Self-proclaimed “technology innovation and licensing company” WiLAN, billed as a notorious patent troll by most anyone else (and often, much worse), this morning announced that it has initiated litigation against Apple, Dell, HP, HTC, Kyocera, Alcatel-Lucent, Novatel and Sierra Wireless America.

In its filing, WiLAN claims that these companies are infringing two U.S. patents, namely No. RE37,802 (related to CDMA and HSPA technology) and No. 5,282,222 (related to Wi-Fi and LTE).

In an extraordinary twist, but actually the complete opposite of that, litigation was commenced in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, which is known to favor plaintiffs and for its general expertise in patent-related lawsuits.

The extremely litigious company will once more be represented in this action by Texas-based McKool Smith, which specializes in IP litigation (see: i4i v. Microsoft and Versata v. SAP).

Last year, WiLAN made headlines here on TechCrunch already by suing just about every portable devices vendor over a patent related to Bluetooth technology – defendants included Apple, Sony, Toshiba, Dell, LG, Intel, Texas Instruments, Acer and Motorola.

Last week, the company launched a hostile takeover bid for fellow patent troll MOSAID, stating an intention to make an all-cash offer to acquire all the outstanding common shares of its patent-licensing rival for approximately C$480 million (roughly $491 million).

Ottawa-based WiLAN has about 800 patents, covering mostly wireless tech, while MOSAID has a larger patent portfolio of 2,822 patents and applications covering semiconductor and telecommunications technologies. Just yesterday, MOSAID announced that it has acquired 2,000+ Nokia patents, expanding its portfolio even more.

Guess what will happen when that merger – currently under review – actually happens? Shudder.

Updated: the complaint, embedded below:

For Sprint, maintaining their aging iDEN network is proving to be more of a headache than it’s worth. Even though their Nextel Direct Connect service still has footholds in certain markets (construction immediately springs to mind), their financial statements report a loss of 367,000 iDEN subscribers this past quarter. In spite of otherwise strong figures, it seems clear that iDEN is becoming more and more of a liability.

That would certainly explain their move to a new Sprint Direct Connect service running on CDMA that is poised to launch in Q4 of this year. It’s touted as offering a significant boost in coverage and you’ll finally be able to get some worthwhile performance and data speeds on a Sprint Direct Connect device. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a launch without some star-studded handsets, and Sprint aims to please! With, you know… rugged flip phones.

The Kyocera DuraMax and the Kyocera DuraCore are slated to be the first devices to take advantage of Sprint Direct Connect. While both are built to MIL-STD-810G standards, the higher-end DuraMax classes things up a bit with a 3.2 MP shooter, a stereo Bluetooth radio, and support for up to 32 GB of expandable memory. Meanwhile, the DuraCore has been designated the entry-level model and makes do with such advanced features as a speakerphone. Still, they’re nothing if not utilitarian, and they’ll certainly find their niche in the workforce. Interestingly, a Motorola smartphone is in the works, but details will be sparse until we inch closer to launch.

[Sprint, via PhoneScoop]

Kyocera did what a clever cell phone manufacturer whose home market has the oldest society in the world (over 20% of the Japanese people are 65 or older) has to do: it manufactured a cell phone specifically designed for the elderly. While the basic concept isn’t new, the way the so-called Mi-Look [JP] works certainly is.

The Mi-Look is essentially three devices rolled into one. First, it’s a basic cell phone with a simple 2-inch QVGA display, three large buttons (and hardly any other bells and whistles).

Second, it’s a pedometer that not only tracks how many steps the user has taken but also sends this data to a caretaker automatically, via e-mail. As the Mi-Look has a GPS module, family members for example, can always monitor the current location of the user and which routes they have taken during the day, too.

As a “bonus”, Kyocera built a sensor into the cradle of the device: it counts the number of times the user passes by the cradle when the Mi-Look is charged and emails this data as well.

Third, the Mi-Look also has a simple but clever alarm function. In the case of an emergency, users can just pull the strap that’s attached to the device to trigger an alarm sound and send an email to their caretaker who can then take action at the same time. Kyocera also threw in an early earthquake warning function and shortcuts to certain emergency numbers, i.e. the police.

Mainly targeting customers overs 70 years of age, the company plans to start selling the Mi-Look in Japan in September for around $255 (mobile carrier KDDI au will take care of the distribution).

