Cell Phone Hub

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

The US Patent and Trademark Office has revealed a mammoth document that can only be described as The iPhone Patent, a 371-page spectacular that covers Apple's handheld multi-touch UI paradigm in excruciating detail. Many of the mocked-up screen shots depicted in the paperwork are dead ringers for screens that we're well acquainted with in the production phone, while others represent ideas that either haven't finished cooking or eventually found their way into the Cupertino circular file (follow the break for a picture of a home screen with dedicated "Blog" and dictionary apps, for instance). The application also mentions "modules" for video conferencing, GPS, and other currently non-existent (though widely expected) functionality. And in case there's any doubt over who was responsible for this compendium of legalese, industrial design, and technical diagrams, one only need look at the header of page 1: "Jobs et al." Yep, Steve himself wasn't the least bit shy about taking credit atop an entire column of company A-listers for inventing the iPhone's trademark user interface, which we're guessing came about from a mix of equal parts truth, ego, and ass-kissing from the legal department down the hall. Seriously though, if you're Scott Forstall down there at number two on the Inventors list, what are you going to do -- go boardroom showdown all John Sculley-style?

[Via Cellpassion]

Continue reading The iPhone patent: Steven P. Jobs, inventor

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Filed under: Cellphones

We now have official word from Samsung regarding the browser on its new Samsung L870 slider. You may recall that the Samsung-issued press release listed "Safari browser (full browsing)" as a feature. Now the clarification:

"Actually, L870 is equipped with S60 OSS browser, also known as S60 safari browser because both are using same webcore platform. Sorry again for the unclear specification, and bothering you with this."

Of course, the S60 browser has never been known, even informally, as the "S60 safari browser," but we'll let Samsung bang heads together internally over that one.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

As always, Apple is busy at the patent office this week, with two recently uncovered filings to make life just a little bit easier for Mr. Joe Person Man. The first of these is a system to track how far away you are from a cell tower, and to warn you via your phone when you're about to drop your call -- with similar applications for GPS and WiFi devices. The other patent is a Bluetooth-based system to track down lost objects like keys or your Bluetooth headset via the age old method of "you're getting hotter" and you're getting colder." Sure, Apple's version might have a fancy readout on the phone display, but it's the same basic principle -- no triangulation going on here. Of course, Apple patents all sorts of crazy stuff that never makes it to market, but at least these two have a semblance of possibility.

[Thanks, Mark]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Transportation

It's been a hot minute since Griffin Technology loosed a new iTrip, but the newest member of the family is one we can't help but high-five. The iTrip AutoPilot not only charges and transmits iPod audio to your FM stereo, but it also does the same with Apple's iPhone. As expected, the device plugs into one's cigarette adapter on one end while sliding into a Dock Connector on the other; the SmartScan technology will do its best to locate the clearest frequency for transmitting on, and it will then display said station so you can dial in with your radio. Not a half bad piece for $99.99 -- 'tis a shame FM transmitters are all but worthless in even modestly large cities.

[Via Macworld]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Would you look at that: a thick slab of iPhone meat in a Sony Ericsson and HTC sandwich. The iPhone's big screen is nice and all but the device is starting to look a bit portly given that the Xperia X1 sports a QWERTY with chewy HSDPA data, the latter shared with the Raphael Touch Diamond. Tasty, regardless.

Update: Er, that's not the HTC Raphael, it's their Touch Diamond.

[Via WMExperts, thanks Al]

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Filed under: Cellphones

We've seen plenty of gear co-branded by high-end automakers, but only Ducati's really putting out bike-themed gear, and the latest gadget to get dressed up in cycle gear is the Sony Ericsson Z770 flip phone. Due out in Italy this June, the Ducati Z770 isn't anything particularly special apart from that paint job and a special Ducati-themed HBH DS-220 headset, but if you're into tri-band GSM non-smartphones with slightly better browsers, it's not a bad piece of kit. Just remember to take your keys out of your bike when you wander off chatting away, alright?

[Via UnwiredView]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Don't be ashamed, you're out to get every last morsel of Kickstart goodness before RIM's first flip phone ever hits the market. On the docket today is a half dozen slides detailing the Flip Experience, essentially spilling the painfully mundane minutiae of how the handset will function while talking, receiving a text message, showing alerts and playing music. Nothing too mesmerizing or unexpected, but the Matt Damon hateration is totally out of left field.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Take this one with a huge grain of salt, but some enterprising members of the MacRumors forums went poking around the iPhone SDK files and unearthed what might be an icon representation of the 3G iPhone. (We looked ourselves and it's definitely there.) There's only one tiny image (scaled up on the left), but it's clearly different from the other iPhone icons in the bundle, and it matches up nicely with some of the other leaked images we've been seeing. Of course, this is more likely a bad render or even just temporary art for the SDK, but things certainly seem like they're starting to domino here -- June 9 can't get here fast enough, can it, Steve?

[Thanks, Michael]

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Filed under: Cellphones

It may not be the largest photograph you've ever seen, but unless you work for Helio or Pantech, we'd be willing to wager a few pennies that it's the largest shot of the Ocean 2 you've ever seen. Dual sliders always get the blood pumping, so head on over to Mobile for a few leaked details of the phone that'll end up sitting atop Helio's lineup -- eventually, anyway!

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Filed under: Cellphones

Well, would you look at that -- our good friend Deutsche Telekom seems to have lost a lawsuit it filed against rival European wireless carrier Telia over its use of the color magenta in its logo. The Danish Eastern Regional High Court today ruled that Telia and DT don't compete directly in the Danish market and that Telia isn't using the same magenta shade, leading the court to overturn an injunction DT sought against Telia's use of the color. On top of that, the court further ruled that Deutsche Telekom has to fork over 1.5M kroner ($316,188) in court costs and attorneys' fees to Telia, which probably stings a little more than having to share a color. Of course, now that magenta is the People's Color, maybe DT should look into playing a little nicer, don't you think?

[Thanks, Andreas]

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