Netherlands latest to ban Samsung smartphones

“Samsung’s smart phones cannot be sold. That goes for the Samsung S, the Samsung S II and the Samsung Ace,” Saskia Panchoe, spokeswoman for the Hague-based court told AFP.

The court banned sales from mid-October onwards.

US-based Apple filed papers before the Dutch court on June 27, asking for an injunction on sales of three smartphone models and three tablet models including Samsung’s newly-released Galaxy Tab 10.1, accusing the Asian manufacturer of infringing on its design and patents.

“The court has judged that there indeed was an infringement regarding the smartphones, but not in relation to the tablets, which can still be sold,” Panchoe added.

“The patents also apply to other (European) countries, which means the ban on sales applies to other countries where the patents are valid,” the spokeswoman said, but she could not state the exact countries.

The infringements relate to the way users scrolled through photo galleries on their devices and how phones were unlocked by touching its screens.

A trial on the merits of the case is not expected before 2012, while other summary proceedings on several phone models are to be considered by the Hague-based tribunal in September.

The case before the Dutch court is the latest episode in the battle between Samsung and Apple, manufacturer of the iPad, who have been pursuing legal action against one another since April over design rights.

A German court earlier this month lifted a European ban on the sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet, while keeping it in place in Germany, as Apple pursued a separate case there.

Earlier this month, Apple also launched legal proceedings in Australia against Samsung, accusing it of infringing its patents with the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Kim's Russia trip focusing on energy issue

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's armored train rolled through the resource-rich far east of Russia Monday, taking in major Russian power projects en route to a summit with President Dmitry Medvedev expected to focus on energy cooperation and nuclear disarmament.

Kim arrived in Russia Saturday at the invitation of Medvedev. The two leaders are to meet later this week to discuss the possible relay of Russian natural gas and other energy to North and South Korea and long-stalled negotiations on ending the North's nuclear ambitions in return for aid.

Flags of the two countries fluttered at railway stations where Kim stopped, North Korean state media said, with military bands playing welcoming music and Russian women in national dress offering Kim traditional gifts of bread and salt.

On Sunday, Kim's toured a hydroelectric power plant in Amur province and its 139-meter (456-foot) dam on the Bureya River.

He was briefed on the plant's history and electricity production capacity and praised the enormous building, the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported from Pyongyang.

"Inexhaustible is the strength of the Russian people," Kim wrote in the visitor's book, KCNA said.

Russia has proposed transmitting surplus electricity produced by the Amur plant to both North and South Korea, South Korean media have reported.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, while on a visit to Mongolia, said Monday that "if (Kim) frequently visits and looks at an open society, that will eventually positively affect North Korea's economic development," spokesman Park Jeong-ha said, according to Yonhap news agency.

A Russian regional news agency, PortAmur, posted some of the only photographs of Kim's visit, showing the 69-year-old leader wearing his trademark Mao-style khaki jumpsuit. In all but one of the photographs he is seen wearing dark sunglasses. He traded them for regular eyeglasses when presented with a framed picture as a gift.

Kim left Amur for his next destination Sunday, but North Korea didn't say exactly where his train was heading. South Korea's Yonhap news agency, however, citing an unidentified Russian intelligence source, reported Monday that Kim's train could be heading toward the city of Skovorodino. It may stop there, before reaching Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, a Buddhist province near Lake Baikal, for a summit with Medvedev.

Yonhap said Skovorodino is the starting point for a newly built 620-mile (1,000-kilometer) oil pipeline linking eastern Siberia and China. It said Kim's expected stop at Skovorodino could be related to Russia's proposal to provide energy to the Korean peninsula.

South Korean media are speculating the Kim-Medvedev summit could take place Tuesday or Wednesday. A key topic could be the construction of a pipeline that would stream Russian natural gas to both Koreas.

Russian and South Korean officials want North Korea to allow them to construct such a pipeline through the North's territory so that Russia could sell more natural gas to the South at a cheaper price. South Korea media said the North could earn up to $100 million every year, but negotiations haven't reported much progress because of the nuclear dispute.

Officials from Russia's state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom visited North Korea in early July for talks on the gas pipeline. North Korean officials at the time reacted positively to the project, a change from a previous reluctant position, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry.

The JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, however, raised worries Monday that the North could abruptly shut down gas supply depending on relations with the South.

"As long as there is the possibility that the gas supply would be interrupted by the North for political or military reasons, it is difficult for Seoul to put a final stamp on the deal," the paper said in an editorial.

