Damion Chaplin
03-03-2007, 03:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mad4mobilephones.com/news/585/' target='_blank'>http://www.mad4mobilephones.com/news/585/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Our study of the 21 most important iPhone patents was able to generate such an accurate description of the iPhone that we decided to carry out the same study on the Zune phone which will be announced by Microsoft sometime this year. As you can see from the patents Microsoft have been very busy and its amazing to see how one image looks much the same as the image released by Crunch Gear. Interestingly some patents mention a clamshell phone. Could the Zune come in a clamshell version as well?"</em></p><p><img alt="" src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/zt/2007/ClamshellPatent.jpg" /></p><p>Hmm... A clamshell Zune? So, how is that not a Smartphone? Because they put a different OS in it? Seriously, I think they'd do just as well rebranding an HTC Star Trek as the "Cingular Zune". In any case, these patents, when put together, do make a compelling argument for a Zune phone. It makes for pretty dry reading, but the posting does a pretty good job of cutting out the fat. You know, I would have thought for sure Creative already patented the "Capacitance touch slider"...</p>