Patents

Last week, I asked the question: Who in their right mind would use the iPhone as a remote control? Today, the answer is: Everybody. There is news that Apple has published plans for the ultimate media center from Apple; all surrounding the Apple TV and possibly controlled by the blue-tooth enabled iPhone.

The proposed plans include a, “modular controller, most likely their new TV squirting device, would sit at the middle allowing you to hook up anything from branded hi-def DVD players, a PVR, a Mac Mini or even their own freeview box.”

[Via T3]

Apple has filed another patent seemingly pertaining to the iPhone. What would you think if you read this?

“Still another solution uses Bluetooth compatible handheld devices, such as a mobile phone, to serve as a remote controller for a Macintosh computer.”

To me, and others, it seems like the iPhone could be used as a remote control for your computer. According to O’Grady’s PowerPage, the description then follows with,

Once the software is installed, the mobile phone can be used to control popular programs such as iTunes media management program from Apple Computer, Inc. For example, in controlling iTunes media management program using this solution, the user can use the directional controls on the mobile phone to change listing volume, skip forward and backward, play/pause, etc.”

Using anything as a remote control seems to always be top on everyone’s list as a cool feature, but realistically, who will use this to control their iTunes on their computer? Is it reasonable to think people will whip out their phone to control their music, movies, or TV shows? I can see the functionality being cool but no one really using it.

It certainly would only work… more...

Apple is normally the kind of company that keeps things secret, especially when those things directly concern a product not yet released. But it’s been discovered that the screen on the iPhone is being developed by a German company called Balda.

Balda now develop glass screens that are harder to scratch and smudge, yet are far more sensitive, thinner and generally offer higher resolutions whilst allowing more than one finger to touch the screen simultaneously - a few things you won’t find with current plastic screens that are dominating the mobile market at the moment.

It appears that Balda has acquired the technology from some Chinese firm and is putting that technology right at the forefront of Apple’s product line-up - the only question that remains now is whether or not Apple has exclusive rights to the technology. Anyway, this should hopefully answer the question: “Will the iPhone’s screen scratch just like my iPod?”

[Via Gizmondo]

You may be talking to your iPhone in June but based on Apple’s recent patent filing for a “Audio status information for a portable electronic device”, it might talk back to you.

In the patent application, Apple is proposing sending status information for portable devices in an audible manner. Translation: Your iPhone could actually tell you its battery is low. Pretty cool. How many times are you jamming out with your iPod at the gym only to have it abruptly stop because of a drained battery? I’m not sure what an audio warning will accomplish when you are on mile 4 of your 10 mile run. But when you are dealing with sensitive issues like phone calls, a warning may be helpful.

There is a great article at MacNN
that provides all of the details to this new patent application as well as how it involves a new “Device Condition Monitoring Process”.

[Via MacNN]

Arik Hesseldahl of BusinessWeek has written an article on the iPhone from a patent report he’s read through from over two years ago.

He suggests that the iPhone’s touchscreen, named Multitouch, could lead the way forward for other Apple products with the iPod being highest on the list to receive a touchscreen upgrade in the near future, along with portable computers and PDA’s (although the iPhone is more or less a PDA, isn’t it?).

It’s also interesting to note that after reading through the 29-page patent he has discovered the Multitouch touchscreen on the iPhone can hold up to 15 simultaneous touches, with the document stating that’s enough for 10 fingers, the palms of both hands and three “other” devices - who said the iPhone was Mars friendly eh?

[Via TUAW]

Coming straight from the iPhone Wikipedia page, below is the complete timeline of Apple and the trademarked name, “iPhone”. If you are like me, you figured Apple just bullied their way into the name fairly recently. But according to this timeline, they started applying for the trademark internationally as early as 2002. Enjoy.

On September 3, 1993, Infogear filed for the U.S. trademark “I PHONE”[30] and on March 20, 1996 applied for the trademark “IPhone”.[31] “I Phone” was registered in March 1998,[30] and “IPhone” was registered in 1999.[31] Since then, the I PHONE mark has been abandoned.[30] Infogear’s trademarks cover “communications terminals comprising computer hardware and software providing integrated telephone, data communications and personal computer functions” (1993 filing),[30] and “computer hardware and software for providing integrated telephone communication with computerized global information networks” (1996 filing).[32] Infogear released a telephone with an integrated web server under the name iPhone in 1998.[33] In 2000, Infogear won an infringement claim against the owners of the iphones.com domain name.[34] In June 2000, Cisco Systems acquired Infogear, including the iPhone trademark.[35] On December 18, 2006 they released a range of re-branded Voice over IP (VoIP) sets under the name iPhone.[36]

In October… more...

Oh dear, it seems that Apple can do no right at the minute. If it’s not LG claiming Apple stole it’s concept and ideas, or Cisco suggesting they had the iPhone name first, then it’s a UK based technology company called Quantum Research who specialise in touch control and sensors for a variety of platforms.

Earlier this year Quantum Research tried to Sue Apple over the iPod Clickwheel technology, but now it seems they’ve moved on over to the iPhone, claiming the touch-screen technology inside it, patented by Apple, is apparently being licensed to other manufacturers.

“The description of the iPhone suggests it uses a rear-surface touch screen, and has proximity sensing which can tell if it is held to the ear. That’s a QR capability,” Duncan Bryan, licensing director at Quantum Research (QR), told EW.

If Apple has used QR’s technology to give the iPhone that capability, then the company would be infringing Quantum Research’s patent.

[Via MacNN]