Is there a foldable smartphone/tablet in Microsoft's future?

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Microsoft's patented a design of a tablet that can fold into a smartphone. Discovered by MSPowerUser, the patent discusses a device that can switch from phone to tablet thanks to an articulating hinge design. Now, technology companies patent ideas all the time and there's little guarantee that the product or its components will ever maket it to market.

But this is Microsoft we are talking about, a company that is also a hardware manufacturer thanks to Xbox, Windows Phone and Surface. Now Windows Phone is dwindling market share into extinction, but Microsoft can still be a player if it comes out with a mobile 2-in-1 product like this. Here's why.

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Apple obtains patent for bendable iPhone

Patents don’t usually translate into products but sometimes they do and certain ideas we want to see implemented—like this new patent Apple has recently been granted. The design in the patent shows what could be the basis for a foldable iPhone. Apple applied for the patent back in July 2014 and features a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen that is reminiscent of clamshell phones of the past.

Apple has always relied on liquid-crystal displays (LCD) but rumours have been floating around that OLED is in Apple’s future. Having “bendable” phones isn’t exactly a new thing. The likes of LG have played around with the idea before so if a foldable iPhone is in our future we won’t be as surprised. What do you think? Is this something you’d want to have?

Source: Recode

Apple patents wrap-around screen for the iPhone

A recently approved Apple patent might give us an iPhone in the future that comes with a wrap-around display. Described in the filing, the device will have a flexible screen so it can form a loop and have the image or video be presented in this loop continuously. This means they want to make use of as much of the screen as possible. It won’t be like Samsung’s Galaxy Edge in the sense that the patent stated the sides won’t be used but it could just been a bigger display to look at.

The downside to this is there isn’t existing screen technology that can pull this off commercially yet. OLED is the closest we can get. And also, this is still a patent. Apple could be future-proofing themselves but it doesn’t exactly mean they intend to make the technology in the near future.

Source: The Next Web

New Apple patent proposes a more durable Lightning cable, docking station

Apple patents don’t guarantee that the actual product gets made but here’s something we’re hoping would make an eventual appearance. Apple is looking for a way to make the Lightning cable more durable and flexible up to the tip. Accompanying this is a new dock that will make it safer and easier to charge your Apple device.

According to Patently Apple, this is the description of the new patent: “On August 28, 2014, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals an improved method of producing a lightning connector that has a newly defined breaking strength. This new feature will be able to protect the receptacle lightning connector and/or the electronic device from damage when a force is applied to the lightning connector. One of Apple’s patent figures specifically presents a new docking station utilizing this new feature.”

Source: Patently Apple | Via: Cult of Mac