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Apple patent reveals headset-style iPod shuffle
Media player integrated into headset design 30 October 2009 14:32 GMT
A recently revealed patent from Apple shows the company is looking at producing a wireless headset that offers standalone media playing abilities, rather than relying on a Bluetooth streaming connection to get music piped into the ear.

Apple's latest vision...
Nokia patents 3D multitouch
Is the company just combining tech industry buzzwords? 26 October 2009 12:59 GMT
Nokia appears to be looking into 3D multitouch systems, if a patent filing is representative of its current research interests. The Finnish phone giant has applied for a patent for a 3D multitouch interface that would record pressure as well as two dimensions of location...
Nokia sues Apple over alleged iPhone patent infringements
"Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia's innovation" 22 October 2009 15:43 GMT
Nokia has announced that it has filed a complaint against Apple with the Federal District Court in Delaware, alleging that Apple's iPhone infringes Nokia patents for GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN standards.

Nokia is naming ten patents in the suit that relate...
Apple patents advanced multi-touch display
Recognises all ten fingers 2 October 2009 11:52 GMT
Apple's much-rumoured iTablet, or iPad as the most recent rumours have dubbed it, could get a highly advanced touchscreen.

A new patent application revealed by AppleInsider describes plans for a multi-touch surface that could work with two full hands and distinguish...
Nintendo eyes inflatable cushion as next controller
Will have you bouncing around your living room with glee 12 August 2009 2:47 GMT
If you thought the idea of standing on a pair of scales in your living room made you look like an idiot, wait until you see what Nintendo has planned for the future.

A patent filed by Nintendo shows the plans for a small, inflatable cushion with a dock for the...
Apple patents nanophone concept
Touch-based back cover 30 July 2009 9:34 GMT
Apple has filed a US patent for what appears to be some sort of iPhone nano. The design is complex, and has a display taking up one full side of the device, with a force-sensitive touch-based surface covering the other.

In the filing, phone calls, text messages,...
Nokia patents wearable phone controls
Fabric with sensors to read your gestures as commands 9 July 2009 15:39 GMT
We know that Nokia is looking into more areas than just buttons and touchscreens for phone controls, and a recently revealed patent has shed light on an option the Finnish phone manufacturer is considering.

The patent looks at wearable electronics as a way...
Samsung patents fold-out keyboard design
Looks like wings 9 July 2009 9:56 GMT
Samsung has patented a rather interesting idea for a QWERTY phone keyboard - one that folds out, like wings, from both sides of the device. Both are hiding inside the body of the handset until you need them, whereupon they slide out into your hands.

Given that...
Amazon patents adverts for the Kindle
Cheaper content with contextual ads 7 July 2009 13:53 GMT
Amazon is considering adverts for its Kindle ebook reader, patents have revealed.

The online retailer has filed patent applications "On-Demand Generating E-Book Content with Advertising" and "Incorporating Advertising in On-Demand Generated Content" that would...
Sony patents everyday objects as game controllers
Natal-like plans see any 3D item scanned for use in-game 3 July 2009 17:34 GMT
A Sony patent could point to more motion controlled gaming than just the wand-based system the company has currently demoed.

Sharing a fair bit in common with Microsoft's Project Natal motion control system, the recently-revealed patent sees Sony gamers using...
Apple patents haptics, fingerprint reader and RFID for iPhone
Future iPhone features revealed? 2 July 2009 16:00 GMT
New patent applications uncovered by MacRumours reveal potential future iPhone plans from Apple, that cover tactile feedback for the touchscreen, biometrics and wave-and-pay possibilities.

Unlike rival's touchscreens the iPhone's multi-touch display does not...
Nokia makes its old patents available for anyone to use
Move made to boost Finnish economy 22 May 2009 12:04 GMT
Mobile handset giant Nokia has opened up its patent archive in an effort to help out Finland's economy. The move will free up thousands of unused patents for other companies to pursue.

Examples of patents freed up include ideas for energy, location-based services...
Sony Ericsson patents playlists from facial expressions
Visual mood analysis in future phones? 22 May 2009 10:32 GMT
A recently revealed Sony Ericsson patent describes future mobile phone functionality that could see playlists automatically generated based on how you are feeling.

