For a lot of folks, the kitchen is the heart of the home. But if meals tend to be more of a moveable feast for you, take a look at Critter: it’s a moveable field kitchen that packs all the kitchen basics into a single bench which can be moved from indoors to the backyard—or maybe even the great outdoors. More »
Samsung may have convinced Judge Koh to toss a few international handsets out of Apple’s lawsuit, but the Korean firm still has Cupertino’s patent licensing accusations to contend with. Their tactic? Convince the court that Apple’s claim to the inventions are invalid, and that the technology was developed prior to the disputed patent’s filing. It’s called showing “prior art,” and Sammy’s done it before — famously showing a scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey in an attempt to put Apple’s iPad design claims to rest. Today’s examples were more grounded in reality, focusing on debunking Cupertino’s claim to the “bounce back” effect that happens when a user reaches the end of a page and common multitouch zoom / navigation gestures.
Samsung pitted the famous “bounce back” feature against an old PocketPC interface called LaunchTile, which allowed users to navigate through 36 applications by zooming in and out and a panning across a grid-like “world view” of said apps. Movement between grids snap to each zone, marking the end of a page. Apple shot back, noting that LiveTile’s snapping navigation didn’t work on diagonals, and cited other differences as well. Samsung wasn’t deterred, however, and brought out DiamondTouch, a projector based multitouch table that utilized both one touch scrolling and pinch-based zoom gestures. The table even takes aim at the aforementioned bounce-back patent with a technology called TableCloth, which bounces back images that are pulled off screen. DiamondTouch’s creator, Adam Bogue, told the court that he had demoed the technology to Apple privately back in 2003, noting that it was also available to anyone who visited the Mitsubishi Electronic Research Laboratories’ lobby.
If the jury takes to Samsung’s claims of prior art, it could severely cut Apple’s claims against it. Even so, Cupertino’s lawyers aren’t going down without a fight, and still have a number of navigation and design claims that Samsung hasn’t addressed. The two parties are expected to keep up the fight for about a week, we’ll keep you posted on the inevitable revelations as they come.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs
Samsung’s defense against Apple patents begins with DiamondTouch table, LiveTile UI prior art originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If when you close your eyes each night in bed you see visions of pixelated arcade apes performing game-like quests, you can be sure you are a true gamer at heart. And now that we’ve cleared that up, you might as well embrace it, and indulge yourself with a little Donkey Kong-inspired interior decor. More »
The modern LEGO brick was patented in 1958 – 54 years ago. I’ve only been around for 28 of those 54 years, and in my lifetime what creative minds and sheer ingenuity can do with LEGOs continues to amaze me. In the past few weeks alone, we’ve seen LEGO bricks join forces with iPods, our favorite Street Fighter II combatants LEGO-fied, a LEGO induction lamp, and much, much more. But astounding as all these are, they pale in comparison to the scope of the auditorium-sized reconstruction of Japan made entirely out of LEGOs.
Constructed during the “Build Up Japan” celebration in March and April, LEGO Japan was first started in six different regions of the country by over 5,000 children, their parents, and LEGO employees. The disparate sections were then moved to Tokyo, where the entire nation was constructed—skyscrapers, pagodas, docks, boats, the whole shabang. Children were even encouraged to construct their vision of a future Japan’s architecture. And as you can see in the photo above, the completed LEGO Japan is of such scale that the human builders look like Evangelions comparatively. The whole thing is just the very definition of breathtaking awe.
Do yourself a solid and check out the whole nest of pictures at the “Build Up Japan” Facebook page.
[via io9 via Spoon & Tamago via My Modern Met]
You could be dressed in rags, filthy from weeks of no bathing, reeking to high heaven. But I’m fairly confident that if you had the Wave Mug in your hand, the world would be so enthralled with that object that they’d be oblivious to your squalor. More »
Last week, we found out about Apple’s offer to license a bundle of IP — including its iPhone and iPad design patents — to Samsung back in 2010. Today, Reuters reports that Apple proposed a similar deal to Microsoft, and the folks in Redmond took them up on the offer. Details of the license itself are scarce, but the deal did, naturally, include an provision expressly prohibiting iDevice copies. So, for folks figuring that Microsoft might face a litigious future similar to Samsung’s, think again. Looks like Ballmer and friends had the foresight to buy the rights to those rounded corners, edge-to-edge glass and black bezels on their forthcoming Surface tablets.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs
Microsoft licensed design patents at issue in Apple v. Samsung, Surface lovers breathe sigh of relief originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Are your curious about your environment? Have you always wanted a tricorder in your pocket? Well, check out Lapka’s iPhone sensors. They will pack a bunch of sensors in a svelte, compact package that you can take everywhere with you.
Lapka Electronics‘ sensors measure everything from your home’s radiation levels to how organic your organic food is. The sensors are plugged into your iPhone via the headphone jack and you can read the measurements directly on the screen using the bundled iOS app. The other included sensors are an electromagnetic field detector and humidity sensor. Lapka plans on adding allergen sensors and fitness trackers once their product is released.
For now, these sensors are still in the prototype stage, but they will be released in December for $220 (USD).
[via Gessato]
It would probably be really fun to drive a steamroller. But you have to have a special license for those vehicles, and this awesome tape dispenser looks just like one, so you know, next best thing. More »
So long as you’re not Indiana Jones, you might be able to appreciate a little serpentine inspiration in your workspace. These Trask desktop lamps can fill that niche for you, and keep your space well lit at the same time. More »
I’ve never been all that good at throwing a frisbee. On occasion, I’ll get off a good shot, but it usually goes like 15 or 20 feet then peters out or takes a violent turn off course. But if one inventor gets his way, we might soon be throwing around frisbees that could fly 100 feet on a single throw.
Leonid Zaytsev’s Floating Frisbee concept would have a lightweight fan built into the middle of it, giving the fan extra loft when thrown, thus keeping it in the air longer. The design envisious a circular cutout in the middle, with a fan and a cage around it to protect your fingers when throwing and catching it. I imagine there would be some sort of circuit to kick the fan in when thrown, and it would probably need some sort of stabilization to ensure the fan doesn’t throw it way off course, and the battery would need to be very light in order to not weigh it down too much. Engineering challenges aside, it’s a cool concept, and hopefully one that will eventually make it to market. If you like the idea, head over to Quirky and comment on the Floating Frisbee.
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