Jan 02

Apple patent reveals ‘iPhone gloves’ for warmer hands-on experience

Posted in: Apple, capacitive, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, patent, patents, Today's Chili, touchscreen

A new Apple patent has been found that will assuredly warms the hearts (and hands) of many iPhone users currently enduring a cold winter. Originally filed a day before the iPhone’s June 28, 2007 launch, it details a glove with a thin, electrically conductive, “anti-sticky” inner layer that is able to function with a capacitive touchscreen. It also suggests the glove could have apertures on the fingertips for opening and closing the more protective outer layer. Of course, the concept is far from new — just do a quick Google search for “iPhone gloves” to see a wide variety of choices — and Apple doesn’t really dabble in this sort of iPhone / iPod accessory, but if Phil keeps his hands in his pockets for the first half of the Macworld keynote, we’re gonna start to get ideas.

[Via Apple Insider; thanks, Shawn]

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Apple patent reveals ‘iPhone gloves’ for warmer hands-on experience originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 26

Nokia dreams up four-way folding Communicator

Posted in: nokia, patent, patent application, PatentApplication, Today's Chili

Not that Nokia’s current Communicator is in need of a major refacing or anything, but we’re always up for some innovation. A recent patent application from the outfit showcases a completely bizarre four-way folding Communicator, chock full of hinges, keys and pixels. In fact, the verbiage spells out a future device consisting of “at least four device parts,” leaving open the option for a handset that miraculously unfolds to completely envelope you in a glass case of emotion. Hit the read link for the full dream spilled out in entirely too much detail.

[Via Cellpassion]

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Nokia dreams up four-way folding Communicator originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 17:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dec 26

Apple files patent for gesture-based text editing

Posted in: Apple, multitouch, patent, Today's Chili, touchscreen

An Apple patent unearthed by Mac Rumors named Swipe Gestures for Touch Screen Keyboards suggests a future direction the company might be taking which would substantially change interaction with devices like the iPhone. According to the document, the new system would allow for simple finger gestures like swipes to the left or right to control basic functions of text editing. Some movements outlined in the application include a left swipe for deletion of characters, right swipes for a space, and a swipe down in place of the return key. Of course, these types of gestures are nothing new (and frankly, nothing patentable we suspect), as applications on the company’s own devices — namely the jailbreak-only MobileTerminal — feature almost this exact implementation of gesture control, and Microsoft has had a similar (albeit stylus-based) concept in WinMo for years. Still, adding in this functionality to the software’s existing tools would likely improve navigation and input, and opens the door for solutions to the lingering (and annoying) copy / paste problems Apple seems to have.

[Via Mac Rumors]

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Apple files patent for gesture-based text editing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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