Samsung skips the touchscreen, patents gesture-based phone interface

Samsung's been getting pretty creative with cell cameras lately -- the Instinct lets you pan around web pages by tracking movement with the camera, for example -- but the company's latest patent application, for a gesture-based phone interface, might be a little less practical. The idea is to use the phone's camera to track your hand movements, which, from the drawings, should have you looking insane on the subway in no time. Of course, we've all been guilty of waving at and even talking to our devices when they're acting up, so maybe a little feedback wouldn't be a bad thing -- there's one gesture we'd definitely like to see programmed in there.

[Via Textually.org]

[mushrooshi @ Apr 19th 2008 12:30AM]

How long will it take for a teacher to mistake these gestures as sexual handsigns or violent gangsigns?

[BigD145 @ Apr 19th 2008 12:31AM]

How long will it take for a gang member to mistake those gestures for a threat when you're on the subway?

[wasabi @ Apr 19th 2008 1:50AM]

or mistaken those hand signs as an indicator of retardation?

[Mark @ Apr 19th 2008 4:52AM]

I think I'm going to patent the Mars Rover .. and then sue NASA.

[Wwhat @ Apr 19th 2008 11:07PM]

I think we can all see the difference between a nerdy (probably white) people with a 'handsign phone' and a gangmember.
Also, what kind of loser gangsters use public transport?

[BigD145 @ Apr 19th 2008 12:30AM]

They made a one-handed phone into a two-handed phone... I want to drive with this!!

/swerve
CRASH!!!

Seriously, this is pretty darn stupid. You're using more battery life than ever before AND taking longer to do things with the phone. Does it have toe recognition for people with one hand?

[mike @ Apr 19th 2008 12:54AM]

Since Apple holds all the patents, Samsung HAS to do this. Please don't mistake this for "this is wayyy more convenient; especially at night!"

Apple holds all the cards. Alas, incentive to actually innovate.

[mushrooshi @ Apr 19th 2008 12:54AM]

It is a creative idea, but I don't see it being used for cellphones. Maybe for desktops, yes. Also, how will it know which hand is doing the gesture?

Seriously, the best interface is good old button and knob. Touchscreen is OK, but you have to look at it, and unless I have been living under a rock and touchscreens with "raisable" thingies that bump up to make seperators or buttons are now mainstream, I don't think it is good for applications such as making a simple call while driving.

Voice activation can be interfered like crazy.

Mind-powered: "Hey Jenna. Would you like to come over and have se... watch a movie".

Freudian slips roar like hell.

A good example I can make is in DDR:

When I play arcade or on my modded pads at home, I have the step panels lowered so that I can keep my eyes on the game, and know if my feet are actually hitting the panels or not.

Then, at school, they had 2 softpads, and of course they were not recessed. I failed so epically. I got a 80 combo, with only 4 or so greats, and 76 or so perfects, then BOO, BOO, BOO, And it ended up I moved off the pad sicne I was unable to know where I was at. So I tried to move forward, then backard, but before I knew it I failed.

[Mark @ Apr 19th 2008 1:22AM]

You are so fucking stupid. Stop driving.

[Greg @ Apr 19th 2008 5:52AM]

Apple holds all the cards? Uh... what?

[starkman @ Apr 19th 2008 10:13AM]

I don't think you can say its 'stupid', different yes. Its only a patent for the time being, remember if they don't patent it you can bet that someone else will!! So much of the news on engadget is companies filing for patents, and it isn't such a surprise, the commodity of IT at the moment is a concern for the industry and anything (regardless of how stupid it may seem initially) is worth patenting as it may give them an edge in the future..

[webon @ Apr 19th 2008 12:48AM]

This reminds me of the time Ross changed flipping the birdie to hitting the sides of his fists... yeah I'm lame, but so is this patent

[payne @ Apr 19th 2008 12:50AM]

Introducing Apple's new iMimePhone.

[KangMin @ Apr 19th 2008 1:37AM]

You have to think in a korean way.
Most of the Koreans, if not all, have a hands-free-set in their car.
something like
http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/040402003352s.jpg
It holds he phone on a on their top of the central pannel
(since it is illegal to talk on the phone while holding it while driving in some countries)

now, i'd imagine (i've actuallly never used it ) you'd have to reach pretty far, if not look at the phone for quite a while to push the tiny buttons on your phone while it is rested on the hands-free-set.

hence, you could just use your hands to navigate throughout your phonoe and make calls.

As far as I can tell, it's not the greatest idea ...yet... we'll have to see what apps/feature samsung comes up with to make this feature easier/comfortable to use.

Of course you could argue that it could be more dangerous thinkinng about the hand gestures than actually pushing buttons.

