Nokia and Apple Teaming Up Against Samsung

Nokia and Apple Teaming Up Against Samsung

Nokia and Apple aren’t the friendliest of companies to one another and that makes a lot of sense considering the state of the mobile market. So many people might be surprised to learn that the Finnish company has just filed an amicus brief alongside Apple to help them get an injunction against Samsung.

Apple has been trying to get an injunction against many of Samsung’s devices ever since last year when Apple won a historic trial. The company was awarded a record breaking $1.05 billion as damages forcopyright infringement by Samsung, but a judge nearly halved that only a few days ago. An injunction has also been denied for the Cupertino company, the judge arguing that Apple must prove that the patented features were “important drivers” of demand for the offending devices.

Apple has filed an appeal and Nokia has joined them in a bid to discourage what they see as a dangerous precedent. Nokia’s lawyers argue that getting an injunction should not be so hard. Judges making companies jump through hoops are setting a dangerous precedent and Nokia warns that failing to grant this injunction “could cause wide-ranging damage to the United States patent protection landscape.”

It’s very interesting to see Nokia side with Apple on this case, especially because not too long ago they were fighting each other. Then again this gives further credence to an earlier rumor that stated the two companies had teamed up against Samsung.

TO HELP SICK AND ELDER PEOPLE: A TELECARE SYSTEM

British wireless service provider 'O2' has launched the first of its mobile-based telecare services in the U.K. Most of the services currently provided by pendant alarms are connected to traditional landlines, and their reach doesn't extend far enough for most people.
But research now reveals that many elderly patients feel trapped in their homes by alarms which connect to a landline, and as a consequence exercise less and become sick sooner. The device used in O2's "Help at Hand" service is the GPS-enabled Pearl+ made by Oysta technology. It has a support button, four quick call buttons and a fall alarm.
Falling or depressing the blue button puts the device into speakerphone mode and connects the user to a call centre. The system also provides buildings and staff, rather than being subcontracted.
Receptionists in the call centre will decide on how to field the call. They can give over-the-phone advice – although not medical advice – or more typically call a friend or relative or the emergency services.
In extreme circumstances, they will link the user to the emergency services or their nominated contact. The system is principally aimed at carers who worry about the target user for Help at Hand. The carer can be sent a text message when the user needs to charge the phone.
The carer can then define a geo-fence, so that if the user strays outside a certain field, the alarm is sent. The user can also program the quick dial keys with the numbers of friends and relatives.

Calls made on this system are billed separately on a pay-as-you-go contract. The device has a phone number that can be used for incoming calls.
Unfortunately, carers are often old themselves and may well struggle with the web-centric ways of doing all these things. The user or carer is expected to put the SIM in the phone and log into a web portal to program the numbers for the quick-dial keys and leave contact details for the call centre as to who to call in an emergency.
The system's pricing is pretty much in line with pendant alarm systems at about $26 a month, but it’s significantly more than what SmarTone charges for its Help Now service in Hong Kong or the 38 shekels a month Orange Israel charges for its “Gold” service.
There is an initial £99 price for the mobile handset which is a bit steep for a device which doesn’t have either hearing aid inductive coil support or a desktop charger – both of which are very important for the community at which it is aimed.
It is however significantly cheaper than the similar service from Buddi. 'O2' will be selling the device online, through O2 stores and through Sainsbury’s pharmacies. The use of pharmacies is interesting because it’s the channel the French MVNO Bazile uses.
The operator might find itself having a tough time selling into the U.K. mobile retail trade where the major chains are keen to retain a young profile for their customer bases.
To be sure, O2 has been testing the system for a couple of years with about 200 local users. While the company accepts that most of the users will be older, it's keen to show the benefits for comparatively younger people, perhaps those with early onset Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis or epilepsy.
With around seven million people in the U.K. acting as carers and an aging population, there is a very great need for the service.
O2 refused to be drawn on targets but it’s very much a commercial venture and not a corporate social responsibility play, and this could present a few challenges down the road.