“The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday reissued Apple a patent for a mobile computer encased in a pen, adding cellular and GPS capabilities to the invention first filed for internationally in 1998,” Mikey Campbell reports for AppleInsider.
“Simply titled ‘Portable computers,’ the invention, originally assigned to British Telecommunications PLC, describes a multifunction device equipped with a pair of accelerometers to recognize handwritten input, a built-in display and an embedded touch strip for GUI navigation,” Campbell reports. “Apple was transferred the U.S. patent rights in 2008.”
Campbell reports, “Interestingly, the patent calls for an ARM processor, the same micro-architecture Apple uses in its A-series SoCs… The device can support sound input/output components that can be used to process speech-to-text and text-to-speech… Perhaps most intriguing is the broadening of the patent to include cellphones, possibly suggesting that handwriting recognition or some other facet of the invention may make its way to a future iOS device.”
More info, and Apple’s patent application illustrations and diagrams, in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: iPen.
Samsung to announce they’re “working” on a “pen computer” in 3… 2… And Google to echo Samsung’s claim along shortly thereafter.
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Mightier than a sword and with find your iPen app…the last pen you will ever lose!
Ah, but you won’t lose it will you? Not with ‘FindMyPen’ running on your iPad, which can even locate it in your house thanks to that stuff they bought with WiFiSlam
I either lose my pens or someone “borrows” them and never returns it, would hate to lose my shiny iPen. Ill have to add a biometric shock option to keep strangers from picking it up as well as the find my iPen app to locate it…
Samsung Galaxy Note anyone??
Why bother going back to pen? We all despised it when Galaxy Note came out, so why praise it now? Steve himself wasn’t too fond of the always-missing pen.
This sounds like it won’t be used with a tablet or a computer…. The pen IS the computer. Interesting concept. Before knocking it, I’m gonna wait to see it.
@ Utz
You need to think outside the box.
This is not a pen for your iPad.
You and others at Samsung will understand it when you see it.
Oh NO. Why do they have to report these patents? We are not finished being shat upon by iWatch rumors, and now the iPen rumors will begin.
The MDN take says it all…… The humor/ entertainment value of watching SameDung and Gargle rush to copy it. The same way a cat toys with its food, or you prank your cat with a laser pointer. ITS FUN!
Wait a minute, who are the ‘we’ you refer to? Do you work for SameDung or Garble?
Will it improve my handwriting?
I used to have a pen with a digital watch. Maybe THIS is the new iWatch pen!