter happens, it's a good bet it'll be cheap.)

Whatever the case, GVJack App offers an intriguing solution for inexpensive home-phone service. The software costs $19.95, though you can try it free for seven days to make sure it works to your liking.

Based on my experiences, it should. I tested it with an old, expired MagicJack dongle I haven't touched in probably 2-3 years. (By "expired" I mean the associated account is no longer active.) After some initial hiccups, it worked like a charm.

In case you're unfamiliar with it, MagicJack is the gizmo that plugs into your PC and provides unlimited local and long-distance phone service. (There's also MagicJack for iPhone, which is pretty cool.) The newer MagicJack Plus works similarly, though it can plug into your router for PC-free calling (which is far more convenient). Whichever MJ you use, you will need a PC as part of this equation.

If you don't already own a MagicJack, you can pick up a used one on Ebay for around $10-15. (GVJack App's developers say they can be had for "under $3," but I've yet to find one selling for anywhere near that price. If you know a good source, by all means share it in the comments.)

After installing GVJack App, I plugged in my old MagicJack, connected a phone, and picked up the handset. Dial tone! But then, when I tried to dial a number, the software didn't seem to capture all the digits I'd pressed, and the call didn't go through. This happened repeatedly until I exited GVJack App, unplugged the MagicJack, and then restarted everything.

From there it was smooth sailing. I could make and take calls via Google Voice, and the sound quality proved excellent for incoming and outgoing calls alike.

GVJack App provides a wealth of calling features, including a priority-call table (certain numbers get a special ring), call screening, talking caller ID, automatic redial, and so on. Suffice it to say, GVJackApp is considerably more versatile than MagicJack proper. Interestingly, when you exit the software, your MagicJack goes back to its normal function (if you need it to). No permanent changes are made.

To summarize, for $20 plus the cost of a MagicJack, you can enjoy unlimited phone service at least through the end of the year. The only real downside is that, as with the original MJ itself, you need to leave a PC running 24/7. If that's a dealbreaker, the Obihai OBi100 sells for as little as $43.99 and gives you the flexibility of working with services other than Google Voice.

Verizon's LTE-powered in-home broadband goes national

While Sprint and T-Mobile are struggling to launch their 4G LTE networks, Verizon apparently has enough LTE to power your devices at home.

Starting Thursday, Verizon's HomeFusion Broadband service will bring LTE-powered Internet access nationwide. The service, which originally launched in March in six markets, feeds Internet to connected devices in the domicile, ranging from computers to gaming consoles.

Verizon's HomeFusion LTE will zip into homes through professionally-installed antennae receivers affixed on the outside of the house (this will cost you $199.99), then transmit signal to a Wi-Fi router inside the house. Using Wi-Fi, customers can connect up to 20 devices. Customers should expect downlink speeds of between 5 to 12 Mbps and uplink speeds ranging from 2 to 5 Mbps.
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Verizon envisions HomeFusion as an alternative to traditional residential broadband, especially for those with fewer options in their area.

Plans include rates of $60 per month for 10GB of data, $90 per month for 20GB, or $120 per month for 30 GB, with a $10 per GB penalty for each plan after reaching the cap.

Verizon is granting 50 percent more data for the first two full billing cycles of service, so customers will have to keep an eagle eye on their usage after those first two months.

Sony Vaio T ultrabook announced (in Europe for now)

(Credit: Sony)

Sony has jumped into the ultrabook business with the new Sony Vaio T series laptop, announced May 2 in Europe (with US details forthcoming, we assume).

The initial specs, reported by CNET UK, include an Intel Core i3 CPU and a 1,366x768 display.
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The CPU is potentially problematic, because it's the previous second-generation Intel Core i-series model (also known as Sandy Bridge), rather than one of the new third-generation chips (sometimes referred to as Ivy Bridge).

The high-end quad-core Ivy Bridge chips are available now, the more mainstream dual-core Core i3 and i5 versions are expected imminently.

According to CNET UK:

    With a low resolution screen and an older generation processor, is this too little, too late? There's no word on pricing yet, but it's due to go on sale from June...At 17.8mm thick, it's pretty slim, at roughly the same thickness as the stunning Asus Zenbook UX31. It's a few millimetres chubbier than the Z Series though and at 1.6kg, it's weightier too. Given that ultrabooks aim to be as slim and as light as possible, it's a shame not to see Sony at least match its other laptops in the size stakes...It's got a resolution of 1,366x768 pixels, which is a little disappointing given that the 13-inch Asus Zenbook manages to pack in 1,600x900 pixels into the same space.

Stay tuned for updates on the US availability and specs for the Sony Vaio T.

Poll: Do you ever lose your earbuds' eartips?

I love the noise-blocking isolation a good set of in-ear headphones provides, but the trick lies in getting the best possible seal. Sure, most headphones come with a selection of three or more silicone, foam, or Comply eartips. I recommend trying on as many tips as you can, and see which set provides the best possible fit. Once you have achieved that, you'll have the maximum isolation from environmental noise, optimum bass response, and the right tip will likely provide the most secure fit, making the earpieces less likely to accidentally fall out. The problem I'm talking about today is when one or both tips fall off the headphones' earpieces, and you lose them.

