New Apple suit claims Galaxy Nexus infringes on 'slide-to-unlock' feature - Page 2

Originally Posted by muppetry

I've often wondered what the tinkering is intended to achieve. Is the end point some actual enhanced functionality or just non-standard personalization of the interface? Or something else again? Is it worth the effort?

Originally Posted by MarquisMark

Tinkering is all of the above. It is modifying aesthetic or functional aspects of something. Changing the background wallpaper is a type of tinkering. It is also a way of discovering how something works (like disassembling a clock to see it's inner workings).

Some people just like to tinker because it's fun. It doesn't have to have a purpose or end goal. Some people want something to "just work". Nothing wrong with either way. Everyone is different which is why having choices is great.

Originally Posted by muppetry

I've often wondered what the tinkering is intended to achieve. Is the end point some actual enhanced functionality or just non-standard personalization of the interface? Or something else again? Is it worth the effort?

Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz

Android is a stolen OS. Apple as no choice but to protect its IP.

Originally Posted by I am a Zither Zather Zuzz

Android is a stolen OS. Apple as no choice but to protect its IP.

Originally Posted by DrDoppio

Not that I'm aware of; but there's their products as prior art. Consequently, Apple's patent needed to be very specific in order to have sufficient novelty. As a result of this, Galaxy Nexus can easily be shown in court to differ sufficiently from Apple's patent.

Originally Posted by GalaxyTab

No, that is copyright law. You don't automatically lose a patent for not enforcing it.

Originally Posted by muppetry

Yes - I have no issues with doing it for fun as I've been doing that myself with computers for years. I just hadn't figured out whether there was more to it with phones.

Originally Posted by MarquisMark

Ah, well specific to phones would be customization (more icons per page, more tabs in the browser, etc.). I also know guys who get into the Android kernel to do speed tweaks, overclocking, or speed governing for power savings. That kind of stuff is half for the end result and half for the act of doing it (aka "because it was there" mentality).

Originally Posted by Just_Me

Most Android users dont know any of that stuff

Originally Posted by Just_Me

Most Android users dont know any of that stuff

Originally Posted by SolipsismX

The two arguments that makes sense for Windows users is their paid apps can be used on new Windows PCs regardless of vendor and they don't have to learn a new system. I never hear these excuses in regards to Android (though I hear the former as a slam against Apple because they lock you in I their evil-ecosystem). It's always about the ability to root the device and access the file system blah blah blah.

Originally Posted by DaHarder

The more rational among us know that there's absolutely no case here, and that'll likely be what the courts determine as well.

Apple (and a few others) have become little more than patent trolling bullies, and it's time it came to a stop.

Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz

This is patented by Apple:



Along with line art that resembles the image.

The Galaxy Nexus implementation should not be covered by the patent.

Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz

oh...so the patent is about the idea of interacting with a touch screen using a slide motion to initiate an action such as unlocking the device?

Originally Posted by sranger

Well,

I have a Galaxy Nexus and I can say with 100% certainty, that it is NOT a slide to unlock feature. When you put you finger on the unlock icon, a floating circle appears. You can then move your finger in any (360 degree) direction and the ball follows. When you move close to an icon on the outer circle (Just two for now, Unlock and Camera) the ball snaps to the icon. If you lift your finger, it performs the action of the icon. For now it unlocks the phone or opens the camera app. In the next Android update, you will be able to put your own app icons on the circle and have it go straight to them......

I just can't see how Apple is going to win this one....

Originally Posted by geekdad

I tested a Galaxy Nexus for 30 days with my IP4s. It does not look or feel or imitate the iPhone at all! It is almost 5 inches long and it does not use a slide to unlock like the iPhone...it shows a picture of a lock and you move it in the general direction to the right to unlock. You can also use facial recognition as well. Apple is really stretching with this one.
I chose to keep the IP4s...it is a better all around device and the battery last so much longer.

Originally Posted by melgross

You're making this up, and it's easy to tell. The battery life isn't better than the 4S, it's worse. Not that untypical for Android phones which have been plagued with poor battery life in general.

