“It would appear that one of Apple’s R&D teams have been assigned with the project of coming up with new ways to utilize the iPhone’s built-in camera beyond simply taking photos,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.
“Last month we were clued into an innovative concept that will help users control their incoming calls and voicemail by simply swiping their finger over the external camera lens. It detailed rewinding and fast forwarding voicemail in addition to enhancing one handed navigation of web pages, documents or your iTunes library – by once again, swiping the camera lens in different swiping motion combinations,” Purcher reports. “In today’s patent, we’re presented with the idea of that we’ll be able to train the iPhone (or perhaps a future iPad) to automatically turn the speaker-phone mode on under specific conditions like when you’re driving a vehicle or busy working on your computer”
Purcher reports, “The camera is trained to understand both lighting conditions and your common surroundings so as to know when your speaker phone should or could be activated. If you’re a busy executive, then this may be the answer you’ve been looking for. For now however, it’s simply an R&D project.”
Full article, with patent application illustrations, here.
I don’t get it. How is a camera on the back of the phone going to be of any use during a speakerphone call?
Guess that’s why I’m not employed in Cupertino.
I’m guessing the camera would allow the iPhone to know if it was laying flat on a desk etc, (could the accelerometer work this out too?) so it knows to use the speaker?
I hope Apple has some other surprises up their sleeves because this seems… lacking.
I think this would be kind of cool. But, how does the camera know when to respond to these jestures when it’s in sleep mode? Or do you have to unlock the phone and then launch an app. Sounds doable, but probably would also require you to have a homogenous background behind your hand, such as a white wall or such so that jestures can stand out.
Think of the camera as the sensor for a mouse – with detects like:
fixed position, panning up, panning down, panning left, panning right.
I could see how this may be more precise for positioning a cursor without hiding the screen with a finger to “snap” to vector points say in a drawing program.
It is entirely possible that we’re talking about a front-facing camera…
Alright Apple, if you are listening, here is a simple software adjustment that would make the speakerphone feature on the iPhone easier to use. If you turn the speakerphone on, simply monitor the proximity sensor. If the phone is brought back close to the face, automatically turn off the speakerphone and if the phone is once again pulled away, automatically turn it back on. Isn’t this the way an Apple feature should work? Intuitive and Intelligent.
Not everything that Apple thinks of is or will be revolutionary. One out of fifty would be great. And sometimes ideas that don’t seem so good at first end up being winners. And then there are the ideas that may not seem very good to many people until they are shown to be mistaken…
For instance:
Apple building their new operating system on UNIX rather than the great new BeOS?
Apple developing a portable music player and arriving late to the game?
Apple developing a smart cell phone and arriving very late to the game?
Yet these were all game changers and have shaped the technological path of a decade and more beyond.
And then you have to make sure to always clean your lens before you take another photo or video to remove your smudges. This doesn’t sound all that logical to me.
Logical next steps ahead.
Hey I did not use Apple I phone but i heard about this.. i would like to thanks Apple Technician .
http://topgradeacaiextreme.net/
Maybe this compliments the patents awhile back that used the screen as a camera?!
This implies a foward facing camera to me. I don’t see where it is that much of a value added feature, but then Apple is famous for bringing features to us that we didn’t know we couldn’t live without
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
Are you people kidding me? It is not that hard of a concept.
Let’s say that you are driving and the phone rings.
A quick pass of your finger across the camera (yes the one there in back) immediately answers the phone and puts it in speaker mode.
The camera was only activated once the phone started ringing – ooooh contextual! You didn’t have to wake the camera or find the silencer button of choice, just a quick swipe.
“@KingMel
Not everything that Apple thinks of is or will be revolutionary”
WHAT!!! You must be a troll or on MS’s payroll. This is MDN!! Everything Apple makes is revolutionary and magical. We skate to where the puck is going to be! Everything any other company makes on the planet is clunky and crappy!
I can’t believe that you type such nonsense as you did above! Go buy some MS Crap – we here will continue to deem every thing Apple makes as revolutionary and elegant (did I mention they all look delicious and gorgeous too!!)
GOOOOO STEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
awww… cute….Another new Troll in as many days
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” />
I wonder whether the patent will be stepping on Freeverse’s ToySight features… or did they partner to get it from someone else.