There is no doubt that iPhones are some of the most technology advanced phones today, but did you know that new evidence is showing some interesting new features on the horizon for the Apple phone? According to some reports, patent applications for the company include things like RFID tag readers, fingerprint identification technology as well as haptic feedback.

The haptic feedback will allow users to use their phones or MP3 players without actually using the screen, a good option for driving. The RFID reader will be added to those phones with touch screens. They will imbed these readers in the iPhone or iPod to get the phone into corporate and industrial areas. The fingerprint identification will help users to use each of their fingers to access different information on the device.

Tags: Apple, Apple, Cell Phones, fingerprint, iPhone, ipod, mp3, rfid readers, touch screens

What will the next generation iPhone bring? Well it’s a little too early to speculate on that but Apple is certainly working on it. A few new patents have emerged and they depict a few new features like haptic screens, RFID readers and fingerprint ID. The picture clearly suggests that such technology would definitely apply to the iPhone or the iPod touch.

The screen is using a grid of piezoelectronic actuators that will offer a tactile vibration response every time you press the screen. Do we need a haptic touchscreen? Yes we do:

However, one of a touchscreen’s biggest advantages (i.e., the ability to utilize the same physical space for different functions) is also one of a touchscreen’s biggest disadvantages. When the user is unable to view the display (because the user is occupied with other tasks), the user can only feel the smooth hard surface of the touchscreen, regardless of the shape, size and location of the virtual buttons and/or other display elements. This makes it difficult for users to find icons, hyperlinks, textboxes or other user-selectable input elements that are being displayed, if any are even being displayed, without looking at the display.

As for fingerprint identification or RFID reader, these are not exactly must-have features but they would be also useful in a future iPhone.

Tags: Apple, Apple, fingerprint, haptic, ID, iPhone, Mobile News, patent, Portable Devices, rfid readers

Businesses and companies need all the help that they can get these days and apparently this new solution from Motorola will further aid them in their daily operations. The Motorola FX7400 series provides maximum functionality in a sleek package that is less than half the size of traditional fixed RFID readers, making it ideal for retail stores, offices, and other customer-facing or business environments.

Motorola’s new cost-effective, high-performance fixed RFID reader is built on a new platform that supports Gen 2 technology and is capable of hosting third-party, customer-driven embedded applications to meet the growing requirements of enterprises.

As a compact, lightweight, unobtrusive RFID reader, the FX7400 can be installed under point-of-sale counters, behind walls or on ceilings - providing an ideal solution for item-level tracking, retail inventory management, file tracking and asset management applications in environments where performance and a small footprint are critical.

For retailers, this new reader will help improve employee productivity, reduce cycle count times and decrease out-of-stock items in order to improve operations and increase sales. The FX7400 series complements Motorola’s existing portfolio of industrial solutions and opens a new window of opportunity for retailers and businesses to implement RFID. Motorola intends to broaden this business-class portfolio with additional reader options in the future.

The Motorola FX7400 fixed RFID reader will be available through Motorola PartnerSelect members and Motorola sales. It is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe in the third quarter of 2009 and globally by the end of the year.

(Source) Press

Tags: asset management applications, Business, business class, business environments, ceilings, class portfolio, footprint, high performance, maximum functionality, Motorola, Motorola, motorola sales, new solution, point of sale, retail inventory management, retail stores, rfid readers, sleek package, window of opportunity