Samsung Galaxy S7: Big brand Android flagship champ

Samsung made its big break with tradition last year, and this year’s model sees only positive improvements. Last year Samsung took its Galaxy S moneyspinner down a major new route, and not before time: the design was weary and the software bloated and incoherent. But not everyone liked the changes Samsung made. The S6 looked better and more modern, but the battery life wasn’t very good, and now you couldn’t change the battery, or put in a memory card. The S6 was all sleek glass and metal looks, but many Galaxy owners have been practical types, and had to look elsewhere for something with expandable storage and replaceable battery.

Read on, source: Samsung Galaxy S7: Big brand Android flagship champ • The Register

Supreme Court takes up Apple v. Samsung, first design patent case in a century

If Apple was finally feeling like it had a solid win after getting paid $548 million in patent damages by Samsung—well, now it shouldn’t be so sure.The Supreme Court said today that it will consider what kind of damages should be warranted when a design patent is found to be infringed as the court takes up the blockbuster Apple v. Samsung case.After a 13-day trial in 2012, a jury held that Samsung’s phones infringed Apple utility and design patents. Apple was originally granted $1.05 billion, but that number was slashed down on appeal. Samsung paid $548 million late last year, but the company didn’t give up its right to one last appeal. A Supreme Court win could result in Samsung getting much of that money back.

Read on, source: Supreme Court takes up Apple v. Samsung, first design patent case in a century | Ars Technica

FBI backs down against Apple: Feds may be able to crack killer’s iPhone without iGiant’s help

The FBI has come to a sudden and surprising all-stop in its legal war with Apple.Rather than compel the Cupertino giant to help it unlock an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino killers, the Feds say they may be able to break into the handset without the company’s assistance after all.In a filing [PDF] submitted late Monday in a central California federal court, the Feds asked for a crunch hearing due to take place on Tuesday be vacated and proceedings be suspended at least until next month. The court has granted the request.The FBI will use that time to test an alternate method for unlocking the iPhone that will not involve, as it had originally sought, Apple building a specially crafted version of the iOS firmware.

Read on, source: FBI backs down against Apple: Feds may be able to crack killer’s iPhone without iGiant’s help • The Register

Face to face with Ford’s self-driving Fusion Hybrid research vehicles

DETROIT, MI—The future, or a slice of it, can be found in one of the many labs inside Ford’s buy. Research and Innovation Center. The center is a three-story brick affair on Ford’s vast campus, but it wouldn’t look out of place at a well-funded research university. Well-appointed labs branch out from gray-painted corridors lined with plastic bumpers, the kind you see in hospitals to prevent dents in the walls from people carting around heavy equipment. Young engineers from across the globe congregate to eat lunch in the airy atrium before heading back to carry on their research on metallurgy, new catalysts, or a myriad of other site fields in which the Blue Oval has an interest.

Read on, source: Face to face with Ford’s self-driving Fusion Hybrid research vehicles | Ars Technica