patents

Nintendo has an odd thing with touch screens on its gaming consoles. A few of them have one but not all of them take full advantage of the technology. The Nintendo 3DS utilized its screen and stylus to moderate success but the Nintendo Switch, which is practically a custom Android tablet, doesn't yet. It seems, however, that Nintendo has something in mind that could change that, not by making and selling a special kind of stylus but turning one of the Joy-Cons into a rather big pointing tool.

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Even if it isn't due until the end of 2020, Microsoft uncharacteristically revealed its dual-screen devices as early as October last year. Its purpose was to give developers ample time to prepare for that future and modify their apps or create new ones for the Surface Neo (and the Android-based Surface Duo). Adopting new designs and APIs is one thing but actually testing how it works on a dual-screen device is a different thing. Since developers are unlikely to have access to a Surface Neo or even a prototype, Microsoft's new patent may provide a solution everyone might be able to use.

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Given how the Apple Watch has been making headlines for saving lives, it's no surprise that it is, pardon the pun, apple picking for those who want to capitalize on its fame or, in this case, have gotten hurt by it. Just before the year ended, Apple was hit by a lawsuit over its unlicensed use of a patent for its atrial fibrillation detection. Now it is getting slapped by an even bigger complaint for stealing trade secrets related to health monitoring on its Apple Watch.

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Many people these days consume their digital content on smartphones and laptops but while these may be loud enough, they don't offer the same immersion as theaters or even home entertainment systems do. Sure, you can attach or stream to speakers for a surround effect but if all that you have are your MacBook's loud speakers, you're out of luck. At least until Apple implements this new patent that can create sound that seems to come from any part of a room other than your laptop.

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LG may very well soon be the king of innovative accessories and addons. It was the first to have a flip cover case with a "quick window" and was the first to put the modular smartphone idea to the test. This year, it tried to offer an alternative solution to the foldable phone problem with cases that act as a second screen. A new patent now reveals yet another idea, one that also uses a flexible screen but isn't inherently tied down to the smartphone like the Galaxy Fold.

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A new listing in the National Intellectual Property Administration in China showed the next big thing from the smartphone company Vivo. In the mix is a variety of new designs for smartphones that may well be released inside the next 12 months. In the collection of drawings in documents submitted to the NIPA, Vivo shows how they'd like to release smartphones with two or four punches, allowing more than a couple options for front-facing cameras, sensors, and odd combinations therein!

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It may look dated and seem a bit overpriced but few smartwatches can make the same life-saving claims that the Apple Watch has. Apple has turned its wearable into more than just a smartphone extension and has outfitted it with features that put the wearer's health at the center. Now one of those features is at the center of litigation claiming that Apple willfully ignored that someone else already patented the much-advertised irregular heartbeat detection it added in recent Apple Watches.

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If you play games on Xbox One, you're likely familiar with the actions you can take with a nice pair of back buttons. If you're rolling with PlayStation 4, you might never have used back buttons at all. With the official DualShock 4 Back Button Attachment (from Sony, officially), there's a pair of back buttons you can attach to your DualShock 4 right now. Or, if you're looking to the future, you might want to take a peek at some design drawings made by Sony for a whole new controller.

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DJI is best known for its drones, but the company may also be popular for another reason in the future: remote-controlled camera cars. Similar to drones, these land-based vehicles would enable operators to remotely control a small car equipped with a stabilized camera, making it possible to get action shots from the ground and to keep tabs on one's property without the regulations and restrictions of flying in the sky.

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Apple has patented an optical fingerprint sensor that could be used for an in-display scanner in a future iPhone, but we don't have to wait to see that tech in action. The freshly-granted patent comes amid ongoing questions about what type of biometric security method Apple will use in its future smartphones, and speculation that Face ID won't be the only system it relies upon for user authentication.

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The PlayStation 5 is coming really soon and yet there's still some uncertainty as to what it would look like. The "V" shaped console that was revealed in a patent and a subsequent photo may be interesting but there's also a slim chance that this PS5 was only meant to be seen and used by developers. It isn't just the console itself that is shrouded in mystery but the DUALSHOCK5 controllers as well. While rumors claim that the PS5 controller won't differ that much from its predecessor, at least two patents from Sony show how the company had ideas that could make the input device a lot more interesting.

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While Apple sticks to its wide notch and Samsung plays around with punch holes, Xiaomi may be trying to push for a blemish-free bezel-less screen instead. It already revealed that intention a few months back but has yet to make good on that boast. Xiaomi's notch-free and cutout-free phone is still a no-show, not even a shadow, but a patent may reveal how exactly it plans to pull that off.

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