BUSSINESS INFORMATION

Apple Inc has released a wireless access point based on 802.11n, the draft wireless WiFi/LAN protocol that promises greater range and faster transmission.
The new AirPort Extreme Base Station packs up to five times the performance and twice the range of its predecessor, Apple said
"The new Airport Extreme is the most powerful and easy to use WiFi base station that we have ever made," said Apple SVP of product marketing Philip Schiller, in a statement.
The product uses MIMO, or Multiple In, Multiple Out, and 802.11n, which is yet to be certified as a standard. The device can operate in either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz wireless frequencies, and may reduce interference from appliances and cordless phones that operate in the 2.4 GHz band, according to Apple.
It is backward compatible with Macs and PCs using previous generation 802.11b/g wireless technologies. Also, it boasts a built-in USB port that enables wireless printing or can turn an external USB hard drive into a shared drive to share files or backup multiple computers on a network.
The latest AirPort Extreme also boasts new AirPort Utility software that enables a network setup for 50 users. It also has a built-in NAT firewall.

Priced at $179, the device is slated to ship in the US sometime next m

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. unveiled an eagerly-anticipated iPod mobile phone with a touch-screen on Tuesday, priced at $599 (308 pounds) for 8 gigabytes of memory, pushing the company's shares up as much as 8.5 percent.

Chief Executive Steve Jobs said the iPhone, which also will be available in a 4-gigabyte model for $499, will ship in June in the United States. The phones will be available in Europe in the fourth quarter and in Asia in 2008.
Apple said Cingular Wireless, the No. 1 U.S. wireless network, will be the company's U.S. cellular partner.
Cingular said the contract is "multi-year and exclusive."

Sam Rahman, a portfolio manager at Baring Asset Management Inc., which owns Apple shares, said the iPhone and AppleTV, the newly renamed device that allows consumers to send video to their home entertainment systems, could prove to be big boosts for the company.
"Right now the stock is trading on product announcements," he said. "It could drive additional growth for Apple at a time when they need to find another hit beyond the iPod."
Jobs also said Apple will drop "Computer" from the company's name


SECURING APPLE'S MARKET POSITION

The new iPhone could help Apple bolster its dominant position in the market for portable digital media devices. The iPod now commands more than a 70-percent share of the U.S. market for MP3 digital music players.
The 11.6 millimetre phone includes a 3.5-inch wide touchscreen display with multi-touch support and a 2 megapixel camera. It runs on Apple's OS X operating system, has the Safari browser for Internet searching and e-mail that can handle graphics and work with external e-mail services.
The iPhone can also connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi wireless technology, and has Bluetooth, the short-range wireless technology used to support wireless headsets or link to other devices such as printers.

Jobs also said that AppleTV, the device that allows users to stream movies, music, photos, podcasts and TV shows to their home entertainment systems, would ship in February. The 40 gigabyte machine will cost $299, the same price Jobs forecast back in September.
Jobs also said movies from Paramount films would be sold in on Apple's iTunes online music store in addition to titles from Disney.
Apple has sold more than 70 million iPods since they were introduced and consumers have bought more than 2 billion songs for about 99 cents each on iTunes. More than 220 television shows are also available on iTunes.
Apple shares rose $5.66 to $91.13, having touched $92.75 earlier in the session.

(Additional reporting by Scott Hillis

Nokia has announced its Nokia 6131 NFC phone, the world's first fully integrated commercial near field communications-enabled handset, at the 40th annual Consumer Electronics Show.
The Nokia 6131 NFC handset includes near field communications (NFC) technology, which will enable payment & ticketing capability with one tap of the device. Nokia claims that the addition of NFC technology to a mobile device adds an entirely new level of capability compared to contactless cards and keytags.

As Nokia explains, unlike a simple card or keytag, which only allows for one-way communication, an NFC-enabled mobile phone gives users a fully interactive experience. For example, touching an NFC-enabled advertising poster or informational kiosk can automatically link the user to interactive internet-based information, open an audio file, or download new content directly to the handset.