This video (in English), shot by Diginfo News in Tokyo, provides more insight:

First it was the Kyocera Echo. Now this? Just when you thought someone couldn’t make a bad idea any worse, Fujitsu shows this off. Fujitsu is working on getting this device to the market in the next few months, though no specific time frame was given. If you look closely, you’ll see that it’s different in a few ways from the Echo; it’s running Symbian and it has different configurations for the two screens. It looks like the hinge can be moved around for different orientations while the devices stay connected — we’re hoping for the best, but it’s likely this will be the first thing to break. As soon as Fujitsu can perfect Android for the dual screens, then we can expect it to release.

[via unwiredview]

Sure, in many cases electric bikes are much more eco-friendly than cars, but even e-bikes need to be charged in some way or the other – most of the time, the power doesn’t come from eco-friendly sources. Kyocera, however, yesterday announced [JP] an alternative: the so-called “Solar Cycle Station”, which is essentially some kind of a bike stand that allows owners to charge their e-bikes through solar power.

In its standard version, the bike stand comes with a total of three solar modules and reaches a maximum output of 79.8V (operating current: 7.84A). Kyocera estimates that facing south, each station can produce up to 1.14kWh per day. The stand is designed for use with six e-bikes simultaneously.

Kyocera says that e-bike sales in Japan grew by over 50% in the last 5 years and that demand will grow even faster in the future, especially driven by e-bike rental services. But costing $23,000, their bike stand isn’t exactly cheap (it became available in Japan yesterday).

Japanese telecommunications giants SoftBank and Docomo unveiled their summer 2009 line-ups last week and were followed by the country’s No. 2 carrier, KDDI au, today. While SoftBank is to roll out 15 new cell phones this summer and Docomo even 17 presented models, KDDI au showed only 8 new candy bars [JP] in the morning. But some of these are amazing.

Here is au’s complete summer 2009 line-up:

Toshiba Biblio

(cell phone with integrated e-book reader, a 3.5-inch LCD screen featuring a 960×480 resolution, 7GB internal memory, QWERTY keyboard and Opera Mobile 9.5 including AJAX support)

Sharp Sportio Waterbeat

(waterproof cell phone with a 3-inch ASV touch screen (480×854), calorie tracker, weight controller, and other sports- and fitness related functions)

Hitachi Mobile Hi-Vision CAM Wooo

(yes, a cell phone that lets you record video in 720p and at 30fps, and also features microSDHC/HDMI Mini interfaces and a 3-inch IPS screen (480×854))

Sharp SOLAR PHONE SH002

(Sharp’s highly anticipated solar-powered cell phone with a 3-inch AVS screen, a 5MP CMOS AF camera and micro SD card support)

Toshiba T002

(GSM cell phone with slim body specifically designed for women in their 30s to 40s)

Casio G’zOne W62CA

(water proof cell phone with LED light, electronic compass and 2.7-inch WQVGA screen)

Kyocera K002

(extra-slim (10.9mm) cell phone targeted at men in their 30s and 40s)

Kyocera Kantan Keitai K003

(easy-to-use standard cell phone aimed at users over 60)

According to Kyocera’s press release:

Kyocera’s iBurst is classified as 3.9G equipment due to its high spectrum efficiency with single spectrum reuse factor, and provides three times more spectrum efficiency than the existing HSDPA system. The TDD-TDMA system which uses SDMA technology is capable of 32Mbps total throughput per base station (24Mbps downlink with 8Mbps uplink), within only 5MHz bandwidth, making it small enough to operate in the GSM frequency band.

So what does this mean to Joe the Wireless Net Surfer? Not terribly much, at this point; just another competing wireless broadband technology. But in the end, the more competition, the merrier (or at least we’d like to think so).

For more on the use of this MBWA technology, check out the iBurst Association.

Love it or hate it, it’s pretty safe to assume that just about all of the big boys in the handset world are tinkering with the idea of bringing an Android device to the market (Well, except for Sony Ericsson. Or Apple.) Joining the confirmed list today is Kyocera, with an announcement that they are working with software optimization house Wind River to adapt Android to their needs.

According to today’s announcement, Wind River’s job is “to provide software systems integration services, including middleware and user interface integration, optimization of Android, and custom integration for technologies from other Open Handset Alliance members and third-party developers.” Based off of Kyocera’s lineup history, I’d wager that this means much of Wind River’s job is to prep Android for use on the smaller screen of a flip phone, or one of Kyocera’s QWERTY folders (a la Wild Card).

Kyocera’s not exactly known for wallet-destroying handsets, so it’d be surprising to see any devices come out of their labs with specs rivaling that of the G1 – we probably won’t see a touchscreen, at least. If nothing else, this solidifies the idea that we’ll be seeing CDMA Android handsets in the low-mid range market before too long.

