Approved Apple Patents Confirm 4 Killer Features for iPhone 6, iPhone 5S: Gesture-Control, 3D Apps, HDR Imaging & Smart Bezel
Apple won the nod this week for a bunch of new mobile device technologies that likely will see deployment on future iOS 7-powered gadgets, with the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 heading the 2013 release date pack.
New device control concepts
First on the list of fresh Apple inventions, published by Patently Apple, is the ability to control iPhones or iPads by mere user gestures, similar to one of the smart features that Samsung showcased via the Galaxy S4 in early 2013.
The new method, according to Apple, will allow users to manipulate "graphical user interface (GUI) objects displayed on a touch sensing device."
Once implemented the cutting-edge control system will introduce new ways of navigating though "floating menus, virtual knobs, e-book page turning, virtual keyboards and virtual scroll wheels," which by themselves are emerging concepts for mobile device functions.
The advent of 3D-rendered applications
Also lumped with the batch patent approval is Apple's capability of rendering screen contents, applications in particular, in three-dimension or 3D.
The exciting invention will soon usher mobile devices "with touch screen ... that display three-dimensional virtual objects." The most practical application seen for this technology is mobile gaming, which covers offline and network modes, the Patently Apple report said.
iOS camera with advanced digital imaging
Apple will continue to enhance user-experience with the on-board camera features that come with the iPhones and iPads. The company's fresh shooting offerings will soon include high dynamic range (HDR) imaging techniques, which specifically will enable users to digitally align captured images.
This further enhances the cam features - like motion-blur reduction and low-light shooting capability - that Apple has presented with the iPhone 5.
Mobile device with smart bezel
Lastly, the tech giant could soon push gadgets with a touch-sensitive bezel that "extends over a portion of a portable device display, and can hide or reveal that area on command," Apple Insider said in a report.
Governing this device are the so-called 'interactive bezels' that are sensitive to touch inputs, interpreting them as commands to perform specific actions. The patent, according to the same report "outlines a number of bezel state changes, including simple color-changes and light transmission, to more complex embodiments where the bezel itself turns from opaque to transparent."
Note that this technology is acquired by Apple from Kodak. The main purpose for its use is to deliver aesthetics and functionality in a single embodiment, which in theory is any iOS device with multi-touch capabilities.