oleophobic
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Apple patent application proves that Steve Jobs hates fingerprints as much as you do, probably more
Steve Jobs doesn't like fingerprints any more than you do, and given the man's focus on aesthetic perfection, we suspect that smudged displays are the sort of thing that keeps him awake at night. Apple has certainly flirted with oleophobic anti-grease displays in the past, but a newly surfaced patent application takes the whole thing to a new level. "Direct Liquid Vaporization for Oleophobic Coatings" outlines an intense process for the application of a grease resistant coating, whereby the substance is "placed in a liquid supply system coupled to a vacuum chamber," pressurized, vaporized, and then deposited. Take that, finger grease.
Answering your #1 question, as fast as we can
Earlier today, we asked you (via Twitter and @ask_tuaw) for your top inquiries about the product everyone's talking about. While we can't give you first-person photos and video -- yet -- we can give you an answer, straight from the lab and the lap, to the most popular question: Can you read iBooks in direct sunlight? The answer, surprisingly enough: Yes, you can. Even in bright sun, the high-contrast black type on a white page background was clearly legible, says our experimenter. In fact, the display looks quite a bit like the Kindle's e-ink screen under those lighting conditions. What does not look good in bright sun: video playback. The dark screen doesn't pump out quite enough candlepower to make TV shows or movies easily visible. However, that's a failing of most portable video devices, so you can't ding the iPad for it. Much. As many have inquired, the screen does hold fingerprints and you can see them most annoyingly in the sun -- but the oleophobic coating means a quick sleeve swipe fixes that. Our question-answering squad wasn't in a situation to deal with iTunes and networking details, unfortunately, but we'll try to get more on that for you all soon.
Tokyo University's touchless pointing system could wipe out smudgy screens
Touchscreens are wondrous things, but nobody likes smudges, and attempts to magically prevent oil from sticking haven't always found success. The proper solution might not be in fancy screen coatings but rather in removing the touchability together. Tokyo University has developed a system that uses a high-res camera to identify where a finger is in 3D space, so moving around and even air-clicking is detected. Multitouch seems to be right out at this point, and while the video after the break shows some rather deft looking typing on a dinky virtual keyboard, we're not entirely convinced that this is the most enjoyable or ergonomic way to interact with a cellphone. That said, if it makes the compulsive anti-smudge pantleg swipe motion a thing of the past, we'd give it a shot.
Apple blames hot iPhones on the weather, others find oleophobic screen to be fleeting?
Don't worry, everybody, your iPhone baking itself to a crisp is no cause for panic, now that Apple has found the culprit: the weather and your heartless negligence. Apparently you've been leaving your brand new iPhone 3GS in a hot car, and the warm sensation you feel any time you hold the phone has nothing to do with beefed up processors or inadequate cooling. Phew, glad that's all sorted and now nobody will have any problems with self-destructive iPhones they paid hundreds of dollars for. Besides, it serves you right.Meanwhile, hapless Samsas Traum has found a problem of his own (pictured) that's sure to be blamed on some other act of god in the near future by Apple's spin team: the oleophobic coating is getting rubbed right off his screen. Apparently he has a bit of a fondness for a certain "Flick Fishing" app, which explains the highly localized nature of his oleophobic destruction. We haven't heard many other reports of a similar nature, but we'll keep an eye out for telltale Tap Tap Revenge markings on the iPhones of our rhythm-addled loved ones.[Thanks, Rafa]Read - Apple blames overheating iPhones on the weatherRead - Oleophobic coating wearing off fast