Virgin Mobile says the TNT! flip phone is both stylish and durable and “perfect for consumers who like the simple things in phones.” Simple like talking and texting, (TNT stands for Talk N’ Text).

Matias Monges, Virgin Mobile USA’s director of mobile devices, said:

“At Virgin Mobile USA we are committed to giving our customers value, service and choice they can’t find anywhere else. The TNT! is a perfect embodiment of that philosophy, and shows that we can deliver it all — from robust gear like the Wild Card from Kyocera to less expensive devices that still excel at getting the job done with style.”

Japan’s second biggest mobile phone carrier KDDI au yesterday followed DoCoMo and Softbank with their presentation of 12 new cell phones to be released this summer. The first models will be sold at the end of June.

Here is the complete line-up:

W62H from Hitachi
(equipped with a 2.8 inch OLED display featuring 480×240 resolution)


W62SH from Sharp
(equipped with an FM transmitter and a 3-inch screen)

W63SA from Sanyo
(featuring “global passport CDMA” for business people who travel worldwide)

W63T/Sportio from Toshiba
(designed in collaboration with Adidas and featuring a calorie-counter function)

W63K from Kyocera
(extra-simple to use handset aimed at Japanese men over 40 years of age)

G’z One W62CA from Casio
(designed for outdoor use with waterproof and extra-sturdy body)

W62PT from Pantech
(featuring illuminated buttons to facilitate operation of the phone)

W62K from Kyocera
(with trimmed-down functionality for users over 40 years of age)

W64SA from Sanyo
(the panel can sparkle in different colors via the “shake illumi” function)

W63S from Sony Ericsson
(with expanded options for exchange of damaged phone parts at au stores)

W62T from Toshiba
(standard model with aluminum panel)

W64K from Kyocera
(featuring optimized access to One-Seg TV)

In addition to this impressive line-up, au also announced the start of their new “Lismo Video” service by which customers can playback movies downloaded from KDDI’s PC web site on their cell phones. The Lismo Video store [JP] currently features over 2,000 different titles.

Here’s an interesting development: Kyocera is building a new KJ4 series print head that can print at 150 meters per minute at 600×600 dpi, which equates to about 1,000 sheets per minute. Check your box for your current printer’s speed and be amazed.

The head should go into printers next month. Kyocera uses ceramic piezoelectronics to make this 4-inch head squirt out ink faster than a squid at a calamari festival. Sorry for that last joke. It’s early.

The KR2 retails for $250 and adds support for USB and ExpressCards. To entice new customers they’re knocking off 15%.

Product Page [via Zatz]

Yo, check it Virgin Mobile users. I bet you guys get excited whenever a new phone comes out, so get ready to pee your pants in joy. If you take a stroll to your local Target, you’ll find the lovely new Wildcard from Kyocera. Equipped with EV-DO, this flip-phone has a full-QWERTY keypad, Bluetooth, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. All for $99.99 with no contract required. Looks like it has an AIM client too. Not a bad deal for $100. Not bad at all.

Virgin Mobile Wildcard Arrives in Stores [Phone News]

Nothing too exciting here, but certainly worth mentioning. Today Virgin Mobile released yet another inexpensive phone for the pre-paid fanboys. The Kyocera MARBL is just a basic flip-phone with literally no exciting features. Camera? Nope. Bluetooth? Sorry. MP3 Player? Not a chance. Seems as if the best feature on this phone is either the design or polyphonic ringtones, the latter of which was included so you could pretend it’s 1999 all over again.

Should you be in a pinch and need a phone on the cheap, you can pick up a MARBL for a paltry $30 in stores and online.

Kyocera’s MARBL lands at Virgin Mobile [Electronista]

No real info yet, but really the draw is the design. Look at that odd hinge. Look at the chrome. Sex in a clamshell, correct?

Best of all, we got the hot scoop on a new U.S. carrier, Carrier Logo. It seems Kyocera is making this phone just for them and we’ll hound them all day and all night until they tell us who is investing in this new MVNO. CG = tireless reportage.

They also showed off a new messaging phone with may or may not drop here in the States. It’s quite small, about the size of the Nokia 5300, and pops open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard.

The W51K is a clamshell but not in the conventional way we’ve seen with others, at first glance it actually looks like a regular ho-hum clam, but the screen rotates out for your viewing pleasure. The TV tuner has EPG (Electronic Programming Guide) to record TV content which is displayed on the 2.7-inch WQVGA screen and the charging cradle also has a built-in subwoofer. No word on price yet.

W51K [via New Launches]