If you’re like us, you’ve been craving some next-generation iPhone news since CES 2010 wrapped last week. Well, today a new patent application from Apple gives us a little taste of a new feature in the next major iPhone OS update. The patent application hints at a new homescreen Contacts apps that would gives users easy access to information tied to the contacts in your address book. It’s possible that Apple is considering a new contacts management system that would aggregate all communications from a particular contact into one convenient app or service.
The patent app describes the tech thusly:
The icon can also be used to invoke one or more applications that are personalized to the contact. The icon can be modified to display information related to the contact. In one aspect, an icon associated with an entity can be temporarily displayed on the mobile device based on the proximity of the mobile device to the entity.
HTC has been doing this sort of thing for years now. The Taiwanese smartphone maker touts their “people-centric” user interface that allows users to easily organize all communications (phone calls, emails, messages, calendar events, etc.) according to the contact associated with those messages. HTC’s people-centric philosophy is an essential pillar of their Sense design philosophy, and it’s been doing wonders for the company’s success in the smartphone space.
Apple might be following in HTC’s footsteps. We have yet to hear any official word on iPhone OS 4.0, but if this patent application is an indication of things to come, Apple’s iPhone will soon be able to aggregate and organize all messages according to address book contacts. As for when we’ll know more, word on the street has Apple making some sort of announcement at a January 27th event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Stay tuned!
[Via: RedmondPie]