Edward B. Kamins and Dr. Gilbert F. Amelio to Retire From InterDigital Board of Directors

WILMINGTON, Del., March 12, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC), a mobile technology R&D company and technical solutions provider, today announced that Edward B. Kamins and Dr. Gilbert (Gil) F. Amelio have notified the company of their intentions to retire from the company's Board of Directors at the end of their respective terms, which extend until the June 2015 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

"On behalf of the company and its shareholders, we would like to thank Ed and Gil for their tremendous service to the company, and their contribution to our growth and success," said William J. Merritt, President and Chief Executive Officer, InterDigital. "Ed has been a key contributor to our progress for over a decade and has helped drive InterDigital's success while embodying our commitment to shareholder value. Having someone of Gil's stature agree to join our Board was a watershed moment for the company, and his insight, counsel and experience as both a researcher and corporate executive has been invaluable."

Mr. Kamins joined InterDigital's Board of Directors in December 2003, and has chaired its Compensation Committee since 2013, after having previously chaired the Audit Committee. He is the principal member of UpFront Advisors, a business consulting services firm he founded in March 2009 following his retirement from Avnet, where he served as Corporate Senior Vice President.

Dr. Amelio joined InterDigital's Board of Directors in March 2011, after a year as a valued member of the company's Technical Advisory Council. Since 2013, Dr. Amelio has served as Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors, and he previously served as Chairman of its Compensation Committee. Dr. Amelio was a pioneering researcher before embarking on a business career that included tenures as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Apple Computer, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of National Semiconductor, and President of Rockwell Communication Systems, a unit of Rockwell International.

HTC reports 27% on-year revenues increase for February
MOPS, March 3; Alex Wolfgram, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 3 March 2015]
HTC has reported consolidated revenues of NT$9.226 billion (US$293.9 million) for February 2015, representing a 24.84% drop on month but 27.7% increase on year.

The company has booked NT$21.501 billion in year-to-date revenues, up 27.26% compared with the same time in 2014.

The company's stock price dropped 3.6% and finished at NT$144.00 in trading on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) on March 3, 2015.

Qualcomm antitrust probe reshapes patent licensing in China
Eric Lin, DIGITIMES Research, Taipei [Tuesday 17 February 2015]
China's anti-trust investigation of Qualcomm has come to an end with the US chip vendor making concessions in order control damage to its operations in the country. The fine for the company and its agreement to adjust licensing fees are expected to only have a limited impact on Qualcomm's revenues and gross margins. However, the cancellation of Qualcomm's patent cross-licensing agreements will come as an advantage for China vendors looking to expand the licensing businesses of their own.

Qualcomm previously demanded its clients sign an "umbrella" cross-licensing agreements that cover all of its clients. It was meant to protect small vendors from being sued by bigger ones over alleged patent infringement.

The outcome of the antitrust probe means Qualcomm will be able to protect its share of the China market, which accounts for half of its revenues. Qualcomm can expect stable operations in China and strengthen its deployment of its own patents.

But the setback in terms of the cross-licensing has cast doubt over the company's ability to continue such a practice elsewhere. In fact, South Korea has already ruled that Qualcomm will need to cut its licensing fees for Korea-based vendors to a level similar to that in China.

Qualcomm will still be able to charge its clients licensing fees based on a percentage of the prices of their mobile devices, but the fees will be 35% lower than their previous levels, while the fees for 3G/4G hybrid and 4G standalone solutions will be separately calculated.

Qualcomm is also expected to charge a fee for 3-mode LTE solutions, but will not be able to force its clients to sign a crossing licensing agreement. Such a move is expected to benefit vendors such as ZTE and Huawei who have large numbers of patents. Vendors who do not have too many patents, despite the benefit of reduced licensing fees charged by Qualcomm, may still need to spend big sums paying for the patents they license from other China vendors.

Such a development may undermine Qualcomm's business. Without the protection from the cross-licensing agreement, device vendors may no longer see it necessary to choose Qualcomm solutions.

To minimize the impact, Qualcomm has already worked out some other forms of protection to help clients avoid the threat of patent disputes. But China-based vendors may need to pay extra for the continuous protection. But such protection may not come cheap.

On the other hand, both Huawei and ZTE are planning to release in-house developed solutions to replace those from Qualcomm. According to Digitimes Research's figures, annual shipments of Huawei's smartphones running on the vendor's own solutions amounted to almost 20 million units in 2014. This shows Huawei's reliability on Qualcomm has been dropping.

For Qualcomm, it faces the possibility of more antitrust probes in other countries. And it is imperative for the chip vendor to maintain the competitiveness of its products.

Pegatron sales buoyed by iPhone 6 shipments
Monica Chen, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Thursday 12 February 2015]
Pegatron Technology saw its January revenues grow 3.28% sequentially and 28.98% on year to NT$118.05 billion (US$3.75 billion) mainly thanks to orders for the iPhone 6.

Pegatron is expected to maintain its shipment momentum for related products, including iPhone 6, gaming machines, modems and routers, in the first quarter of 2015, according to market watchers.

Shipments of iPhone 6 alone are also expected to maintain at 40 million units in the first quarter as it did in the previous quarter, said the observers.

Some market watchers have said that they expect Pegatron's sales to drop 20-30% in the first quarter due to competition for Apple's orders from Foxconn Electronics, Wistron and Compal Electronics. But Pegatron chairman TH Tung has maintained that orders from existing clients will continue to grow.

