Hasta La Gadget!

Wireless power may still be on the drawing board, but wireless data is here today, and a UK defense contractor has figured out a way to pipe the latter through several inches of steel. Using a pair of piezoelectric transducers on either side of a watertight submarine compartment, BAE’s “Through Hull Data Link” sends and receives an acoustic wave capable of 15MHz data rates, enough to transmit video by essentially hammering ever-so-slightly on the walls. BAE impressed submarine commanders by streaming Das Boot right through their three-inch hulls, and while metadrama is obviously the killer app here, the company claims it will also save millions by replacing the worrisome wiring that’s physically routed via holes in a submarine’s frame. See the company’s full US patent application at our more coverage link.

UK defense firm pumps data through solid submarine walls originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wireless gamepads are more convenient, but for latency, copper trumps 2.4GHz. What to do? Build hybrid controllers that can instantly cut the cord. It seems that’s what Microsoft’s thinking, as the company applied for a patent on just such a controller in March, using infrared, Bluetooth or RF technologies alongside a wired (possibly USB) connection and switch between the two “without permanent disruption to an ongoing game.” Of course, dual-mode controllers have been around for months in a slightly different form — Microsoft’s own Sidewinder X8 and the Razer Mamba did the same for the high-end gaming mouse. It also doesn’t bode well that this particular application clearly describes the original chunky Xbox.

Note: As some of you have surmised in comments, this is similar to how the PlayStation 3’s controllers work, though they hardly perform the task seamlessly. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit doesn’t interrupt a game, but only uses the physical cable to charge a controller’s battery pack.

Microsoft patent application cuts controller cords, sews them back together originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Past Apple patent applications have already offered some evidence that the company is at least thinking about NFC-enhanced apps on the iPhone, and a recently published application has now tossed out one more possible application: instant product research. That would apparently be done using either NFC (or near field communication) or a simple barcode scan, which would let you easily access product reviews, user manuals and other information about products before you purchase them — the application even includes the example of an NFC-enabled restaurant menu that would let you check nutritional information before you order. Somewhat interestingly, both this and Apple’s previous NFC-related patent application use “+” in the app’s names (Products+ and Concert Tickets+), although that could simply be the work of one patent attorney, and not evidence of an overarching Apple strategy.

Apple patent application details instant product research via iPhone, more NFC possibilities originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like the battle for e-reader dominance between Amazon and Barnes & Noble could soon expand beyond the recent spate of price drops and into the courtroom as well: the USPTO just granted a 2006 Amazon patent on e-readers with secondary LCD displays (like the original Kindle’s scroller-navigation panel), and several of the claims are potentially broad enough to cover the Nook and many other devices with both electronic paper and LCD displays. What’s more, Amazon agreed not to file for any corresponding foreign patents during the four-year approval process and thus wasn’t required to publish the patent application — meaning this is likely a complete surprise to the entire industry. Yeah, it’s juicy. Here’s one of the claims that could cause problems for Barnes & Noble — in plain English, it potentially covers any device with both an electronic paper display and a second smaller LCD display next to it.

A handheld electronic device comprising: a housing; an electronic paper display disposed in the housing and having a first surface area; and a liquid crystal display (LCD) disposed in the housing proximate the electronic paper display, the LCD having a second surface area that is smaller than the first surface area of the electronic paper display.

That’s pretty sweeping — it doesn’t take much to look at the Nook and see that it has both an electronic ink display and a smaller LCD located next to it. Now, we don’t know if Amazon has any plans to actually sue anyone over this patent yet, but we’re guessing there’s a flurry of legal activity happening at all the major e-reader manufacturers right now, and we’re definitely curious to see what the fallout looks like — remember, Barnes & Noble is already involved in a trade secret dispute over the Nook with Spring Design, which claims that B&N saw its Alex reader under NDA and then copied it for the Nook. That case isn’t scheduled to wrap up before November, so there’s a chance B&N and Spring Design could end up simultaneously fighting each other in one case while taking on Amazon as allies in another, which would be… messy. We’ll see what happens — while we’ve no doubt Barnes & Noble will put up a serious fight if it comes to that, we’re curious to see if the shift away from e-reader development to general-use tablets hastens as the market contracts, margins shrink, and the cost of litigation becomes prohibitive. The ball’s very definitely in Amazon’s court now — stay tuned.

[Thanks, Anand]

Amazon Kindle dual-screen e-reader patent granted, Barnes & Noble Nook potentially in trouble originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We were just starting to get over the Courier, moving on after the tantalizing first reveal, the delish conceptual walkthrough, the heartbreaking cancellation, and the inevitable fallout. Now, Microsoft is dragging us back down memory lane with the receipt of a new patent covering the design of the thing. It was filed back on January 19, right after the CES that we’d (futilely) hoped would give us a glimpse of Courier in the flesh, and that patent has just now been approved. So, Microsoft officially owns the design of the thing, and the question now is whether they’ll ever actually do anything with it other than sprinkle mementos like this about from time to time and remind us what might have been. You’re a cruel mistress, Steve Ballmer.

[Thanks, Basil]

Microsoft’s new ‘dual display device’ patent re-opens old Courier wounds originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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