Google and its partners are knee deep in patent disputes. And this time, instead of a certain Cupertino company, it’s Nokia on the offensive. Less than a week after Google unveiled its new Nexus 7 tablet, Nokia has made claims that the Nexus 7 infringes on some of its patents.
The news came only days after Apple won not one, but two injunctions against Samsung Android devices. Both the Galaxy 10.1 tablet and the Galaxy Nexus, Google’s flagship smartphone, may face U.S. sales bans.
The Nexus 7, however, won’t necessarily face injunction. Nokia has yet to file any suits against Google or Asus, the OEM responsible for manufacturing the Nexus 7. Nokia is much more likely to request that Google and Asus pay the appropriate licensing fees than bring either one to court.
“Nokia has more than 40 licensees, mainly for its standards essential patent portfolio, including most of the mobile device manufacturers,” a Nokia spokesperson told Wired in an e-mail. “Neither Google nor Asus is licensed under our patent portfolio. Companies who are not yet licensed under our standard essential patents should simply approach us and sign up for a license.”
It’s unclear, however, which of Nokia’s patents the Nexus 7 infringes. The Inquirer reports that it could have to do with patents regarding IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi standard. The Nexus 7 comes in a Wi-Fi only model, without cellular data options.
Google and Asus did not respond with comment by the time of publication.
Considering the financial hurdles Nokia currently faces, it makes sense for the company to leverage its 30,000-strong patent portfolio. This could be the beginning of Nokia’s patent mining efforts, as it waits for Windows Phone to pay off.
Google Nexus 7 Vs Amazon Kindle Fire: 7in Tablet Throne up for Grabs - ibtimes.co.uk
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While Nokia and Google settle their patent disputes, check out how the Kindle Fire's new rival compares to Amazon's budget tablet
Display
Amazon's Kindle Fire features a 7in IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, with a resolution of the display is 600 x 1024 pixels and a density of 170 pixels per inch (ppi). Meanwhile, the Google Nexus 7 features a 7in LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and has a resolution that is higher than the Kindle Fire's, at 800 x 1280 pixels with a pixel density of 216 ppi.
A test of display brightness by AnandTech suggests the Kindle Fire performs better (or competitively so) than most other tablets compared, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Apple's iPads. The Kindle Fire scored third or better in each of the three tests it went through.
Google's tablet (tested by AnandTech again) has higher pixel density and resolution than a surprising number of its rivals. In fact, it is bettered only by the newly launched iPad, the newly launched MacBook Pro and the ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity.
Dimensions
The Kindle Fire measures 190 x 120 x 11.4mm and weighs 413g. The Nexus 7 measures 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm and is lighter than the Kindle Fire at 340g.
Operating System
The Kindle Fire was launched with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and has yet to receive an Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update. Meanwhile, the Google Nexus 7 has bypassed Android 4.0 and gone straight to Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). The Android 4.1 software update will bring a number of new features including a revamped User Interface (UI) and better notifications system and home screen management, as well as an improved voice search, text input with offline voice typing, camera and enhanced Android Beam app.
Processor
The Kindle Fire is powered by the same processor that powers Blackberry's PlayBook and Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 - a Texas Instrument (TI) OMAP 4430 dual-core Cortex-A9 processor clocked at 1GHz. The tablet has 512MB of RAM. The Google Nexus 7 will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core Cortex-A9 processor whose clock speed is 1.3GHz. The tablet will have 1GB of RAM.
Camera
The Google Nexus 7 has a 1.2 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls (720p) and any comparison ends with that. The Amazon Kindle Fire, disappointingly, has no cameras, front or rear, while the Nexus 7 has no rear camera.
Connectivity
The Amazon Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7 both offer Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. The Nexus 7 gains an edge here because it offers both Bluetooth and Near Field Communication (NFC) options.
Storage
The Kindle Fire has just one storage model, with 8GB of space. The Nexus 7 is marginally better, offering as it does, a 16GB model as well. However, neither offers microSD slots.
Battery
The Kindle Fire is powered by a Li-ion 4400mAh battery, which can last for up to eight hours of reading and provide seven and a half hours of video playback without wireless connectivity. The Nexus 7 will be powered by a Li-ion 4325mAh battery, which according to Google, will provide up to nine hours of HD video playback and 10 hours of browsing and e-reading.
A battery test by Engadget revealed the Kindle Fire managed to survive for up to seven hours and 42 minutes (beating the PlayBook and the Acer Iconia Tab A500, among others). A second test showed the Nexus 7 managing slightly under ten hours.
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