One of the perks of my job as an audio reviewer (don't be jealous) is that I've amassed a large selection of spare tips. So when I lose 'em, I just dip into my bag of spares and pop on new ones. I've noticed of late that I keep losing tips, and I wonder if there's an expanding population of headphone owners constantly buying replacement tips. They fall off the headphones when they're hanging around my neck, or in my bag.

Silicone tips can last for years, but the foam and Comply tips wear out over time, so even if you don't lose them, you need to buy new ones. Do you stick with the original manufacturer's tips? If you have found better aftermarket replacement tips, tell us about them in the Comments section.

Apple vs Samsung: Who's the king of the smartphones?

Apple senior vice president of iOS software Scott Forstall had an awfully nice payday on Friday.

According to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that has popped up on Apple's Web site, the executive sold off over 64,000 company shares, netting him more than $38.7 million. The sale wiped out 95 percent of his Apple stock, leaving him only 2,988 shares. But that isn't so bad: even at today's $584.40 share price, the holdings are worth over $1.7 million.

Although a major sell-off can sometimes mean an executive is leaving a company, that might not be the case with Forstall. As Fortune, which was first to report on the news, points out, Forstall still has 100,000 restricted stock units granted in 2010 that should be fully vested in 2014. Last year, Apple handed over 150,000 restricted stock units, with half of them vesting in 2013 and the other half in 2016. In other words, if Forstall is looking for a cash windfall, sticking with Apple might be a good idea.
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Forstall is a graduate of Stanford and played a key role in developing core technologies at Steve Jobs' startup NeXT. After joining Apple in 1997, the executive handled the development of Mac OS X before jumping to iOS. Over the last couple of years, there have been rumors that Forstall might eventually become Apple CEO.

Back in January, Adam Lashinsky, author of "Inside Apple: How America's Most Admired -- and Secretive -- Company Really Works," revealed in an interview with Fortune that Forstall has made it abundantly clear inside Cupertino that he would like to eventually be Apple's CEO, adding that "he wears his ambition in plainer view than the typical Apple executive."

If that happens, it appears Forstall will already be a rich individual.

Apple vs Samsung: Who's the king of the smartphones?

Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S II
(Credit: Samsung,Apple)

In this corner Apple; in that corner Samsung. Who's the smartphone champ?

Apple is still the dominant smartphone maker, at least in the U.S., according to stats out today from NPD Group. The research firm pegged Apple's U.S. market share at 29 percent for the first quarter, up 7 percent from a year ago.

At the same time, Samsung's share shot up by 140 percent. But at 24 percent of the U.S. market, it still trailed that of Apple last quarter.

Apple's iPhone commanded the top three spots in market share among devices for the quarter, with the iPhone 4s in first place, followed by the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS. Samsung's Galaxy S II took home fourth place, with HTC's Evo 3D in fifth.

Apple continued to dominate despite a decline in share from the holiday quarter, according to NPD.

"After some release of pent-up demand from customers adopting the iPhone 4S, coupled with the company's strength in the holiday season, Apple's share fell in the first quarter, as we've often see it do in the quarter following its introduction of a new handset," Ross Rubin, executive director for NPD's Connected Intelligence, said in a statement. "Now that the iPhone is available on Sprint, though, the increased carrier coverage has created a higher baseline for Apple's share than we have seen in the past."

Samsung led the way among Android vendors, thanks in part to strong demand by pre-paying customers. Android phones grabbed 79 percent of the pre-paid smartphone market last quarter, while 38 percent of all pre-paid phones in the U.S. were made by Samsung alone.

"Samsung is the only market leader from the feature phone era to transition to market leadership in the smartphone era in the U.S.," Rubin said. "Its broad carrier support and advertising - particularly in the ascendant pre-paid segment - have helped it achieve the highest market share among Android handset providers in the U.S."

Though Apple may have beaten Samsung in the U.S. smartphone wars last quarter, the iPhone maker is still trailing its rival around the world.

During the first quarter, Samsung grabbed a leading global market share of 29.1 percent, according to IDC. That surpassed Apple's share of 24.2 percent. Samsung was also crowned the top dog over Apple by Juniper Research, which said yesterday that Samsung shipped 11.8 million more smartphones than did Apple, giving it a firm lead.

Apple and Samsung have been playing a game of catch-up in the smartphone arena over the past year. Apple has continued to see heavy demand for its iPhone, but Samsung's market share has skyrocketed both globally and in the U.S.

Among mobile operating systems, Android grabbed even more ground against Apple's iOS last quarter, according to NPD. Android phones captured 61 percent of the U.S. market, up 24 percent from the prior quarter. At the same time, Apple's iOS share dropped to 29 percent from 41 percent in last year's final quarter.

