It seems everybody is doing it (well, at least
Apple): sprinkle a bit of cellular radio in your
DAP and
presto, you're equipped with a replacement for your cellphone that likely already had those features albeit with a bit less storage space. Microsoft's patent application -- filed June 16th of last year -- is for a dynamic tiled interface for "improved user interface for mobile devices such as smartphones" and "personal digital assistants." The pic shows pretty much all the things you would expect on a PDA (but where is the dialer icon?) including music, weather tools, browser, flying saucer control (or is that a ship?), and, of course, a doggy. We kinda dig the concept of a tiled interface -- and who knows, if true, this may just give the
Zune a better whack at the oncoming iPhone behemoth.
[Via
Mad4MobilePhones]
posted Apr 18th 2007 4:47PM
copy cat
As always...what else is new?
Yes, what would a Microsoft product be without a doggy to help sniff out what you need during a file search. Maybe Clippy will see a comeback here!
I don't get how it's different from the iPhone interface shown at http://www.apple.com/iphone/. Microsoft's version only has three columns instead of four and no "dock" (and they moved some icons around at the top of the screen), but where is the innovation that makes it different and patentable?
iphone is not the first phone to use a icon based interfaces so what's the deal?
The patent was filed the beginning of last summer....way before the iPhone was even announced.
I myself am patiently awaiting the glorious return of Microsoft Bob. Such magnificence shan't be forgotten!!!
Shocking! Revolutionary! Late!
so it has 'tiles'...
like Windows 3.11....
*vomit
Well it had to start sometime...
How could it be a copy when Apple only released pictures of the iPhone a few months ago?
This patent is from June 2006, long before Apple made their announcement.
Four things to consider:
1) Large buttons as icons is an obvious solution for the thickness of human fingers.
2) The public unveiling of the iPhone was in January. Who knows when MS engineers had a glimpse of it.
3) Patent filing are public domain. Apple's patent was in long before last summer so MS could have put there own in based on a varied copy of Apple's patent. Unethical business practice, but illegal if MS can prove their idea is somehow different.
4) Throughout the human race's technological evolution, similar technology has sprung up in different places at the same approximate time without any "wrong doing" taking place.
Looks like the Newton :)
Thats because Apple has successfully patented the tile and square for use on a phone/pda/dap.
The "scale" icon is a hot key to see the status of the uncountable lawsuits against Microsoft.
"a dynamic tiled interface for "improved user interface for mobile devices such as smartphones" and "personal digital assistants." "
Sounds a lot like the Deepfish/ZenZui interface that Microsoft announced last month.
http://www.zenzui.com.
agreed. sounds like ZenZui
Like zuneone said... this was from a June 2006 patent application.
Though really, I don't think the Apple OR MS interface is patentable given the existence of Palm OS phones, Symbian etc ad nauseum.
From actually reading the link, what really differentiates this is the "dynamic" nature of the icons. They actually change based on information... Imagine a calendar icon that actually always has the right date, a weather icon that actually says the current temp, a music icon showing the album art of the current track/album...
Personally I think that's pretty cool.
And wow... the iPhone is SOOOOoooo original. Sheesh... Palm has had the Treo out for a LONG time now, and it could play music, make phone calls, surf the web, and so much more... all with a tiled interface... Hmmm... Guess anything Apple makes is always the first and the best... Like that revolutionary music playback device that pioneered the DAP market... the iPod (Guess the Rio people and such were really not making DAP's way back when).
Off the Apple bandwagon people.... its going nowhere fast. ;)
Key word is dynamic.
Haven't there always been tile interfaces for a long time. On my Sprint phone, there's different squares to activate content. On Windows Mobile phones, the programs are laid out on a grid, and each square on the grid, has a certain content. Isn't that a tile interface? The only thing Apple did different was add gloss and smaller sized icons to the menu. That's about it.
"Imagine a calendar icon that actually always has the right date, a weather icon that actually says the current temp, a music icon showing the album art of the current track/album..."
Don't have to imagine: I've had it for years on OS X.
iCal only shows the correct date when it's open, and iTunes certainly doesn't display track information on it's icon.
"iTunes certainly doesn't display track information on it's icon. "
But it can, with DockArt. http://www.tuaw.com/2007/03/16/dockart-change-your-itunes-icon-to-album-art/
That's probably what the parent poster was referring to.
Microsoft is doing this as a patent troll. If they get a patent and iPhone (or a subsequent version) infringes, then they can collect significant royalties on the patent. It doesn't mean that Microsoft is about to release a similar product.
The iPhone is hardly an iPod with Cellular radio added. Apple's upcoming smartphone has much more in common with a MacBook than an iPod. The operating system that runs on iPhone is a sibling of Mac OS X, and is probably VERY similar to the system which powers the AppleTV hardware.
As much as I dislike Windows Mobile, devices running this software, like the iPhone, are MUCH more than cellular audio players.
These are ultra-mobile, wireless computers, with mobile communications functions. Show some respect, dammit. :)
The deal is that if Apple does ANYTHING, and then Microsoft does ANYTHING ELSE, Microsoft is copying Apple.
In fact, Microsoft is copying Apple right now, because both companies are making money, and OBVIOUSLY Apple made money first. But Apple's money is white and a $1 bill cost 5 bucks, so it is better than the Microsoft money....
They're missing the ctrl+alt+del tile.. It'll be needed.
Not sure if this is a first, but I think it's time my company sued Microsoft. a) Our member maintained mini website directory at gonumber.com (see an example at http://porcini.gonumber.com ) uses tiled icons (click the Collapse icon top left to see) for access on mobile devices. b) We licensed or designed our icons last year. and c) Since 2003 we have called certain styles of the 'go sites' published at gonumber.com SPACECARDS, yet MS have started using Spacecard to describe their Spaces member profile pages.
At Matt,
theres is a plugin that you can install on OSX that will show you track information on iTunes, plus the album art, as the icon while running in the dock. Too bad I forgot the name of it though.
apparently apple people have nothing to do all day but prey on blogs about microsoft ey.
what makes you think this is for the zune and not windows mobile photon, like that samsung messaging flipcard platform thing.
oh great not only are they using that crappy design but they're also going to be called out for copying by a million fanboys. I have for those who think it will work.. HAVE YOU EVER USED A FULL TOUCH SCREEN PHONE?! IT SUCKS!!!
I'm not saying that Microsoft is totally copying Apple or anything, but you'd think, as they are obviously trying to take on Apple's iPod and now iPhone, that they could do something to differentiate their products from Apple's (and in a good way). Apple can pull off a simple design with style that microsoft doesn't quite have, so they should shoot for something more different.
first iphone now zune phone? oh god not this again...
They should TOTALLY partner with Meizu!
valuing by microsoft response to the iPod, they will be launching a Zune phone in about 5 years from now...
How can they be patenting something we all saw in TV allready?
Apparently we have to pretend now that Apple invented tiled phone interfaces
There are few works done by Microsoft on handheld devices at this link: Check this link: http://www.suggestusability.com/2007/04/patrick-baudisch-is-research-scientist.html