BlackBerry accuses Facebook of infringement over its messaging patents

CNN

BlackBerry has filed a lawsuit in California against Facebook and its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram for what it says is infringement of its messaging patents. The company says the social media company has “co-opted” its patented innovations related to security, user interface, and battery life. But Facebook brushes off the suit claiming it’s just a desperate move from the beleaguered company. "Blackberry's suit sadly reflects the current state of its messaging business," Paul Grewal, Facebook's deputy general counsel, said in a statement. "Having abandoned its efforts to innovate, BlackBerry is now looking to tax the innovation of others. We intend to fight."

The patents cited in the lawsuit describe the key elements of modern day messaging including those that deal with notifications for the total number of unread messages, photo tagging, and messaging time stamps. It hasn’t been cited how much BlackBerry is asking in terms of damages. But it seems seeking money from the patents isn’t the only motivation, the company seems to want to partner with Facebook. "As a cybersecurity and embedded software leader, BlackBerry's view is that Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could make great partners in our drive toward a securely connected future," BlackBerry’s spokesperson said in the statement. "We continue to hold this door open to them."

Source: CNN

Deezer comes to Amazon Alexa and Sonos One smart speakers

Deezer is making at-home listening even more accessible for music lovers around the world by launching for Amazon Alexa. Deezer will be available on Amazon Echo devices as well as other devices that support Alexa such as Sonos One, Ultimate Ears BLAST and MEGABLAST among others.

Deezer Premium+* users in the UK can harness the power of their own voice for the ultimate lean-back audio experience including direct access to Flow, a personal soundtrack that combines smart data and editorial recommendations to play a continuous stream of music specifically tailored for the individual listener. Alexa will also be able to identify and play music based on specific genres and moods.

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Dyson changes the game with most powerful handheld vacuum

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Dyson has leapfrogged vaccum technology with a new game-changing product that's set to make handheld vacuums replace corded vaccums. Dyson is so confident and all-in on its new handheld that it is effectively discountinuing its large corded and staning vacuum lines this year.

The product in question is the Dyson cyclone V10 cord-free vacuum. Replacing the highly regarded Dyson Cyclone V8, the new V10 is powered newdgital motor V10. While smaller in size than its predecessor, it has 20% more suction. This impressive new motor is capable spinning at up to 125,000 rpm and giving the new vacuum the most powerful suction of any cord-free stick machine.

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Ubisoft cracks down on hate speech in ‘Rainbow Six: Siege’ matches

Ubisoft is joining the likes of Blizzard when it comes to stopping hate speech from spreading in matches held in Rainbow Six: Siege. The developer is now tracking how often players use hate speech in the game and issues bans on them accordingly. These could range from two days for lighter uses to permanent bans for those grievous offenders. And if you try to contest this, Ubisoft won’t beat around the bush and will tell you that you’ve been banned because of “toxicity.” This is apparently the “first step” towards controlling these kinds of bad behaviour on the platform and that there will be more in the future.

Source: Engadget