patents

Apple Patent Would Turn Your Friend’s iPhones Into a Lighting Kit

If you’ve ever been on the set of a professional photography shoot, you’ll notice the photographer doesn’t just rely on a single camera-mounted flash. Instead, they use a series of strategically positioned flashes, all tethered together so they function as one, to precisely control where and how much light is hitting the subject. And that approach is very similar to a patent Apple originally filed back in 2011 that could dramatically improve your iPhone’s photography prowess.


Jawbone’s Acquisition Of BodyMedia Is (Sadly) All About Patents

Like the smartphone patent wars of yesterday, there’s a new arms race happening, and it’s all about wearables. Similar to the spats going on between Google, Apple, Microsoft and smartphone makers, it won’t matter to me or you. At least not anytime soon.


Foxconn Is Microsoft’s Biggest Patent Licencee (Of, Uh, Android Patents…?)

Foxconn has become Microsoft’s biggest single patent licencee. While that might not be surprising — the Taiwanese manufacturer produces an amazing 40 per cent of the world’s consumer electronic devices — the fact that the patents are over Android might be.


GE Frees Up ‘Thousands’ Of Patents To Fuel Your Imagination

Today, at an event in New York, GE announced that it will open up about 1000 patents from its library of some 20,000 to inventors using Quirky’s crowdsourced product development platform. That means that if you’re bright enough, you can use a GE patent to invent something.


Could Adjusting Your Cameraphone Settings Based On The Weather Improve Your Shots?

Like it or not, compared to a DSLR, or even a point-and-shoot, your smartphone’s camera sucks. They’ve gotten considerably better over the years, and they will continue to improve, but their tiny sensors and limited optics means image quality, and their ability to accurately process a scene still have a long way to go.


Apple Wants To Add Copy Protection To Your Display Using This Patent

Ah, poor HDCP. Known in expanded form as High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection, it was designed to lock down one of the few remaining unsecured links in the media consumption chain — the connection between computer and display. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t really work out and Apple, unsatisfied with the status quo, has decided to file a patent on a similar system.


Twitter Just Patented Itself

Twitter has finally patented the unique style of communication that its messaging service provides. The patent, issued yesterday, describes a system where users follow each other and messages don’t have specific recipients.


German Court ‘Inclined’ To Ban Google Maps

A German trial, which is seeing Google and Motorola battle Microsoft, appears to be going badly for the search giant. So badly, in fact, that a German judge has stated that he’s “inclined” to ban Google Maps in the country.


Apple’s Slap Bracelet Patent Doesn’t Tell Us Much About An iWatch

By this point, it’s safe to say that Apple is at least considering the exploration of the hypothetical idea of testing a wearable iWatch-type product. So does this newly unearthed Apple patent, which shows off what amounts to a digital slap bracelet, shed new light on the company’s intentions?


RED Sues Sony For Alleged Patent Infringement

If you’re not familiar with RED cameras, you’re missing out on a crazy world of high-end cinema tech. Chances are if you’ve ever watched The Hobbit, Prometheus or The Informant!, you’ve seen what a RED Camera can do. Today RED Cameras opened up a can of legal hurt on Sony, alleging via a lawsuit that the Japanese camera giant is infringing on its patents. RED doesn’t just want damages, though: it wants to pulp Sony’s pro-camera business.


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