| JBundy |
01-27-2009 09:55 AM |
Are the attributes of the Palm Pré an intellectual property conflict?
Quote:
Originally Posted by savior02
(Post 658783)
Palm's Pre handset, which has been recently unveiled by the company at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is rumored to have a possible launch in the first half of the year. While the device is somehow expected to land in the May-June time frame, some recent reports suggest that we might see it on the market as soon as next month, on the 15th of February, to be more precise. According to a TreoCentral reader, the word comes from a source that also leaked the launch date of the company's Treo 800w handset. Moreover, it seems that the Palm Pre will require an active data plan as a prerequisite for its purchase. However, besides this, there is little evidence that the company would make such an early move with its device. The upcoming Palm Pre seems to get a lot of attention these days, as it comes with nice features and a brand new platform, the webOS, which seems rather intriguing for some. The handset sports a 3.1-inch touchscreen display which supports multi-touch gestures, a 3-megapixel camera, 8GB of internal storage space, aGPS and WiFi connectivity. The phone is expected to become one of the best-featured smartphones on the market and a powerful competitor for the Apple's iPhone. The device's software platform, webOS, also brings along a wide range of new and exciting features. According to the company, the operating system features an intuitive, multitasking user interface, while being able to provide fast and easy access to Internet browsing. For the time being, Palm hasn't yet unveiled the complete specifications for its Pre smartphone, which suggests that it is not ready yet to have the device on the market. The company is expected to put up a big launch, and there have been no marketing actions so far, which would suggest that the rumor about a February release are not too close to reality. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Palm-...h-102607.shtml
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There's been quite a lot of press lately on the Palm Pré ripping off Apple's iPhone's intellectual properties and that issue likely the cause behind any delays in the Pré's release. Here's one for you litigation buffs: Does the Palm Pré infringe on the recent patent granted to Apple? Get some coffee, read along and click and read each link: Apple awarded key "multi-touch" patent covering the iPhone
By Zach Spear
Published: 09:00 PM EST
Apple last week was awarded a monstrous 358-page patent covering the touch screen, graphical user interface, and methods that combine to define the iPhone user experience.
Dating back to September of 2007 and granted last Tuesday, U.S. Patent No. 7479949 lists many inventors; notably, Apple co-founder and chief executive Steve Jobs, iPhone software director Scott Forstall, and FingerWorks co-founder Wayne Westerman. (FingerWorks was responsible for gadgets with an opaque surface that could respond to gesture controls before being acquired by Apple to aid its multi-touch efforts several years ago.)
The filing is essentially a summary and overview of all the technologies that come together in the iPhone. In the patent, Apple claims coverage for the device itself, the way gestures like pinches and zooms are detected, and the software the device runs. Also mentioned are many other different details and aspects of the multi-touch user interface, such as a finger swipe, a two-thumb twist, and a method of determining which object was intended when a touch seems to cover both.
Apple interim chief executive Tim Cook recently promised to aggressively pursue any company or person who "rips off" Apple's intellectual property, and this patent affords the Cupertino-based iPhone maker the footing it would need to mount any such defense.
In detail
In setting a tone for the filing, Apple described how portable phones received more and more pushbuttons to control new features, but the inability to adapt the input methods to match the application running is a problem. Thus, a touchscreen device is a better choice; however, gestures can be difficult to interpret or translate into the commands the user actually wants the device to perform.
"Accordingly, there is a need for touch-screen-display electronic devices with more transparent and intuitive user interfaces," the filing reads. These improved devices can take input and interpret it as "precise, intended commands that are easy to use, configure, and/or adapt. Such interfaces increase the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with portable multifunction devices."
Future features?
There are also some interesting aspects of the filing that may hint at future plans for the iPhone and iPod, such as "a blogging application" and "a digital video camera application" -- both of which have been mentioned in previous coverage of the patent. Similarly, voice-activated dialing could someday be a feature, as the document refers to audio circuitry that "converts the electrical signal [from human sound waves] to audio data and transmits the audio data to the peripherals interface for processing."
Apple mentions a touchpad for activating or deactivating functions. The patent describes it as a "touch-sensitive area of the device that, unlike the touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad may be a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the touch screen or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch screen."
Interestingly, this is a feature Palm is already touting about its upcoming Pre handset. According to Palm's press release: "[The Pre has a] gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation." The gesture area is separate from the touch screen.
Final Observations
Along with covering the iPhone, the patent filing is notable for referencing 40 other existing patents, and for naming Jobs first among its inventors. Its granted status was first reported Monday by WorldOfApple.
Follow up on Google News. |
