Technology Simplified

After years of legal procedures, Apple and Samsung have reached an agreement in the infamous patent case . Terms of the settlement were undisclosed. So is everything clear between Samsung and Apple? Not so fast, as Bloomberg reports that Apple wants to use OLED displays from LG to reduce its dependence on Samsung. You might remember that Apple first sued Samsung for copying the design of the iPhone with early Samsung Galaxy phones. The first trial led to an Apple victory. Samsung had to pay $1 billion . But the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office later invalidated one of Apple’s patents. It led to multiple retrials and appeals, and the Supreme Court even had to rule at some point. After many years, Samsung ended up owing $539 million to Apple. According to Reuters , Samsung has already paid $399 million. If you look closely at the original case, it feels like it happened many decades ago. At some point, the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, the Nexus S and a few other devices looked a lot lik...

Google's new guidelines for employees aim to cut harassment Google has a message for employees who harass each other on internal company message boards: Play nice — or else. via https://ift.tt/2tMf3m1

Microsoft tweaks facial-recognition tech to combat bias Microsoft's facial-recognition technology is getting smarter at recognizing people with darker skin tones. via https://ift.tt/2Izuh2U

What does brand loyalty even mean anymore? App downloads, points, stars, and other complex reward systems have not just spawned their own media empires trying to decipher them , they have failed at their most basic objective: building a stronger bond between a brand and its consumers. Bumped wants to reinvent the loyalty space by giving consumers shares of the companies they shop at. Through Bumped’s app, consumers choose their preferred retailer in different categories (think Lowe’s vs The Home Depot in home improvement), and when they spend money at that store using a linked credit card, Bumped will automatically give them ownership in that company. The startup, which is based in Portland and was founded in March 2017, announced the beta launch of its service today, as well as a $14.1 million series A led by Dan Ciporin at Canaan Partners, along with existing seed investors Peninsula Ventures, Commerce Ventures, and Oregon Venture Partners. Bumped is a brokerage, and the company...

By J. D. BIERSDORFER from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2yMRA9X

AT&T is raising your phone bill by $1 bilion AT&T has hiked an "administrative" fee consumers must pay that should add almost $1 billion to the company’s coffers, according to a Wall Street analyst. via https://ift.tt/2lIYun3

And it's a great grill for a crowd. from CNET Reviews - Most Recent Reviews https://ift.tt/2tCw5DF