MacRumors

After Apple filed a new motion for sanctions against Samsung for unlawfully obtaining sensitive information about its 2011 patent license agreement with Nokia, Judge Lucy Koh has denied three Samsung motions intended to slow the investigation, reports FOSS Patents.

Samsung had asked Judge Koh to overrule the findings of Judge Paul S. Grewal in the original filing by Apple because of alleged errors, but Samsung's request was denied by Judge Koh, who proceeded to call Samsung's lack of information during the three-month time period since the alleged violation "inexcusable".

Judge Grewal had said in his order last week that "[t]here is reason to believe the rule [that confidential information made available only to outside counsel won't be disclosed to the party itself] has been breached in the present case", and at the related hearing he suggested to Samsung's counsel again and again and again that the occurrence of violations could and should be admitted because the facts are so very clear. Samsung then brought a set of motions asking Judge Koh to overrule Judge Grewal because some of his findings were allegedly erroneous and contrary to law. Judge Koh, however, has concluded that Judge Grewal's related decision was "eminently reasonable".

Samsung and the law firm representing it in this case now face an even bigger problem than before because Judge Koh's order makes clear that there has been some wrongdoing:

Footnote 1 (page 9):

"Samsung's exhibits to its motions for relief show that Quinn Emanuel did in fact improperly disclose information about the other Apple licenses to Samsung's employees."

Judge Koh also mentioned in the court order that the case at hand involves multiple parties that have upcoming trials within her court, and that the issue of Samsung's unlawful actions must be solved quickly in order to allow the other trials to proceed normally. The hearing for this case will reportedly be held next Tuesday, October 22, barring an inability to hold trial due to the ongoing shutdown of the U.S. government.

Since 2011, Samsung and Apple have been in a long, ongoing legal battle over patent and design issues, with the first U.S. trial awarding $1 billion to Apple in 2012. However, a judge voided nearly half of that amount in March, and a new trial between the two companies is set for this November. Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller and former senior vice president of iOS software Scott Forstall may also take the stand in the retrial.

Olloclip has released a new version of its quick-connect photo lens for the iPhone, which has been redesigned to now include four refined optic modes. The lens includes dual-sided functionality with a fisheye lens and a 15x macro lens with a 12mm focus distance on one side and a wide angle lens and a 10x macro lens with an 18mm focus distance on the other side.

The four new quick-change lenses are similar to those available with larger DSLR cameras, yet fit easily in a pocket and palm of the hand. Simple, elegant and unobtrusive, the olloclip 4-IN-1 lens connects to the iPhone within seconds. With the fisheye and wide-angle lenses on opposite sides, selecting a lens is as simple as flipping the lens over. The macro lenses are cleverly revealed by unscrewing either the fisheye or wide-angle lens.

The lens also works with all apps, including the official Olloclip app [Direct Link] in both photo and video mode, and is designed from a new aircraft-grade aluminum material that houses a new version of the coated, precision-grounded optics. The Olloclip 4-in-1 lens is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and iPhone 5s, along with the iPod touch 4th and 5th generation, and is now on sale for $69.99 through Olloclip's online store.

Pandora CFO Mike Herring this week made several comments about Apple's iTunes Radio service in an interview with CNET. The executive addressed on a number of topics, including how he sees competing music streaming services as viable threats, the issues surrounding artist pay by streaming services, and the current state of affairs for all streaming services for paying artists.

When asked what makes the company believe a competitor like Apple isn't a threat to Pandora, Herring acknowledged that Apple is indeed a threat but that it is just one of many high-profile services to enter the market.

It's not that it isn't a threat to Pandora. Don't get us wrong, we take them very seriously and do see them as a credible threat. Keep in mind there have been lots of credible threats over the years, from startups to Microsoft to Google, to Apple and Twitter this year. We absolutely see iTunes as a competitive option out there, but we think we are a great service that does this better than anybody else. The most recent entrants have all been large, well-funded companies that have agendas outside a really awesome music experience. They have other reasons, selling cell phones or downloads. We sell downloads, but the priority isn't to sell as many downloads as possible. It's emblematic of the difference.

Herring was also asked about how Pandora pays lower rates to music labels than Apple because of his company's choice to pay according to government guidelines instead of direct deals:

It's not about lowering rates -- that's about creating fair rates across lots of distribution channels. We've put offers on the table where we commit to paying no less than we pay now in absolute dollars, and with increases on an annual basis. That hasn't gone anywhere because of a lack of trust. It has created a situation where meaningful conversations for positive outcomes are going to be hard-fought wins. It's going to take a long time to get there.

The executive also expressed his feelings about how Apple's iTunes Store has been detrimental to the music industry by breaking down the traditional CD business.

One of the arguments against Pandora is that we're trying to pay artists less money. We'd like to see artists get paid more. We also understand the mistrust comes from a pretty tough decade-plus in the music industry. First you had the piracy issues, which are still rampant, mostly internationally but also domestically. And you had the download platforms, specifically iTunes, that disintermediated the entire CD business, which was detrimental. There's difficulty for people who have experienced these negative things to listen to reason.

Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy stated last month that the company was not worried about iTunes Radio, claiming that the company "did not see the picture changing". Apple launched its service last month, with a report last week stating that the service would be coming to the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and more countries by early 2014.

