However, Windows RT tablets had a tough time taking off, and as I’m writing this, Microsoft is still struggling to move a critical mass of Surface units.

So what can Nokia do to differentiate its tablets from the competing products? How about ship them with integrated physical keyboard/cover? That’s exactly what this patent application suggests the Finns are working on.

Then again, the patent was filed back in October 2011 and I presume Nokia is “working” on timing, to see whether there’s money to be made from Windows RT (or that’s Windows 8?) tablets. We want to see them entering this market as we’re sure they have the expertise to make an awesome product. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear something new on this…

[Via: Unwired View]

Geo-tagging photos is hardly anything new, but Google wants to use your geo-location in a different way to provide you with a better camera experience. Essentially, the patent application want to utilize your location to tweak your camera settings by getting the weather in your area. From there, white balance and other settings will automatically change to give you the best possible photo without the user needing to do anything.

With camera settings becoming more complex, some end users may not want to dig through everything just to change something minor. With this method, those simple tweaks can be handled on the fly, just by opening the camera app.

No, this is hardly a feature that the world has been begging for, but we can’t say it would hurt to have. Then again, you might just throw a bunch of filter on the photo anyway, so who knows how helpful it really will be if it begins to ship in Android devices one day.

[Via: Engadget, USPTO, 1]

As you probably know, the eye-tracking technology took a center stage at Galaxy S4′s announcement event, enabling such features as Smart Stay, Smart Pause and Smart Scrolling (though Smart Stay was available in Galaxy S III as well). That’s all nice, but LG says it was first to file patents that would allow for these capabilities. In fact, the company says it applied for a number of eye-recognition technology patents back in August 2009, and now they want to review potential patent infringement when the Galaxy S4 is launched.

Naturally, Samsung denied any infringement, claiming that its technology works in different ways to LG’s, and is therefore not subject to litigation.

As I’m writing this, we don’t know what will be the effects of these claims but I doubt Galaxy S4 will stop selling as a result. In the worst case, Samsung will have to pay a certain fee to LG to keep using the technology in its phones. That, of course, is just a speculation and we’ll rather have to wait and see where this goes…

[Via: TNW]

Sammy is already selling a similar product, Galaxy Camera, but it’s obvious it won’t be their last smart camera. In fact, the “NX” suffix is usually associated with the company’s mirrorless digital cameras, hinting us that their next camera could be a real Android-powered powerhouse.

Unfortunately, we’ve no idea when Samsung will launch the first Galaxy NX camera though we’ll make sure to keep our eyes wide open only to get back to you the minute we have something new to add to the story. Stay tuned in the meantime…

[Via: SammyHub]

During last year, the EPO received a total of 257,744 patent filings from all over the world, representing a 5.2% increase over 2011 (244,934). 65,687 patents have been granted, which is 5.8% more than in 2011 (62,115).

Among the top ten firms were four European companies, four companies from Asia and two from the USA. For the first time, the ranking was topped by an Asian company – Samsung, followed by Siemens and BASF. Another company that has a stake in the mobile industry, Ericsson, took the 9th spot just ahead of China’s ZTE, which broke into the top ten for the first time, advancing from 43rd position.

Of all the patents granted, the lion’s share (49.7%) went to European companies…

[Via: Cellular-News]

Apple has a few different designs in mind for the watch. One is typical slap bracelet that can be quickly and easily wrapped around a wrist to comfortably take the shape of the person wearing it. The flexible touchscreen display would be embedded in the bracelet for added conformity. The other frames the display on top of the bracelet.

The application for a “Bi-stable spring with flexible display” was first submitted in August 2011, which is interestingly somewhat around the time when the a lot of watch accessories for the square sixth-generation iPod nano were churning out. This watch, however, would connect to a separate device via Bluetooth or WiFi to display notifications and other information. It sounds much like the Kickstarter-funded Pebble, no?

What would really benefit the iWatch would be Siri integration, so if you get a notification say for a text message, you can quickly reply by tapping a button on the watch and speaking a command to Siri that would send out your message for you.

A quick visit to patentlyapple.com might leave you skeptical about the iWatch since you’ll find there that Apple has a tendency to file patents for a plethora of wild visions that never make it to market, but because this watch has been in the media for quite some time now, perhaps the patent does have significant credibility.

[via AppleInsider]

Nokia apparently found Samsung using its intellectual property without proper authorization. In other words, the Finnish company is wary about Samsung copying their technology in its own devices.

Samsung maintains that the components subsidiary treats Samsung Electronics as just another customer and has a strict internal firewall to avoid leaks but the site’s source claims the firewall is “about as sturdy as a pile of kimchi.” The source goes on suggesting Samsung pretty much stole a portion of OLED screen technology from Nokia.

While we support open innovation, we do realize companies need to protect the results of R&D efforts that cost millions of dollars. And with Samsung pretty much making more money than any other handset maker today (aside from Apple), they’ll have to put in extra efforts to convince all the parties they do keep the balance between the two different units they run…

Apple will be able to sell its handset using the iPhone name, but it won’t be the only iGame in town. Gradiente has its own “iphone”, an Android-based device that can handle two SIM cards at once. That, however, doesn’t make it better, it’s just a different kind of product running different platform.

Suddenly buying an iPhone in Brazil isn’t as easy as doing it in other parts of the world…

[Via: TheVerge]

We’ve no idea what Nokia plans are regarding this design and honestly we don’t find these phones to be super attractive. In fact, somehow they [phones] remind us on the iPhone 3G/3GS, and that design is kinda outdated today… or so I think.

In any case, we’re looking for an interesting show in Barcelona when Nokia may bless us with some cool, high-end smartphones and perhaps a tablet. Can’t wait…

[Via: TheVerge]

The patent application we’ve caught was filed back in August 2011, but has only recently became public. The idea is to use images instead of numbers to unlock a phone, tablet or even computer.

Here’s how Apple envisions this system:

• Once you press the button, the screen will appear showing you one or multiple images.
• You should now identify that image either by typing the “correct answer” or saying it to the device’s microphone. If you answered correctly, you’ll be allowed to use the device.

Of course, it won’t be Apple that will define these image, but you. The process envisions detecting images on your phone, tablet or computer and prompting you to associate some words with them. Every time you want to unlock the phone, you can be presented with a new image.

Sounds interesting though I prefer Android’s Face Unlock. It’s not only easier to use, but also more secure. What do you think?

[Via: Unwired View]