Including iPhone 6, shipments of communication products accounted for nearly 50% of Pegatron's total shipments in the fourth quarter of 2014, compared to 39% and 45% in the previous two quarters, according to Pegatron.

Strong shipments of communication products will help offset Pegatron's lackluster performance in the notebook ODM sector, said market sources.

I don't know how meaningful this is, but Pegatron filed suit against IDCC in Taiwan according to a filing with the Taiwan stock exchange..

Form 8-K for INTERDIGITAL, INC.

30-Jan-2015

Amendments to Articles of Inc. or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year, Financial Sta


Item 5.03. Amendment to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal
Year.



On January 27, 2015, the Board of Directors (the "Board") of InterDigital, Inc.
(the "Company") approved amendments to the Company's Amended and Restated Bylaws
(the "Bylaws") that became effective on the same date. The amendments include
the following:
? the addition of language to Section 2.1 of the Bylaws enabling the
Board to determine that a meeting of shareholders be held solely by
means of the Internet or other electronic communications technology
in the manner and to the extent provided by the Pennsylvania
Business Corporation Law of 1988, as amended ("Pennsylvania BCL");


? the removal of language from Section 2.2 of the Bylaws that does not
apply to "registered corporations," like the Company, under the
Pennsylvania BCL;


? the revision of Section 2.4 of the Bylaws to conform to current
business practices and provide InterDigital with the flexibility to
communicate with its shareholders through electronic means;


? the addition of language to Section 7.1 of the Bylaws to clarify the
agents already covered by the indemnification provision and to make
the language in subsections (a) and (h) of such section consistent;
and


? certain immaterial clean-up and conforming changes to the Bylaws,
including without limitation conforming the use of terms throughout
the Bylaws.

This summary of the amendments to the Bylaws does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Bylaws, as amended and restated, which is attached as Exhibit 3.1 to this report and incorporated by reference herein.

Huawei posts 30% revenue gain for consumer units

SHENZHEN--Huawei Technologies Co. said revenue from its consumer business, which consists mostly of mobile phones, rose 30% to $12.2 billion last year, thanks in part to its efforts to sell more smartphones in higher price ranges.

The results, announced Tuesday, are in line with what a Huawei executive said in a letter to staff in late December. In that letter, Richard Yu, head of Huawei's consumer business, said Huawei's 2014 handset revenue grew about 30% to more than $11.8 billion.

Huawei, one of the world's largest suppliers of networking equipment used by telecommunications carriers, is also increasing its presence in the global smartphone market.

Pegatron confident about maintaining Apple orders in 2015, says chairman
Monica Chen, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 20 January 2015]
Pegatron chairman TH Tung has responded to stock market analysts' concerns that Pegatron may see decreased Apple orders in 2015 because Wistron and Compal Electronics have become additional OEMs for Apple, saying the company is confident that shipments to Apple in 2015 will not decrease and instead are likely to increase.

Wistron and Compal may share orders for the iPhone 6 and iPad mini, respectively, with Pegatron, the market analysts said. However, Tung indicated that Pegatron has maintained steady cooperation with Apple and succeeded in hiking OEM quotes. According to industry sources, since Wistron and Compal's yield rates and efficiency cannot compete with Pegatron and Foxconn Electronics for the time being, Apple is expected to release small-volume orders to Wistron and Compal for trials in 2015.

Pegatron shipped 10-10.5 million notebooks in 2014, slipping on year by 23.9-27.5%. Including OEM orders for iPhone 6, Pegatron's revenue proportion for mobile telecom devices rose from 39% in the second quarter of 2014 to 45% in the third and 50% in the fourth.

In addition to notebooks, tablets and smartphones, Pegatron has been developing automotive electronics for four years and has entered the supply chain of Audi.

Pegatron is expanding production capacity at its factory in Kunshan, eastern China, with completion scheduled for the end of second-quarter 2015.

Lenovo May Float Its Mobile, IoT Start-Up Shenqi, Could Be Worth Billions

Bloomberg reported that PC and mobile manufacturer Lenovo Group (992.HK/LNVGY) may take its new mobile device unit Shenqi, meaning magical in Chinese, public, after Shenqi starts selling smartphones and Internet connected household devices under its own brand in April. Shenqi could be worth “a couple of billion dollars,” according to Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing.

Just like Xiaomi, a four-year-old mobile start-up that is now worth more than $46 billion, Shenqi will sell its products online directly to consumers. Direct sales e-commerce will help Shenqi’s operating margins. Marketing expenses normally cost 6-12% of revenue for traditional smartphone manufacturers, reckons J.P. Morgan.

According to Yang, Shenqi will not only smell smartphones, but Internet of Things, a hot topic at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year.

And there is valuation. Young mobile start-ups are worth a lot more. At $46 billion valuation, Xiaomi was worth 3.8 times historical sales, more expensive than Apple‘s (AAPL) 3.5 times. Lenovo, still mainly a PC company, is valued at only 0.3 times sales. Lack of industry growth is the culprit. Global PC shipments rose by only 1% year-on-year in the fourth-quarter, or fell 2.4%, depending on the surveyor.

Report: Sony considering sale or joint venture to revive mobile phone biz
According to a report from Reuters, Sony is now considering drastic actions like a sale of its mobile phone business, after failing to resuscitate the operation with a focus on high-end smartphones. The report noted that the company isn't currently considering any specific deals, but could implement a sale or strategic partnership on its struggling business units like its mobile phone division.

