That thing up there is a concept sketch uncovered inside a Samsung patent application, which hints at a very odd, clamshell future for the company's Android hardware plans. Read More >
Some more amazing developments have emerged from the European patent war hotbed, with news today that Motorola has managed to win an injunction against Xbox and Windows 7 in Germany. Read More >
That swanky surround-sound system might have eight point one channels, but you've got to be sitting at their precise focal point to get the full effect. This newly-filed Microsoft patent application will track listeners throughout the room and provide 3D audio regardless of their position. Read More >
Featured comment by snapper.fishes:
"Installing something like this in a museum will be awesome. Set up a virtual palace with fake cardboard people from the medieval era. Walk close to th..." More »
Twitter is calling for an industry-wide armistice in the intellectual property wars. Today it announced the Innovator's Patent Agreement (IPA), a pact that it will not use employees' patents for offensive measures, but rather to protect itself when it is necessary. Read More >
Featured comment by Glenbot3000:
"Personally, I would class Twitter as software - it's an application ran via a browser to facilitate efficient and instantaneous communication. In my o..." More »
Is there a light at the end of the clusterfuck of a tunnel that is the industry-wide patent wars? According to Foss Patents, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung's chief Gee-Sung Choi will supposedly meet in a San Francisco courtroom within the next 90 days to talk about a possible settlement. Read More >
Featured comment by The Cold hard penis of truth:
"I personally think they should televise the fight, and allow me to place bets on who wins the slapfight." More »
Apple has applied for a patent that would allow it to start selling "unibody" headphones, which would be constructed by welding their parts together then sanding away the joins. Read More >
You probably don't have the next Yelp on your hands, but you might have a killer idea, with no clue where to get started. But Apple wants to help you out. A new patent reveals that it could be cooking up an authoring tool that would let you build iOS apps, even if you don't know code. Read More >
In an internal memo sent out this morning, AOL informed employees that it will sell 800 patents for £650 million to Microsoft. Translation: AOL is severing organs and handing them over to Microsoft for badly needed cash. Microsoft, in turn, walks away with an arsenal of patents it can use to fight critical battles with bigger foes down the road. Read More >
A new Apple patent discovered by AppleInsider shows plans for new product packaging and that's... pretty boring. What is interesting about the new packaging though is that it may hint at future where iPhones and iPads would charge wirelessly. Read More >
Featured comment by News about packaging issue #1 | Product Packaging:
"[...] chief executive last year and now the firm has decided to discontinue his bold, b more… New Apple Patent Hints at Wireless Charging fo..." More »
We're getting to the point where 3D is about as likely as Dippin' Dots to be the future. And for all of its clumsy, forced iterations, there's maybe nowhere that third dimension has been less successful than in phones. This recently discovered Apple patent indicates that Cupertino's either going to cure all our 3D headaches with a better system, or taint one of our favourite gadgets with its crushing pointlessness. Read More >
The Patent Wars have been going on for so long that you start to forget why we're here. Who shot first—Apple? Samsung? Greedo? Paul M. Barrett at Businessweek has a great rundown on how we got here, and why everything stems back to Apple's crusade against Android. Read More >
Featured comment by Jynto:
"It makes me sad to think of the patent wars and how much money could have been spent on good things, but no they had to spend it on lawyers instead." More »
The Pull to Refresh action is a common gesture for mobile apps—used by the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Tweetbot, and Sparrow for a variety of commands. It may soon be a lot less common if the USPTO grants Twitter's patent request. Read More >
We see patents come and go all the time, but here's a crazy-ass one from Nokia: magnetic tattoos that vibrate to alert you to your phone. Talk about keeping in touch. Read More >
Featured comment by yeoldgreat1:
"To be fair to Nokia, we've seen loads of bizzare patents come from almost every company including Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc." More »
I bet when you're texting with friends you like to drop a :-) or maybe a ;-). If you're really up on your game, it's possible you toss in a (^_^). And because RIM and Samsung decided to include a quick-access key for these wonderful digital creations on their smartphones, some soulless patent trolls got all >:-O about it, and are taking the companies to court. Read More >
Featured comment by tw@panda:
"Looking at those emoticons, I can't think of a single reason why I'd need to use a smiling poo emote. Oh, hang on... patent trolls. That explains why ..." More »
You may just think of Yahoo as a crumbling facade vomiting money and talent and resources that's ruined or is ruining all of its most prestigious assets. (See: Flickr, Delicious, etc.) But worse, it's now trying to murder-suicide the Web. Read More >
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