Kodak wins a round, but still remains the battle

There is a new twist in the case between Apple and RIM to Kodak on a possible infringement of patents relating to the image preview and processing of different resolutions. The commissioners of the International Trade Commission (ITC) decided to go back to a Kodak unfavorable opinion of the administrative court, reopening the file again.

In January 2010, Kodak filed two complaints against Apple and RIM, for alleged violation of a patent on the preview images and processing of different resolutions and another on the ability of a computer to "get help" to another application to perform certain functions, which patents are infringed by the iPhone and BlackBerry. Apple was quick to respond, accusing Kodak patent infringement on the image processing in its cameras and handheld cameras.

The administrative judge of the ITC had considered responsible for the case that Apple and RIM does not violate any patents from Kodak. The commissioners of the ITC, however, decided to reverse this decision, made reopen the file at a time when Kodak revealed his true intentions: to get a settlement up to a billion dollars, an amount necessary for this company lacking liquidity.

Kodak had won against in the second round: the ITC administrative judge responsible for the second case had held that Kodak did not infringe the patent from Apple. The commissioners of the ITC must decide this case by September, but decided not to do: Kodak has definitely won on this ground.

In the first round, Kodak had appealed the decision of the ITC, which was partially confirmed its decision unfavorable elements had to pass before an administrative judge. It is precisely in the context of this new expertise that Kodak has this time received a favorable decision, "the ITC has changed key aspects of an initial recommendation of a judge of the ITC in the charges of violation patent brought by Kodak against Apple and RIM, "said Kodak.

Again, you will understand, the six commissioners of the ITC will decide definitively, by August 30. Nothing is sure in this case; financial markets unpopular decision in mid-fig and grape: Kodak unscrewing action of more than 8% at the close of the NYSE. It would not be surprising that once again, the historical name of the photograph recalls his rise to a friendly agreement.

Final version of OmniPlan 2 is available now

OmniPlan 2, the project manager is finalized at The Omni Group [149.99 Euros]. The update is free for licensees of 1.0 purchased between January 6 and July 17. For purchases prior to this time the update is 99 dollars.

This version focuses on the collaboration: we can synchronize a database using a WebDAV server, with MobileMe or through Omni Sync Server, a new service offered by the publisher and currently in beta. Synchronization can then be done automatically, and that Omniplan will also manage a CalDAV server to retrieve the schedules of all employees.

OmniPlan manage two fiscal years in addition to the normal years and will be able to plan a project for the second fiscal quarter rather than for a particular month. Many other improvements have been made in planning the project, could for example create tasks that will start automatically after other tasks. The publisher has also added filters and the print function is more flexible. The demo version runs for 15 days but the application is still only in English.

Banner Zest 3 Release!!!

BannerZest 3 Beta announced in late June, now Beta version is downloadable in final. This application allows you to produce Flash files without great technical skills, you can simply drag and drop graphics and audio within themes ready to use. Several settings are then used to adjust the animation before integrating such a website.

It was already with the Pro version, the animation decline in a readable version of IOS, but one theme was offered a slide show. BannerZest March 1 with ten themes is compatible HTML5. However, it does not replace Flash; the two can even be combined into a single file. Auquafadas, publisher, says he optimized the product code destined for IOS devices.

Aquafadas has also created 10 additional themes (14 in the Pro version) to dress the contents of the user. 8 and 12 are respectively designed to HTML5. The upgrades from version 2 are charged € 22.74 and € 53.82 for the Pro. You can also migrate between the latest standard and Pro (functional differences).

The Growth of Apple Store in U.S.

In the first quarter 2011, the Apple Store (physical and digital) were responsible for no less than 20% of overall growth in sales in the United States. David Berman, director of an investment fund with some Apple stock, notes that Apple stores are a powerhouse: their growth is very strong, and evens an exceptional start to the year 2011 that was the way to most traders and distributors.

Thus, in the first quarter, the Apple Store generated revenues of $ 4.6 billion in the U.S. (3.25 billion Euros), up 80% over the first quarter of 2010. The iPhone is one of the engines of growth: sales increased by 113% in one year. Apple has the distribution network and the fastest growth in the United States, to Amazon and Wal-Mart.

The success of online stores and Apple drive is also visible, if not more, outside of the United States. In Europe, sales were up 49% for a turnover of 6 billion dollars (4.2 billion). In the Asia-Pacific, the most dynamic for Apple, sales were up 151% to $ 4.7 billion (3.3 billion Euros).

According to analyst Joseph Beaulieu of Morningstar, Apple could maintain a growth rate of turnover of sales of approximately 20% over the next five years. Despite the potential risk posed by dependence on IOS and especially to the iPhone: Apple works in cycles and replaced the extreme dependence on the iPod with a higher dependency on the iPhone, which also tends to the balance with the success of the iPad - the situation could be resolved by itself as Apple continues its diversification.

Apple will present its Q3results on July 19

Apple reports its financial results on July 19. On the occasion of the traditional conference call, it will present the results of its third fiscal quarter. As usual, it will be around 14:00 PDT and will be broadcast live via QuickTime. Mac Generation announce the live results and comment in stride.

This is the first full quarter that will benefit from the arrival of the iPad 2, and it should be reinforced by the updated iMac. This quarter should not go down in history: the rest of the range Mac expects Lion and the effect MacBook Air has settled, and the offset of the cycle of the iPhone may be a mixed blessing. However, analysts are optimistic: they expect sales to 24.75 billion ($ 5.73 per share) over the estimated 23 billion to Apple's ($ 5.03 per share) .