What would you do if the US patent office gave you the go-ahead on a far-reaching, non-specific application filed for a "mobile entertainment and communication device"? If your answer was that you would immediately draw up lawsuits against almost every major electronics manufacturer that even looked at a smartphone funny, you get a cookie. Yes folks, as impossible as it is to believe, the holders of the aforementioned patent have just sued Apple, Nokia, RIM, Sprint, AT&T, HP, Motorola, Helio, HTC, Sony Ericsson, UTStarcomm, and Samsung... amongst others. So eager was this company to sue, in fact, that legal papers were filed a day before the patent was granted, and subsequently had to re-submitted. The real sucker-punch here is that the patent simply combines a list of prior technologies jumbled into one product, a practice which has recently been ruled against by the Supreme Court. Still, we doubt it will stop the holders from trying to nab a few dollars in settlements, staying the work of real innovators, and generally making a mockery of our patent system. Bravo!

[Via Slashdot]

Those not preoccupied with unlocking their iPhone may be interested in what VoiceSignal's talking about, as it has apparently ported several of its applications to Apple's handset. Currently deemed "proof-of-concept applications," both VSearch (speak for search keywords) and VTunes (speak a band you'd like to hear) enable users to simply talk to their mobile and allow the software to handle the rest. Of course, speech recognition apps can be explained much better with, you know, sound, so be sure and check out the video of VTunes in action after the break.

The iPhone isn't the only handset whose software innards are getting lovingly torn apart in the name of science this week. It turns out some intrepid users of the Helio Ocean (a device occasionally compared to the iPhone, coincidentally) have been slaving away on a method for adding extra applications outside of the carrier's walled garden. Their first success is a doozy, too: Opera Mini 3, one of the most prized jewels in the world of mobile software. The developers aren't claiming it's bug-free -- landscape mode and the QWERTY keyboard don't work, for example -- but it's a huge step in the right direction and they're continuing to work out the kinks. More custom apps are said to be on the way, and don't worry, Drift and Heat users -- support's said to be on the way for you guys, too.

Since the iPhone's apps aren't really apps but rather web-based widgets employing a variety of Web 2.0 standards, it only stands to reason that there are probably some other devices out there that can take advantage. In particular, Nokia's S60-based devices already rock a Safari-based browser (and an absolutely terrific one, may we add) -- and sure enough, the few iPhone "apps" kicking around out there seem to work. Of course, the upcoming glut of widgets will likely be designed to take full advantage of the iPhone's somewhat unique input methodology and screen size, so it's not a perfect fit -- but it seems pretty likely N95 owners will be able to find a few new goodies with Apple to thank.

As expected, Apple used WWDC as the stage to announce a third-party development solution for the iPhone, putting to rest fears that the handset would be a closed (read: non-smartphone) platform. Calling it a "sweet solution" for allowing devs to get their wares onto iPhones across the globe without sacrificing stability or security, Apple is using its full Safari-based browser to let folks code up true, Web 2.0-compatible apps that can be accessed and updated on developers' own servers. Though any apps that third-party developers put together will run under Safari, they'll be totally customizable and maintain the platform's unique look and feel. Better yet, they won't require any special SDK -- Jobs claims that a working knowledge of modern web standards is all we'll need to code up custom iPhone goodies to our hearts' content.

Sure, there's always been that painstakingly slow method of manually / batch converting your shows to play nice on your Windows Mobile-powered phone, but Makayama's Mobile TV Center is here to make everyone's lives (at least those with Windows MCE) at a lot easier. Once you've installed the software on your PC, you simply select your handsets from the (admittedly clean looking) MCE-inspired interface, and everything else is reportedly "automatic." Scheduled / previously recorded shows will be converted in the background to a video format optimized for your mobile's screen, and once you connect your device via USB, the files are copied over and ready to view. While miracle apps like these always sound terrific in theory, we wouldn't dive right in without a thorough test drive, so be sure and hit the read link for a very welcome demo before throwing down your £18.80 ($37).

[Via CoolSmartphone]

Just when we were ready to give the award to Samsung for the most complicated phone form factor, Sony Ericsson outdoes their Korean counterparts in a just-revealed 2004 patent application aptly titled "Flipper Phone Configuration." The concept appears to accomplish essentially the same function as a swiveling clamshell but with additional drama surrounding the conversion between modes, using a pivot point halfway up the sides of the display to allow 180-degree rotation. At least Samsung is trying to bring some additional functionality to the table with their "sliding clamshell" patent; where's the innovation here, fellas?

[Via textually.org]