[Shinigami @ Apr 19th 2008 2:21AM]

As I said earlier - want to make a call? Get off the road. Or do you want to blame it all on Samsung corporation for giving you a tiny phone with tiny screen after you cause an accident while waving your hands around in the car trying to navigate menu of your phone?

Drive. Or talk. Not both at the same time, not till we have ALL cars driving in auto mode and stop crashing. If you aren't sure you can avoid getting hit or hitting others while talking on the phone... don't try.

[Andrew @ Apr 19th 2008 2:51AM]

This doesn't make any sense at all. Maybe if the phone had an accelerometer and could be worn as a bracelet like that crazy nokia future phone.

http://pixblix.com

[Phoenix @ Apr 19th 2008 9:53AM]

Hmm.. That's a kind of good idea actually... But not practical, since you'd move your hands to make a point or hug someone and do stuff on your phone.

This way you have to be using your hand under the phone... but still impractical...

maybe for home phones, with sensors in each room, you hold your hand up for a second and then make a gesture, the phone is a loudspeaker...

[Steffen Jobbs @ Apr 19th 2008 3:07AM]

S-Phone? S=Stupid. Might be awkward to use on a crowded train depending on how far your hand is held away from the device. However, if your hand is only held an inch or so away, then that shouldn't be a problem.

I probably don't really understand this system, so don't flame me.

[phanbouy @ Apr 19th 2008 3:21AM]

what, no movie gadget friday?

and look at the PS3 laptop... $8300 already. lotsa rich people reading e-gadg!

[MacDude56 @ Apr 19th 2008 3:21AM]

I don't think Samsung will keep the gesture interface

[Truth_Bringer @ Apr 19th 2008 4:18AM]

All I need to know is what does the middle finger gesture do. Email tech support?

[old_news @ Apr 19th 2008 4:45AM]

This is already done on the Nokia phones.
http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/008/03/touchless_control_interface_for_nokia_n95.htm

[Mark @ Apr 19th 2008 4:53AM]

I just got a patent for the mental command interface.

[Yuri @ Apr 19th 2008 11:04AM]

I don't think that just because they patent it, it's going to be used everywhere. I agree with the earlier poster, Apple seems to have new patents going out every week. I don't want to make this into an Apple war though, so don't get mad at me for saying that, I don't mean to upset anyone.

Anyways, I like the idea of touch screens. I have a P2, and I had an iTouch before the P2, which was stolen O_<

I also like haptic feedback though. The idea of the device just lightly shaking to give you the sensation of pressing an actual button is nice. I wish my p2 had it, I think it would have made it an even more amazing product.

I'm not such a fan of gestures though. Everyone seems to be asking for them on touchscreen devices such as the iTouch and P2, but I find them very impractical.

There are a few gestures for the P2, but I don't ever use them. It's so much easier, faster, and more convenient for me to just press the "next" key instead of swiping my finger all around, and for me to press the timebar and move it to where I need instead of swiping like a madman to get to where I want to be. I think the only thing I've found useful is the easy zoom feature and the rotation =\

As for people claiming this would increase the number of accidents on the road, just yesterday I was stuck in a traffic jam for an hour on 696 due to a huge crash, then saw about 40-some cars just text messaging on those qwerty phones without paying attention to the road. It's not the phone's fault, it's the driver's for not taking responsibility and realizing that you shouldn't mess with a phone like that while on the road. Car kits aren't hard to install, and bluetooth is installed on every phone nowadays and also becoming insanely cheap for a simple headset.

[TIMMAH! @ Apr 19th 2008 12:00PM]

I'm patenting the 'middle finger reboot'...

[PHIL @ Apr 19th 2008 12:05PM]

EBALACK ESIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[whatsdamattau @ Apr 19th 2008 1:08PM]

All these hand gestures just to use a device. What happened to just pressing a button? I think if you want to learn something a little more useful then learn sign language and "talk" with your fellow person. Didn't Palm force people to learn a new alphabet?

[SFO Kevin @ Apr 19th 2008 1:33PM]

What about all the false positives!... I assume they will have researched and turned off gestures like picking your nose and butt... What about shaking off at urinals... and jerking...

[Wwhat @ Apr 19th 2008 11:10PM]

If you urinate while calling you have it coming.

[mosquito710 @ Apr 19th 2008 3:07PM]

reminds me of the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.
they had gesture controlled devices, and in order to listen to the radio you had to sit perfectly still or it would change the volume or channel.

[Wwhat @ Apr 19th 2008 11:12PM]

Perhaps they should patent those doors that say "It was a exciting pleasure to open for you and a thrill to close behind you" or similar, that would go well in korea/japan probably.

[Mindfield @ Apr 19th 2008 3:57PM]

Those are so boring. They should have went with my suggestions.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee165/Psychopusher/samsung_gestures.jpg