Smart Bezel. Why didn't I think of this? I would love to see this make it's way to the iPhone 5.
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Apple Exploring Smart Bezel with Illuminated Buttons
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No, I think they'd try to have the information displayed through the bezel, like the led behind the thin portion of the Air. So if nothing needed to be displayed it would look just like regular bezel.
Well... I could imagine the bezel to incorporate bright LEDs to illuminate the caller's face during facetime calls. 
Other that that, it seems rather unlike Apple who looooooves to keep things simple. That's a fairly old patent application, maybe they can sue HTC with it if they ever feel the need to.
It could be handy though for some kinds of notifications to get your attention without switching the screen on (which can be hard so notice sometimes). If you get a text message, the screen lights up for a few seconds and then goes off. You can set it to ring a couple more times (I actually have a jailbreak app that reminds me every one minute in case I wasn't in the room for a few minutes) but after that, you actually need to hit the home button to check. A simple little light could get your attention right away, like the flashing red light on older landline phones indicating someone left you a message.
Then again, the patent is for something more sophisticated. I'd rather have a bigger screen or smaller phone than a bezel with gimmicks on it.
Other that that, it seems rather unlike Apple who looooooves to keep things simple. That's a fairly old patent application, maybe they can sue HTC with it if they ever feel the need to.
It could be handy though for some kinds of notifications to get your attention without switching the screen on (which can be hard so notice sometimes). If you get a text message, the screen lights up for a few seconds and then goes off. You can set it to ring a couple more times (I actually have a jailbreak app that reminds me every one minute in case I wasn't in the room for a few minutes) but after that, you actually need to hit the home button to check. A simple little light could get your attention right away, like the flashing red light on older landline phones indicating someone left you a message.
Then again, the patent is for something more sophisticated. I'd rather have a bigger screen or smaller phone than a bezel with gimmicks on it.
Dare I even say...
But the one thing I did love about my old Blackberry was its LED which was really helpful for knowing what kind of alert I had, whether a message, voicemail, SMS, IM, etc.
This would be so cool to see integrated into and iPhone.. maybe in an awesome glowing home button ^-^
But the one thing I did love about my old Blackberry was its LED which was really helpful for knowing what kind of alert I had, whether a message, voicemail, SMS, IM, etc.
This would be so cool to see integrated into and iPhone.. maybe in an awesome glowing home button ^-^
This.
I have bezel markings that light up on my Samsung Epic, and they're annoying as all get out. Even worse, they double as active touch functions, even when theyre not lit, so you basically have to know exactly where they are to use them. I would prefer they just dispense with that sort of thing and use the whole surface for the screen.
A dumb bezel or a simple button/switch for turning Bluetooth on and off is what is really needed for the iPhone.
The keyboard in iOS should be customizable so can decide what keys to put there...I hate to toggle for numbers and typically used symbols like @ and & and $.
The keyboard in iOS should be customizable so can decide what keys to put there...I hate to toggle for numbers and typically used symbols like @ and & and $.
illuminated buttons on touch displays that come up on command is nothing new. I'm sure APple will get this passed as anything they copy and patent themselves usually gets pushed through. Trademarks are easy as pie to get approved, and with the cadre of evil lawyers at Apple, it's a cakewalk.
Its about time.
The only potential issue with this technology will be with cases.
but it will be nice to have or have the ability to program offscreen buttons, and features like control pads and such that take up valuable screen real estate.
just imagine moving the on screen controller pads off the screen and to the bezel.
The only potential issue with this technology will be with cases.
but it will be nice to have or have the ability to program offscreen buttons, and features like control pads and such that take up valuable screen real estate.
just imagine moving the on screen controller pads off the screen and to the bezel.
While I don't see them putting capacitive buttons on the sides of the screen. I do see them maybe replacing the home button with one of these adaptive buttons. Think about it...the button could pulse slowly (think of the sleep light on your Mac), transitioning between a couple shapes that mean various things. I think it would look pretty sweet personally. If Apple does it correctly (I'm sure they have several mockups made as we all sit here), you'll wonder what we did without it.
yeah thats just we need...user customizable keyboard layouts. Do you know how many people would start bitching about that....not to mention, if you go to use your friends iOS device, his keyboard could be completely different then yours. Too much room for confusion.
Simple solution: Jailbreak. SBSettings is one of the most wonderful things you could possibly add to your iPhone...a simple swipe of the status bar, and down swoops a bunch of system toggles - BT, WiFi, 3G, Data....the list goes on and on.
yeah thats just we need...user customizable keyboard layouts. Do you know how many people would start bitching about that....not to mention, if you go to use your friends iOS device, his keyboard could be completely different then yours. Too much room for confusion.
Simple solution: Jailbreak. SBSettings is one of the most wonderful things you could possibly add to your iPhone...a simple swipe of the status bar, and down swoops a bunch of system toggles - BT, WiFi, 3G, Data....the list goes on and on.
Never going to happen. Apple is about simplicity and this screams the opposite. Although, and LED would be nice with different colors to represent different notifications.
The people that will be bitching around will simply not customize it.
Having to Jailbreak the iPhone for that is non-sense, it should be part of iOS.
I have used the SBSettings in the past and currently I am no longer Jailbreaking my iPhone 4, something like that should be part of iOS.
Agree.
If Apple does pull this off well, Samsung will jump on this for their next Galaxy!
(fun fact: In Korea, the Galaxy has three different versions for the three different carriers. The Galaxy S, U, and K. I'm not kidding.)
Without reading the posts of this thread, I'd say the odds are good that there are already posts proclaiming that "Apple was not the first to do this..." LOL
I was thinking of something like this but instead of a smart bezel I pictured touch screens along a portion of the sides of the phone. This bezel idea is better.
You know this could bring back the scroll wheel: the scroll bezel for the ipod app.
I was thinking of something like this but instead of a smart bezel I pictured touch screens along a portion of the sides of the phone. This bezel idea is better.
You know this could bring back the scroll wheel: the scroll bezel for the ipod app.
johnnyturbouk
macrumors 68000
I thought the 'illuminated buttons" display is called a touch-screen?
agreed, i prefer the touchpad.
Speaking of related items...
I really like the way the Samsung Galaxy Continuum has a second, smaller status screen below the main one, so that the time/etc is always available without chewing up a full screen's worth of battery. I think Apple has talked about doing something similar by only lighting up a status portion of their main screen.
I also liked the bezel gestures Palm did with their WebOS phones.
Many Android devices have had bezel based keys for a while.
Microsoft has also written about a proposed method where they have cameras that watch the edges of the device... so they can see gestures along those edges.
It's going to be interesting to see what new input thingies come along in the next few years!
My guess would be that this is going to possibly be a lower-end non-touch screen phone. The "bezel" buttons would be used to navigate what one would want to do on the screen...
C'mon guys, going back to more buttons would be a step backwards IMO, surely this is a lower-end option to get people into an Apple phone...
C'mon guys, going back to more buttons would be a step backwards IMO, surely this is a lower-end option to get people into an Apple phone...