Up close with the HTC One X (photos)

Looking at the One X, it's clear that HTC strayed a bit from tried-and-true design playbook. Instead of the aluminum unibody construction the company's handsets typically sport, the One X is crafted from a single piece of polycarbonate plastic. Believe it or not, that's a good thing, since the plastic material HTC selected feels high-grade, not the cheap stuff I've seen in other phones. As a result the One X's chassis has a pleasingly premium quality similar to the Nokia Lumia 900, another handset that opts for pricey Lexans over metal.

Here's a closer look at the HTC One X's camera. To the left of it sits the phone's micro-SIM card slot.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

A flat slab that has smoothly rounded edges and a gently curved back, the HTC One X definitely flaunts an ultramodern aesthetic, especially the chic white-hued version I reviewed (HTC also makes a soberer black model). You'll want to be careful how you tote the One X since its white surface attracts smudges easily. Measuring 5.3 inches tall by 2.75 inches wide by 0.36 inch thick, the One X certainly is a handful. Still, its 4.6-ounce weight lends the plastic phone some solidity.

At 0.36 inch thick, the HTC One X has a slim profile considering its large screen.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Gracing the front of the device is a massive 4.7-inch (1,280x720-pixel) super LCD screen. It gets very bright, brighter in fact than the HTC One S' qHD AMOLED screen, and has viewing angles that are nice and wide. Of course the One S' high-contrast display produces more vibrant colors and darker blacks, which I prefer.

Above the screen sits a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats and vanity shots. Below the display are three capacitive buttons for back, home, and recent apps. On the phone's right side are controls for volume, and a Micro-USB port sits on the left. Up top are a tiny power button, a micro-SIM card compartment, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, while around back are the 8-megapixel camera and LED flash. Two big drawbacks, though, are the phone's lack of an SD card slot for extra memory expansion and its nonremovable battery.

Features
In addition to the phone's cutting-edge components, much of the HTC One X's real power lies in its robust software. Not only does this smartphone run the latest version of Google's Android OS, version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but also HTC has gingerly grafted its revamped Sense user interface on top. HTC says that Sense 4 meshes seamlessly with ICS' new abilities and strives to stay out of the way. Indeed, much of Sense 3's fancier eye candy, such as the endlessly spinning 3D carousel of home screens and over-the-top weather graphics, is absent.

A tab at the bottom of each home screen has shortcuts to basic phone functions but they can easily be reconfigured to your tastes.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

There are two ways to unlock the phone; you can either flick a virtual ring from the bottom of the screen to the center, or slide icons into the ring to quick-launch major phone functions. For instance, dragging the camera symbol into the ring fires up the One X's main imaging sensor to snap pictures and video in a flash. Other standard lock-screen shortcuts bring up the Web browser, text messaging, and phone dialer.

Just like on T-Mobile's HTC One S, you can choose from seven screens that you can populate with application shortcuts and animated widgets. By default, HTC places its iconic weather clock front and center on the main home screen. Tapping the widget's digital readout launches a world clock complete with a slick 3D globe visual, and hitting the weather portion of the clock pulls up a detailed forecast. Another boon to weather nerds like me is the engaging graphics displayed on the lock screen that correspond to current atmospheric conditions. I was even able to choose them as my live wallpaper.

At the foot of each home screen is a tab containing the same four quick-launch icons shown on the lock screen. I particularly liked being able to swap these icons for others or even create and add folders holding multiple app icons. Any changes here are reflected on the lock screen and placing application shortcuts on top of one another creates a folder.

Sense adds some neat tricks to the browser, such as a Pure Content Reader view that removes all ads and displays just the basic text of a selected Web page. You can also choose pages and video to bookmark for later perusal offline.

As you'd expect on a modern Android device, the One X comes with the usual Google services onboard, including Gmail, Google+, and Navigation, along with the Play Store, from which you can download apps from a catalog of over 500,000 titles. Play also provides digital books, movies, games, and music to purchase. If that's still not enough entertainment, HTC's Watch app hawks TV shows and movies for rental or purchase. For example, I could rent "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" for $3.99 or buy it permanently for $14.99.

shows and movies for download to make downtime more fun.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Other compelling third-party software that's preloaded on the One X includes the Kindle eBook reader, the MOG music subscription service, and TuneIn Internet radio (a personal favorite). AT&T sprinkles the device with its own selection of apps, such as U-verse Live TV, which serves up both live programming and full TV episodes and movies (for an extra $9.99 per month, and you can't use it over Wi-Fi), a bar code scanner, and FamilyMap for locating family members ($9.99 per month for two family members, $14.99 for up to five).

Also pre-installed on the HTC One X is the MOG app for music streaming and downloads.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Can RIM make the virtual keyboard sexy again?

A look at the virtual keyboard for RIM's BlackBerry 10 operating system
(Credit: Brian Bennett/CNET)

commentary A BlackBerry without a keyboard? Sacrilege, I suspect many of the faithful will say.

But Research In Motion has bit the bullet and shed its physical keyboard -- arguably the defining trait of its best phones -- and has opted to go virtual with its BlackBerry 10 operating system (at least for the initial phone). And even though I argued as recently as a few months ago that a physical keyboard should remain intact with the next-generation of BlackBerrys, I find myself warming up to the idea.