Kim's visit to Russia comes amid signs that North Korea is increasing efforts to secure aid and restart six-nation nuclear talks, after more than a year of tension during which it shelled a South Korean border island and allegedly torpedoed a South Korean warship. A total of 50 South Koreans died in the attacks.

North Korean diplomats separately met U.S. and South Korean officials last month to discuss the resumption of the nuclear talks that have been stalled more than two years.

Russia announced Friday that it was providing food assistance, including some 50,000 tons of wheat, to the North, which might face another food crisis this year due to heavy rains.

Kim traveled to China in May in a trip seen by many as an attempt to secure aid, investment and support for a transfer of power to his youngest son Kim Jong Un. It was Kim's third visit to his country's closest ally in just over a year.

Kim last visited Russia in 2002, a four-day trip limited to the Far East. A year earlier, however, he made a 24-day train trek across the country to Moscow and back.

"The Help," "Final Destination 5" new entries in theaters

The summer's not over, but the box office will look a little Fall-ish this weekend, with a Civil Rights-era drama, a horror-film sequel and several other niche titles hitting theaters.

But it is still, in fact, summer -- and neither Warner/New Line's teenager-fatality saga "Final Destination 5" nor Disney's Emma Stone-led adaptation of the best-seller "The Help" are expected to beat the last tentpole released into the market, Fox's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," which could take in as much as $30 million after a huge $54.8 million start last weekend.

Also debuting this weekend: "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleisher's latest action-comedy, "30 Minutes or Less," which stars Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride and Nick Swardson; and "Glee: The 3D Concert Series" (which pretty much says it all in the title).

While Fox's seventh "Planet of the Apes" movie is the weekend favorite, both "Final Destination 5" and "The Help" could make it a close race.

DreamWorks' adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-seller about the relationship between Southern society women and their African-American domestic employees in the 1960s got off to a strong start Wednesday, grossing $5.5 million.

With Disney distributing "The Help" in 2,534 theaters across the U.S. and Canada, and the movie supporting strong reviews (75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) and solid word of mouth among moviegoers (A-plus Cinemascore), some box-office watchers are forecasting a three-day performance in the range of $25 million - $30 million.

"Final Destination 5" is predicted to end up in the same mid-20s range, with the film opening in 3,155 theaters, most of them 3D-equipped.

The film is commanding surprisingly strong reviews for a horror film (60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), with its native 3D quality commanding much of the raves.

Steven Quale, who learned the 3D filmmaking craft under James Cameron himself (he was the visual effects supervisor on "Avatar"), directed the R-rated film, which was shot on a budget of $42 million in Vancouver, individuals close to the project say.

"Steve has forgotten more about 3D than we ever knew," quipped Craig Perry, producer of the decade-old, five-film horror franchise. "This is native 3D -- it's not a gimmick. And Steve uses it as a tool to tell the story. For example, there's a scene where a suspension bridge collapses, and Steve uses it to really sell the vertigo."

With the death scenes in the fourth movie rendering the suspension-of-belief bridge for many moviegoers a bit unstable, Perry said the producers closely studied the initial films of the franchise in an effort to better ground the next sequel.

The work seems to have paid off, with a number of critics saying the fifth film's story works better.

So will there be a "Final Destination 6"?

Perry, not surprisingly, said the producers and Warner Bros./New Line will wait to see how version 5.0 does. The fourth film -- despite narrative deficiencies -- outperformed expectations, debuting to a series-high $27.4 million two years ago, somewhat on the strength of a hotter 3D market.

About 88 percent of males under the age of 25 report awareness that "Final Destination 5" is coming to a theater near them, according to tracking firm NRG. Among that group, 23 percent report "definite interest" in seeing the film, and 8 percent describe it as their "first choice" the next time they enter the multiplex.

Sony's R-rated "30 Minutes or Less," meanwhile, opens in about 2,600 locations. Rotten Tomatoes has aggregated its reviews at around 47 percent, as of noon Thursday.

The film, which was shot in Grand Rapids, Mich., reportedly on a budget of around $20 million, is expected to open in the mid-to-high teens.

As for Fox's "Glee: The 3D Concert Movie," it's getting solid reviews (83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) and will open up in 2,040 locations.

The film, produced for $9 million and spun off from Fox's hit musical TV series, is expected gross around $10 million to $12 million this weekend.

With Fox not having released a lot of concert films, a studio executive wasn't sure what to expect with the film. "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never's" big $29.5 million opening performance for Paramount in February shows that an over-performance is certainly possible.

