Yes, that’s another reason, i heard that too.
Strikes me as a rubbish reason. Android is taking off. App developers are not being sued.
An area that we do NOT plan to go into is Android. We have significant experience with iOS and Android operating system development and sales, and the frivolous patent-infringement lawsuits that are commonly filed against Android developers (including Laminar Research) amongst countless others. Our experience in these areas make it clear that we will NOT be developing for Android until the frivolous patent-infringement lawsuits that are so commonly filed against Android developers are dealt with by Google or by legislation.
Here’s more info on the lawsuit filed against Laminar Research (creators of X-Plane) on the Patent Troll…
http://www.x-plane.com/x-world/lawsuit/
Austin Meyer estimates the costs of this frivolous lawsuit is about 1.5M USD, let alone all the stress it gives on his personal life…
Quite a sad story…
The patent business stinks, nowadays.
Unfortunately loading up with frivolous empty patents is a prerequisite for getting VC (vulture capital) funding… the founder of the business hopes to get his kids through private school and end up with a nice house somewhere, before the patents (which were usually obviously worthless on prior art alone) lapse or get thrown out. I’ve seen that more than once, as an investor 
Very sad.
However I believe that patent applies only to apps which do a license check online. Is there no way around that? There are so many licensing schemes. I don’t like online licensing checks because they presume internet access. I have some PC apps that do that, but they don’t need to do it in order to run, so I block them in the windows firewall. I would not buy an app which goes online without needing to for its functionality, unless there wasn’t any choice.
C’mon … did you READ that? The guy is whining about how his wife will not have a “second child” because of this lawsuit. … Maybe he should bring his wife to INDIA on a holiday … and ask her why there are ANY children born there. Or actually anywhere outside the millionaire software developer’s club …
Something new … an iridium hotspot for Android and iOS. For up to 5 devices. $ 800, this summer.
Iridium is way too slow for anything really. You need very special solutions like Sebastian’s ADL.
I received the Thuraya SatSleeve today. So far, positive impression. The phone is only mechanically “docked”, there is no electrical connection between them and neither can use the other’s battery. My impression is that reception is better than with the Thuraya XT phone. There is builtin data compression. The SatSleeve can also act as a dial up networking modem when connected to a computer via USB. It can be charged via USB so the external charger which connects with its own plug is superfluous.
Did you buy the Android version? Please let me know if you can use weather APPS like AeroWeather with the sleeve. (And where did you order it, please?)
Yes, the Android version but there is nothing Android specific about it. You can use any app you like, it’s just on a (very slow) internet connection. I use my own satellite optimized weather briefing site.
My Thuraya dealer is www.expeditionstechnik.de, they are very friendly and competent.