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If BlackBerry 10 is supposed to represent a wholesale change and jump in the BlackBerry experience, then a virtual keyboard provides the best illustration that it is willing to break from the past and shake its legacy mentality. Just as new RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has embraced change and a sense of urgency, the next wave of phones appear as if they will too. It's symbolic that the first BlackBerry 10 product will go sans physical keyboard, going against a long line of flagship phones.

With RIM still facing intense competition from Apple's iPhone and an army of Android smartphones, an erosion of market share, and the general fear that it is stuck in a downward spiral, perhaps the company needs something radical to spark a turnaround. When it comes to the BlackBerry faithful, there's nothing more radical than dropping the keyboard.

But the early word on the virtual keyboard RIM has been showing off at BlackBerry World this week has been positive. My colleagues were left impressed with its responsiveness and accuracy, with fellow senior writer and mobile beat reporter Marguerite Reardon saying that it is better than anything else out in the market.

Such a ringing endorsement could help answer how the new BlackBerrys are supposed to set themselves apart from the iPhone, which has been steadily improving its virtual keyboard over the years, or Android, which has both improved its keyboard, and offers third-party keyboard options.

The virtual keyboard boasts better predictive capabilities, and is supposed to learn how a person types, allowing for better inputs down the line. That may provide a measure of comfort to longtime BlackBerry users reluctant to give up the reassuring click of a physical key.

It still remains to be seen whether the virtual keyboard can outpace physical keys. While BlackBerry users have an fewer things to brag about over the years, they can still boast about their ability to quickly tap out a long e-mail. I've written whole stories on a BlackBerry -- something I'm hesitant to do on an Android device or iPhone.

Heck, even some of RIM's own current ads mock the virtual keyboard, with customer testimonials about how they couldn't live without their physical keyboards.

RIM, meanwhile, doesn't appear to be completely abandoning the keyboard. Heins said he hope to incorporate some of the innovations into physical keyboards, and RIM representatives told PhoneScoop that future devices would incorporate a keyboard.

BlackBerry users, of course, have plenty of other reason to fear all-touch-screen devices from RIM. To say the company has had a mixed history with touch-screen BlackBerrys is generous. Its first such device, the Storm, was a complete disaster despite strong sales spurred by Verizon's marketing hype. The follow-up device, the Storm 2, kept the click-screen and only marginally improved the experience. (I should know, as I suffered through one for more than a year -- hence my initial anti-touch-screen stance for RIM.)

RIM dropped the terrible click-screen idea and went with standard touch screens for its last wave of BlackBerry 7 phones, but those devices barely made a dent in the market. If someone was buying a BlackBerry, they were going for the flagship Bold.

But the point with the new virtual keyboard is that RIM is looking to turn over a new leaf. Unlike previous iterations, which were based off the original BlackBerry operating system, the new keyboard is built off the smarter, faster QNX platform.

If RIM can convince BlackBerry users that its virtual keyboard is worth taking a chance on, perhaps it has a shot at a comeback after all.

Updated at 12:14 p.m. PT: to add RIM's comment that it expects to have future BlackBerrys with keyboards.

At long last, Boeing delivers the first next-gen 747

The cockpit of Lufthansas first 747-8 Intercontinental, which was delivered to the airline today by Boeing.
(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

EVERETT, Wash.--Get ready, aviation fans. Seats aboard Boeing's new 747-8 Intercontinental are almost ready for you. And today, at an event here, Boeing finally handed over the keys to the first of the next-general planes to a commercial airline customer.

The new airplane, which Boeing first unveiled at a huge ceremony here a year ago, has been in testing since then. But today, Lufthansa became the first airline to officially own one of the aircraft, the first of 20 it has ordered, and of 130 total orders Boeing has received for it.

Sporting Lufthansa's mostly white and dark blue paint job, the new 747 took off at 2:38 p.m. PT on its way to Frankfurt, Germany. There, the airline will do final preparations on the plane in advance for its June 1 debut. Lufthansa said it plans to fly the plane to three U.S. cities -- Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Chicago -- as well as two destinations in India.

And if you happen to be aboard the new 747, there's a good chance you'll be sitting in business class, because fully 92 of the plane's 358 seats are business class, with an additional eight configured for first class, and the remaining 258 economy class.

During a press conference prior to takeoff, Lufthansa and Boeing executives explained that the airline has decided that eight is the appropriate number of first-class seats to feature on its long-haul flights. As well, as many as 30 percent of its long-haul planes won't have first class at all. Instead, the airline is focusing much more on business class.

Lufthansa also plans to slowly replace the existing 747-400s in its fleet with the next-generation 747s, explained Nico Buchholz, Lufthansa's executive vice president of group fleet management, adding five each year through 2015. As well, he said Lufthansa considers the plane to have a 400-passenger capacity, which fills a vital gap between the 200 or 300 seats available on many of its planes, and the 500-seat capacity of its Airbus A380s. Boeing, however, advertises the new 747 as having a 476-seat capacity, although the aviation giant figures on a smaller number of business class seats than an airline like Lufthansa has decided to include.