The system would "read" facial expressions by snapping a quick pic and then determine whether...
Apple plans iTunes kiosks in "virtually any location"
..airports, hotels, stadiums, train stations, malls, stores, planes, ships... 7 May 2009 16:11 GMT
Apple has patented plans for iTunes kiosks to be found in "virtually any location", reveals AppleInsider.

A sort of next-generation wireless point of sale unit, the kiosk would be used by iPod or iPhone owners to load up their device with music and movie content...
Dyson patents cuboid kitchen gadgets
Looks to saving worktop space for next innovation 6 May 2009 9:23 GMT
James Dyson is looking to the kitchen for his next innovation, plans for which have been revealed in a recently filed US patent application.

Dyson wants to help homeowners save space on overcrowded kitchen worktops by redesigning our kitchen gadgets into more...
Apple guilty of wilful patent infringement
Ordered to pay out $19 million 27 April 2009 10:37 GMT
Apple has been found guilty of patent infringement and ordered to pay $19 million in compensation in a Texas court.

Opti Inc, a technology company based in Palo Alto, filed the lawsuit against Apple in January 2007.

A jury has now found that Apple...
Apple patents "movement-aware" iPhones
Jog and dial 17 April 2009 14:35 GMT
No doubt buoyed by the success of the iPhone's accelerometer, Apple is looking at ways to control its iPhone with movement, and for the handset to become "movement-aware", patent filings reveal.

Such controls are along the lines of motion-based gestures (such...
Apple patents super-safe GPS system
No touching while the car is moving 31 March 2009 14:07 GMT
Another Apple patent application filing has come to light suggesting that the producer of iProducts has ambitions to get inside your motor.

The patent, revealed by AppleInsider, is for an "in-car navigation system focused on maintaining driver safety while...
Dell files a petition to cancel Psion's "netbook" trademark
Term is now too generic to belong to one company 20 February 2009 10:14 GMT
Dell has filed a petition with the United States Patent and Trademark office to request that Psion's ownership of the word "netbook" as a trademark be cancelled.

This follows reports of Psion sending cease & desist notices to websites using the word "netbook",...
Sony submits patent app for touchscreen printer
Wirelessly view and edit images from your printer.. potentially 28 January 2009 15:29 GMT
Sony has submitted a patent application in America that appears it could be planning some sort of touchscreen printer.

The patent held at the US Patent and Trademark Office is titled "Image forming device, having an ejection tray, and a display is mounted to...
Apple multi-touch patent explains Palm threats
Palm shares down 10% on the news Apple owns tech Pre uses 27 January 2009 17:29 GMT
It seems as if the so far battle-of-words Apple versus Palm fight over the Pre's similarity to the iPhone has taken another twist thanks to the revelation of a patent just awarded to Apple.

US Patent Office Patent No 7479949, credited to Steve Jobs, as well...
Apple's iGlove patent revealed
For iPhoners in cold climes 2 January 2009 13:59 GMT
Good news for iPhone owners in colder climes, it's been revealed that Apple has previously filed a patent for what's effectively a pair of "iGloves".

Originally filed a day before the original iPhone's launch, the patent covers a means of using a multi-touch...
Microsoft's pay-as-you-use computer concept
Patent application revealed 30 December 2008 11:23 GMT
Microsoft has considered producing computers to be offered on a pay-to-play basis.

The concept, revealed by a 2007 Microsoft patent application, would see owners of such machines paying an hourly rate to use pre-loaded programmes and services.

As...
Nokia patents swiveling widescreen
With QWERTY keyboard 15 December 2008 8:59 GMT
A Nokia patent has revealed a possible new form factor from the Finns with a swivelling widescreen design. The concept sees the large screen able to swivel up and out, presumably for apps with a more visual element, and then slides back making the device a more usual QWERTY...
Apple prepping a 3D user interface
Patent for multidimensional system revealed 11 December 2008 14:39 GMT
Apple has been hard at work designing a 3D operating system, a new patent filing just unveiled has revealed.

The Mac-maker is prepping a "multidimensional desktop" that would see an illusion of depth added to your Mac desktop.

The official notes...