T-Mobile to Utilize Unlicensed Airwaves to Boost LTE Network

In an effort to expand its LTE network, T-Mobile US, Inc. – the fourth largest wireless carrier in the U.S. – has decided to experiment with a new technology platform, which will have both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. This novel technology, called Licence Assisted Access (LAA), will provide consumers with faster speed.

LAA is an LTE innovative technology which will use unlicensed 5GHz spectrum bands. This technology will provide faster speed along with excellent coverage. LAA has been developed by Ericsson. Ericsson will provide small cells which will be based on LAA technology, starting from fourth-quarter 2015. T-Mobile is planning to test this innovative technology in 2015. In order to produce compatible devices for this test, the company has teamed up with radio, chipset and device partners. We believe this new technology will not only help T-Mobile to increase its customer base but will also reduce churn rate on the back of better service. Additionally, T-Mobile has started deploying LTE network on its 700 MHz spectrum holdings to enhance its service quality outside major urban areas. Earlier, data packet drop was a serious concern in these areas. At present, the company offers LTE in 26 major U.S. markets and covers 260 points-of-presence (POPs) with LTE network. This exceeds the company’s own expectations of covering 250 million POPs by the end of 2014. Management is hopeful of covering over 300 POPs with LTE service by the end of 2015.

Huawei Says Its Smartphone Revenue Grew by One-Third
Telecom Equipment Maker Estimates 2014 Smartphone Revenue Exceeded $11.8 Billion

By GILLIAN WONG
Dec. 31, 2014 7:12 a.m. ET

HONG KONG—Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co. estimated that its smartphone revenue grew about 30% this year, exceeding $11.8 billion.

In a letter to staff, Huawei’s consumer-business group head Richard Yu said smartphone shipments this year reached more than 75 million units, up 40% from a year earlier.

That is still short of Huawei’s initial target of selling 80 million mobile phones, which would have been an increase of 54% from last year.

Huawei had earlier this year predicted such robust sales, and Senior Vice President Chen Lifang reiterated the goals at the WSJD Live global technology conference in October.

Huawei’s smartphones have little presence in the U.S., but the company has been growing rapidly in other parts of the world, especially in emerging markets.

The memo said the Middle East, northern Latin America and Southeast Asia led Huawei’s smartphone sales growth in regions outside of China.

The figures confirm Huawei’s strong performance in smartphones, but the closely held company doesn’t disclose the profitability of each business unit, which makes defining the drivers of its earnings growth more opaque.

China, which accounts for one-third of Huawei’s revenue, is a significant growth engine for the company. Huawei’s revenue in China rose 14% in 2013 as smartphone sales increased, it said earlier.

Foxconn, Pegatron see large sequential growth in September revenues
Ninelu Tu, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Monday 13 October 2014]
Foxconn Electronics saw its September consolidated revenues of NT$415.412 billion (US$13.7 billion) increase 51% on month and 22.95% on year, while ODM Pegatron had those of NT$105.988 billion hiking 62.8% on month, according to the company.

The sequential revenue growth was mainly due to shipments of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Foxconn is responsible for OEM production of 60-70% of iPhone 6 and all iPhone 6 Plus units to be shipped in 2014 and Pegatron for 30-40% of iPhone 6, market analysts indicated. As sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are booming, Foxconn and Pegatron are expected to see continued growth in monthly consolidated revenue in the fourth quarter, the analysts said.

Foxconn had consolidated revenues of NT$950.715 billion for the third quarter growing 8.11% on quarter and 3.5% on year, and NT$2.713 trillion for January-September rising 3.38% on year.

For Pegatron, third-quarter consolidated revenues were NT$238.390 billion, up 13.26% on quarter, but down 6.14% on year, and January-September revenues were NT$666.767 billion down 2.49% on year.

Wi-LAN and Nokia Networks sign license agreement (WILN) : Co announced that WiLAN and Nokia Networks have signed a patent license agreement pursuant to which Nokia Networks receives a multi-year license to a broad portfolio of wireless patents used in a range of wireless infrastructure products offered by Nokia Networks.

WiLAN first signed a patent license agreement with Nokia (NOK) in Dec 2006 related to WiLAN's then current patent portfolio. The patents licensed under this new agreement with Nokia Networks include patents related to CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, HSPA and 4G/LTE technologies.
Under a separate patent acquisition agreement between the parties also announced today, WiLAN will acquire from Nokia Networks a portfolio of patents with worldwide coverage related to various current and future wireless handset and infrastructure technologies. All other terms and conditions of the license and acquisition agreements are confidential.

InterDigital Names Doug Hutcheson to Board of Directors

Former Leap Wireless CEO Brings Over 19 Years of Telecom Knowledge and Industry Experience

0 0 0 0
July 02, 2014 09:00 | Source: InterDigital, Inc.
WILMINGTON, Del., July 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InterDigital, Inc. (Nasdaq:IDCC), a wireless research and development company, today announced the appointment of wireless industry veteran Doug Hutcheson to its Board of Directors.

Prior to his current role as CEO of Laser, Inc., a corporation created in connection with the acquisition of Leap Wireless by AT&T in March 2014, Hutcheson served as CEO of Leap Wireless and its operating subsidiary, Cricket Communications, for nine years. Hutcheson brings a unique combination of telecom industry experience to his new position as a member of InterDigital's Board of Directors.