Next big step
For the last few years, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has been the plane that has gotten the most ink. All Nippon Airways last year became the first carrier to fly passengers aboard the Dreamliner. But with the formal handover today, Boeing has made it clear that the 787 isn't its only ace in the global commercial aviation poker game.



New wings
Part of what makes the 747-8 Intercontinental such a fuel-efficient airplane is the integration of its all-new wing design. Built with what Boeing calls "the latest in computational fluid dynamics validated in the world's most sophisticated wind tunnels," the wings provide improved aerodynamics, and greater fuel capacity and help the giant jet soar through the sky at speeds as fast as, or faster than, any other passenger aircraft on Earth.
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"Several elements of the wing design improve performance and reduce noise compared with the 747-400," a marketing document for the Intercontinental reads. "When the flaps are extended, the ailerons automatically deflect and act as additional high-lift devices, improving takeoff and landing performance and minimizing noise." As well, Boeing has replaced the 747-400's vertical winglets with "raked wingtips that increase lift and reduce drag at cruising speeds."

The next-gen plane's wing design also features "fly-by-wire spoilers and ailerons that make it possible to incorporate a flight control feature known as a maneuver load-alleviation system." Pioneered on the 787 Dreamliner, this new system modifies the lift distribution over the wing during non-normal flight conditions, reducing the load on its outboard portion, Boeing says. That means that the new wing structure is 1,400 pounds lighter than that of current-generation 747-400s, but does not compromise structural integrity.

Another element of the plane that Boeing eagerly touts is its four General Electric GEnx 2B engines which together consume 16 percent less fuel per seat than do the 747-400's engines, and 11 percent less than those of the A380. Boeing also promotes the plane's reduced noise footprint, which, according to the company, is 30 percent smaller than that of the 747-400. Boeing says the new plane can fly in or out of London's Heathrow airport 24 hours a day, while most other aircraft are subject to an evening curfew due to noise.

All of this is due to the use of advanced materials in the construction and design of the plane, as well as its use of the GEnx engines, and the form factor and materials of its wings. Most of the plane is made from new aluminum alloys, while it also incorporates graphite composites in the rudder, spoilers, flaps, and other areas. According to Boeing, "the materials are more durable and better able to resist corrosion and damage, which reduces maintenance and increases the time an airplane is available and productive."

In addition, the advanced materials are lighter, meaning the new 747 weighs less, and therefore uses less fuel, and costs less to navigate and land. All told, by using the new alloys and composite materials, the 747-8 weighs a ton less than its predecessor.

Finally, the new plane has a series of interior design features brought over from Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and 777 planes. Those elements include "curved, flowing lines; sophisticated lighting; new windows; and roomier stowage bins [creates] a spacious, open feeling throughout the cabin."

Signing ceremony
Before Lufthansa could fly its new plane home, there was the small matter of a final signing ceremony -- and the handing over of the keys.

So in front of a large audience of press, Boeing and Lufthansa employees and executives, and others, Pat Shanahan, senior vice president and general manager of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, did just that, giving them to Carsten Spohr CEO of Lufthansa Passenger Airlines.

Spohr is a former pilot who worked his way up the ranks at Lufthansa, and he seemed amused by the symbolism of the moment, since he'd never flown Boeing's planes. "Being an Airbus pilot for 15 years," Spohr said, "this is the first time I'm holding a Boeing key."

Frustrated advertisers to Facebook: Take our money -- please!

Mark Zuckerberg at F8 in 2010.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
With a reach approaching 15 percent of the world's population, Facebook is a thriving media business. In the last quarter alone, it raked in more $1 billion in revenue, almost entirely from advertising.

But to hear some people at big ad agencies talk, it could be a whole lot more.

And that's the double-edged sword hanging over Facebook these days, for the company has become a victim of its own success. It's automating its process and using technology to increase efficiency. But that's not the same as dealing with a human being; big advertisers are a needy bunch who want hand-holding. However, plenty say they can't even find anyone at Facebook to take their calls -- or their money.

Here, for instance, is Mike Parker, the co-president of U.S. operations of Tribal DDB, talking about his frustration with Facebook: "For the longest time, we've been trying to call Facebook to do business with them and there's nobody to pick up the call," said Parker. "They're very focused on the consumer experience, and less focused on revenue and working with advertisers."

And here's David Smith, the CEO of digital agency Mediasmith: "Facebook just doesn't seem to care. They're still trying to grow this thing. The question is, do they want the big bucks?"

Another exec at one of the world's biggest interactive agencies, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, shared that frustration: "We know the reach is there," she said. "The problem is that Facebook isn't willing to do anything different for the client that wants to spend $10,000 versus $10 million."

These aren't the sorts of business-model endorsements Facebook needs as it marches toward its IPO, a likely blockbuster event that's on course to go down in the record books and possibly value the company at $100 billion, roughly half that of the far more profitable Google.

Growing pains
So what's going on here? Why all the bad feelings from the very community that's providing Facebook with its livelihood?

