We did wonder about the timing two weeks ago, when the first eReader with dual screens, one of them colour, appeared 24 hours before another eReader, also with dual screens, one of them colour.

Draw your own conclusions, but Spring Design, which launched the Alex on the eve of Barnes & Noble’s Nook, now says it has filed a lawsuit alleging “Barnes & Noble misappropriated trade secrets and violated the parties’ non-disclosure agreement when it copied Alex’s features into its recently announced Nook e-book.” Continue reading "Alex v Nook, legal duel for dual-screen eReaders"

In this week’s FT techtalk, whatever was under discussion, it was hard to avoid bringing Apple into the conversation.

A blow-out quarter, new products, fresh Android competition for the iPhone and Nokia launching a legal strike - Apple is in everyone’s sights.

We also looked at the latest eReaders (yes, we’re sure there’s an Apple one coming as well) and assessed whether they are ready to be bestsellers with consumers or end up in the remainders pile.

And we reported live as Microsoft issued its first-quarter earnings.

Read the multimedia transcript below and join us live again next Friday for FT techtalk, a multimedia chat with the FT’s tech correspondents. Continue reading "FT techtalk - We’ve an Apple for that"

Nokia has acquired Dopplr, an online community of frequent travellers, giving an early payday for the site’s large group of high-profile backers.

The acquisition is part of Nokia’s plan to create a comprehensive set of services for its mobile devices, including maps, music and gaming.

Dopplr – whose tagline is “where next?” – allows its members to indicate to chosen contacts where they are travelling to. Continue reading "Nokia maps a path to Dopplr’s door"

DemoFall 09 kicked off in San Diego today and the first session included some interesting new applications and technologies. Here are a couple of my favourites – one software, one hardware:

Sunnyvale-based Micello launched an indoor mapping service for the  iPhone that provides users with a clickable layout of indoor facilities like shopping malls, college campuses and so forth and potentially fills a hole in Google’s otherwise excellent mapping service.
Continue reading "Top picks from DemoFall 09"

It was hard for Dallas Cowboys fans to look away from their team’s opening 33-31 home defeat to the New York Giants on Sunday night.

The Giants’ victory was writ large on huge Mitsubishi-made screens getting their National Football League debut in the Cowboys new $1.2bn stadium. Continue reading "Cowboys screen is a sign of the times"

NEC, Casio and Hitachi announced today that they are merging their mobile handset divisions. The following two graphs explain why:

Handset sales in Japan have been falling steadily since 2007, when the mobile networks cut subsidies on new phones, and the market has now all but halved in size. The blue line shows the twelve-month moving average of sales and the data is from the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association. Continue reading "Why Japan’s handset makers are merging"

The ever-entertaining Onion is running a skit about Yamaha of Japan under the headline:

Yamaha CEO Pleased With Current Production Of Jet Skis, Alto Saxophones, Snowmobiles, Power Generators, Scooters, Golf Carts*

The Onion futher refers to Yamaha’s production of synthesizers, PA systems, DVD players, tone generators, motocross bikes, power amplifiers, heart-rate monitors, signal processors, analog mixers, engine oil, microphones, HiFi systems, grand pianos, sound chips, ceiling brackets, editing software, race-kart engines, sport boats, flugelhorns, ATVs, sequencers, outboard motors, conference systems, golf clubs, projectors, MIDI controllers, lamp cartridges, portable recorders, subwoofers, component systems, and motorcycles.

It is a bit unfair - Yamaha Corporation now owns only 15 per cent of Yamaha Motor, which makes about half of these products - but the Onion could have added unmanned helicoptors, health supplements, and swimming pools to the mix, with plenty more products left over.

What is so striking is that the US satirists thinks this broad array is funny - whereas Japan’s technology industry sees it as laudable and prudent diversification. Continue reading "A difference between US and Japanese technology"

Apple unveiled a new line of iPods, improvements to iTunes and the 3.1 operating system for the iPhone and iPod touch at an event in San Francisco today.

Chris Nuttall live-blogged the event with photos and readers’ comments. You can read an archive below. Continue reading "Live - Apple’s “It’s only rock and roll” event"