Gearfuse

Don’t you hate when you buy a brand-new gadget, take it out of the package, power that sucker on, only to discover that you have about 30 seconds of battery life to play with before the thing is tapped out. Apple, always thinking ahead, has submitted a patent which would allow their iPhone and iPod Touch gadgets to be charged while still in their packaging.

This “active packaging” would allow “power, data, or both power and data to one or more electronic media devices housed within the packaging.” Data too, huh? Does that mean a constant data feed to each device? That would keep all of their devices updated constantly.

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A freshly released Apple patent reveals that even though Apple isn’t saying much about the future of the iPhone, they’ve still got plenty of ideas up their sleeves over at Cupertino. The new patent reveals a tweaked UI which adjusts even further to assist the user’s needs, altering logo and interface-element sizes when you’re focus might be somewhere other than your phone. But the big news here is the appearance of a front-facing camera. What does this mean for the average iPhone user? We see video conferencing in your future (or at least just plain old video capability, if nothing else).

Video has been a long-rumored and desired feature on the iPhone. The front-facing camera at least proves that Apple is toying with the idea.

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A newly revealed patent suggests that Apple has been pondering the concept of a unibody iPod. The unibody designs which Apple have already displayed through their use in last year’s MacBooks, MacBook Pros and the MacBook Air proves that the stark design allows for thinner devices made with a stronger architecture and sturdier material.

The patent reveals a unibody iPod Classic, appearing to be made out of one uniform piece, rather than a separate front and rear unit. This could only mean one thing. Thinner, stronger devices for all. Pretty groovy in our book.

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This could be the worst idea ever, if it’s done the wrong way. While in principle, Activison recently filing for a trademark on the title “Sing Hero” is the logical step forward, this could spell some bad news for us. Of course, Sing Hero will be some sort of faux-music themed game, like Guitar Hero. So, not only will we have 10-year-olds running around thinking they are the next Eddie Van Halen, but we’re going to have even more American Idol wannabes who, frankly, can’t sing for shit.

I mean, look, we already have to bullshit when our girlfriends ask us how their voice is as they sing along to the newest fresh pop beat. That generic falsetto which they think makes them sound like Christina Aguilera? Yeah, that doesn’t cut it in our book. Now, if Sing Hero is made to judge singing accurately, we can see the game being mighty successful, but please, don’t fill our girlfriends with any more hope.

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Palm and other smartphone manufacturers are super-fucked right now. “Why?” you ask? It’s quite simple, really. See, Steve Jobs and his crew at Apple designed and invented multi-touch gesturing on a device. Don’t believe me? Might want to check out United States Patent Number 7,479,949, which states:

“Touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics.”

Yeah. Well. Shit. If I worked for Palm right now, I’d pretty much fucking quit. How you going to beat that shit? Huh? Resistance is futile. Take a bite of the Apple already, ’cause that iPhone sure is tasty.

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Holy shit. Apparently Miyamoto still has some ideas lodged in that adolescent skull of his. Nintendo has recently filed a patent application in the US for a system that will potentially aid gamers via computer controlled characters in sections too difficult for the player to overcome. This idea comes straight from Miyamoto who is worried that some games are too difficult for players to proceed through and the gamer’s ambition to play ends prematurely because of this.

This new patent should help prevent such situations and assist newbies too novice enough to pass tricky puzzles in Nintendo games aimed at five-year-olds. So, if you find yourself lost, having no idea where the next dungeon is, allow the computer to take control of your character to show you the correct route. It beats playing through the game yourself and accomplishing success all on your own. In the immortal words of Homer J. Simpson: “Can’t someone else do it?”

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Nikola Tesla represents what every American hopes to be, despite having been born in Austria. Intelligent, business savvy and I heard he never wore white after Labor Day; not to mention the insane amount of ingenious patents of his that still apply to this day and age. Let’s face it: he was a bigger pimp than Edison and not nearly as much of a prima donna.

Needless to say, I’m a fan. So, when I saw that the writers of Hack N Mod had compiled a gallery of their favorite Tesla coil creations I just couldn’t contain myself. Notice how they all light up like a Christmas tree. It brings tears to my little Jewish eyes.

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Who would have thought that a watch belonging to one of the most brilliant minds in history, Albert Einstein, would go for so cheap? This Swiss watch owned and operated by the famous patent clerk, himself, will be sold at an auction next month and could earn around 20,000 to 30,000 dollars.  That’s pretty cheap considering its previous owner.  There’s nothing special about the 14-carat gold watch in design, but it’s got Einstein’s name on it. That alone should attract many interested buyers.

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Back in the day when the Nintendo Wii was first released, there were a whole bunch of broken TVs thanks to Wiimotes thrown in fits of anger at the ‘cheating’ computer character in the game. Philips has a recently revealed patent that shows a gaming system which not only encourages, but demands that you toss around your peripherals. (more…)

The iPod Touch is great for people who want an iPhone-like interface, but what about those of us who love the original “iPod Classic” look and feel, but want some sort of modern advancement? Jobs and Co. are on it, with a recently revealed patent showing a revamp of the scroll wheel system.

The scroll wheel thankfully remains present in the patent, though takes a lesson from its touchy-feely counterparts, integrating a touch pad which provides a visual feedback with light when it’s touched, depending on the function you are using. The patent discusses different ways that light can be used to provide an interactive interface. Pretty interesting stuff for us iPod freaks. — Andrew Dobrow

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