The famous well-worn refrain from "The Godfather" would apply here: It's most definitely not personal. But Facebook is a fast-growing company. From March 31, 2011, to March 31 of this year, the number of full-time employees rose almost 48 percent to 3,539. Along with that head-spinning growth, Facebook also is suffering through the growing pains that have afflicted other young high-flyers in the technology constellation. Recall that in the mid-1990s, Netscape also found itself unable to adequately handle requests both from customers and third-party developers. It wasn't long before some began sniping at Netscape, accusing the company of arrogance when it was nothing of the sort. But the perception became a lingering reality for many people and it was something that Netscape had a hard time moving past.

To be sure, Facebook has built a wildly successful business with its self-service ad system, which allows advertisers to slice and dice their message at segments of Facebook's users according to location or gender or some other consideration with a degree of accuracy and specificity that's difficult elsewhere on the Web. The company has recently begun testing upgrades to the system.

Even Google took a long time to expand beyond its self-service ad system; today, its sales people blanket the world. (One irony: Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg, who was the vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google before joining Facebook, noted in an interview with Charlie Rose that "Google is fundamentally about, you know, algorithms and machine burning.")

But the big ad folks knocking on Facebook's door want more than the company has thus far been willing to give -- at least in the form of ad formats that agencies want. And every marketer wants to find more ways to reach an audience that now sits at an unprecedented 900 million strong.

When Mark Zuckerberg bailed from Harvard and headed to Silicon Valley to keep connecting the world, he certainly wasn't thinking about making a place for advertisers. "Facebook was originally not created to be a company," he begins his letter to shareholders in the S-1. "It was built to accomplish a social mission -- to make the world more open and connected." And that mission, he writes, continues to underlie all decisions the company makes.

With its IPO on the horizon -- Facebook's road show could begin as early as next week -- there also are concerns from advertisers about the return they are getting from advertising with the social network. A Wall Street Journal story raises that question, with some advertisers voicing doubts about the return they get from spending money with social networks. That's especially important now with investors soon to decide whether to reward or reject that $100 billion valuation.
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It's not as if Facebook isn't trying. Over the past several months, the company has been working to enhance its appeal to large brands. This year, for instance, Facebook expanded so-called sponsored stories on the site so that brands can create stories that show up in a news feed of fans and their friends. Also, Facebook started Reach Generator with a splashy debut at New York's Natural History Museum in February, which courted big advertisers. What's more, Facebook has also created a group which is specially tasked with the outreach work on Madison Avenue to improving the company's agency relations. The program has been under way for the last year.

But Facebook is finding it hard to navigate past a corporate culture clash.

The brands want to collaborate more with Facebook. They're looking for more flexibility so that teams from both sides can work together to come up with creative presentations. For now, at least, the answer from Facebook is no.

This is a festering issue that could cause Facebook grief later on. Already, there are signs that this disconnect is having an impact. In a pre-IPO analysis compiled by financial research firm ITG, almost half of the 21 media professionals it surveyed who advertised with the social network indicated they do not plan to increase their spending on Facebook throughout the year; 12 percent expect to cut their spending.

It's easy to see why. One agency exec, for example, recounted trying to work with Facebook on several multimillion commitments that he ultimately gave up on. The talks failed, he said, because his Facebook counterpart would not budge when it came to entertaining different ways to message "fans" of the brands he represents.

The upshot: The money he spends on Facebook for those clients -- anywhere from 5 percent to 15 percent of their media budgets -- also won't budge.

'Point cloud portraits' bring ghostly 3D images to movies

A new look combining the depth camera of Kinect gaming console and a video from a digital SLR.
(Credit: Screen capture by Martin LaMonica/CNET)

In yet another example of the amazing things possible with the Kinect gaming console, filmmakers have combined the depth camera of Kinect with a digital SLR to create a haunting new look in video.

Fellows at Carnegie Mellon University's Studio for Creative Inquiry this week posted video, spotted by The Verge, from a filmmaking workshop which shows some of the potential of this type of 3-D imagery.

The sensor in the Kinect console controller scans objects in front of it and determines their distance, allowing it to recognize gestures for playing video games. Fellows James George and Jonathan Minard from Carnegie Mellon wrote software that combines the color video from the camera and the depth data from the Kinect's sensor into what they call a "dynamic sculptural refief."

Their videos show a set of lines over the object to make it appear three-dimensional. The images are blurry, or "abstract," and only appear to detect light on some objects since the backgrounds behind people in the movies are dark.
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But the "volumetric" video has a distinct look, which its makers hope can be used in making films. They released an open-source workflow application called RGDB Toolkit.

"I perceive a continuum between abstraction and integration. I see a place all along there with lots of really interesting places to go. I think abstraction has ways to communicate with us that go beyond language and talk to us in a low perceptual level," said Golan Levin from the Studio for Creative Inquiry.

Nokia cites 45 patents in lawsuits against HTC, RIM, Viewsonic

Nokia has unleashed a massive lawsuit campaign against HTC, RIM, and Viewsonic.

