Latest phones and cell review

Samsung brings a mid-range Galaxy-class device to MetroPCS's network in the Attain 4G. This simpler smartphone packs some surprises, along with some disappointments.

Court documents reveal that Motorola is seeking 2.25% of Apple's iPhone sales in order to license the standards-essential patents that Motorola holds. That percentage amounts to about $15 per iPhone (unsubsidized iPhone 4S 16GB). Motorola and Apple are amidst a patent battle in German courts, and the document came to light as part of this week's proceedings in those cases. At issues is whether or not Motorola's terms represent a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) offer. Apple argues that the terms are not fair. Motorola has won two decisions against Apple, one in December and one on February 3. The first pertains to smartphone patents, while the second pertains to Apple's iCloud service and email syncing patents.

AT&T has requested that the Federal Communications Commission set a number of requirements in place before Dish Network can build out its planned LTE-Advanced 4G network. AT&T wants Dish beholden to similar requirements levied on LightSquared. It would be required to cover 100 million POPs within 33 months and reach 260 million POPs within 69 months. AT&T also noted that it has "concerns" over Dish's use of 700MHz spectrum (which AT&T is also using for LTE). Dish responded this week to AT&T's request, saying such conditions would thwart its plans. Dish argues that LTE-Advanced will require much longer to deploy, as no other operator has deployed it yet. It also believes the differences between its commercial network (which will be sold directly to consumers) is different from LightSquared's wholesale approach, and requires more back-end systems be put into place. Last, Dish said its LTE-Advanced network will be deployed on its 2GHz spectrum holdings, not 700MHz. The FCC has not yet ruled on the matter.

Motorola has provided a system update for the Atrix 2, which is sold by AT&T. The software update, which must be downloaded via Wi-Fi, makes a number of adjustments to the Atrix 2. According to Motorola, the update improves the performance of the camera; adds the Google Music application; patches security holes; adds emergency alerts from government agencies; and improves the keyboard, device stability, and performance of the Webtop application. The update is free to download and install.

Apple was able to convince a German court to suspend an injunction that went into effect earlier today that temporarily prevented it from selling the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPad 2 via its web site. Apple lost a patent ruling to Motorola in December that effects the aforementioned devices. The patents in question cover GPRS standards. Apple claims that Motorola is seeking licensing terms for the patents that don't comply with fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) rules. The iPhone 4S was excluded from the patent ruling because it uses a Qualcomm baseband rather than one from Infineon. Motorola had to post a $100 million bond for the ban to take effect., but Apple won a reversal. It isn't clear how long the reversal will last. Separately, German courts today issued another ruling against Apple and its iCloud service. Apple was found guilty of infringing on a Motorola patent concerning how email is synced between devices. The ruling gives Motorola leeway to inquire about past device sales as it prepares requests for damages. Apple is appealing the decisions.