"I'm pleased to serve on the Board of Directors of InterDigital as the company continues to extend the reach of its wireless research and development and help drive the entire industry forward," said Mr. Hutcheson. "InterDigital's current research also builds on a legacy of innovation, and the company's business success has opened new avenues for value creation that I look forward to helping plan for the benefit of shareholders."

"We're thrilled to have Doug join as our newest board member," said Steven T. Clontz, Chairman of InterDigital. "His proven track record of success, specifically as it relates to running a large wireless telecommunications company, speaks volumes to the value he'll bring to InterDigital as we continue to expand our business and explore new areas."

Prior to his role as CEO, Hutcheson held other executive positions at Leap Wireless, including serving as President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to Leap Wireless, he served as Vice President of Marketing in the wireless infrastructure division at Qualcomm for three years, where he was responsible for global CDMA accounts. Hutcheson has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from California State University in San Louis Obispo and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of California in Irvine. Currently, he holds 14 patents and serves on the Board of Pitney Bowes Inc.

- See more at: http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/07/02/648373/10087934/en/InterDigital-Names-Doug-Hutcheson-to-Board-of-Directors.html#sthash.2XrsrfAn.dpuf

EU, South Korea to Ally on Faster Mobile Access
So-Called 5G Could be Crucial for European Bloc, Which Trails Telecom Rival

By FRANCES ROBINSON in Brussels and MIN-JEONG LEE in Seoul CONNECT
June 15, 2014 11:02 a.m. ET

In the race to get the world's fastest mobile Internet, South Korea and the European Union will on Monday announce a major new pact to join forces on so-called 5G networks, according to a draft of the agreement seen by The Wall Street Journal.

The deal sets up a joint group to develop systems, set standards and get radio frequencies ready to accommodate the new technology. The aim is to have a global consensus and vision on 5G by the end of 2015.

The agreement could be crucial for the EU, which is lagging behind in the global telecommunications race after late and patchy implementation of the current 4G standard. While users can download a one-hour high-definition film in six minutes on 4G mobile Internet, 5G would slash this to six seconds, according to EU figures.

European businesses have long warned the region's growth will suffer if the bloc continues to trail its rivals on mobile technology. The 5G race is already on: Huawei Technologies Co. of China is investing heavily—$600 million through 2018—in the next-generation network. The U.S. doesn't have a nationally backed program, but universities are researching various aspects of the next-generation standard.

The EU is eager to regain its position as a global leader in mobile standards after the European GSM standard led the world when people first started using portable phones.

While Europe rested on its laurels, South Korea pushed ahead amid hopes to set out fresh revenue streams, with the first comers to the technology expected to hold a leading share in the industry. South Koreans are perhaps the world's most dedicated smartphone users, with a mobile penetration rate in the country of more than 100%.

Forging ahead together would benefit both Europe's mobile-equipment manufacturers—such as Ericsson, ERIC-B.SK -1.45% Nokia Siemens Networks Oy and Alcatel-Lucent SA ALU.FR -1.51% —and, among others, South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. 005930.SE -3.26% , the world's largest maker of smartphones.

Samsung, which relies heavily on its mobile business to derive profit, is expected to play an active role in realizing South Korea's goal of seizing a firm foothold on patent rights over related telecom technologies.

Last year, the company claimed a breakthrough in the development of 5G technology, saying that it found a way to transmit large volumes of data using a much higher frequency band than conventional ones, which would eventually allow users to send massive data files at much faster speeds through their mobile devices, "practically without limitation."

In January, the South Korean government announced its road map for 5G wireless communication technology, setting a goal of being the first to bring the technology to commercial markets in December 2020.

This would be achieved through joint efforts from the private sector involving the country's three mobile carriers— SK Telecom Co. 017670.SE 0.00% , KT Corp. 030200.SE -0.83% and LG Uplus Corp. 032640.SE -0.32% —and manufacturers such as Samsung and LG Electronics Inc. 066570.SE 0.00% The government forecast the country would invest a combined 1.6 trillion won ($1.57 billion) over the next seven years in attempting to bring the technology live.

Under the plan, the government is aiming for total revenue of 331 trillion won from sales of mobile devices and network equipment that support 5G communications technology, during the 2020-26 period.

From the EU side, in December 2013 the European Commission said it would allot €700 million ($948 million) and industry partners more than €3 billion to conduct exploratory research into 5G "without delay." The commission intends to select the first set of projects to fund at the end of this year, with €125 million to allocate.

The partnership will be led by two groups: Europe's 5G PPP, which is based in Belgium and includes European technology and telecom companies such as Telefónica SA and Nokia Oyj NOK1V.HE -0.59% ; and its South Korean equivalent, the 5G Forum.

Work on 5G should start "the sooner the better—it is extremely important that we take the lead again," EU digital commissioner Neelie Kroes said. "In the '90s we were in the driver seat, talking about GSM, so it would nice to be back in that position."

Quanta, Wistron, Pegatron compete for WP8 smartphone ODM orders
Daniel Shen, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Thursday 5 June 2014]
Compal Electronics has already undertaken ODM production of Windows Phone 8 (WP8) smartphones for Nokia, and fellow makers Quanta Computer, Wistron and Pegatron are poised to compete for WP8 orders, according to supply chain makers.