The mobile company said today that it has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) against HTC, and a host of lawsuits across the U.S. and Germany against RIM and Viewsonic, in addition to HTC. Nokia argues that the firms are violating a total of 45 patents.

"Nokia proprietary innovations protected by these patents are being used by the companies to enable hardware capabilities such as dual function antennas, power management and multimode radios, as well as to enhance software features including application stores, multitasking, navigation, conversational message display, dynamic menus, data encryption and retrieval of email attachments on a mobile device," Nokia wrote in a statement today.
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Although Nokia hasn't been the most litigious company in the mobile space, it has enforced its intellectual property in the past. Last year, in fact, the company inked a deal with Apple that saw the iPhone maker license a host of mobile patents from Nokia. The licensing deal came nearly two years after Nokia sued Apple for infringement.

Nokia didn't say which specific products HTC, RIM, and Viewsonic are offering that violate its patents. The company did point out, however, that it has licensed its patents to over 40 companies, seeming to indicate that it believes it has a strong defense.

"Many of these inventions are fundamental to Nokia products," Nokia's chief legal officer Louise Pentland said today in a statement. "We'd rather that other companies respect our intellectual property and compete using their own innovations, but as these actions show, we will not tolerate the unauthorized use of our inventions."

CNET has contacted HTC, RIM, and Viewsonic for comment. We will update this story when we have more information.

This story has been updated throughout the morning.

Are you using Facebook's Interest Lists?

Brands, people, ads, celebs, blogs, friends, blah, blah, blah.

There's so much going on in the Facebook News Feed these days, it's difficult to keep track of the posts and people you actually care about.

Social reader apps are auto-posting news articles, friends are writing yawn-inducing status updates, and you're left trying to filter out the good content.

Introduced in March, Facebook Interest Lists offer a way to create and subscribe to lists of users who post about the same topics, allowing you isolate posts about interests like recipes, fashion, sports, or tech news.

Setting up your Interest Lists is easy. In the left side bar of the home page, under Interests click "Add Interests..." You then have two options: subscribe the any of the prepopulated Interest Lists, or create your own by clicking Create List at the top.

If you choose to create your own list, a window will open, allowing you to add friends, brands, or public figured to your list even if you don't currently subscribe to them.

Once you've created or subscribed to a number of Interest Lists, they'll appear to the left of the News Feed. When you click one, only the posts from the people on that list will appear. Posts from users on your Interest Lists will also appear in your general News Feed.

If you'd like quicker access to a list, add it to your Favorites by hovering over the name, clicking the pencil, and selecting "Add to favorites." Clicking the pencil also gives you the option to remove the list entirely.
Credit: Screenshot by Sharon Vaknin/CNET)

With the ever-increasing noise on Facebook, features like friend lists and interest lists will become more valuable to the everyday viewer, making Facebook as much of a news consumption platform as it is a social network.

Despite the utility of the Interest Lists feature, the number of subscribers to Facebook's suggested lists tell us the feature hasn't yet gained traction with most users. If this doesn't change, Facebook might decide to make a big push for the Interest Lists feature. (After all, it allows them to serve you better targeted advertisements.)

Now that Interest Lists have been here for a while, are you using them? Or is this the first time you noticed the feature? Chime in with a comment below.

Instagram captures more than 50 million users

Instagram's latest user numbers are sure to make Facebook a proud new papa.

More than 50 million people are now using the popular site and its mobile apps to upload and share photos with fellow users and friends. Instagram didn't officially release the news. The company's Press Center Web page still lists the number of registered users at 30 million.

Instead, the latest figure was obtained by tapping into the site's application programming interface, according to CNET sister site ZDNet. And the site is adding around 5 million new users per week.

CNET contacted Instagram for comment on the numbers. We'll update the story when we get more information.

The huge upswing in Instagram's audience comes hot on the heels of the company's acquisition by Facebook early last month. Facebook is shelling out $300 million in cash and 23 million shares of its own soon-to-go-public common stock, adding up to around $1 billion in total.
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Instagram's mobile apps have contributed heavily to its healthy supply of users.

The new Android app released in early April scooped up 1 million downloads just on the first day and 5 million in under a week.

The iPhone version of Instagram has also proven popular. In December, Apple named it the iPhone app of 2011, dubbing it the year's "definitive photo-sharing app."

Instagram lets people tweaks their photos through a series of filters designed to enhance and improve even a bad picture. Users can then upload and share their photos via their Instagram profile as well as with friends on Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr.

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What would you do to be at the #Indy500? Play #Twindy500 for a chance to be there. Follow @12WillPower, @Ryan_Briscoe & @h3lio for updates.

Return of the $139 Kindle Fire

It was just over a month ago that Amazon slashed the refurbished Kindle Fire to $139. Since then, it's been selling for $169 -- still a great deal, but not this great.

Today only, and while supplies last, Amazon once again has the refurbished Kindle Fire tablet for $139 shipped.

Now's the time to score Mother's Day gold. Or Father's Day gold. And don't forget about graduate gold. By which I mean: awesome gift item!

