Microsoft patent app reveals potential Zune phone interface

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]

[Troy @ Apr 18th 2007 4:53PM]

copy cat

[Troy @ Apr 18th 2007 4:53PM]

As always...what else is new?

[rp @ Apr 18th 2007 4:54PM]

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!

[Chappy @ Apr 18th 2007 4:57PM]

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?

[Ayle @ Apr 18th 2007 6:45PM]

iphone is not the first phone to use a icon based interfaces so what's the deal?

[Michael @ Apr 19th 2007 1:48PM]

The patent was filed the beginning of last summer....way before the iPhone was even announced.

[Fozzie @ Apr 18th 2007 4:59PM]

I myself am patiently awaiting the glorious return of Microsoft Bob. Such magnificence shan't be forgotten!!!

[McGinley @ Apr 18th 2007 5:13PM]

Well it had to start sometime...

[zuneone @ Apr 18th 2007 5:17PM]

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.

[Leonard Nimrod @ Apr 18th 2007 9:37PM]

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.

[tnkgrl @ Apr 18th 2007 5:19PM]

Looks like the Newton :)

[Todd @ Apr 18th 2007 5:21PM]

The "scale" icon is a hot key to see the status of the uncountable lawsuits against Microsoft.

[nryder @ Apr 18th 2007 5:21PM]

Thats because Apple has successfully patented the tile and square for use on a phone/pda/dap.

[Kiliman @ Apr 18th 2007 5:23PM]

"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.

[Michael @ Apr 19th 2007 1:47PM]

agreed. sounds like ZenZui

[Alan Strangis @ Apr 18th 2007 5:26PM]

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.

[Jaws @ Apr 18th 2007 5:32PM]

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. ;)

[mike @ Apr 18th 2007 5:42PM]

so it has 'tiles'...


like Windows 3.11....


*vomit

[Matt @ Apr 18th 2007 5:50PM]

Key word is dynamic.

[michael @ Apr 18th 2007 5:51PM]

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.

[tim @ Apr 18th 2007 6:02PM]

"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.

[Matt @ Apr 18th 2007 6:29PM]

iCal only shows the correct date when it's open, and iTunes certainly doesn't display track information on it's icon.

[Chris @ Apr 18th 2007 9:57PM]

"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.

[Jim @ Apr 18th 2007 6:10PM]

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.

[Ben @ Apr 18th 2007 7:48PM]

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....

[Page @ Apr 18th 2007 7:16PM]

They're missing the ctrl+alt+del tile.. It'll be needed.

[Wonderkid @ Apr 18th 2007 7:19PM]

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.

[Matt @ Apr 18th 2007 7:45PM]

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. :)

[taylor @ Apr 18th 2007 8:11PM]

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.

[Mike D @ Apr 18th 2007 8:16PM]

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!!!

[Rick @ Apr 18th 2007 9:58PM]

Shocking! Revolutionary! Late!

[jere @ Apr 18th 2007 10:27PM]

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.

[Mitch @ Apr 18th 2007 10:38PM]

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.

[angelsvairwaves1 @ Apr 18th 2007 10:46PM]

first iphone now zune phone? oh god not this again...

[Revels @ Apr 19th 2007 4:57AM]

They should TOTALLY partner with Meizu!

[PNeta @ Apr 19th 2007 11:07AM]

valuing by microsoft response to the iPod, they will be launching a Zune phone in about 5 years from now...

[PNeta @ Apr 19th 2007 11:07AM]

How can they be patenting something we all saw in TV allready?

[ScottMaximus @ Apr 19th 2007 2:21PM]

Apparently we have to pretend now that Apple invented tiled phone interfaces

[RaJ @ Apr 19th 2007 4:19PM]

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