iPhone Keyboard Maker 'Typo' Ordered to Pay BlackBerry $860,000

macduke said:
As if the iPhone needed a reason to get any taller.

Am I the only one who can type faster on a virtual keyboard than those tiny plastic phone keyboards of a bygone era? On my iPad a larger physical keyboard is faster, but on an iPhone the virtual one is better than this. Use a real computer if you need to write a novel.
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Its a matter of what you "grew up with".

I grew up on blackberry keyboards. I find them singificantly faster and easier to use than any onscreen keyboard I have ever used. I'm faster, more accurate, and the shortcuts blackberry keyboards have are fantastic.

unfortunately, A keyboard alone isn't going to save Blackberry. As someone who eventually switched off, while I miss the physical keyboard a lot for actually typing, the trade off for a bigger screen, better Eco system was far too great a hurdle for Blackberry to overcome
 
840quadra said:
What exactly was infringed upon? The small button keyboard in a QWERTY pattern was not invented by Blackberry. Arranging buttons into rows isn't new, the underlying push-button switch technology predates Blackberry.

The shape of the buttons is somewhat unique, but is that patentable? Is the patent for silver bars separating rows of keys?

Curious to find out exactly what patent ##s they were awarded, and exactly what was covered within them.
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This is exactly my question ... the concept of using a keboard for a hand-held device? I think Psion was the first one to do that on a PDA, maybe RIM had acquired that.

Interesting to know which patent as well.
 
rhoydotp said:
This is exactly my question ... the concept of using a keboard for a hand-held device? I think Psion was the first one to do that on a PDA, maybe RIM had acquired that.

Interesting to know which patent as well.
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its not the keyboard itself that was infringed upon. you can design a mobile phone keyboard all you want without problem

The problem is, that this company Typo, directly copied Blackberries keyboard design. Key for key, even the graphics on the keys.

They copied the same shape of the keys (patented), the mechanism for activation fo the keys (patented), even the layout of the keys.

There is very VERY little wiggle room here for Typo to claim they weren't copying directly off Blackberry.
 
840quadra said:
What exactly was infringed upon?

Is the patent for silver bars separating rows of keys?
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I think the "frets" (silver bars as you say) were the real sticking point.

But as LordVic said, the whole thing was a ripoff of BlackBerry's trade dress.
 
teslo said:
"According to Seacrest and his partner Lauren Hallier, they saw many of their friends carrying two phones -- one for typing and correspondence, presumably a Blackberry, and an iPhone for everything else."

is this because they never get out of their L.A. entertainment industry bubbles? i've literally never seen anyone ever do this, and i work in advertising on the East Coast. producers, ceos, models/talent, tech/dev... no one... ever.
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You need to look around more I have an iPhone 6 and a Blackberry Passport and carry both.

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Cisco_Kid said:
Blackberry third quarter of fiscal 2014 was approximately $1.2 billion....
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They have no clue,iPhones are being used on BB enterprise servers.

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richard371 said:
I was once offered a job with rim (don't reverse those words). Glad I turned that one down.
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So is RIM aka Blackberry :p
 
It's funny how keyboard layouts which have been around since the typewriter is now patented so you can Sue. First Apple got Sued because their clock on the iphone and ipad looked like a real clock makers clock face, now blackberry over a keyboard. Seriously, shouldn't designs like that be public domain by now. It's not like it's an original idea
 
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macduke said:
As if the iPhone needed a reason to get any taller.

Am I the only one who can type faster on a virtual keyboard than those tiny plastic phone keyboards of a bygone era? On my iPad a larger physical keyboard is faster, but on an iPhone the virtual one is better than this. Use a real computer if you need to write a novel.
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nope, you are not the only one. I can type way faster on a virtual keyboard than on those plastic buttons.

My company used to issue us Blackberry's and I loved them and didn't want to go to an iPhone until I found out how much better email attachments were on the iPhone and using the internet was way way better on the iPhone. Well needless to say, it really didn't take long for me to type faster and prefer the virtual keyboard over Blackberry's. Sorry Blackberry.
 
0xyMoron said:
They might as well fine them for the ugly design!
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Actually, I think it looks pretty good for what it is functionally. I really don't know WTF some of you are looking at when you say "ugly".

If someone WANTED an actual keyboard, it's hard to imagine them making it look or work much better. For those that don't need/want it, I don't know what the hell you care other than the ongoing need for people in the virtual world to express their hatred of all products that they don't like as if everyone on the planet gave a crap what the hell they liked. :rolleyes:

skinned66 said:
You couldn't get me to take one of those POS for free.
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Oooh! Two whole people agreed with you! :rolleyes:
 
unplugme71 said:
I'd be embarrassed using this. I wouldn't even accept it if the company paid me $860,000 to use it for 1 year. Maybe $860 mil, but not thou
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I'd be embarrassed to say that. :eek:

Sadly, I believe he's serious too. Some people don't know the value of money, it seems. I'd paint my face blue for a year if someone paid me $860k to do it. :rolleyes:
 
Ok initially I thought this was total BS, but looking at the photos... it is fairly blatant. Could have done a better job and not making it look the same!
 
On the one hand he wants to force Apple, Google, Microsoft and others to write their apps, and services, for Blackberry as well as their own, and others OSs, using as an excuse that Blackberry does that with BBM. But of course, Blackberry is under water, and BBM is a desperate attempt to widen their user base, even though essentially no one asked them, much less forced them, to do that. But when it comes the other way around, they're not so happy to spread the use of their keyboard, are they? So, forcing these other companies to spend big bucks on money losing operations related to Blackberry would be ok in his book, but not letting a small company to use Blackberry's keyboard design, which will cost Blackberry nothing, isn't ok?
 
he invested one million dollars on a stupid black berry case?


i mean how old is this guy? I'm 25 and i and everyone my age and older (as in my parents) can use the iPhone keyboard fine.


don't even mention the younger kids.


i mean someone, his accountant or manager MUST of told him this is a horrible investment.

i mean what the hell are people thinking?

Who the hell carries a blackberry and an iPhone for typing?

i for one can't type for crap on a black berry.
 
thekeyring said:
My comment was tongue-in-cheek. I'm aware Blackberry has a ton of money but for all intents and purposes, they are no longer relevant.

Apple could make a loss of £100,000,000 for the rest of my life and not go out of business, but it doesn't protect it from becoming irrelevant if no one buys their products.

Samsung, as an example, is much more likely to become irrelevant before it finally runs out of money, even if sales continue their downward trajectory.
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I agree w/ you partially but I'm still going to be "that guy.."
It will be a loooong time before Samsung becomes irrelevant. Samsung's phone is not its only product. And until Apple (or some other top-notch competitor) gets into heavy industry, refrigerators, ovens, MRI machines, and SHIP BUILDING...... Samsung is in no danger just b/c they can or can't keep up their phone sales.
 
typeadam said:
I agree w/ you partially but I'm still going to be "that guy.."
It will be a loooong time before Samsung becomes irrelevant. Samsung's phone is not its only product. And until Apple (or some other top-notch competitor) gets into heavy industry, refrigerators, ovens, MRI machines, and SHIP BUILDING...... Samsung is in no danger just b/c they can or can't keep up their phone sales.
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Fair enough, you're absolutely right. I guess I meant "relevant in the phone space". I would never buy a Samsung phone, but my fridge... In fact, my external hard drive, too! & the chip in my iPhone.
 
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