Importance of Information Technology

Information Technology is related to studying, designing and developing the information related to computers. This field is growing at a very fast pace over the last few years and according to successful and well known people in the Information Technology sector, this growth is expected to remain stable. Due to the robust growth, millions of jobs have been created in this field. However, it is very essential for us to understand what is the importance of information technology. More on careers in information technology. Given below is the importance of information technology in business.



Why is Information Technology Important in Business?



There are many businesses which are in need of the software packages for satisfying their operational as well as functional needs. For fulfilling this requirement, these companies sign deals with the software manufacturing companies. Information technology is useful in ensuring the smooth functioning of all the departments in a company such as the human resource department, finance department, manufacturing department and also in security related purposes. With the help of information technology, the companies in the automobile manufacturing sector are able to get rid of any sort of errors or mistakes in the proper functioning of the tools used for designing and manufacturing purposes. Due to the development of the information technology sector, the companies are being able to keep themselves aware of the changes in the global markets. Read more on IT jobs.



The software applications and the hardware devices are known to be the main elements of the use of information technology. The web browsers, the operating systems, ERP's and special purpose applications are the softwares which are used in information technology. Information technology plays an important role in easily solving the mathematical problems and also in the project management system. Information technology has a great use in the automated production of sensitive information, automated upgradation of the important business processes and the automated streamlining of the various business processes. It has also played an important role in the areas of communication and automated administration of entire systems.



Importance of Information Technology in Education



Importance of information technology in educational sector is well known. Information technology helps the students as well as the teachers in studying the course material easily because of fast access. Studying the subjects with the help of online libraries and dictionaries has made grasping and increasing the knowledge easy for the students. The inclusion of information technology in the syllabus in schools, colleges and universities has helped them in grasping the subject well and getting their basics cleared. Since, many educational centers have the online grading system, it has been a boon for the parents of the children to keep a tab on their performances. Parents can also get the details of the attendance record of their child in schools.



Importance of information technology in management is quite significant. It helps the managers in adapting to the new business processes and also to predict the possible impact of new technologies. The managers can benefit from the efficiently prepared computer packages and the electronically stored confidential information. With just a single click of the mouse, they can have the relevant information in front of their screen. However, in order to be able to handle these software packages in a better way, the managers should have undergone quality training in information technology. Taking this need into consideration, many corporate companies are seen taking special efforts for the development of these soft skills by training programs prepared by experienceed software professionals. Hopefully, by now, you must have understood why is information technology important. More on:

• What is Information Technology
• Impact of Information Technology on Business
• Advantages of Information Technology

The I.T. Sector is growing at a fast pace and is creating ample opportunities for deserving candidates with great pay packages. Now, are you ready for the challenges in this sector?

Eagles' Patterson has rare brain condition

Philadelphia defensive end Mike Patterson, who had a seizure at practice, has been diagnosed with a rain brain condition and his return to play is unknown.

Patterson, 27, suffered a seizure during Wednesday's practice and was taken to a hospital. He was expected to leave the Lehigh, Pa., hospital for his home later Thursday.

Team trainer Rick Burkholder said Thursday examinations determined Patterson has a congenital brain condition called brain arteriovenous malformation, which was described as a tangle of blood vessels in the skull outside the brain.

"We're pretty sure that what caused the seizure wasn't football related," Burkholder said. "It just so happened to be at football practice. It could have happened at home, in the dorms, anywhere."

He said doctors are yet to determine a course of treatment.

"I'm not going to speculate whether Mike will return to football, this season or next season," Burkholder said. "It's foolish to speculate on that."

Patterson is in his seventh season with the Eagles, who made him a first-round draft choice in 2005. He played in 15 games last season, starting 14.

Eagles' Patterson has rare brain condition

Philadelphia defensive end Mike Patterson, who had a seizure at practice, has been diagnosed with a rain brain condition and his return to play is unknown.

Patterson, 27, suffered a seizure during Wednesday's practice and was taken to a hospital. He was expected to leave the Lehigh, Pa., hospital for his home later Thursday.

Team trainer Rick Burkholder said Thursday examinations determined Patterson has a congenital brain condition called brain arteriovenous malformation, which was described as a tangle of blood vessels in the skull outside the brain.

"We're pretty sure that what caused the seizure wasn't football related," Burkholder said. "It just so happened to be at football practice. It could have happened at home, in the dorms, anywhere."

He said doctors are yet to determine a course of treatment.

"I'm not going to speculate whether Mike will return to football, this season or next season," Burkholder said. "It's foolish to speculate on that."

Patterson is in his seventh season with the Eagles, who made him a first-round draft choice in 2005. He played in 15 games last season, starting 14.