US Department of Justice officials on Friday dropped an antitrust investigation into whether Samsung abused essential mobile gadget patents in its ongoing battle with Apple.

At issue was whether the South Korean consumer electronics giant tried to gain advantage using "standards-essential patents" on technology that considered a basic requirement in smartphones or tablets.

Since such technology is needed to make devices viable based on industry standards, rights to use it are to be made available at fair market rates, according to marketplace rules.

The DoJ antitrust division began investigating last year when Samsung convinced the US International Trade Commission to ban certain iPhone and iPad models from the US based on SEPs.

In June, the commission said it issued a "limited exclusion order" for certain devices made by Apple, in a victory for Samsung.

The scenario raised a concern that Samsung might be "exploiting the market power obtained through the standards-setting process," the DoJ said in a release.

The White House weighed in and had the US Trade Representative overturn the ITC band on certain iPads and iPhones.

US Trade Representative Michael Froman announced the rare move -- a blow to South Korean Samsung -- saying in a letter he had decided to "disapprove" the exclusion order by the ITC.

It was the first time since 1987 that a US administration had vetoed a product ban ordered by the trade panel and comes amid a bitter legal battle between Apple and Samsung.

"As a result of the USTR's action, the Antitrust Division has determined that no further action is required at this time," Justice department officials said in the release.

The DoJ said it will continue to track developments in the patent wrangling between Samsung and the California-based maker of iPads, iPhones, iPods and Macintosh computers.

Google Chromebox aims at conference room
San Francisco (AFP) Feb 06, 2014 - Google took aim at office meeting rooms on Thursday with the release of a Chromebox for videoconferencing.

"These days, we often connect with each other from far-flung locations, coordinating time zones and dialing into conference calls from our phones," product management vice president Caesar Sengupta said in a blog post.

"Meetings need to catch up with the way we work -- they need to be face-to-face, easier to join, and available from anywhere and any device."

Chromebox-for-meetings is available in the US at a starting price of $999 and is to be released later this year in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, and Spain.

The first model box comes with a high-definition camera and a speaker with a microphone. A monitor must be provided.

There is an annual management fee of $250 for the videoconferencing setup.

As many as 15 people can take part in a Chromebox video conference using smartphones, tablets, laptops or other Internet linked computers.

Google has been working to expand its business beyond online search and into businesses with a productivity and collaboration software offered as services in the Internet cloud.

The California technology titan also continues to promote Chrome-powered boxes and laptops that push computing power to servers in Google data centers.

Google introduced the first Chromebook in mid-2010 in a challenge to Windows operating software at the heart of Microsoft's empire.

The array of Chromebook makers has grown to include Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Samsung and Hewlett-Packard, with many models offered at bargain prices when compared to high-end laptops.

Shifting operating software to banks of servers online means that Google updates programs and fends off hackers and malicious software.