BlackBerry Torch 9860
RIM Dinged with Bluetooth-Related Patent Suit
Wi-LAN has filed a lawsuit against Research In Motion alleging that the BlackBerry maker is infringing on a single patent related to Bluetooth technology. Wi-LAN says a number of RIM's smartphones, such as the Bold, Pearl, Storm, and Torch, infringe on the patent. It is seeking damages and an injunction to halt sales of the devices in the U.S. Wi-LAN is a patent licensing firm. It has filed similar lawsuits against Apple, HTC, and Sierra Wireless over LTE technology. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
NXP Sues RIM Over Patents, Wants Triple Damages
Research In Motion was hit with a lawsuit by NXP, which alleges that RIM's BlackBerry Torch, Curve, and Bold smartphones infringe on six of its patents. NXP wants sales of the devices halted, and compensatory and triple damages. It's not immediately clear to which technologies the patents pertain.
Apple, HTC, LG, RIM, Samsung Targeted by Patent Suit
A company called Graphics Properties Holdings recently filed a lawsuit against Apple, HTC, LG, RIM, Samsung, and Sony, alleging that the companies' products violate its intellectual property. Specifically, the lawsuit covers a patent pertaining to how mobile devices process data and text into pixels on a display. The lawsuit names the Apple iPhone, HTC EVO 4G, LG Thrill, RIM BlackBerry Torch, Samsung Galaxy S/S II, and Sony Xperia Play as violating the patent. Graphics Properties, which has already sued some of these same companies under a different name, is seeking damages and royalty agreements.
Spotify Releases App for GSM BlackBerries
The Spotify music application for RIM's BlackBerry platform has left beta and is now available to the GSM models, including the Bold 9780, Bold 9700, Curve 9300, Bold 9000 and Curve 8520. The client does not yet support CDMA-based BlackBerries, and Spotify hasn't said when the app will be available for the Bold 9900, Torch 9810 or 9800. Spotify costs $9.99 per month to use on BlackBerry smartphones, though the service is free to PC users (ad supported).
AT&T Announces BlackBerry 9900, 9860, 9360 Availability
AT&T today announced that it will begin offering the BlackBerry 9900 Bold and the 9860 Torch on November 6. Both will be available in stores and online that day. The 9900 Bold will cost $199.99 with a new agreement and the 9860 Torch will cost $99.99 with a new agreement. AT&T also announced that the 9360 Curve will be available starting November 20 for $29.99 (government customers will have access to the 9360 starting November 14) with a new agreement. All three devices will the newest BlackBerry 7 platform. The 9900 and 9360 will have access to AT&T's fastest HSPA+ speeds, but not LTE. The 9360 Curve will be able to access a slower version of HSPA+, though AT&T didn't specify at what speeds.
