“Although long rumored by analysts, a newly-published filing at the US Patent and Trademark Office confirms that Research in Motion is indeed working on touchscreen technology for its phones,” Electronista reports.
“The filing, entitled System and method of integrating a touchscreen within an LCD, depicts an array of parallel electrodes which register input as changes in voltage are detected, triggered by pressure from either fingers or a stylus,” Electronista reports.
“More importantly, it is suggested that the technology could allow for multitouch control, something so far limited to Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch and MacBook Air,” Electronista reports.
Full article here.
iPhone has over 200 patents…..that is what Steve said.
Can RIM bypass that?
I hope Apple sues the crap out of Research in Motion (and wins).
At least they are innovative!
competition is good
Its Friday…first post….its sunny outside…life is good.
My kids think I am immature….
Buster — your kids are right.
But who cares
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Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children.
– Sam Levenson
If RIM brings this to fruition, I can’t wait! I really love the way Blackberries integrate with eXchange… and how easy they are to administer. I mean, you can wipe an employees handheld remotely if he loses it.
They’re definitely nowhere near as pretty as the iPhone, but they’re extremely functional.
@buster
“iPhone has over 200 patents…..that is what Steve said.
Can RIM bypass that?”
No, but RIM can invent their own multitouch technology.
The multitouch patents Apple has are Apple’s way of doing multitouch. There are more than one ways to skin a cat.
Err…There’s more than one way to skin a cat. That’s what I wanted to say…
“it is suggested that the technology could allow for multitouch control”
A “SUGGESTION” that it “COULD”? Boy, that’s pretty weak tea. How much more passively could that have been stated?
Engineering in Reverse, more like.
<< The multitouch patents Apple has are Apple’s way of doing multitouch. There are more than one ways to skin a cat. >>
Yes- RIM’s way might be to use the tip of your tongue. Then, when selecting icons on your new Multi-touch Blackberry- you could give it a RIMjob.
@ILuvMyMacs…
that post deservers a Rimshot!
ba dum bump!
“Then, when selecting icons on your new Multi-touch Blackberry- you could give it a RIMjob.”
Will the home page spread open from a vertical line with a pink and star-shaped home button in the middle? And I guess that any cords for accessories should be short and curly.
Cheap, copying bastards!
Looks like Apple is getting another RIM job!
Damnit, iLuvMyMacs!
But, mine required less set-up.
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You can multi-touch all day, but RIM doesn’t have OSX. When Intel has their chip inside the iPhone along with 3rd party apps from the upcoming SDK. The iPhone is becoming a computer. I would like to see it a smidgen more responsive along with mini-iChat. iChat would take the cake along with VOIP.
A new standard is about to be set…look at the first iPod and laugh compared to todays. The iPhone will not sit still.
Ampar, I think you have the quote wrong. It goes:
“Explosive diarrhea is hereditary. It passes through your jeans.”
— Sum Jung Gai
But we ALL know that serious users need the little itty bitty keyboard. Ballmer said so.
Multitouch is great and all. It’s a perfect way to interact with a small device, and a logical progression from the stylus. And, sure, anyone can evolve into the multitouch approach.
It’s the integration of applications that sets the iPhone apart from all others. Can RIM do THAT?
I predict that Apple’s legal department will have many long hours ahead of them… good luck folks!
Rim needs to stop… think… and then stop wasting the little money resources they have left… you have to have something left to give back to the stockholders!
After the SDK comes out this month, the iPhone is going to quickly catch up with the Blackberry in most of those areas where it’s still behind and, with it’s intrinsic advantages the iPhone could start to be a real threat to RIM, the only smart phone which, so far, hasn’t lost market share to the iPhone.
So RIM may well be thinking of countering with their own touch-phone.
But it ain’t going to be easy. It took Apple a couple of years development and RIM will have the further disadvantage of having to ‘avoid’ Apple’s copyrights.
Does anybody here know how good RIM’s OS is, and whether it’s up to the job?
“Although long rumored by analysts…”
Long rumored since when, sometime around Macworld 2006??
This is another ‘me too’ catch up rumor based on a patent filing by someone who is ‘working’ on touchscreen technology for phones. I thought that M$ held the patent on vapor products…
I have no doubt that RIM will market such a product sooner or later. I’ll worry about it when I see the first credible favorable comparison to the iPhone.
That was funny, Sum Jung Gai!
“Explosive diarrhea . . .”
The other E.D. you have to worry about.
RIM wanted to deliver this product this spring, but they are highly likely to miss their launch date due to manufacturing issues that are as of yet unresolved. Missing spring means waiting until August for the product to make its debut…
RIM is the one Apple may choose to sue (should RIM be violating any of Apple’s patents). No one else in the industry represents a threat, but RIM is already established with a great reputation (why I have no idea – the BB Perl I have sucks), but businessmen are perhaps the most clueless tech folk on the planet, so “good enough” is “great” to them – but I digress…
If RIM has chosen to roll the dice and blatantly step on a few of Apple’s patents, Apple will go after them with the cease and desist suit, stopping the product cold.