Apple looking into futuristic iPhone with wrap-around display and seamless glass housing

n a patent filing published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday, Apple describes a futuristic portable device complete with wrap-around AMOLED display, all-glass construction and face tracking.

Source: USPTO

With its application for an "Electronic device with wrap around display," Apple looks to create a portable with the most screen real estate possible by using a foldable AMOLED display that is "unrolled" into a transparent structure.

The invention notes traditional handsets and tablets take on a planar form factor that, while aesthetically pleasing and easy to handle, don't use a vast amount of surface area provided in their designs. Proposed is a curved display that wraps around a majority or entirety of a device, thereby allowing for the most screen space to be utilized. Also included are specifications for cutting-edge technology like facial recognition and multiple flexible transparent displays layered on top of each other to mimic 3D screens.

The star of the device is its wrap-around display, which is fitted into the transparent chassis by folding, inserting, and unfolding or "unrolling." In one embodiment, the filing calls for a flexible display to be folded so that a continuous band is formed, on which various graphical assets like photos and video can be shown. By orienting the screen in such a manner, the invention is able to show a much broader set of graphics when compared to a smartphone. 

Bottom view of device with display and internal components.

As is the case with many modern portables, the display is not only a means of content consumption, but also serves as the main user interface. Indeed, some embodiments of the filing require the screen to be the means of input as no other buttons or switches are present. Gestures are used instead, replacing volume and hold buttons, allowing for a seamless glass design.

The invention states glass or other suitable transparent material can be used to provide a stable structure for the device housing, not only allowing for maximum access to the screen, but also for high aesthetic value. In some embodiments, the enclosure is seamless, though variations can be bead-blasted or covered in ink to hide unsightly internal elements from the user. 

A glass tube is called for in one iteration, with the patent filing making special note of the radio transparency of glass, which is key to internal wireless communications equipment. Alternatively, metal columns or other structures can be disposed throughout the chassis to provide extra support.

While the external cross section can take on the form of a tube, the inner structure of the housing can be widely varied, from a rectangular to pill-shaped. End caps are fastened to one or both sides of the housing, though in some embodiments, these caps can be removed so that two devices can be connected together to create a larger system.

Various embodiments of the invention.

Because the screen wraps entirely around the device, it is necessary to have a user detection system that can determine how a user is interacting with the unit. To solve the problem, the user is tracked through facial recognition by on-board cameras, with the system outputting visuals on the display based on approximate field of view.

Finally, the device can include multiple transparent displays that are overlaid on top of one another, cooperatively presenting content. For example, one display can show the same content as a second display, but slightly out of sync to give the illusion of 3D imagery. In another example, the second display can simply present a different set of visuals than the first.

Illustration of multiple displays overlaid atop one another.

Apple's patent application for a device with wrap-around display was first filed for in 2011 and credits Scott A. Myers as its inventor.

‘Facebook phone’ rumors flare after company announces April 4 event

Yes, this again.

Facebook on Thursday sent out invitations for a press event that promised to show off the company’s “new home on Android,” which naturally led to fresh speculation about the company’s intention to produce its own Facebook-centric smartphone. 

Unnamed sources told 9t5Google that Facebook plans to show off its own modified version of the Android operating system, a move that’s similar to the way Amazon has heavily modified Android for its own Kindle Fire HD tablets. 9to5Google’s sources also indicate that Facebook is working with HTC to produce a smartphone based on Facebook’s modified Android that will be sold “as a lifestyle brand, not specifically for its hardware or software.”

This won’t be the first time that Facebook and HTC have worked together to make a smartphone. 

In case you don’t remember, HTC tried something like this back in 2011 with the ill-fated HTC Status smartphone that had a dedicated Facebook button and that looked like a rejected BlackBerry design concept from around 2006. 

But 9to5Google’s sources indicate that the new phone will feature “a deeper, forked version of Android rather than a Facebook-ified version of Sense,” so it seems the two companies are putting more effort into creating a top-tier device this time.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/03/29/facebook-phone-rumors-flare-after-company-announces-april-4-event/#ixzz2P5Hee1GN

iPhones Under Siege: What Smartphones Are the Target of Hackers?

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As mobile device sales continue to multiply, so do the hack attacks to get into their valuable data cores. We may not know where the hacks originate, but we do know who the target is: the phones and the platforms with the greatest users.

A new study from Sourcefire delineates the number of vulnerabilities – or software flaws – in the smartphone industry over the last 25 years.   

The results may surprise you:  the iPhone has the greatest number of vulnerabilities at 81%, followed by Google Android (GOOG), Windows (MSFT) and Blackberry. In fact, as far as trends go, since 2007 both Blackberry (BBRY) and Windows phones have seen a decline in flaws.

But Apple (AAPL) is doing its part to defend the iPhone.  The study goes on to say: “Apple didn’t focus very much on security when they first released the iPhone, they have since made significant improvements and can be considered the current market leader.”

Yves Younan, Senior Research Engineer at Sourcefire's Vulnerability Research Team, clarified the data further: “Vulnerabilities don’t mean successful attacks…operating systems do a lot to mitigate these issues and reduce damage”  

In fact, a vulnerability can be patched and addressed without doing damage, assuming the vendor, or company, agrees a fix is needed.  He did say that some vulnerabilities do not get patched, but those are limited. Just as the iPhone has the largest share of vulnerabilities, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there was a security impact.

So, do the data suggest that the iPhone is less safe? 

“Vulnerabilities only give one picture…but don’t give whole picture of security of a platform," Younan said. "For example, Google’s Android has to deal with a lot more malware. That’s because of the way they deal with their app stores. Google is much more open than Apple’s iTunes”

As far as what ordinary citizens should do in reaction to the data, Younan offers the following tips:

1. Make sure you have the latest operating system (say, Window 8 versus Window XP) because it is better supported by the vendor.
2. Update your computer with any software upgrades the vendor puts out.
3. Consumer level security software is also key, as it can make it harder to exploit the vulnerabilities

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2013/03/29/iphones-under-siege-what-smartphones-are-target-hackers/#ixzz2P5GnlMnM

Will lawmakers ban Google Glass?

Google will soon start handing out its high-tech new glasses -- but did they see the backlash coming?

Tuesday evening the tech giant said it was notifying 8,000 beta testers in the Glass Explorer program. They’ll each receive a pair of the augmented reality glasses, high-tech eyewear that can snap photos, text friends and record video of everything the wearer sees. Expect to see Google Glass soon on faces at the coffee shop and local baseball game.

Most tech pundits see it as an important innovation that could even rival the mighty smartphone. Thad Starner, a Georgia Tech professor and Google Project Glass adviser, said it could create a lifestyle change. He envisions widespread consumer adoption.

"I believe products like Project Glass will give us more power and make us efficient and calmer," he told FoxNews.com. "It will help us weed out interruptions."

But as the Glass roll-out begins, privacy experts and lawmakers have begun wondering whether it's a cause for concern as well. In West Virginia, a new law -- aimed squarely at Project Glass -- could make it illegal to drive with the glasses. A Seattle bar forbade them on patrons. One activist group has even called for an outright ban.