The curved screens of Samsung’s Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus helped them stand out in the smartphone crowd, but it’s clearer than ever that the company doesn’t have a lock on the idea. Apple is exploring the concept as well: it just received a patent for a technique that molds thin glass into bent or curved shapes without a drawn-out process or using risky chemicals. By having alignment tools shift along with hotter temperatures during a glass slumping process, where the material shapes itself around a mold, Apple can bend glass without any interference — leading to curvy surfaces that are both quicker to make and higher quality. A patent doesn’t mean that we’ll see a curved iPhone in the immediate future, though. Apple leaves its options open and suggests that anything from mice to TVs could be candidates, should the company take action at all. If the patent ever applies to real-world products, however, we’ll have an inkling as to how the bendy shapes came to be.
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Peripherals, Apple
Source: USPTO
Taylor Binns started to go blind due to complications with his contact lenses, and it gave him the window of opportunity to adjust himself for a life without vision. However, fate dealt him a kinder hand, as an innovative treatment that relies on stem cells has altered his final destiny, while returning him the gift of sight. Part of his eyes were damaged because contact lenses made him legally blind, but as to how often that happens in contact lens users, I shall not turn over that stone.
As the year 2012 nears its end, Samsung is giving us a glimpse of what to expect next year, especially for the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Next year will be a big year for HDTVs, so Samsung is now taking the wraps off its new Smart Hub for its future Smart TVs. As you know, the Smart Hub is considered as the gateway for Samsung Smart TV users to discover new content and apps. 
Apple has just received the best gift this Christmas. And apparently it’s not from Santa. It is, however, coming from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The gift is in the form of a newly-awarded patent for the Micros SIM card. According to the USPTO’s database, Apple’s new patent, patent 8,337,223, relates to “connectors that may allow SIM cards to be easily removed and replaced, may be resistant to damage by an improper insertion of a SIM card, and may provide reliable mechanical performance.” 