Despite the clear advantage of a physical keyboard in a business handheld, Apple's iPhone is obviously making just about everyone in smartphone land a tad uncomfortable -- even if they won't admit it -- which means we could be seeing some new BlackBerry form factors from RIM in the coming months to keep consumers interested. Of course, there's no telling if those new form factors will have a tilt-and-slide mechanism, or multitouch, but these here patents are certainly a start. The tilting mechanism aims at giving users the best of both worlds: a true keyboard and a big display, but the multitouch mechanism is interesting as well, and uses a different tech than the capacitive touch in the iPhone. Only time -- and hopefully Mobile World Congress next week -- will tell if these patents are going to be put to good use (hopefully as a team) in your next BlackBerry, but we're certainly intrigued.

In the latest major twist in this epic battle between wireless chipmakers, a US District Judge has slapped a permanent injunction on any products containing those Qualcomm 3G chips ruled to be infringing on Broadcom's so-called '686 patents. Not only can Qualcomm no longer offer infringing devices nor the chips themselves in the US, the retroactive nature of the ruling means that the company can't even provide service or technical support for '686 products already on the market. At this point, with a voluntary licensing agreement seemingly off the table, the next move for Qualcomm is establishing a plan of action to show Judge James Selna how it plans to redesign its products into compliance. [Warning: PDF link]

[Via Reuters]

In an apparent effort to make using a touchscreen possible sans eyesight, Nokia has filed a patent application describing "slider inputs lids." Essentially, these lids would be placed onto a touchscreen to enable users to input certain commands without actually having to look at what's going on. For instance, a circular lid could give you easy access to volume, while a horizontal version could easily slide through music tracks or voicemail messages. The documentation points out that lids could contain a switch that would allow users to access a second set of user interface inputs "based on the position of the lid in relation to the touch sensitive area." Granted, this does seem like a stretch, but there's a hint of promise in there somewhere, we suppose.

[Via UnwiredView]

Another day, another Sony Ericsson patent application. This go 'round, the filing describes a "housing arrangement for a portable device with a display," and details a reverse slider with a pop-up touchscreen. Once opened, the previously hidden display would boast "touch sensitive input," but little else is known about it beyond that. Overall, we're not exactly elated with how it looks in sketches, but it could definitely be worse.

[Via UnwiredView]

It's no secret that Apple loves its touchscreens, and a freshly published patent application provides a little reinforcement to that belief. The documentation explores a method for tossing in pressure-sensitivity to touchpads in order to add functionality, or as Cupertino puts it, "a new element of control." Furthermore, it's noted that "force information may be used as another input dimension for purposes of providing command and control signals to an associated electronic device," and it goes on to explain how spring membranes could be placed under the surface to detect force. Notably, the verbiage tends to "describe a touchpad like those used for the company's MacBook lines," but it does leave open the possibility for the newfangled pads to be used in mobile / portable devices such as the outfit's own iPhone.

In a patent application that outlines an invention sure to be the death of spare cradles, Samsung has conjured up the idea of a "self-cradling portable communication terminal." Essentially, this here device could enclose your battery in a hinged compartment that swivels around, which would enable cellphone users to place their handsets in a "docked position" without needing an actual cradle. Brilliant, we say.

[Via UnwiredView]

In reality, it's probably best when two feuding companies decide to put their differences aside and move forward, but it's certainly a lot less fun. Nevertheless, Samsung and Sony Ericsson have reportedly inked a cross-licensing agreement on patents, which "allows the two companies to use each other's patents covering second-generation and third-generation wireless technology." Additionally, the deal requires that both firms withdraw all patent-related lawsuits filed against each other, and while "additional details" surrounding the exact terms were left undisclosed, we can now safely lay to rest all those outstanding 2G / 3G battles between the two outfits -- and wait for new quarrels to begin, of course.

If you've been a bit disappointed by Nokia's offerings of late, it's probably because the firm is shifting out of the cellphone industry and into the legal environment. Okay, so maybe it hasn't called it quits in the handset game just yet, but this ongoing battle with Qualcomm is beyond ridiculous. Before Qualcomm even had time to swallow the previous counter-suit filed against it, Nokia is firing away again, and this time it's claiming that its opponent "has illegally used six of its technology patents in its Brew smartphone and MediaFlo mobile TV chipset products." Additionally, Nokia's CTO got vocal by stating that this case was just "another example where Qualcomm has effectively copied Nokia's innovations." While we're sure it's getting difficult to decipher which counter-lawsuit belongs to which original grievance, this particular one apparently links to an April 2nd filing where Qualcomm "claimed that Nokia had infringed three patents." C'mon folks, why not settle this like they do in the Alabama State Senate? [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

[Via Yahoo]

Just days after hearing that Steve Jobs was indeed looking into the possibility of letting third party applications play nice with his precious iPhone, along comes a suitable patent application that further proves his hesitance to let it happen. Jobs didn't shy away from suggesting that non-native apps aren't usually cellphone-friendly, and a new filing from Cupertino's lair details an "accessory detector" that would "detect whether an external accessory coupled to the connector may interfere with wireless communication with the handheld device." Of course, no direct mention of the iPhone is given, but it sounds like this here invention would alert the user via on-screen messages and flurries of frightening noises if the inserted / installed accessory did not match up with an internally stored "list" of okayed devices. Additionally, the handset would be able to adjust itself on the fly if the add-on did indeed "interfere" with operations, and while no verbiage mentioned any kinds of shut downs or undercover dial-ups to Apple HQ for unauthorized use, there's always the possibility that this type of scrutiny could lead to an easier implementation of a "Made for iPhone" type royalty program.

