Apple “Shake to Charge” Patent May One Day Power iPhones and iPods

Apple has revealed the Cupertino company’s plans to use electromagnetic induction technology in their products in the future. Electromagnetic Induction is basically a production of an electric current in a conductive element as it moves through a magnetic field, which in turn is used to generate power.

Apple will be introducing this technology somehow in their products in the future but unlike the more traditional method of electromagnetic induction, Apple’s version will use printed coils with moveable magnets, while the typical version is the opposite where a coil will move around a stationary magnet. Seen below.

According to the patent, it can be mounted onto a portable device with Apple’s iPod and iPhone used as examples.

Apple Applies for iPad Backside Controls Patent

Apple has applied for a patent that would allow users to control various aspects of their iPad using backside controls. This looks to help iPad users experience a new way of gaming on their tablet. The sensor-based controls are positioned right under the surface of the iPad so that it does not resemble physical buttons.

Of course since this is just a patent application, rest assured that this technology won’t be on any iPad in the near future. An issue Apple must face in developing these controls on the iPad is that in order to detect where your hands and fingers are, more sensors are required to come into play, which means more battery life will be drained from the device. Apple will have to find a way to implement these backside controls to be easy to use while gaming and also not run out the battery in hurry.

I really like the idea of having backside controls on a tablet, just the way a tablet sits in your hands, depending on the size, it seems to me that extra buttons on the back of the tablet could really help while playing games or for whatever other use Apple may have in mind.

I always like the idea of the backside control on the Motorola Charm, although the phone itself may not be the best device I still like the control panel on the backside and I have always found myself in situation where I find it would be convenient to have back controls on my BlackBerry. Also Sony has the PS Vita which introduced many to a new experience in gaming with their backside control panels (shown off in photo below).

Sony PS Vita backside controls

Google Wins ‘Face-to-Unlock’ for Multiple Users Patent

Google has won a patent that will enable a user to unlock their device by pointing their face at the built-in camera, also allowing the user access to their personal profile. This “face-to-unlock” patent lets multiple users share one “computing device.”

This technology would be great on Android devices, and would be cool to see along with the support for multiple users on Android devices.

Google has recently won a few pretty cool patents that will probably be used in Android devices before too long. Read about the “Seeing With Your Hand Patent” that Google was recently granted and the “Patent for Eye Tracking-Based Unlock System”.

Eye Tracking-Based Unlock System