Hasta La Gadget!

A new patent granted to Apple today by the USPTO (via AppleInsider) describes an invention called “microslot antennas,” which would integrate cellular and wireless radio antennas directly into case materials, which could both reduce the size requirements of internal elements of a device, and also make it so that there’s no evidence on a gadget’s external case of the antenna’s presence, to the naked eye at least.

If you’ve been paying attention to Apple over the past decade or so, then you can probably tell that the company likes a certain design ethic (all-aluminum case construction) that it hasn’t been able to achieve with the iPhone. From plastic backing, to glass with an antenna built into a strip along the outside of the phone, to glass “windows” top and bottom, the iPhone has always been an exception to this preferred design aesthetic, owing to the need for radio communications to flow freely.

The patent was originally filed in 2007, which likely explains why all the example drawings depict a notebook computer instead of an iPhone or portable device. But the tech, which allows micron-wide antennas (of varying lengths, depending on needs) to be built into a device housing, would be able to communicate over cellular, Wi-Fi GPS, Bluetooth and other wireless frequencies, making it ideal for use in an iPhone design. The slots cut into the case are filled with epoxy or plastic to help prevent dirt and other material from getting in, meaning they should fare just fine in a purse or pocket, too.

This tech likely isn’t as easy as it sounds to implement, since otherwise we’d have seen it used already in iPhone and iPad models released to date. The black bar on the back of iPad models with cellular connectivity, and the windows on the back of the iPhone 5 at the top and bottom stick out like sore thumbs on otherwise unbroken surfaces, even though with the iPhone Apple managed to make it mostly work in its favor. But if Apple can bring this to shipping products, it could significantly help their ability to push the envelope with design. An iPhone carved out of a single block of aluminum? Yes please.

Top image source link: iPhone Pro

Ebooks are pretty fantastic. Granted, there’s nothing better than reading an actual, physical book, but being able to squeeze a handful of books on an reader or tablet is a good deal. However, the problem with ebooks is the same problem with digital gaming distribution services, where you can sell your copy once you’re done with it. However, Amazon filed for a patent that hints at the possibility that the online retailer may start up a used ebook marketplace.

The patent in question here covers a technology that’s used to power an “electronic marketplace for used digital objects.” Essentially, it would take Amazon’s Kindle marketplace to the next level, and would cater towards those looking for second-hand goods, even though they’re digital copies. Basically, it could change the way how we buy ebooks.

At the moment, users simply can’t just buy an ebook and own it outright, doing whatever they want with it, and we doubt that Amazon would give that up, so the patent basically means that Amazon could still own the rights to the ebook, but they would let users resell the ebook in a controlled marketplace specifically for used ebooks.

The concept at first sounds pretty silly, and the thought of selling a digital object for less than what you bought it for may sound weird, especially since there’s nothing that would depreciate the price, but we could see users easily take a slight loss just to get their ebooks out of their hands and onto another reader. Of course, we’re keeping the salt nearby since a lot of patents usually never see the light of day, but it’s a concept at least worth thinking about.

[via ITProPortal]

Amazon patent hints at used ebook marketplace is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

When we think of hidden keyboards on our phones, our thoughts usually turn to thick sliders — notwithstanding the occasional wacky twister. BlackBerry has filed for a pair of patents that would be even subtler by hiding the keys inside of a phone’s main body. Looking somewhat like concertinas in practice, the concepts would pivot keys into place as the phone owner pulls out a retractable section to start typing. BlackBerry suggests it could work for both conventional smartphones (what you see above) as well as a not-entirely-practical design with keys on opposite sides of a display, much like a single-screen LG Doubleplay. We’re not expecting BlackBerry to ship related products anytime soon when the Q10 represents its immediate future in hardware keyboards, but it’s tough to rule out the ideas altogether when they could slim keyboarded phones without losing that coveted stealthiness. They might stand a better chance of reaching the market than some of BlackBerry’s more outlandish experiments.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry

Comments

Source: USPTO (1), (2)

Let’s face it: battery life in smartphones is pretty awful, with only a few devices that are actually worthy of a battery-life crown. However, what if smartphones were powered by solar cells? That would basically change how we use devices, and we would essentially not have to worry about battery life anymore. A new patent from Apple may very well point to a possible solar-powered iPhone in the future.

Yesterday the US Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple patent #8,368,654 titled “Integrated touch sensor and solar assembly.” According to the patent’s abstract, the solar cell array consists of “electrodes that are used both for collecting solar energy and for sensing on a touch sensor array,” meaning that the touchscreen can also act as a solar panel.

The diagram above shows off how the solar cell array would work. It’s not much to look at really, and it’s a very basic illustration, but it provides a bit context to what seems like a nearly impossible concept. However, the illustration shows that the technology can automatically switch between solar-charging mode and touch mode once it detects a finger tap.

Obviously, this is just a patent and it doesn’t prove anything as far as if Apple will actually release a solar-powered device, but it does make us curious as to what the Cupertino-based company has cooking. Of course, if a solar-powered iPhone is indeed on the way, it certainly won’t be for quite a while, so be prepared to wait it out.

[via Forbes]

New Apple patent suggests solar-powered iPhone on the way is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Kodak has had many scary moments in its recent history, not the least of which was wondering whether or not it could sell digital imaging patents to help escape bankruptcy. It’s putting some of that trauma to rest now that it has officially closed the recently approved sale. The $527 million deal shares 1,100 patents with a complex web of companies, including Apple and Google, operating under alliances led by Intellectual Ventures and RPX. The buyers intend to use the patents as defenses against imaging-related lawsuits, and they’ve agreed to settle any remaining legal entanglements with Kodak in the process. Kodak still stands to gain the most from the deal, however: the cash helps repay a large chunk of a key loan, and it reassures the potential financiers that the company needs to leave bankruptcy by mid-2013. We still won’t get back the Kodak we once knew, but the name will at least soldier on.

Filed under: Cameras, Apple, Google

Comments