Omaha Company Suing Cell Phone Providers

An Omaha company is suing five cell phone service providers for allegedly using its patent-protected computer technology without permission. Prism Technologies alleges that the companies took advantage of a system that controls which smart phones, tablets and broadband mobile cards can access an Internet service. The lawsuits in U.S. District Court of Nebraska were filed against AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA, Sprint PCS and U.S. Cellular. The lawsuit says the company secured a patent for its inventions in October 2007. The company is seeking royalty payments with interest, as well as a judge's order for the companies to stop the alleged violation.

Apple targeted by lawsuits over Siri and iPad 4G claims

Apple has found itself at the centre of a string of lawsuits across the world, regarding claims it makes over the performance of the new iPad and the Siri technology in the iPhone 4S. Siri, a voice-activated 'virtual assistant' originally provided as an add-on app for all iPhones before being made into an iPhone 4S exclusive, is the most targeted of Apple's recent technologies as gadget-hungry consumers find the reality of the system a far cry from its advertised capabilities. Apple's advertising shows Siri taking on an artificial intelligence-like persona, responding to natural-language commands and queries - "do I need an umbrella", "schedule an appointment with Ted", - with aplomb. Sadly, the reality appears to be somewhat different. Several lawsuits have cropped up since Siri's release as the key selling point of the iPhone 4S smartphone, with VentureBeat reporting that David Jones is the most recent. In his filing, Jones claims that Apple is responsible for the creation of "deceptive commercials" which "diverge greatly from the actual functionality of the Siri feature as experienced." As a result, Jones - who purchased an iPhone 4S largely on the back of Apple's promises for Siri - is asking for a damage payment, both for himself and all other iPhone 4S owners. The suit comes as a third-party survey claimed that a mere 55 per cent of Siri users were happy with the capabilities of the product, which is officially still a beta service - not that Apple mentions that in its advertising. Siri isn't alone in disappointing Apple's customers, however: the new iPad, which features an impressive retina-class display never before seen on a tablet device, is attracting its own complaints thanks to its use of a US-centric 4G mobile broadband system. Fourth-generation - 4G - mobile networks offer significantly improved speeds for internet access, close to those of wired systems like ADSL. However, the UK currently does not have any wide-scale 4G networks - and when networks are launched, the new iPad will be incompatible thanks to differences in frequencies used by US and UK 4G networks. As a result, Tom's Hardware reports that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is investigating complaints from customers that Apple's claims of a faster internet connection are misleading. At the time of writing, however, it has not launched a formal investigation - and Apple has not indicated it will be offering refunds, as it was recently forced to do in Australia for the same reason.

Ex-Philippine president Arroyo pleads not guilty to graft charges

MANILA: Almost a month after entering a not guilty plea to an electoral sabotage charge, former Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo again faced the courts, this time with her husband. Both pleaded not guilty to corruption charges. Security was tight at the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court as former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her husband were arraigned on graft charges in connection with a scrapped US$329 million national broadband network deal in 2007. Both the former president and her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, entered a not guilty plea over accusations of involvement of overpricing in the cancelled national broadband network contract between the Philippine government and China's ZTE Corporation. Mrs Arroyo was indicted on two counts of graft on allegations that she used the presidency to push for the deal despite her knowledge of irregularities and anomalies in the contract. The trial is set to start on June 4. Raul Lambino, Spokesman for former president Gloria Arroyo, said: "We know that she will be vindicated soon. They do not have any evidence. It is part of the prosecution of the Aquino government against her. But we still believe in the judicial process of this country so we are banking on what our judicial system provides." Mrs Arroyo continues to remain in hospital detention for her earlier case of electoral sabotage. This graft case is just one of a string of plunder and graft cases that has been filed against the former president, as her predecessor, President Benigno Aquino, steps up its anti-corruption drive.