Is it a better phone? Well, that a matter of opinion. With 2.3.5, no Android phone is "better". Bigger maybe, if you like that sort of thing. With ICS, a lot of the UI problems have been solved, so it's better-than it was.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5310/s...wich-review/14

Originally Posted by SolipsismX

I also agree with AbsoluteDesignz about absurdity of Apple going after Samsung for something that is part of the stock Android 4.0 build.




You added an odd qualifier this time. "Switch' to make it 'sliding switch'. Does the sliding effect how the display switches from a locked mode to an unlocked mode or not? It sure likes you have to slide it to switch modes.

Again, I don't think Apple has a case here but I was commenting on your comment "that it is NOT a slide to unlock feature."

Originally Posted by melgross

The concept of going after a manufacturer for this purpose, even though the OS was written by another, is common practice, and is perfectly legal all over the world. MS is going after manufacturers of Android devices even though the OS is by Google. This is no different.

Originally Posted by squiddy20

For total transparency, I'll admit that I like and use Android. I should also say that I own a Mac and am quite happy with it. I'm not some biased little idiot screaming "f*ck Apple, Android FTW!!", just putting my (hopefully unbiased) opinion out there.

Now that that's out of the way, this suit is absolutely bogus. Here's my reasoning:
1. If there had been any time for Apple to sue over this patent, it should have been anytime between when Android first came out and just before Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) came out. The reason I think this is because on stock Android's default lockscreen, the ONLY way to unlock the phone is a straight horizontal slide from far left to far right, much like Apple's version. A slide from the opposite side (right to left) usually mutes/unmutes the phone. Any Android version 2.3.7 and below employs this feature and that's when it most resembled iOS's "slide to unlock", not now.
2. As others have pointed out, this suit is absolutely unnecessary simply for the fact that there are at least 5 different ways to unlock the Galaxy Nexus: Face unlock, the standard slide to unlock (the one being argued about here), PIN unlock (4 digits), password unlock (letters, numbers, other characters), pattern unlock, and maybe 1 or two more since I've never seen a Galaxy Nexus in-person. Even if this suit goes in Apple's favor, all Google has to do is take out the slide to unlock feature and (more than likely) pay a fine. Big whoop.
3. The slide to unlock feature on the Galaxy Nexus is (for the most part) completely different than iOS's slide to unlock. I do concede, you are "sliding" something to another location, but in Apple's method, you are constrained to the same straight horizontal, left-to-right motion every single time. With the Galaxy Nexus, you put your finger on the lock icon and you can move it anywhere within the circle that shows up. And supposedly, future updates will allow you to add/subtract things to unlock to and where to place them, furthering the disparity between the two. Not only that, but the start and end points for the methods employed by Android and iOS are different. GN: center to right, iPhone: far left to far right. Again, I am forced to reference my first point, when this suit would have been more applicable.

I think we can all agree (iOS and Android fans alike) this patent slinging is getting ridiculous, regardless of who wins...

Originally Posted by melgross

No, you can't get a patent for an idea, as you should know by now. You do know that, don't you? The patent is about what is being accomplished, and HOW it is being done, on the level of the software, and interaction with the screen.

Originally Posted by melgross

You're making this up, and it's easy to tell. The battery life isn't better than the 4S, it's worse. Not that untypical for Android phones which have been plagued with poor battery life in general.

Is it a better phone? Well, that a matter of opinion. With 2.3.5, no Android phone is "better". Bigger maybe, if you like that sort of thing. With ICS, a lot of the UI problems have been solved, so it's better-than it was.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5310/s...wich-review/14

Originally Posted by melgross

There are other ways to do this. Slide to unlock is just a clever and easy way. But touching several spots in a certain order would work just as well, and take about the same amount of time. It's just laziness on the part of others to copy this.

Originally Posted by melgross

You're making this up, and it's easy to tell. The battery life isn't better than the 4S, it's worse. Not that untypical for Android phones which have been plagued with poor battery life in general.

Is it a better phone? Well, that a matter of opinion. With 2.3.5, no Android phone is "better". Bigger maybe, if you like that sort of thing. With ICS, a lot of the UI problems have been solved, so it's better-than it was.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5310/s...wich-review/14

Originally Posted by DrDoppio

Not that I'm aware of; but there's their products as prior art. Consequently, Apple's patent needed to be very specific in order to have sufficient novelty. As a result of this, Galaxy Nexus can easily be shown in court to differ sufficiently from Apple's patent.

