Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Wi-Fi Problems Dog Apple-Samsung Trial

Posted by timothy on from the it's-the-little-things dept.

alphadogg (971356) writes "There's a new sign on the door to Courtroom 5 at the federal courthouse in San Jose, the home to the Apple v. Samsung battle that's playing out this month: 'Please turn off all cell phones.' For a trial that centers on smartphones and the technology they use, it's more than a little ironic. The entire case might not even be taking place if the market wasn't so big and important, but the constant need for connectivity of everyone is causing problems in the court, hence the new sign. The problems have centered on the system that displays the court reporter's real-time transcription onto monitors on the desks of Judge Lucy Koh, the presiding judge in the case, and the lawyers of Apple and Samsung. The system, it seems, is connected via Wi-Fi and that connection keeps failing."

6 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. Um... by Travis+Mansbridge · · Score: 5, Informative

    Plug it in?

    1. Re:Um... by camperdave · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Courthouses are often large old buildings with a lot of marble pillars, marble floors, and immovable walls. This may be why they used Wifi... It's just not feasible to drill a hole through 3 feet of marble to run Cat5.

      ... and yet they have power. So how did they do that... extension cords running all around the joint?

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  2. OK, but ... by grep+-v+'.*'+* · · Score: 3, Funny

    The system, it seems, is connected via Wi-Fi and that connection keeps failing.

    So I suppose if that DOESN'T fix it, they'll remove the sign and allow active cellphones again? (Hmm, I thought metal objects mostly wouldn't be allowed in the building. Is that only Federal stuff?) That being said, I could certainly understand a judge not wanting to hear ringtones in their active courtroom.

    I listen to shows with captioning turned on for almost everything. I presume having this is the courtroom allows the judge to easily review testimony earlier in the trial? (Or are they listening to music on earbuds and only start to pay attention when the transcriptionist STARTS WRITING IN UPPER CASE? :-) )

    Lastly, bring in a laptop and sit in the audience, and intercept or change the written record. "I didn't do it!" becomes "What's your problem, you slutty judge?" Or then again there's this guy...

    --
    If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
  3. Re:Why is everything else allowed on the network? by Anubis+IV · · Score: 4, Informative

    There are plenty of other ways to cause problems, even if the network is secured.

    The more likely problem is that there is simply too much interference from devices providing their own WiFi hotspots. For instance, if enough reporters are carrying 3G hotspots, those will eventually cause problems for both each other and for existing WiFi networks in the vicinity. Something similar actually happened a few years back during an Apple keynote speech, where Steve Jobs had to ask the attendees to turn off their WiFi hotspots so that he could demo some tech on stage. Enough did it that they were eventually able to demo the tech, and it wouldn't surprise me if a similar problem is happening here.

  4. Wow... in my house I avoid WiFi for critical links by QuietLagoon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If I want a reliable connection in my house, I hard-wire. It is the only way I can control the physical layer of the network. Once I go wireless, I cede control of the physical layer to forces unknown.

  5. Easy solution: by FatLittleMonkey · · Score: 3, Funny

    Judge just says, "First to permanently fix it for us wins the case."

    --
    Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.