Forget about the trademark battle with Cisco over the use of the name iPhone and prepare for the onslaught of patent claims against Apple’s latest device. One of the first is a patent suit over the iPhone’s touch-screen keyboard. SP Technologies has sued Apple for infringement on a patent that SP filed in August 2000. SP Technologies, a Florida company, is seeking a permanent injunction against the Mac-maker. SP also seeks damages and attorney fees.SP’s patent, which was awarded in August 2004, is for a “method and medium for computer readable keyboard display incapable of user termination.” The …

The world’s largest cell-phone maker and software provider are combining forces to make it possible for handset users to swap mobile content between phones and other devices, such as PCs and media players. Beginning next year, Microsoft
’s digital rights management (DRM) software for mobile devices, called PlayReady, will be loaded directly onto Nokia’s S60 and S40 mobile phones to ensure that copyrighted multimedia content is protected from unauthorized duplication. By adding support for PlayReady, Nokia is “enabling service …

The Wall Street Journal got the GPhone rumor mill churning. Now London’s Telegraph is adding grist to the mill, reporting that Google services including search, e-mail, and interactive maps will come preloaded on the device that the company has yet to admit exists.Anian, a Reuters company that keeps an eye on industry trends for institutional investors, is at the root of the rumor. Anian reported that Google has enlisted Taiwan’s HTC to design a Linux-based phone. T-Mobile would be Google’s U.S. partner, Anian maintains, while France Telecom’s Orange would push the GPhone in Europe. The launch …

The government is preparing to auction a swath of the public airwaves described as beachfront wireless property because of the way these radio frequencies penetrate walls and provide great indoor reception.This beachfront metaphor is even more apt now that the auction rules ensure less fun in the sun for everyone but the nation’s big cellular companies.Most beaches, even private ones, don’t have bouncers stationed at the entrance to check that you’ve brought only a beach ball sold by the beach’s owner, filled with special air they sell at inflated prices. They also don’t tend to dictate which …

Nokia’s dominance in the global cell-phone market seems unassailable. After arch-rival Motorola posted its second straight quarterly loss last month, the Finnish giant announced on Aug. 2 a 57% increase in second-quarter operating profits, to $3.2 billion, while the company increased its global market share by four percentage points, to 38%.Not bad for a company based in Espoo, Finland. And Nokia’s success is by no means a flash in the pan. Offering more than 100 models in numerous regional markets, the company has outmaneuvered its competitors in lucrative emerging markets, increasing the sales …