Visual Voicemail suit partially settled
updated 11:40 am EST, Tue January 22, 2008
V. Voicemail suit settled
One of Apple's co-defendants in a lawsuit has settled its case, according to an announcement. SimulScribe has reportedly settled with Klausner Technologies, a company that accused it -- along with Apple, AT&T, Comcast and Cablevision -- of breaking patents relating to visual voicemail, a technology which allows users to selectively pick which messages to listen to instead of hearing them all at once. The terms of the settlement involve SimulScribe licensing Klausner's patents, joining the ranks of other companies such as AOL and Vonage.
The patents will be used in SimulSays, SimulScribe's visual voicemail application for Windows Mobile and the BlackBerry OS, which is now cleared to sell in Canada, the US and Europe. The software is distinguished from that on the Apple iPhone by integration with contacts, allowing users to reply via e-mail or SMS instead of just voice.
Klausner has long claimed to be the inventor of the PDA, despite the technology's more popular association with companies such as Palm. Klausner has even alleged that the Apple Newton, despite its brief existence, violated an OEM patent granted over 20 years ago.
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Distinguished from??
To Quote:
"... The software is distinguished from that on the Apple iPhone by integration with contacts, allowing users to reply via e-mail or SMS instead of just voice."
But the iPhone can do this already. That's what the little blue triangle is for on the right hand side of every contact, be it in your contact list or in your voicemail. I don't have to reply to someone's voicemail via a phone call. I can text message them back or email them, exactly what's stated here as being "distinguished from the Apple iPhone".