Microsoft has offered free licensing to boost WP8, and consequently some China- and India-based smartphone vendors have adopted the operating system, the sources indicated. In particular, China-based Huawei Device, ZTE, Lenovo, GiONEE and K-Touch plan to launch entry-level and mid-range Windows Phone 8.1 smartphones in the China and other emerging markets, the sources said.

China-based BYD and Longcheer Holdings will also compete for Windows Phone 8 smartphone ODM orders, the sources indicated.

IDCC investment:

Indian Handset Maker Micromax Eyes Stake In Pantech

By Min-Jeong Lee and R. Jai Krishna

Micromax Informatics, a privately held Indian handset maker, is eyeing a stake purchase in struggling South Korean peer Pantech, in which Qualcomm and Samsung Electronics005930.SE +0.37% own a stake, people familiar with the situation said Monday.

Pantech, after struggling to eke out a profit in the global smartphone market, decided last year that it will focus on domestic sales only. But competition in its home market has been stiff with Samsung and LG Electronics ag066570.SE +0.29%gressively churning out new models, leading the company to seek help from its creditors in February. The company is currently under review by its creditors to find an optimal way to restructure its massive debt of more than $1 billion.

“Merger and acquisition is being reviewed as a promising way to [revive] the company,” one person familiar with the matter said. The person said while it would be favorable for Pantech to be acquired by another Korean company, there hasn’t been much interest from potential buyers.

“The decision will be made by the creditors, after [relevant] due diligence has been conducted,” another person familiar with the matter said.

It’s unclear whether Micromax would buy a minor stake or a controlling one.

An investment by New Delhi-based Micromax,which currently ranks second in terms of smartphone shipments in India behind Samsung, could help the company in its global ambitions to expand outside of India, the world’s third-largest smartphone market by users. Micromax could also benefit by having access to Pantech’s high-end smartphone technologies as well as its manufacturing facilities, analysts say. Pantech would benefit from Micromax’s broad retail sales channels in India, they said.

Micromax is backed by U.S. private equity firms Sequoia Capital and TA Associates.

An investment by Micromax could also kickstart consolidation in the crowded smartphone market in Asia, where manufacturers are targeting global markets by offering better quality smartphones at much lower prices than Apple and Samsung.

As of Sept. 30, Pantech’s debt stood at $1.18 billion, surpassing its total assets of $998 million. It has reported six straight quarters of net losses, according to regulatory filings.

this sounds like some of the technology IDCC has developed:

Amazon Preparing to Release Smartphone
Retailer Has Plans to Announce Phone in June, Begin Shipping By End of September

By EVELYN RUSLI Greg Bensinger
April 11, 2014 5:03 p.m. ET
Amazon.com Inc. AMZN -1.70% is preparing to release a smartphone in the second half of this year, according to people briefed on the company's plans, part of a broad push into hardware that would pit it against Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. 005930.SE -1.09%

The retailer has been demonstrating versions of the handset to developers in San Francisco and its hometown Seattle in recent weeks, these people said. People briefed on the company's plans have been told that Amazon aims to announce the phone by the end of June and begin shipping phones by the end of September, ahead of the holiday shopping season.

The people said Amazon hopes to distinguish its phone in a crowded market with a screen capable of displaying seemingly three-dimensional images without special glasses, these people said. They said the phone would employ retina-tracking technology embedded in four front-facing cameras, or sensors, to make some images appear to be 3-D, similar to a hologram, the people said.

An Amazon spokesman declined to comment.

Pegatron lands China white-box tablet orders through Intel
Monica Chen, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 4 December 2013]
Intel has been promoting its processors to China-based white-box Android and Windows 8 tablet vendors, and Taiwan-based ODM Pegatron has obtained orders from the vendors through its cooperation with Intel, according to supply chain sources.

Pegatron has also obtained OEM orders for PlayStation 4 and iPad mini with Retina display and these orders are expected to sustain Pegatron's business operation in fourth-quarter 2013 and first-quarter 2014, the sources said.

Important Confirmation of licensee addition to Apple Supply Chain-

Nov. 6, 2013, 7:25 a.m. EST
Apple signs up contractors to ramp up iPhone production
Main assembler Hon Hai is under labor scrutiny

HONG KONG — Apple Inc. is adding new contract manufacturing partners in Asia to boost production of its smartphones and tablets, people familiar with the supply chain said, as the technology company tries to ensure adequate supply to meet consumer demand.

Later this year, Apple AAPL +0.03% will outsource manufacturing of the cheaper version of its latest iPhone, the iPhone 5C, to Wistron Corp. TW:3231 -1.12% , a Taiwan-based contract maker that currently produces smartphones for BlackBerry Ltd. BBRY +0.45% and Nokia Corp. FI:NOK1V +1.65% , the people said. Apple also plans to add Compal Communications Inc. TW:8078 +0.40% to assemble its iPad Mini tablet starting next year, the people said. Also read: Apple beefs up margins on iPad Air, teardown says.

Apple is broadening its supplier base as its main assembler, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. TW:2317 +1.09% , is focusing on producing the high-end iPhone 5S, which is currently in short supply, the people said. Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, has also been under scrutiny for its labor practices, creating a headache for Apple, they said.

According to J.P. Morgan analyst Alvin Kwock, the high return rate of defective iPhone 5 smartphones also led to tensions between Apple and Hon Hai over which company would be responsible for repair-work costs

Interesting new Intel product - wonder if they had help?

