[cbvinh]

I'm sure this will be of interest to some long time BlackBerry users who want the trackpad back...

"According to a patent application filed with the World International Property Organization, the Cupertino company may use TouchID's sensor technology to transform the Home button into a trackpad, similar to the ones on BlackBerry's older line of Curve handhelds. Indeed, the patent filing describes how users could navigate the phone by "revolving" or "twisting" their fingerprint on the button's sensor."

Apple patent filing adds trackpad functions to home button and turns entire display into fingerprint sensor

[eldricho]

Interesting
As much as I dislike Apple, I gotta say they experiment and tinker a lot to improve existing technology

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[AnimalPak200]

Never gonna get it:

Finger sensor operating technique

Combining Navigation And Fingerprint Sensing

Touchpad providing screen cursor/pointer movement control

[cbvinh]

Never gonna get it:

Finger sensor operating technique

Combining Navigation And Fingerprint Sensing

Touchpad providing screen cursor/pointer movement control

Why not? They have plenty of money to license patents... and even buy up whole companies, like PrimeSense, for Kinetic capabilities.

The question is whether this move by Apple justifies getting the trackpad back for BB10 devices (not that what Apple does matters). Does this vindicate those BlackBerry users that lament losing the trackpad in the first place?

[AnimalPak200]

I was referring to getting the actual patent they applied for (at least as currently claimed). Of course they can license whatever they can find and afford.

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[tlegend2012]

They patent everything... I don't think it will come though.. it's well known as rectangle with a circle just a circle.. no functions other than fp sensor thing..

[AnimalPak200]

And as far as vindicating the trackpad as we knew in BB7 (with a mouse pointer)... forget it. The way it is claimed is more like the old side scroll wheel... allowing for two-dimensional (as in, up-down/left-right) navigation amongst a user interface (like to scroll down a menu). If you look through the drawings, you will not find a mouse-like cursor...

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[Jerale Hoard]

BlackBerry already owns a patent for a touchscreen phone with a trackpad.




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[SubCamp]

What's a trackpad in a touch screen phone to gestures

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[Meaty123]

Maybe BlackBerry will sue Apple for this technology. Haha. Much like apple did on Samsung. Assuming it goes through.

Sent from the best touch keyboard, the Z.

[cbvinh]

And as far as vindicating the trackpad as we knew in BB7 (with a mouse pointer)... forget it. The way it is claimed is more like the old side scroll wheel... allowing for two-dimensional (as in, up-down/left-right) navigation amongst a user interface (like to scroll down a menu). If you look through the drawings, you will not find a mouse-like cursor...

Hmm... that's useful, but not quite as useful as being used as a cursor too.

[Chalk2]

V.

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[kbz1960]

I love it. Now apple is going to make the trackpad on mobile something everyone wants

Too f'n funny

[cbvinh]

What's a trackpad in a touch screen phone to gestures

If you've ever used the trackpad, you'll realize how much more quickly you can place your cursor for text editing (especially when you're zoomed out)... rather than tap, tap, zoom in, tap, tap, tap, zoom in, etc. to get the cursor positioned precisely with just touch.

I will admit that BB10's implementation, with putting a reposition circle up, is effective, since it's easier to move the larger circle object around and you can better see the cursor position with not having your finger over it.

I'd be happy to see an optical trackpad, hidden under glass. It wouldn't need to be a button, like on BBOS7 phones. It would just be for cursor positioning and scrolling.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

BlackBerry already owns a patent for a touchscreen phone with a trackpad.



Posted via CB10

A patent with who.... That is one of the problems, there are too many organizations that want a pices of the patent pie, but they only control small portions of the market.


That said, please review the entire 612 page patent application and let me know if it infringes on BlackBerry's patent. I've seen a few other patent applications.... this is a serious patent application!

[DannyAves]

BlackBerry already owns a patent for a touchscreen phone with a trackpad.







Posted via CB10

They also own the patent for the fingerprint reader

Before Touch ID: BlackBerry Filed for Trackpad-Fingerprint-Scan Patent in '04 | CIO Blogs

[Tater Tots]

Leave it to Apple to add something that others have already done and call it innovation. I just pray that someone has a patent already so that Apple's infringes their patent. Then they sue Apple and makes them pay.

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[qwerty4ever]

Leave it to Apple to add something that others have already done and call it innovation. I just pray that someone has a patent already so that Apple's infringes their patent. Then they sue Apple and makes them pay.

Posted via CB10

The patent system is so broken Apple would probably win if sued by BlackBerry .

Posted via CB10 from the BlackBerry Z10