Microsoft’s futuristic Wearable Electromyography-Based Controller
While I didn’t like Minority Report as a movie per se, it’s visions of the future and various human/computer interfaces still fascinate me. Most of them will require technologies way beyond of what is available today, but getting from here to there has to start somewhere. And quite a few companies are already working on [...]
Why the heck is RIM trying to patent improvements to roadside billboards?
When I skim through various patent applications, looking for interesting stuff to write about, I usually expect to see those patent applications to be at least in some remote way connected to the company business. After all, the time of the researcher in your R&D lab is pretty expensive, and the whole patent filing thingie [...]
Palm is working on a palmtop with detachable cellphone
This winter/fall Palm has been in some dire straights. With hugely disappointing Palm Pre sales, dwindling cash reserves and knowledge that company won’t be able to survive on it’s own. Still, Palm R&D department hasn’t been sitting on it’s hands even during the tough times. And they’ve come up with some interesting ideas of how to improve [...]
LG projector phone with remote touch operation
Mobile phones with pico-projectors are still a bit of a novelty. Yes, we do have a few of them, like LG Expo or Samsung Beam , but they certainly are not mainstream yet. But the company which was one of the first to get a projector equipped phone on the market- LG- is already thinking [...]
Samsung thinks about putting touchscreen on a tablet’s back
Now that Apple showed how a real tablet device should look and work, everyone else is scrambling to make their own tablet that will be at least on par with the iPad. Samsung is no stranger here, and has already confirmed that it will have an Android tablet ready for market this fall. We’ve even seen [...]
Apple starts patenting mobile app ideas
By now most of must us have heard about the problems U.S. patent system is facing. With software and business model patents, patent trolls and lawsuits, and patented things like one-click buying online. Well, if Apple has it’s way, things are about to get much worse. The problem? Three Apple patent applications that just became [...]
Apple is working on a Multi Haptics technology for iPhones and iPads
When working on a new feature or device, Apple usually takes it’s time to get it right. They’ve spent years perfecting multi-touch interface, before it was released for public consumption with 2007 iPhone launch. Then they’ve spent 3 more years adapting this UI to a tablet device. The same goes for smaller features, like copy-paste on the iPhone, multi-tasking, [...]
LG wants to patent multiple flexible display gadget form factors
Flexible displays for mobile devices, is one of the next big things, that will transform the way we use our handsets. Whenever they become good enough, and cheap enough for everyday use in our daily life. A lot of R&D money is being spent on flexible displays every day, a lot of genuine inventions and [...]
Apple is looking into local contextual advertising engine for it’s iAd platform
Right now, the newly launched Apple’s iAd adverstising system might be only interested in big brand advertisers, who would be able to shell out $1 million or more for an ad campaign. But everyone needs to start somewhere. It seems, that Apple has been looking into possibility for it’s own mobile contextual advertising solution long before [...]
Apple wants to embed cardiac sensors into an iPhone case to identify you
Adding biometric to sensors to electronic devices for user identification, is not a new thing. Sometimes they are fingerprint readers, face or iris recognition sensors, voice recognition software, etc; But most of them are bulky, require additional, sometimes cumbersome, efforts by the users. So even if biometric recognition is present in the device, it often goes [...]
Apple is working on its own mobile P2P payment service for iPhone and iPad
Mobile micropayments through your smartphone is emerging, and, most likely, soon to become pretty hot category. Nokia is looking how to introduce mobile payments to developing world with its Money service. Meanwhile, startups like Square and established companies like VeriFone are working on ways to bring personal mobile transactions to your iPhone, and, hopefully, any other [...]
Microsoft files for Windows Phone 7 Series Panoramic User Interface patent
When Microsoft announced it’s Windows Phone 7 Series OS, everyone was pretty impressed with the new innovative Panoramic User Interface. Well, the guys at Microsoft seem to be pretty impressed with themselves too. They think they’ve found a new perfect UI paradigm for a mobile device, that moves beyond tired PC desktop user experience. And they want [...]
Qualcomm patents mobile device with multi-fold display
Qualcomm has filed a patent for a mobile device that should feature a multi-fold display. The device should allow users to fold and unfold it, transforming it from a phone into some sort of a tablet, and even into a TV-like set. Qualcomm’s multi-fold device features a “processor configured to execute at least one software [...]
New Nokia patent application hints at phones with flexible displays
One of Nokia’s most recent patent applications (filed on January 14 2010) describes a small mobile device that’s “physically flexible” and thus also has a flexible display. This reminds us of the Nokia Morph – seen two years ago as a concept phone. Nokia didn’t say back then when a Morph-like phone would be available, [...]
Nokia’s vision of 2015? Nokia is already working on BIONETS self-evolution capable services to make it happen
When I was watching Nokia’s “The way we live next” vision of 2015 video, they key theme – the ability of Nokia services and devices to self adapt to user, needs based on usage patterns – sounded somewhat familiar. I checked my notes, and yes, indeed – it was a familiar topic. The visions of 2015 was [...]
Apple patents improved digital ink recognition techniques for pen-aware tablet
The rumors about he upcoming Apple tablet have been flying around far and wide lately. Well, actually, the rumors about the upcoming Apple tablet have been flying around for years now. Some people even doubt that a mythical Apple tablet will ever be created. But the crescendo of rumors from various sources these past few [...]
HTC is working on next gen “Virtual Book” touch UI
Nowadays, every mobile company in the world is hard at work to come up with the best user interface for their mobile touchscreen devices. Samsung is developing TouchWiz, LG has S-Class, Nokia has S60 5th edition (Now Symbian^1) and Maemo 5, Sony Ericsson has their panels, even Acer has come up with it’s own UI for [...]
Nokia is exploring 3D multi-touch interface
By now, almost everyone has figured what a good touch interface on a mobile device should look like. Also, almost everyone is dabbling with at least some sort of multi-touch features on mobile devices. Nokia is no exception here. While Symbian based Nokia touch handsets might still be lagging behind the competition, their Maemo 5 [...]
New in iPhone software patents
It’s Thursday, the patent day here at UV HQ, and it’s time to check out what new cool stuff USPTO brought us this week. Of course, the company everyone’s watching most closely is Apple. And they do not disappoint us. 2 new interesting iPhone software patent applications surfaced today, with some features that could be a [...]
Apple’s device abuse detection system and the stupid exploding iPod story
An interesting Apple patent became public today on USPTO website. It’s called “Consumer abuse detection system and method” and is meant to help Apple service reps to see whether the broken device you brought in was your fault or Apple’s. To do that, Apple proposes placing a number of sensors that can detect liquid, thermal changes, [...]