With Samsung Win, Intel Has a Modem Chip for LTE Phones and Tablets
OCTOBER 30, 2013 AT 7:15 AM PT

Chipmaker Intel today took the unusual step of letting the world know that it has a chip inside a new consumer product.
It’s the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 (That series of devices was reviewed by AllThingsD’s Bonnie Cha), and with its release in Asia and Europe, Intel says it marks the beginning of a new era in its frustrating history with chips for wireless phones and tablets.
In the LTE wireless version of the tablet, there is an Intel XMM 7160 platform, and it is Intel’s first multi-mode wireless modem, capable of communicating with 2G, 3G and 4G wireless data networks. It sends a strong signal about Intel’s intentions on the wireless phone front in two ways. For one thing, it’s Intel’s first multi-mode chip. For another, it’s only the second such chip put out by anyone. Qualcomm was the first.
Building a chip of this type is a difficult engineering challenge because there’s the issue of building a chip that can talk to whatever flavor of wireless network it happens to encounter, with the added challenge of giving it the ability to switch between those flavors on the fly without any interruption in service. You wouldn’t like a phone that drops a call just because you drove out of the range of a 4G network and into the countryside where only older networks may be present. The chip is compatible with 15 LTE bands simultaneously, and can also handle voice over LTE. Add to that the sticky wickets of testing with multiple carriers, and it amounts to an honest-to-goodness tough nut, now cracked.
It also amounts to a victory for Intel in another way: For years, it has struggled with being well behind many rivals in the business to supply chips to vendors of wireless handsets and tablets. Essentially all of the world’s smartphones and most of its tablets run on microprocessors based on designs from ARM, the British chip design firm. Qualcomm, Broadcom and Nvidia are examples of companies in the ARM camp. Apple is designing its A5, A6 and A7 chips based on ARM designs, which Samsung then manufactures.
While Intel’s win here is for a modem, and not a microprocessor — Marvell, another vendor in the ARM camp, won Samsung’s business in this case — it represents another track by which Intel plans to attack the wireless business. It has promised more modem chips like this in 2014.

Sierra Wireless buys AnyData's M2M biz in $5.9M deal
By Phil Goldstein

Sierra Wireless inked a deal with AnyData to acquire substantially all of the assets of AnyData's M2M embedded module and modem business. According to a Sierra Wireless presentation, the deal is worth $5.9 million.

The deal is expected to close this month, and afterward AnyData's M2M embedded module and modem portfolio will become part of Sierra's "OEM Solutions" product line, and a team of 16 sales and engineering staff from AnyData's South Korean subsidiary will join Sierra. AnyData's M2M business generated around $10 million in revenue during the last 12 months and the business is modestly profitable, according to Sierra.

According to ABI Research, Sierra led the cellular M2M embedded module market in 2012 with 34 percent market share. Sierra said the AnyData deal will give it a stronger foothold in South Korea.

The transaction comes less than a year after Sierra sold its AirCard unit to NetGear for $144.5 million. At the time, Sierra said the move would allow it to get out of the USB modem and hotspot business and focus solely on machine-to-machine connections.

Moreover, Sierra earlier this year made clear it was on the hunt for companies to purchase: During the company's first quarter earnings conference call, Sierra Wireless CEO Jason Cohenour said that the company's goal "is to accelerate growth and value creation through a targeted M&A strategy. We have an excellent track record of acquiring great companies, integrating them well and creating value for shareholders. We intend to extend this track record."

In other M2M news, Infonetics Research predicted that global revenue from M2M services will more than double between 2012 and 2017, from just under $15 billion to $31 billion. There were nearly 1.4 billion M2M connections worldwide in 2012, with PAN wireless technologies comprising the vast majority, Infonetics said. However, the research firm expects the number of M2M connections to top 4 billion by 2017.

North America and Europe are the key centers of M2M service growth, Infonetics said, together accounting for 72 percent of the total market. In 2012, China Mobile overtook AT&T (NYSE:T) in M2M connections leadership, but AT&T remains the revenue leader due to higher ARPC (average revenue per connection), Infonetics said.

InterDigital and Panasonic Mobile Communications Expand Patent License to Cover 4G


WILMINGTON, Del., Sept. 26, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC), today announced that its patent holding subsidiaries have amended their worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-bearing patent license agreement with Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. ("PMC") to add coverage for 4G technologies, including LTE and LTE-Advanced.
"PMC's agreement to expand its current patent license to cover sales of its 4G products is further support of our patent portfolio and patent licensing program," said Lawrence F. Shay, President of InterDigital's patent holding subsidiaries. "We are pleased with the continued and substantial progress of our 4G licensing program, confirming the significance of our 4G portfolio."