Additionally, an extra layer of security is enabled when making contactless payments since the handset can be set to allow payment information only when the user expressly authorizes the transaction via a password, unlike a card or tag, which can be used by whoever has it in their possession.

Along with its NFC features, the Nokia 6131 NFC phone also includes a built-in digital music player with MicroSD card support and FM stereo radio, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and Bluetooth wireless technology. It is expected to be available in select markets during the first quarter of 2007
8th January 2007

The Washington Research Foundation is suing two of the world's largest makers of mobile handsets for using Bluetooth technology, which WRF claims infringes its patents.
The WRF was founded in 1981 to assist universities and other nonprofit research institutions in the state of Washington with the commercialization of their technologies. Its remit also includes enforcing any patents, as well as providing various support measures, including a seed venture fund, WRF Capital.

On December 21, the WRF filed a complaint at the US Western District Court of Washington State at Seattle (case number C06-1813), on behalf of the University of Washington.
In the complaint, it cites Nokia Corp, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Panasonic, which is owned by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co of Japan, as allegedly infringing four patents sold under the Bluetooth name.
The WRF claims the three companies have sold handsets and devices in the United States using Bluetooth chips from Cambridge, UK-based CSR Plc, which allegedly uses technology that infringes the University's radio frequency receiver patents.
Specifically, one of the violated patents concerns research carried by Edwin Suominen when he was an undergraduate student at the University. Suominen received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1995, and he was awarded a patent in 1999 for a "simplified high-frequency broadband tuner and tuning method".
Shares in Bluetooth silicon developer CSR fell 2.8% to 640 pence ($12.49) in afternoon trading on the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday. A company spokesman remained tip lipped about the lawsuit.

"We have a copy of the complaint, and it is being reviewed by us and our council," the CSR spokesman told Computer Business Review. "We cannot make any further comment at this stage."

CSR has more than a 50% market share of the Bluetooth global chip market and its chips are used by Nokia, Samsung and Panasonic in their mobile and consumer devices. CSR rival Broadcom Corp has already purchased a license from WRF to cover any consumer electronic devices that uses its Bluetooth chips.
Bluetooth is a specification for a wireless technology that involves the use of a radio frequency for short-range wireless exchanges of data between mobile phones, computers, headsets and other devices. Many people cite an engineer at Ericsson, namely Jaap Haartsen, as the initiator of the technology. Ericsson later donated the technology for the market to develop.

In February 1998, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed, initially by Ericsson, Toshiba, IBM, Nokia and Intel, in order to further develop Bluetooth technology and promote its widespread commercial acceptance. Soon after, Microsoft, Agere Systems (then Lucent), 3Com and Motorola joined its ranks.
SIG said in November that one billion Bluetooth devices had been shipped globally.
A SIG spokesperson told Computer Business Review that he couldn't comment on the news as he was awaiting clarification from the US over the exact nature of the lawsuit. "I don't understand if the lawsuit is a result of a specification infringement or implementation issue," said the spokesperson.
According to WRF attorney Steven Lisa, quoted in the Seattle Times newspaper, it seems that WRF is not targeting CSR as the chipmaker was not aware that its chip would be used in the United States "where the patent is enforceable." Lisa added that the devices makers were aware that products containing CSR's chips would be used in the United States.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, with the proceeds to divided between the University of Washington and Suominen, who is serving as a technical adviser in the case.
"Defendants have manufactured, used, imported into the United States, sold and offered for sale devices which, or the use of which, infringes at least the '963' patent," the Foundation was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"It is the policy of Samsung Electronics that it does not comment on on-going lawsuits, considering its legal nature," the Korean giant told Computer Business Review. Meanwhile, there was no comment from either Nokia and Panasonic.

4th January 2007
By Tom Jowitt