Apple's Latest Patent: Protecting the Honest, or Needlessly Invasive?

The good folks over at AppleInsider are reporting on a recent patent from Apple: "Consumer Abuse Detection System and Method." In short, and as the name implies, this would be a patented system allowing a device (say, an iPhone) to record when it is placed in perilous situations: extreme cold/heat, drops, liquid exposure, etc. Before we go any further, keep in mind this is simply a patent at this point, and we have no information on Apple planning to use this in any product at this time.

Apple already uses liquid sensors in the iPhone, but those low-tech stickers that change color when exposed to water, aren't perfect. There are reports that simply living in a humid climate over time, could change the color of the sensor.

Is Apple's patent aimed at simply making a more accurate recording of events they are already trying to record, or does this go further? How would one know whether they have voided the warranty? If I drop my iPhone onto the pavement, but it continues to function normally, later if there's a problem, would I be rejected because of single incident perhaps a year earlier? Would there be some unwritten rule about how many drops would be deemed acceptable? Would it be shrouded in mystery like the old dead pixel policies for Apple monitors?

I can tell you from working at the store that probably 90% of the time, it is obvious when an iPhone/iPod has been abused. Is catching that other 10% worth the expense and PR issue the new system could bring?

MovieLingo for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

"Hey, you talkin' to me?" You bet I am. Today we're taking a look at MovieLingo a free app that brings 80 years of movie quotes/audio clips to the iPhone and iPod Touch. You either shake to randomly hear a clip from a specific genre and time period, or you can lock in the decade, movie type, or both. While it might not have the largest database of clips (some decade/genre combos return no results) it can make for a quick, on-the-run trivia game among movie buffs.

Here's a look:

Guest Blog: If The Calculator Made Everyone Bad at Math, What is the iPhone Doing??

I used to have an uncanny sense of direction, and I could get from Point A to Point B without the need for a map or asking for directions. I just felt that I "knew" how to get where I wanted to go. Then I got a GPS unit, and ever since, I've become alarmingly dependent on it for the smallest of trips.

Rye Clifton, Senior Strategic Officer for The Martin Agency, one of the country's pre-eminent advertising agencies, recently expressed similar views, on the company blog and he joins us for this guest blog:

You no longer log on; you are constantly connected. Information is on demand and at your fingertips: phone numbers tied to faces tied to names tied to birthdays tied to addresses (possibly physical, definitely email).

Your phone is your alarm clock. Wake up anywhere in the world and Google maps can tell you how to get home. Check Facebook or MySpace and you might be able to figure out how you got wherever you are, see who you were with, and what you were wearing the night before. Those pictures are likely time stamped, geo-tagged, captioned, and commented on too.

No need to blog, no need for Twitter. Your iPhone can document your every move, organize and upload your memories and keep tabs on your life without ever having to write things down…which is convenient since that removes the subsequent necessity to read. 

Instead you watch, but channel surfing now means changing mediums, not networks. If you don’t fast-forward through an ad, you’re switching to another screen: emailing, instant messaging, text messaging or surfing. When you get so distracted that you miss your show, you simply rewind…or download the episode and take it with you.

In the meantime, you’re absorbing, seeking, sharing, spying…filling your bored mind with more and more information. If you remember the headlines, you can return for details. You no longer have to remember to remember; EVERYTHING IS A CLICK AWAY.

So what does this mean for branding? In a search-based society, it is critical to have a sought-after brand.

This means you can’t be the brand people are talking about…you have to be the brand people are asking about. What are they doing now? What will they do next? How can they help me?

Once people have all the answers, they stop asking questions…and they move on to something new. The brands that keep people guessing keep people coming back over and over again.

Apple just had a press conference, and people are already talking about what is next on the horizon. The reveal of new products and secrets leads to a new line of questions. People talk, communities grow, fanboys unite and loyalty builds (also, if you’re looking to define fanboy, Webster just added it…and if your brand doesn’t have any, you’re missing out).

Today, people advocate and defend their favorite brands like they would their favorite bands. When given a voice, they will stand up for your values and fight down the flames. They will let you know when you screw up and applaud you when you succeed. But to keep them loyal, you must keep them interested…keep them asking questions…or they may forget you like everything else.

iPhone Feature Idea: Phone-only Mode

There are plenty of ideas that float in and out of HQ, some we hope will make millions of dollars, and others that we're willing to part with for the good of humanity. This is one of those. 

Wouldn't be great to have phone-only mode on the iPhone? Why, you ask? Several reasons.

Let's say you're looking forward to a weeklong vacation this summer, and you want to have your iPhone with you, but leave the email behind. Just throw your iPhone into Phone-only mode, and you won't have those new message notifications mocking you at the bottom of the screen.

Or imagine you have a young child or a technophobic parent who needs to borrow/use your phone. Make it easy on them and you by enabling phone-only mode!

Perhaps a friend wants to borrow your phone at a party. Maybe that friend is known as a prankster, and you would prefer that they not have access to your email, contacts, safari history etc.

So how about it Apple, A pin-based phone-only mode for those times when we have to trust others with our iPhones, or we're just looking to shut off the rest of the world for awhile. It's yours for free. Of course if you have a few extra minutes to fill at the next keynote, you know where to find us...

Apple's European USB Plans: A Shrewd Business Move

Recently, Apple joined a consortium in Europe aimed at standardizing power connections on cell phones to the micro USB standard. It was a bit of a surprise as Apple's iPhone and iPod have used a 30-pin proprietary connection for years. Was Apple abandoning the connector, and all the versatility that comes with 30 pins for data/audio/video/power, etc?

In short, no. Apple announced that they could be part of the consortium by providing an adapter to connect to micro USB accessories (mainly power adapters) In doing so, the world will most likely be left with two connectors on all cell phones within a few years: micro USB, and Apple's 30-pin connector. In a way, it helps Apple hedge their bets. This way, if car/wall chargers standardize to micro USB, Apple is still "in the game". The 30-pin connector, if you include iPods, is probably the most used proprietary connection in the world. Of course if the world standardized on it, Apple could miss out on all those "Made for iPod" licensing agreements, and competitors would gain valuable insight as to current and future plans from Apple, while also gaining use of the Apple accessory ecosystem.

In supporting micro USB, Apple squelches competing devices from being as likely to create their own connector, while making sure there are two connection types: One for iPhone/iPod, and one for everybody else, that the iPhone can also use. Well done.