Apple Patents Android-Like Gesture, Mobile Devices, TECHNOLOGY NEWS, Apple smart phones, Smart phone apps and appinsider

<div> <h1 class="alpha tweet-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: alright_sansblack, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 2.4375em; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> <span style="color: #6aa84f;">Apple Patents Android-Like Gesture Unlocking Tech For Mobile Devices</span></h1> </div> <div> <span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div> <span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: #bf9000;">TECHNOLOGY NEWS</b></span></div> <img height="398" src="http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/unlock.jpg?w=308" width="400" /><br /><br />Apple has a pair of new patent applications published by the USPTO today (viaAppleInsider) which describe a gesture-based unlocking system for iPhone or iPad devices. The system is more sophisticated than existing implementations, however, and includes a number of provisions to make the encryption even harder to frustrate the current methods employed by Android devices.<br /><br />Apple’s patent describes gesture lock screen user interface elements that can be changed by a user, in terms of both size and position. Changing size makes them easier or harder to hit, and rearranging their position could also frustrate potential hacking attempts by making patterns more unpredictable. The system can also selectively use invisible dots too, which aren’t present on the UI but which work in tandem with visible hit points to track a path.<br /><br />Other variables that could add to gesture complexity include counting things like the speed of entry, pauses and other timing elements into the code. Entering the same gesture different ways would therefore produce different results, with only one right way to trigger an unlock.<br /><br />There’s still more, too – the system supports the use of multi-finger input, and has a code strength support meter not unlike those used for text and number based passcodes today. It would rank patterns as high or low based on how long they were, how complex, how random and other factors.<br /><br />Apple isn’t likely to build this system into any devices in the near future, since it skirts too closely to drawing comparisons to Android, but it does show the Mac maker thinking in-depth about what comes after the alphanumeric password, since conceivably future systems will need much more complex security measures to frustrate hacking attempts.</span>

Apple Patents Android-Like Gesture, Mobile Devices, TECHNOLOGY NEWS, Apple smart phones, Smart phone apps and appinsider

Apple Patents Android-Like Gesture Unlocking Tech For Mobile Devices TECHNOLOGY NEWS Apple has a pair of new patent applications pub...

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LookFor Kickstarts A Colored Flashing Light For Your Smartphone Screen, TECHNOLOGY NEWS

<br /> <h1 class="alpha tweet-title" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: alright_sansblack, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 2.4375em; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> <span style="color: #38761d;">LookFor Kickstarts A Colored Flashing Light For Your Smartphone Screen</span></h1> <div> <b style="background-color: #38761d;"><span style="color: white;">TECHNOLOGY NEWS</span></b></div> <br /> <img alt="lookfor" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-991208" height="360" src="http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/lookfor.gif?w=640&h=360" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(213, 213, 213); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(213, 213, 213); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(213, 213, 213); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(213, 213, 213); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: content-box; clear: both; color: #3e433e; display: block; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; height: auto; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%;" width="640" /><br /> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> If you want to find someone at a big event, it’s difficult. “I’m by the big orange thing sort of next to the pretzel vendor kinda” is pretty standard fare for communicating your whereabouts. A new Kickstarter project (via Ross Rubin on Twitter) aims to DISRUPT finding your pals in a busy place with a significant advancement in smartphone technology – colored flashing lights.<br /><br />The LookFor project is seeking a meagre $1,000 in funding, but honestly it probably doesn’t even need that much to meet its basic design requirements. The app as it stands offers users the ability to select a color from a range of some of the more basic hues, which it then displays full-size while flashing your smartphone’s screen. The idea is that you use some other means (i.e., SMS, or email ahead of time if you know you’re going to be out of cell service in some dank basement bunker for a super secret show) to tell your friend what color to look for, open the LookFor app, pick said color and hold up your phone to show them where to find you.<br /><br />It’s decidedly old-school, but with a modern twist that takes advantage of hardware everyone has on them at all times, while not depending on some of the more advanced (and less dependable) features like a cellular data connection. It’s genius, and while it isn’t the most technically advanced (creator Logan Riley admits he built it using coding skills he picked up himself), it’s honest about what it does, and seems genuinely useful for things like concerts and making it easy for a cab driver or Uber to know where to find you.<br /><br />Backers get a copy of the fully functional “beta” version of the app for just a $1 pledge, and if you pledge $5 you get an “analog” version (literally just a card you can keep in your wallet in one color of your choosing). Riley also plans to build in smart features in the future, including iBeacon support for notifications of friend proximity, push notifications and in-app messaging to name a few. Plus, since LookFor becomes a lot less useful the more popular it is (“Look for purple.” “Uh okay there’s like fifteen purples.”) there’s also a planned feature that detects a specific rate of oscillation from flashing devices to tell you which one is actually your friend.<br /><br />Also, if you’re concerned about compatibility, this is a web app currently, so it should run on a wide range of devices. And yes you could probably code your own in next to no time, but $1 to reward old-fashioned ingenuity isn’t too steep a price.</span>

LookFor Kickstarts A Colored Flashing Light For Your Smartphone Screen, TECHNOLOGY NEWS

LookFor Kickstarts A Colored Flashing Light For Your Smartphone Screen TECHNOLOGY NEWS If you want to find someone at a big event, ...