Apple's expansion could put its availability ahead of Pandora's in some markets, as Pandora currently operates only in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. Pandora, which removed its 40-hour free listening limit ahead of the iTunes Radio launch last month, has remained among the top-grossing apps [Direct Link] in the App Store, with its Pandora One premium service being among the top in-app purchases overall.

Square today opened its Square Cash service to the public, allowing users in the United States to send money using just an email and a debit card. The service is designed to be simple, and money can be sent by sending an email to the intended recipient with a dollar amount in the subject line and cash@square.com in the CC field.

To go along with the service, Square has released a new Square Cash iOS app, designed to simplify the process even further. After installing the app, it can be used to enter a dollar amount, which is then automatically entered into an email template to complete the money sending process.

Send money to anyone with an email address. It’s fast, safe, and free!

No account needed. Just securely link your debit card to start sending money. It’s free to send, and free to receive money directly to your U.S. bank account.

Secure. Your financial information is entered through a secure connection and kept private. You can confirm or reject any transfer.

Fast. Money automatically deposits to your bank account within 1–2 business days.

Users that are new to the service will get an email from Square that includes a link to a secure website where debit card numbers can be entered. An account only needs to be set up once; after a debit card is stored, it can be used for each transaction. Payments take one to two business days to clear, and Square Cash is free for both senders and receivers. There is, however, a $2,500 per week sending limit, and the service is limited to users in the United States.

Square Cash can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Google has updated its Google Maps for iOS app with quicker access to navigation, including route and traffic overviews when choosing from multiple possible routes for a particular destination.

This image shows the difference between the old route selection screen (left), and the new screen with the improved route options map.

What's New in Version 2.3.4

- Faster access to navigation, complete with route and traffic overview
- Tips and Tricks available in the side menu
- Arabic and Hebrew now supported, including voice guidance in navigation, where available
- Bug fixes

The update also adds support Arabic and Hebrew, including for voice guided navigation, as well as unnamed bug fixes.

Google Maps for iPhone and iPad is a free download from the App Store. [Direct Link]

T-Mobile will be putting an end to its grandfathered plans, reports TmoNews, in an attempt to simplify its offerings. According to a T-Mobile spokesperson, though its grandfathered plans are ending, customers will be offered "similar or better features at a comparable price."

Maintaining thousands of rate plans is the norm in the industry, but we think it creates unnecessary complexity. Simple is better, which is why we’re reducing the number of older plans in our systems. We’re giving customers on these plans the opportunity to choose a plan that best meets their needs. For the vast majority, their plan will provide similar or better features at a comparable price.

A letter was also sent out to customers on the upcoming changes, which will see users shifted to one of the company’s Simple Choice rate plans.

Thank you for being a loyal T-Mobile customer. We appreciate your business and are committed to providing the best mobile experience for you. We listened to customer requests to simplify wireless, and have responded by restructuring all of our current plans to be simple and straightforward–and with unlimited voice now included in all plans. In November, we’ll be retiring your old rate plan and upgrading you to a new rate plan.

It appears that T-Mobile is granting special rates to the grandfathered customers that it is switching to new plans, offering one user Unlimited Voice, Text, and 4G data for $45/month, a plan that is normally priced at $70/month.

T-Mobile's new rate plans will take effect in November, and the company is giving customers the option to cancel their service with no penalty until February 1, 2014.

OtterBox today sent out a press release announcing a new series of cases for iPhone 5s, 5c, and 5 models with waterproof protection along with full Touch ID support.

The Preserver Series cases appear to be the descendants of the LifeProof case following OtterBox's acquisition of that company earlier this year.

The company claims the cases are fully submergible to 6.6 feet for 30 minutes, and protects against drops up to 6.6 feet.

"About 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, and technology is almost as pervasive," said OtterBox CEO Brian Thomas. "We take our smartphones with us everywhere, and OtterBox is dedicated to making these activities as worry-free as possible. The Preserver Series is dependable, seriously waterproof protection that you can trust."

The two-piece case snaps together for easy installation. It boasts a solid plastic frame lined with device-cradling foam and overmolded bumpers to absorb and deflect shock away from the device inside. The built-in screen protector guards the vibrant display from scratches without inhibiting touch sensitivity.

The Preserver Series for iPhone 5s and 5c will be available soon for $89.95. Notification sign-ups are available from OtterBox's website.

Preserver Series cases for the iPhone 5 are currently shipping in four colors for $89.95, but they do not include Touch ID support.

Developer David Barnard tweeted today that Apple is requiring that he remove direct links from his app Launch Center Pro because the app uses "undocumented APIs" to launch built-in Apple apps.

According to Barnard's tweets:

Apple called to let me know that we are using “undocumented APIs” in @launchcenterpro and that we need to remove certain Apple app URLs. [1]

The URLs will still work, but we have to remove Calendar, FaceTime, FaceTime Audio, GameCenter, Music, Passbook, Videos, Reminders, and iTMS. [2]

To be clear, these URLs will work just fine unless Apple actually removes them from their respective apps. [3]

All of those URLs have one thing in common, they are apps that ship with iOS. Apple apps in the App Store seem to still be fair game. [4]

And to be fair, those URLs *are* technically undocumented. I’m not even sure how they were discovered by people who shared them with us. [5]

Launch Center Pro is a speed dial-esque alternative launcher that uses hidden URLs to quickly open apps. Because the URLs to Apple's built-in apps are undocumented (with the exception of FaceTime), app developers are forbidden from using them on the App Store.

Launch Center Pro received a significant update to version 2.0 last week. It's available for $4.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]