Originally Posted by MarquisMark

Tinkering is all of the above. It is modifying aesthetic or functional aspects of something. Changing the background wallpaper is a type of tinkering. It is also a way of discovering how something works (like disassembling a clock to see it's inner workings).

Some people just like to tinker because it's fun. It doesn't have to have a purpose or end goal. Other people want something to "just work". Nothing wrong with either way. Everyone is different which is why having choices is great.

Originally Posted by SolipsismX

There is a very real baseband driver issue that is affecting the phenomenal life of many iPhone 4Ses.

Originally Posted by geekdad

I tested a Galaxy Nexus for 30 days with my IP4s. [...]
I chose to keep the IP4s...it is a better all around device and the battery last so much longer.

Originally Posted by melgross

You're making this up, and it's easy to tell. The battery life isn't better than the 4S, it's worse.

Originally Posted by DaHarder

Hmmm... The last line of the post very clearly read: [...]

so why are you accusing/attacking him of/for 'making this up' etc. ?

Originally Posted by AbsoluteDesignz

He's saying the 4S has longer battery life.

Originally Posted by DaHarder

Hmmm... The last line of the post very clearly read:

"I chose to keep the IP4s...it is a better all around device and the battery last so much longer."

Indicating that in his experience with both devices the iPhone 4S is 'the better all around device', and has "better battery life', so why are you accusing/attacking him of/for 'making this up' etc. ?

Originally Posted by Dickprinter

You read his post wrong. He said the iP4S's battery last (sic) so much longer. As much as I disagree with most of his posts, he is praising the iP4S and is dead-on telling the truth.

Originally Posted by melgross

That may be a bug, but it doesn't affect most users. And it's not the 4S, it's phones with iOS 5. Some 4s have the problem as well, though I don't know if any 3Gs users do.

On the other hand, most Android phones have only fair battery life. Some have poor battery life. It's not a bug that affects a few percent of users, it's a design flaw of some nature that affects ALL users. There's a difference.

It's thought that one of the problems is due to the nature of the multitasking model Android uses which require much more RAM than iOS requires. More RAM means poorer battery life. In addition, these manufacturers use off the shelf SoC's. There is no customization once the manufacturer is chosen, while Apple customizes their SoC to their own use. It's why the iPhone 4S can get away with a dual 800MHz chip, and still has performance better, or just about as good as phones using dual 1 GHz or significantly higher running chips. It's also one major reason why battery life is better on the iPhone.

Originally Posted by Dickprinter

You read his post wrong. He said the iP4S's battery last (sic) so much longer. As much as I disagree with most of his posts, he is praising the iP4S and is dead-on telling the truth.

Originally Posted by DaHarder

My experience with my iPhone4S' battery life is that it last roughly 60-70% as long as my iPhone4 did, and not as long as my Galaxy Nexus (in CDMA mode) for any given charge cycle.

Example: I took my Galaxy Nexus off the charger over 30.5 hours ago and still have 34% left after an entire day's use, which is rather excellent for any modern smartphone.

Originally Posted by SolipsismX

There are surely some users with a new OS version that at least think they are getting worse battery life, but the issue with the 4S dropping 10% or more per hour without usage is an issue with that new MDM6610 baseband.

Originally Posted by DaHarder

...here's what I achieved last week under rather heavy use: 21+ hours of use with 30% remaining.

Originally Posted by DaHarder

...here's what I achieved last week under rather heavy use: 21+ hours of use with 30% remaining.



Which is still quite excellent.

Anyway... I still stand behind my assertion that this whole 'lock screen infringement' claim will likely be thrown out.

Originally Posted by melgross

Except that most people don't have the issue at all. And it's just a guess by some that that's the problem. No one knows as of yet.

I don't have the problem. Neither does my wife or daughter. I know a fair number of people with the phone, and only one guy had the problem. I told him to take the phone to Apple. He did. They gave him a new phone, and he doesn't have the problem.

Originally Posted by melgross

I'm not quite sure what that photo proves. It doesn't show all of your activity over that period. It's also so far from what legit tests have shown, that it's just more than a bit odd.