Sprint Voices Concerns On Smartphone Injunctions – Admits To Disabling Galaxy S3’s Universal Search
Yesterday, we told you guys about a “security update” rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy S3 on Sprint which featured the all new and unimproved Google Search app. The update, while fixing some issues with Google Wallet, essentially stripped out the universal search function, no longer allowing GS3 users to use the search app to find contacts or apps stored on their device. Lame, we know.
Now, Sprint has finally come clean about the update, admitting that it did, in fact, dumb down Google’s search application. Without beating around the bush, a Sprint rep told Phone Scoop today, “The new software update does disable the universal search function on Galaxy S III.” This was no doubt a move Sprint, Samsung and Google had to make in order to avoid potential legal action from Apple, who was able to convince a US District judge to impose a preliminary injunction on the Galaxy Nexus for a few short weeks. Seems the injunction hit a little too close to home for Samsung and Sprint who also offer another device with a huge target on its back — the Galaxy S3.
When it comes to the current trend of injunctions hitting smartphones as of late, Sprint hasn’t exactly been quiet on the matter. The carrier recently filed an amicus brief with the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit focusing specifically on the damages the carrier suffers when injunctions are being handed out like flapjacks at IHOP. Sprint said, “preliminary injunctive relief should not become a staple of the ‘smartphone wars,'” also going on to say that if the tables were turned — and it was Samsung who was getting Apple devices banned — their position would remain the same. To sum it up, when OEM’s go to war, the carriers lose.
Like we’ve mentioned before, you can expect Google’s new dumbed down search to hit all the hottest selling Android devices on the market. That is, after all, Apple’s target: competition.