InterDigital Announces Opening of Research Center in the United Kingdom
Presence Expands Research and Development in 5G, Leverages University Relationship

WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 27, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC), a wireless research and development company, today announced that the company is expanding its research operations with the launch of a London office. The UK research center is focused on advanced wireless research, including 5G technologies, and leverages the company's established partnership with the University of Surrey's Center for Communications Systems Research (CCSR) and its 5G Innovation Center (5GIC), and its activities in multiple European advanced research initiatives.
The UK research center is InterDigital's sixth global location, and the first facility outside of the U.S. and Canada. The focus of the research center will be 5G and other emerging technologies, where InterDigital's work on advanced waveforms, millimeter wave hotspots and device-to-device communications, among other areas, make it an early market leader.
"The UK has long been a global center for advanced wireless research, and the University of Surrey's 5GIC in particular is a significant academic effort that InterDigital is pleased to partner with. We look forward to expanding our efforts with them and other partners, as well as driving our own efforts in some of the foundational technologies that will drive 5G," said Jim Nolan, Executive Vice President, Research and Development.
InterDigital's relationship with the University of Surrey is one of many university partnerships from which the company benefits. Most notably, in addition to the 5GIC, InterDigital is an industrial affiliate of NYU Wireless, alongside companies like L-3 Communications, National Instruments, Qualcomm and Samsung.
"We have enjoyed excellent research cooperation with InterDigital and its highly visionary people for many years. Being geographically close will enable us for even more impactful cooperation in realizing our jointly set vision of 5G," said Professor Rahim Tafazolli, Director of CCSR and 5GIC.
For an overview of some of InterDigital's 5G research, please visit the InterDigital Vault and enter the search term "5G".

Arima Communications steps into tablets
Daniel Shen, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 20 August 2013]
Taiwan-based smartphone ODM Arima Communications has extended product development and production to tablets and has finished development of 7- and 8-inch models, with shipments expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to the company.

In order to reduce business risks and increase stability, Arima has been making efforts to diversify its product lines and clients, company president Owen Chen said.

For new product lines, Arima has developed 7- and 8-inch tablets focusing on special applications such as entertainment and education and is talking about ODM orders with existing and potential clients, Chen said. Since existing R&D resources, component procurement and production management for smartphones can be applied to tablets, Arima has not needed make much additional investment in the tablet business, Chen indicated.

In addition, Arima has been developing wearable smart accessories and is talking about cooperation with potential clients, Chen said. Arima expects to begin shipments of smart bracelets, its first wearable smart accessory, in the first half of 2014, Chen noted. Tablets and wearable smart accessories will contribute to Arima's consolidated revenues and become a source of revenue growth beginning in 2014, Chen indicated.

Arima's handset business began to profit in the second quarter of 2013, Chen said. While Japan-based vendor NEC Casio Mobile Communications has stopped smartphone operations and ceased ODM orders with Arima accordingly, Arima has obtained additional smartphone ODM orders from US- and Japan-based clients, Chen noted. With target shipments of 12 million handsets for 2013, Arima expects to ship at least 11 million units in 2013 based on orders received, Chen said. Arima has obtained ODM orders for 5-6 smartphones to be shipped in 2014, Chen indicated.

Institutional Ownership:up, currently 69.91%

Olddog, there you go again...cluttering up this board...with facts. :)

Anyone?

LG 's phones may be based around the same air-interface chips as those in this action. Hence, subject to summary judgement motions or similar actions when LG formally reenters the litigation.

A new, faster version of Wi-Fi was officially rubber-stamped Wednesday.
The latest Wi-Fi technology, called "802.11ac," offers speeds of up to 1.3 Gigabits per second. That's fast enough to transfer an entire high-definition movie to a tablet in under 4 minutes, share photo albums with friends in a matter of seconds or stream three HD videos at the same time. It's more than double the top speed of the previous standard, known as 802.11n.

BlackBerry Inc. among the sector leaders flexing its muscles after an industry analyst said sales of some of its newest smartphones may be turning out better than expected.

BlackBerry BBRY +6.34% shares ended with a gain of more than 6%, to close at $14.41. Before the market opened, Société Générale analyst Andy Perkins raised his rating on the smartphone maker’s stock to buy from sell. In a research note, Perkins said expectations for BlackBerry’s fiscal first-quarter results are “diverse” ahead of the report, scheduled for June 28.

However, Perkins said that “recent channel checks suggest that [BlackBerry’s] new models are selling well,” and he estimates the company will report more than 4 million sales of its Z10 handset.

Pegatron to start shipments of inexpensive iPhone, next-generation iPad mini in August, say Taiwan makers
Monica Chen, Taipei; Joseph Tsai, DIGITIMES [Friday 14 June 2013]
Pegatron has landed orders for an inexpensive iPhone with plastic chassis and next-generation iPad mini from Apple and will begin shipments in August, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

In the first quarter, Apple shipped 37.4 million iPhones and 19.5 million iPads, with iPad mini accounting for around 12 million units and 9.7-inch iPad about seven million.

The upstream supply chain will start shipping components for the new iPad mini and iPhone in July and players such as chassis supplier Casetek are expected to strongly benefit from the orders.

A next-generation iPhone and 9.7-inch iPad reportedly will appear in early 2014 and will be manufactured by Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry).

IDCC won LG APPEAL

HTC sales jump 48% sequentially in May
Daniel Shen, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 5 June 2013]
Consolidated sales at HTC climbed 47.9% sequentially to NT$29 billion (US$1.64 billion) in May, thanks to brisk shipments of its New HTC One smartphone, according to the company.

For the first five months of 2013, revenues amounted to NT$91.4 billion, decreasing 29% from a year earlier.

Due to strong sales of the New HTC One in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific, shipments of the model are expected to top over one million units in the second quarter of 2013, according to industry sources.

HTC's sales for the second quarter of 2013 are likely to surpass its target of NT$70 billion by 1-5%, the sources estimated.

