http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2010 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 4:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 4:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 4:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/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?]]>Apr 18th 2007 4:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 6:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 19th 2007 1:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 4:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 9:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/

like Windows 3.11....


*vomit]]>Apr 18th 2007 5:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 5:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
This patent is from June 2006, long before Apple made their announcement.]]>Apr 18th 2007 5:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
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. ]]>Apr 18th 2007 9:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 5:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 5:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 5:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
Sounds a lot like the Deepfish/ZenZui interface that Microsoft announced last month.

http://www.zenzui.com.]]>Apr 18th 2007 5:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 19th 2007 1:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
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.]]>Apr 18th 2007 5:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Off the Apple bandwagon people.... its going nowhere fast. ;)

]]>Apr 18th 2007 5:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
]]>Apr 18th 2007 5:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 5:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
Don't have to imagine: I've had it for years on OS X.]]>Apr 18th 2007 6:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/]]>Apr 18th 2007 6:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
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.]]>Apr 18th 2007 9:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 6:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
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. :)]]>Apr 18th 2007 7:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
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....]]>Apr 18th 2007 7:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 7:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/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.]]>Apr 18th 2007 7:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
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.]]>Apr 18th 2007 10:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/
what makes you think this is for the zune and not windows mobile photon, like that samsung messaging flipcard platform thing.]]>Apr 18th 2007 8:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 8:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 10:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 18th 2007 10:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 19th 2007 4:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 19th 2007 11:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 19th 2007 11:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/Apr 19th 2007 2:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/microsoft-patent-app-reveals-potential-zune-phone-interface/http://www.suggestusability.com/2007/04/patrick-baudisch-is-research-scientist.html]]>Apr 19th 2007 4:19PM