Hasta La Gadget!

Those of you waiting for the ultimate head-mounted computer in Google’s Project Glass will be glad to know that it may be coming with a nose piece that changes based on your desires – and nose size. What we’re seeing today is a patent at the USPTO that’s been granted to Google which shows a technology that allows for a malleable nose bridge controlled by the touchpad that sits on the side of the Glass unit (by your temple). Just incase you’ve got an extra-stuffy nose, you’ll be set!

This new bit of gadgetry has the ability to harden and soften using electrically controlled fluid. The fluid has a changeable viscosity which is controlled, again, by the touchpad at your temple which also tends to control many items in the full unit. Those of you that wear glasses on the regular know that having a nose piece that’s too hard can lead to the ol’ “nose dents” while too little support has a tendency to keep your glasses closer to your chin than your forehead.

At the moment it does not appear as though this tech will be present in the first edition of Google’s Glass units, but perhaps the future “final” iteration will be bringing the fire. The Explorer Edition of the Google Glass gadget is still set to be sent out in the first half of 2013 to those that pre-ordered back at Google I/O 2012. This edition will be tending to developers and those that really, really want to check the gear out early rather than the public.

The public will be waiting an undisclosed amount of time before the final iteration of Google’s Project Glass is released. The final market edition of the technology will likely have several different iterations, some made for those that don’t normally wear glasses, some for those that do. There will also be a hefty premium, we must expect, for a future-looking bit of uniqueness like this, especially considering the price of the Explorer Edition.

[via Engadget]

Google Glass gets transforming nose piece patent is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Voice recognition usually applies to communication only in the most utilitarian sense, whether it’s to translate on the spot or to keep those hands on the wheel while sending a text message. Samsung has just been granted a US patent that would convey how we’re truly feeling through visuals instead of leaving it to interpretation of audio or text. An avatar could change its eyes, mouth and other facial traits to reflect the emotional state of a speaker depending on the pronunciation: sound exasperated or brimming with joy and the consonants or vowels could lead to a furrowed brow or a smile. The technique could be weighted against direct lip syncing to keep the facial cues active in mid-speech. While the patent won’t be quite as expressive as direct facial mapping if Samsung puts it to use, it could be a boon for more realistic facial behavior in video games and computer-animated movies, as well as signal whether there was any emotional subtext in that speech-to-text conversion — try not to give away any sarcasm.

Filed under: Misc, Gaming, Software, Samsung

Samsung patent ties emotional states to virtual faces through voice, shows when we’re cracking up originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple may have just learned a lesson about all-or-nothing gambles. Judge Crabb has dismissed the company’s lawsuit against Motorola over fair royalties for standards-based patents after the firm said it would only accept court-dictated payouts to Motorola of less than $1 per iPhone. To say that Crabb isn’t eager to be used as leverage for a discount is an understatement — she flipped from leaning towards a trial just days earlier to preventing Apple from suing over the same dispute unless it wins an appeal. The decision doesn’t represent the first time the Cupertino team has had a lawsuit tossed this year, although it comes as Motorola has faced its own share of legal setbacks; the two parties are still very much in a stalemate. All we know for certain is that any royalty decision will have to come through either a (currently unlikely) settlement or through a separate trial.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Google

Judge dismisses Apple lawsuit versus Motorola over standards-based patents originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has just reposted its statement acknowledging that Samsung did not copy its tablet design, after the initial wording was deemed unacceptable by the UK courts. The new version is a lot shorter, and simply repeats what it published in national newspapers this week, stating that the court did not find Samsung to be in breach of Apple’s registered design No. 0000181607-0001, reminding us that it was also upheld by the Court of Appeal, providing links to the appropriate patent and judgement documents online. The mention of the same case going in Apple’s favor in Germany has been removed completely. When first published, Apple included a short link at the bottom of its homepage. Now, to completely comply with the court’s bidding, there is a short statement accompanying the link, confirming that its initial acknowledgement was inaccurate. The court also told Apple that it must keep the admission online until at least December 14th. Will this be enough to appease the UK courts? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Filed under: Tablets, Apple, Samsung

Apple posts revised ‘Samsung did not copy’ statement, acknowledges first version was inaccurate originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Nov 2012 05:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple‘s statement on Samsung’s innocence in copying the iPad with its Galaxy Tab tablets has shown up in print, with the court-mandated mea culpa appearing in various UK newspapers today. The text – which, with its pared-back simplicity, is likely to be overlooked by many – was snapped by Tim Acheson in The Guardian, but also featured in other titles. However, Apple is yet to update its UK website with a new version of its statement, having been scolded yesterday by a court of appeal.

The original statement on Apple’s site – which has today been removed – not only included the explanation that Samsung had been found innocent of copying iPad design patents, but fleshed the story out with comments from the ruling about Apple products being “cool” and distinctive. It also cited rulings in other countries, such as the US and Germany, which found in favor of Apple’s argument.

That phrasing didn’t go down well with a trio of judges in the UK, however, with the strategy being described as “a plain breach of the order” and Apple’s protestations that it would take 14 days to amend met with incredulity. Instead, Apple lost its permission to host the online version of the statement on a separate page linked from the footer of its UK homepage, and was instructed to post a new version directly to the homepage itself.

At time of writing, that statement is yet to go live. The expectation is that it will be broadly in line with the printed version, which sets out the decision of the court in basic language, and offers a link to where readers can find the judgement in full.

[via The Next Web]

Apple’s subdued Samsung statement hits UK press is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.