With HTC planning to launch a number of new models, including the HTC One mini, HTC Butterfly S, HTC One Max as well as new models of its HTC Desire family, in the third quarter, the company is expected to post third-quarter revenues of NT$80-85 billion, the sources added.

(More Detail) Lenovo, NEC may set up smartphone joint venture
Daniel Shen, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Monday 3 June 2013]
China-based vendor Lenovo and Japan-based NEC are likely to establish a joint venture in Japan to design, produce and sell smartphones in the global market, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

NEC's handset business has suffered operating losses and Lenovo is unwilling to take over the business, the sources said. However, Lenovo is willing to cooperate with NEC based on the previous model in which both companies established a PC joint venture in Japan in 2011, the sources indicated.

NEC has strong R&D capabilities but lacks marketing channels to sell smartphones in overseas markets, the sources noted. For Lenovo, the cooperation will enable it to utilize NEC's R&D to complement its own, as well as enter Japan's smartphone market, the sources indicated. Lenovo ships 7-8 million smartphones a quarter while NEC ships four million units a year, the sources noted.

If the joint venture is established, Lenovo is expected to be responsible for production management and this will benefit Lenovo's existing Taiwan-based smartphone ODMs Compal Communications, Foxconn International Holdings, Wistron NeWeb and Qisda, the sources indicated. In addition, NEC's Taiwan-based ODM Arima Communications is likely to obtain orders from Lenovo, the sources said.

If you read past the headline the legislation seems to be differentiating between firms that do research and those that only buy patents to prosecute them. Software IS a product, even if it is intangible.

Obama Plans to Take Action Against Patent-Holding Firms

By JARED A. FAVOLE And BRENT KENDALL

WASHINGTON—The White House on Tuesday plans to announce a set of executive actions President Barack Obama will take that are aimed at reining in certain patent-holding firms, known as "patent trolls" to their detractors, amid concerns that the firms are abusing the patent system and disrupting competition.

Mr. Obama's actions, which include measures he wants Congress to consider, are intended to target firms that have forced technology companies, financial institutions and others into costly litigation to protect their products. These patent-holding firms amass portfolios of patents more to pursue licensing fees than to build new products.

The firms say they are doing nothing wrong, just using patents that were legally granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. They say they promote a fair market by protecting smaller inventors.

To help deter questionable lawsuits, the Obama administration plans to, among other things, direct the Patent and Trademark Office to start a rule-making process aimed at requiring patent holders to disclose the owner of a patent, according to senior Obama administration officials. Businesses sometimes are sued by shell companies and don't always know who actually owns the patent they are being accused of infringing, and whether the firm holds other relevant patents.

In addition, the president plans to ask Congress to pass legislation that would allow sanctions on litigants who file lawsuits deemed abusive by courts, officials said.

Those are among five executive actions and seven proposed legislative changes that Mr. Obama is expected to recommend, officials said. The actions and recommendations are to be released as part of a White House report on patent-holding firms.

Mr. Obama is expected to direct the patent office to train examiners to scrutinize applications for overly broad patent claims.

He also is looking to rein in the growing use of the International Trade Commission to settle patent disputes. In recent years, patent-holding firms have increasingly filed infringement claims at the ITC, which has jurisdiction over certain unfair trade practices and can bar the importation of products that infringe patents. The ITC process usually moves more quickly than a patent-infringement case in federal court.

The Obama administration would like Congress to change certain ITC legal standards and ensure that the agency has flexibility in hiring its judges. The president will order a review of existing procedures at the ITC, officials said.

The president has taken a dim view of certain patent-holding firms. In February, he said some firms "don't actually produce anything themselves. They're just trying to essentially leverage and hijack somebody else's idea to see if they can extort some money out of them."

The new actions build on other government efforts. The Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department are examining whether some patent-holders are disrupting competition in high-tech markets.

The administration sees the president's actions as a continuation of his efforts to revamp the patent system. In 2011, Mr. Obama signed a law overhauling the patent system for the first time in six decades.

Lenovo, NEC to Establish Smartphone JV
Huanqiu Tech, 6/03/13
Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Lenovo (0992.HK) and Japanese electronics conglomerate NEC are in the final stages of establishing an integrated smartphone manufacturing and retail joint venture, according to Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. The deal is expected to be completed at the end of June.

According to industry sources, Lenovo and NEC are currently engaged in discussions as to the financing and specific operations of the JV.

BlackBerry stepping up purchases of parts and components, say Taiwan makers
Sammi Huang, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Friday 31 May 2013]
BlackBerry has recently stepped up its purchases of parts and components, including small-size LCD panels, from suppliers in Taiwan thanks to strong sales of BlackBerry 10 devices, according to sources in the supply chain.

AU Optronics (AUO) and Innolux both are panel suppliers for BlackBerry, but the two companies declined to comment on orders from individual clients.

Initial sales of BlackBerry 10 smartphones, particularly the BlackBerry Q10 which comes with a QWERTY keyboard, in the US and Europe have been strong, lifting market sentiment for BlackBerry, said the sources.

Component suppliers in Taiwan believe that BlackBerry is likely to further expand the BlackBerry family by releasing entry-level and mid-range BlackBerry 10 models for emerging markets in the second half of 2013.

Sales of BlackBerry phones in Indonesia and the Middle East have been successful, and if the business model can be replicated in other emerging markets, the vendor is likely to ship 30-40 million smartphones in 2013, estimated the sources.