Like last time, the sellout potential here is huge. Even at the new price of $199, the Kindle Fire is a great 7-inch tablet. Though it lacks a few amenities, like cameras and Bluetooth, it's really terrific for consuming media: books, music, videos, games, and the like. I must admit that since I got mine, I've barely touched my Nook Color.

In case you're not aware, Amazon's refurbs come with a full one-year warranty, same as new. If you purchased one of these last time out, hit the comments and let your fellow cheeps know what kind of condition it was in. If it's anything like Barnes & Noble's refurbs (which I'm pretty sure it is), it'll be almost indistinguishable from new.

So, who's in?

Bonus deal: Whoa! Remember that Obihai OBi110 gadget from a few days ago? It plugs into your router and provides free (for now) phone service via Google Voice. The company is currently offering a free refurbished OBi110 VoIP adapter to active U.S. military servicepersons stationed outside the U.S. That is singularly awesome. I tip my hat to you, Obihai.

Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.

Curious about what exactly The Cheapskate does and how it works? Read our FAQ.

Target ditching Kindle line over 'conflict of interest'?

Amazon's Kindle Fire won't be available at Target, according to a report.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Target has decided to remove Amazon's entire Kindle line from store shelves, according to a new report.

As of May 13, Target will no longer accept shipments of Amazon's Kindle line, The Verge is reporting, citing a source. An internal memo the blog received doesn't say why the mega-retailer decided to make the move, but makes it clear that the company "has made the decision to no longer carry Amazon hardware." The retailer will still offer Kindle accessories.

A quick search for the Kindle on Target's Web site reveals that the devices are not available for purchase.
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According to The Verge's source, the decision to discontinue the Kindle line in Target stores relates to a "conflict of interest." It's not immediately clear what the conflict might be, but it might have something to do with Amazon and Target battling it out on the retail front.

Still, it's hard to imagine why Target would want to get rid of the Kindle. The retailer announced last year that the Kindle Fire was its top-selling tablet, even beating out Apple's iPad. Target has been selling Amazon's Kindles since 2010.

CNET has contacted both Target and Amazon for comment on this story. We will update this story when we have more information.

Trying to survive annual #SilenceSree Day

An image used for the #SilenceSree fundraising drive. Courtesy: Columbia SPJ chapter

My students at Columbia Journalism School came up with a creative idea last year for a scholarship fundraiser. Instead of the usual bake sales and T-shirt sales, they decided to use social media in an unusual way.

The idea: #SilenceSree Day - getting others to donate money to keep me off Twitter and Facebook for an entire day. Last year at this time, more than 100 people contributed a total of $1,172.25. More than the total, it was more interesting to me that so many people from inside and outside the university chipped in.

Today is #SilenceSree Day again and I'm going to try to get through the entire day, starting at 9 a.m. ET without going on a social network of any kind (I am, however, allowed to use e-mail and scan the general Web).

Here's the explanation from the students' site:

    Columbia's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is raising donations for a scholarship fund that will be awarded to one or several students enrolled in the incoming class. We hope this new tradition will continue long after the Class of 2012 graduates.

    Boring.The real cause?

    Getting Sree to stop tweeting (and Facebooking, Posterousing, Pinteresting, and FourSquaring) for a day.

    Here's how last year's class raised money and kept Sree silent.

    The goal is 200 people. The percentage of 200 that donates will correspond to the amount of time Sree will be silenced. (Maximum one day. Communication is kind of his job!) If 200 people give, then Sree is off for a day. If only 20 people reach in their pockets, then he isn't staying off that long, about 2.5 hours.

    1 dollar in person contributes to silencing Sree. There is a 5 dollar minimum if you donate online.

    Look out for the donation link and the hashtag #silencesree

I agreed to this campaign for two reasons:

   1.

      It's part of my learning process about what works and what doesn't these days in terms of getting attention to causes and raising money (my informal Kristofize campaign last week was part of that effort).
   2.

      This is the exact opposite of the ridiculous, failed "Digital Death" campaign by celebrities in 2010 - Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and others threatened to stay off social media unless a million dollars was donated to their cause. Basically, pay up, or Kim won't tweet  (not enough fans donated). My students' campaign is the opposite: Pay up or Sree will tweet!

So far, about 100 people have given money, so that means I have to be offline for 12 hours starting at 9 a.m. If you'd like to shut me up for even longer, you can donate $5 at this link. Can't donate? No problem. Just tweet something like this:

    It's #SilenceSree Day. Give $5 for scholarships and to shut @Sree up: http://bit.ly/silencesree #silencesree

Will I survive? Will I cheat by using HootSuite or SocialFlow to schedule tweets and Facebook postings? I hope not - you can police me.

CNET NEWS READERS: If you've been reading my posts here, you know that one of the things I am trying to do is learn what works and what doesn't on social media. It's such a fast-evolving, confusing world that I believe we can all learn together. Please post your thoughts in the comments below or e-mail me or tweet me at @sree or #sreetips on Twitter. Thanks for reading.