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The Nest Thermostat Through Google Play, Technology news, Latest News, Revealing news

<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>The Nest Thermostat Is Now Available Through Google Play</b></span><br /> <span style="background-color: #f1c232; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">TECHNOLOGY NEWS</span><br /> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> <img height="428" src="http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/google-nest.jpg?w=400" width="640" /></div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Google’s latest toy is available for purchase on Google Play for $249. Starting today, conveniently to coincide with Earth Day, Google started selling Nest Learning Thermostat on its web store.<br /><br />Since the Nest Protect is temporary unavailable, only the Learning Thermostat is on Google Play right now.<br /><br />The price is the same, though. The Learning Thermostat is still $249 through Google like at other retailers including Lowes, Nest.com and Amazon. Google states that the product will ship from warehouse within 1-2 business days from the time it was ordered.<br /><br />The Google Play product listing briefly appeared yesterday but was pulled. At the time Google failed to comment on the listing, likely because it was preparing to actually start selling the device.<br /><br />For those keeping track, this makes the Nest Learning Thermostat the only product available on both Google and Apple’s retail site.</span></div>

The Nest Thermostat Through Google Play, Technology news, Latest News, Revealing news

The Nest Thermostat Is Now Available Through Google Play TECHNOLOGY NEWS Google’s latest toy is available for purchase on Google Play f...

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Uber, SnapCar, Geolocation In France, TECHNOLOGY NEWS

<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #38761d; font-family: alright_sansblack, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 2.4375em; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1.2;"><b>Uber, SnapCar And Others May Not Be Able To Use Geolocation In France</b></span><br /> <br /> <b><span style="background-color: red; color: white; font-size: large;">TECHNOLOGY NEWS</span></b><br /> <img class="" src="http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/8493583277_3360dc45ac_b.jpg?w=738" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; border-bottom-color: rgb(213, 213, 213); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(213, 213, 213); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(213, 213, 213); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(213, 213, 213); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: content-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; height: auto; line-height: 26px; max-width: 100%;" /><br /> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Thomas Thévenoud had an impossible job — he was the member of the <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Assemblée Nationale</i> in charge of finding an agreement between urban transportation startups and taxi unions in France. He just announced his report to those companies, and it will become a law in the coming weeks. But some of the 30 points are highly controversial. For example, Uber, Chauffeur-Privé, LeCab and others won’t be able to display relevant geolocation data on your phone in France.</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> “I want to ban the apps that let you see if there are cars around you,” Thévenoud told the AFP.</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> “The report is quite explosive. He has locked the use of geolocation for the urban transportation companies and is proposing to allow it only for the taxis,” SnapCar co-founder Dave Ashton told me in a phone interview. “From a technical standpoint, it’s pretty incredible because we invented the use of geolocation for the drivers and clients. It’s completely ridiculous.”</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Other points won’t please taxi drivers. “The taxi drivers will strike immediately. That’s certain,” Ashton said. In France, when you call a taxi, the driver starts the taxi meter immediately. Thévenoud wants to cap this amount, or even end it. When you call an Uber, your ride doesn’t start until you’re actually in the car.</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Every taxi driver will also need to have a credit card machine. This will make it much more difficult for cab drivers to avoid paying taxes on their rides. When you order a cab to go to the airport, it will be a fixed price like in New York and many other cities.</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Thévenoud wants taxi drivers to systematically use geolocation. In short, the French government is taking Uber’s innovation and giving it exclusively to taxi drivers. The government could also ban ride-sharing services, such as UberPOP, Heetch and Djump.</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Taxi drivers asked for much more aggressive rules against urban transportation companies. According to them, in order to protect taxis, LeCab, Uber and others should have to wait at least 30 minutes before letting a customer in the car, and a ride should cost at least $80 (€60). None of that is in Thévenoud’s report.</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> As a reminder, cab drivers have complained against urban transportation startups for months. They claim that allowing these new companies is unfair competition.</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> In December, the government announced and immediately passed the 15-minute law for Uber, Chauffeur-Privé and others. Drivers had to wait 15 minutes between the time a customer hailed them and they let them in the car. Most startups didn’t even try to comply with the rule, and it was recently suspended by the <i style="box-sizing: border-box;">Conseil d’État</i>. In other words, it was too harsh.</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Yet, taxi driver unions said that they would regularly go on strike to protest that decision. That’s why Thévenoud was appointed to find a “fair and durable solution that will benefit everyone while taking into account the different needs in terms of urban transportation.”</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> In the meantime, the government has stopped issuing new driver licenses for urban transportation companies. These licenses should become more expensive in the near future as well. While today’s report is a first step, I don’t think it will end the conflict between taxi drivers and urban transportation companies anytime soon.</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> <b style="box-sizing: border-box;">Update:</b> A tipster sent me the relevant part of the report regarding geolocation. Thévenoud said that urban transportation companies shouldn’t display a map with drivers around you. In other words, you will only be able to order a car, but you won’t know whether the car is 5 minutes away or 20 minutes away.</div> <div style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3e433e; font-family: open_sansregular, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px; margin-bottom: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> <img alt="IMG_4079" src="http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/img_4079.jpg?w=853&h=640" /> </div>

Uber, SnapCar, Geolocation In France, TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Uber, SnapCar And Others May Not Be Able To Use Geolocation In France TECHNOLOGY NEWS Thomas Thévenoud had an impossible job — he was t...

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