Hasta La Gadget!

Most software has to be designed around a presumed viewing distance, whether it’s up close for a smartphone or the 10-foot interface of a home theater hub. Apple has been imagining a day when the exact distance could be irrelevant: it’s applying for a patent that would automatically resize any content based on viewing distance. By using a camera, infrared or other sensors to detect face proximity through facial recognition or pure range, the technique could dynamically resize a map or website to keep it legible at varying ranges. Although the trick could work with most any device, the company sees that flexibility as most relevant for a tablet, and it’s easy to understand why — iPad owners could read on the couch without needing to manually zoom in as they settle into a more relaxed position. There’s no knowing the likelihood that Apple will implement an automatic scaling feature in iOS or OS X, let alone make it the default setting. If the Cupertino team ever goes that far, though, we’ll only have our own eyesight to blame if we can’t read what’s on screen.

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile, Apple

Apple applies for patent that scales content to match face distance, save us from squinting originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s iPad mini and 4th-generation iPad didn’t arrive alone. In the company’s time-honored tradition, it has timed the FCC filings for both devices to show up alongside the products themselves. Each iOS tablet has been approved in both singular WiFi and dual cellular editions: the iPad mini has appeared as the WiFi-only A1432 as well as the A1454 and A1455 for worldwide HSPA+, EV-DO and LTE coverage, while the full-size iPad has been cleared in directly paralleled A1458, A1459 and A1460 versions. Not surprisingly, the frequency range matches that of the iPhone 5 and suggests that we’re dealing with the same Qualcomm MDM9615 chip. We’ll know more once the two iPads are in our hands and those of teardown artists, but for now you can explore Apple’s regulatory gymnastics in full at the source links.

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

New Apple iPad mini, 4th-generation iPad reach the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We already know what some of you are thinking, but that doesn’t change the reality on the ground: Apple has been granted a design claim patent for a “portable display device” that looks a whole lot like the original iPad. Filed just a day before the big reveal in 2010, it’s both specific to the tablet and cites additional references dating as far back as the early 1990s. The claim likewise includes elements that transpired between the filing and the granted date, such as a certain legal squabble that carries on to this day. While we can’t say we’re enthusiastic for what might follow from the patent becoming official — we know Samsung isn’t, despite victories in the tablet space — it does give Apple one more tool for arguing that its total iPad design is unique, not just the individual components.

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

Apple granted new patent for original iPad design originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hopefully AT&T subscribers weren’t spooked when the Nokia Lumia 920 first passed through the FCC in only its non-US guise, and its lower-end 820 cousin only as the (currently unofficial) Verizon-ready Lumia 822. The two Windows Phone 8 flagships have had follow-up approvals in GSM versions that are unmistakably destined for AT&T and Canadian carriers. Never mind the slightly distracting RM-820 model number on the Lumia 920; it reveals the 920’s distinctive curved design, 700MHz LTE in AT&T’s range and AWS-based LTE for both AT&T as well as its Canadian neighbor. The Lumia 820 is equally identifiable as the RM-824, even if it limits the LTE access to AT&T’s network. We haven’t seen any shocking revelations from either device, although we weren’t expecting any from phones that hew so closely to the original templates. The filings mostly set expectations for Microsoft’s October 29th event — now that the likely stars of the show are cleared to make their appearances, the companies involved should breathe more easily.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia

Nokia Lumia 820, 920 for AT&T swing through the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just in case you thought Nokia’s Lumia 822 for Verizon was an illusion, the FCC has given us good (if not quite smoking gun) evidence that it’s tangible. A filing at the agency shows a device that’s only listed as the RM-845 on the surface, but has Verizon’s CDMA and LTE bands, measurements very close to those of the GSM-based Lumia 820 and a microSD slot that you wouldn’t find in a Lumia 920 variant — short of a surprise new model, there’s little beyond the 822 that would currently fit the bill. Those disappointed that it’s not a higher-end Lumia might take some consolation in seeing both the expected NFC as well as quad-band HSPA 3G for world roaming. Between the FCC and earlier photos, fans are really just left waiting for Verizon to make this new piece of its Windows Phone revival official, whether it’s on October 29th or some other date.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia

Nokia Lumia 822 for Verizon possibly caught stopping by the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 19:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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