[Via UnwiredView]

It looks like any hopes that the 4G intellectual property landscape would be a little less of a Qualcomm-controlled minefield are fading fast. Thanks in part to recent acquisitions, a senior vice president pointed out in a recent interview with IDG that the company now owns over 1,000 patents pertaining to OFDM, OFDMA, and MIMO -- technologies which'll prove crucial to 4G data, regardless of the standard(s) that ultimately win out. In other words, whether the networks of tomorrow are banging LTE, UMB, or some flavor of WiMax, Qualcomm's confident that it's in a position to cash in, just as it's doing now. Sorry, Nokia.

[Via mocoNews]

Sure, it's fair game to cram extra features into PDAs, but stuffing a "removable cellphone" into a personal digital assistant's hidden compartment isn't likely to go over well in this millennium. Nevertheless, a hopeful patent filing spills the deets concerning a comical device that apparently disregards the handsets we so often refer to as smartphones, as it describes a diminutive dedicated cellphone that clips into a PDA when not needed. Additionally, the mystical concept allows each device to sync information with one another, and claims to be a "do-it-all" machine that curiously requires two separate devices to pull it all off. Of course, the only obvious perks here are the ability the downsize and carry along just the mobile while your nagging relative enjoys a few of your MP3s on the PDA side, but considering the blossoming market of true all-in-one conglomerates, we don't see this one moving one inch past the paperwork. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via Textually]

If you've already got yourself a music phone, you might wanna hold onto it for awhile, because some forthcoming patent "extortion" promises to jack up prices on any model with side-mounted speakers. You probably remember handset manufacturer Hop On from some of its low end wares that we've covered, and now the company has just received a design patent on an "MP3 Phone with speakers on the side, in addition to front and side buttons to activate its camera/video features." No big deal, except for the fact that Hop On plans to seek royalties for all past and future cellphones that it considers to be infringing on its IP -- in other words, millions upon millions of units. So keep your eyes open, because if the Moto's, Nokia's, and LG's of the world aren't down with Hop On's licensing proposals, it's likely we'll see a whole slew of lawsuits in an industry that already has more than its fair share of squabbling players.

[Via Electronista]

Joining Sony Ericsson in the growing list of cellphone-related patents unearthed today, it appears that Apple is doing a good bit of work behind the scenes to ensure that future iPhone users will be able to access and purchase tunes (and video?) from the iTunes Store. Apple's recently filed "Configuration of a computing device in a secure manner" patent lays out in a good bit of detail how users of a mobile device (wireless iPod?) could access the iTMS and perform "transactions." It goes on to speak of "digital signatures" that would presumably have to be validated before any unexpected downloads took place, and it also pictures a handset (props to Nokia candybars of days past) communicating with an actual PC, which then contacts the "content and commerce" servers on the other side of the wire. In other details, there's photo evidence that some sort of downloadable upgrades / expansions could be available, probably referring to future firmware updates that could be initiated through the iTunes application. Granted, the whole mess of legal jargon is a bit hard for the layman to truly grasp, and it seems that Apple was simply throwing out as many vague words and possibilities to encompass anything that actually gets decided, but be sure to hit the read link anyway for more textual confusion and pictorial delight.

And so it continues. We've never been the greatest fans of Visto and its money-grabbing patent lawsuit methods, be it's hard to argue with results. The last time we hear from Visto, it was busy suing RIM, Microsoft and Good Technology, having just won a spankin' $3.6 million from victim defendant Seven Networks. Well it looks like the worst wasn't over for Seven, since the judge in that case just doubled the price for accumulated interest, and then piled on Visto's legal fees for a grand total of $7.7 million. Brian Bogosian, CEO of Visto, says the decision "heralds a victory for true innovation and for lawful invention, whether it is conceived by a large corporation or by a passionate few toiling in the dim lights of a garage." At least with that kind of cash they can finally afford to furnish the garage with that rad shag carpet and foosball table they've been eyeing, so bully for them.

Given that it's been six months since we last heard from NTP, we figured that the company had taken its $612 million, paid its hefty legal fees, and moved onto something more productive -- like sitting on a private Caribbean island drinking umbrella-laden cocktails all day. Unfortunately, we neglected to take into account NTP's limitless desire for suing other companies dry. So, still needing more money, NTP has filed a patent infringement suit against Palm in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, alleging in a press release that "Palm's products, services, systems and processes infringe NTP's patents." In a related matter, Scrooge McDuck is suing NTP for infringing his patent on a gold coin-filled swimming room.

[Via Reuters]