Tag Archives: patents

I remember my roommate, way back in 1986, laboriously stringing together phonemes with Apple‘s Macintalk software to get his Mac to utter a few sentences. It was pioneering at the time — anybody else remember the Talking Moose’s jokes? But boy, have things improved since then. Publishing a new round of papers on its new …

Using your face may be the best way to unlock the upcoming iPhone 8. The iPhone is reported to come with 3D sensors for facial recognition that can allegedly sense your face in millionths of a second, according to The Korea Herald. In order to celebrate the original iPhone’s 10th anniversary, Apple is rumored to be releasing a dramatically redesigned …

A key US agency has officially stepped into the legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm.  The US International Trade Commission, which has the power to ban products from entering the country, confirmed on Tuesday it will investigate Qualcomm’s complaint that Apple was illegally using its cellular technology in iPhones powered by modems made by Intel. Qualcomm is seeking to bar all iPhones …

Apple is working on a screen that would allow for increased privacy on portable devices such as the iPhone and iPad, according to a patent application published Thursday. Apple’s application, entitled “Displays With Adjustable Angles-of-View,” discusses using an electrically adjustable lens array that can modify backlight illumination to narrow the display’s angle of view. While larger and wider screens have …

Apple is being sued over an Apple TV feature that stops you missing a moment in a movie or TV show. According to MacRumors, Florida company CustomPlay, which makes companion apps for movies, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple over the “What did he say?” feature in Apple TV’s tvOS software. This feature rewinds a movie or TV show …

Have you looked at your speaker before and thought “Gosh, I wish I could buy one of these from Facebook.” Well, whether you have or not, DigiTimes says Facebook is working on a speaker of its own. The device, which according to rumors will include a 15-inch touchscreen, is slated for release in early 2018. A Facebook spokeswoman declined to …

Qualcomm is defending itself against critics who say its patent dispute with Apple is really about quashing competition. Earlier this month Qualcomm filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission, accusing Apple’s iPhones of infringing six of its mobile patents. As part of the filing, Qualcomm wants the ITC to ban the import of certain iPhones that don’t use …

Modular phones sound like a great idea: Add the bits you want to custom-build your own dream smartphone. So far, however, Google’s Project Ara and LG haven’t managed to make them work. Perhaps Facebook could give it a go next, as the social network attempts to patent a modular device. Business Insider spotted the new patent application, published Thursday, for a …

Intel has jumped into the fray surrounding the Apple-Qualcomm patent spat by accusing the world’s biggest maker of mobile phone chips of trying to use the courts to snuff out competition. The chip giant made the allegation late Thursday in a public statement (PDF) to US International Trade Commission. The commission had requested the statement as part of its investigation …

Apple could be angling for another way to get its Siri personal assistant into your home. Last month, the iPhone maker debuted the HomePod, a high-end speaker with Siri built in. But if a patent just granted to Apple is any indication, the company could be looking to enable Siri with more hardware. The patent is called “Smart dock for …