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We spotted a concept of the iPhone 6 last month that imagined a device without its iconic Home button, which looks like Apple may be considering if a recently published patent is any indication if the company’s future plans.

The patent dubbed “Disappearing button or slider” describes an iPhone that could come with “invisible” buttons and controls that blend into the device when they aren’t in use, to fully appear when needed. Buttons would use the same material as the housing of the device, which would make its blending in even more accurate, and could use selective backlighting to make them appear when tapped or if it senses the motion of your finger, detects heat or sounds. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Instagram Rolls Out Photo Tagging Feature For iPhone, Android Users, iOS 7 Allegedly Gets Detailed Ahead Of WWDC,

If you transfer music or any other data to your iOS device from your Mac, you’ll know just how handy Apple’s introduction of syncing over Wi-Fi became shortly after it was introduced as having your iOS device connected to your computer in order to initiate updates was an extremely tedious task. A newly discovered Apple patent may take this process to an entirely different level as it may be possible for your mobile device to interact with your computer automatically.

Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 8,417,779 is called the “Apparatus and method for interacting with handheld carrier hosting media content,” the patent describes a system to insert media from a portable device into an email message, document, photo editing software or a number of other applications on your computer. This would make the process of sharing certain photos or other media with your computer much easier as there are only a handful of options as of now, with the “easiest” one being to email it to yourself. (more…)

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A recently published Apple patent reveals the design for a “magnetic tablet configured to rigidly hold a portion of the tablet device in place.” You can bet that “tablet device” is the iPad, and judging from the many photos associated with the patent, the stand is meant to mount the slate more securely than your average dock, not to mention the Smart Cover. One scenario, for instance, shows the iPad secured on top of a treadmill, while another depicts the device hanging from the roof of the car. By far the most intriguing example is two iPads connected to each other magnetically, creating a hinge between the two displays. Click through to the source link for a look at Cupertino’s other envisioned use cases for this super-strength stand — though don’t get your hopes up on seeing this design hit stores any time soon; the original patent was filed in late 2011.

Filed under: Peripherals, Tablets, Apple

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Source: USPTO, Free Patents Online

Another day, another Apple patent approved which may give us a glimpse into the future of their devices. Yesterday, we stumbled onto a patent which would allow Apple to equip its future iPads with a laser keyboard, which we’ve seen concepts for in the past. Today, a new patent has revealed Apple may be thinking of the battery of the iPhone’s future, seeing how they can only fit so much battery into their mobile devices.

The patent that’s been awarded to Apple is for a solar-powered iPhone, which if it turns into an actual product, would change the landscape of mobile phones for years to come. Patent #8,368,654 is titled “Integrated touch sensor and solar assembly” and reveals its solar cell arrays are made of “electrodes that are used both for collecting solar energy and for sensing on a touch sensor array.” This means the touchscreen can serve a second purpose: to suck up the sun’s power-giving rays!

As with all patents, just because it’s been awarded to Apple, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll make it into a final product. But solar-powered mobile devices need to happen sooner or later. Just look how popular calculators became once they came with solar panels. You still carry one around with you at all times, right?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple Reminds iOS Users The Dangers Of Jailbreaking Their Devices, iTunes Store Sells 25 Billion Songs And Counting,

We’ve had a glimpse at Apple’s conception of a sensor-based keyless layout, and the latest patent application from Cupertino shows the company looking to further refine the input experience — this time using a camera and other sensors to detect hand position and overlay that hand position on a device’s screen. The filing details three methods to this end. The first shows a user’s hands on a traditional hardware keyboard projected in an on-screen representation (as background, Apple mentions the ergonomic strain of looking down to check your hand placement, so perhaps that’s the thinking behind this one). A second scenario involves a laptop with unlabeled keys, where the marked keyboard is displayed on the screen, and the final, most intriguing, setup shows backside controls on a tablet a la the PS Vita, with a user’s fingers projected as if the device was transparent. Of course, this is just a patent application at this point, so don’t expect to see this tech make its debut September 12th.

Filed under: Displays, Peripherals

Apple patent application details method for detecting and displaying hand position on screen originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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