Early adopters of Google’s Nexus One will rejoice today upon learning that an over-the-air update has begun that brings, amongst other features and fixes, support for multi-touch.
Starting today, Nexus One users will begin to receive an over-the-air software update on their phones. This update provides some great new features, and fixes a few problems that some users might have experienced, including:
Google Goggles: this mobile application will now be available directly on your device by launching it from your All Apps menu. Just use your Nexus One camera to start searching the web.
Google Maps: the Maps application with be updated to a new version, Google Maps 3.4, which will include:
- Starred items synchronized with maps.google.com – access your favorite places from your phone or computer.
- Search suggestions from your personal maps.google.com history – makes it easy to search for places you’ve searched for before.
- Night mode in Google Maps Navigation – automatically changes your screen at night for easier viewing and driving.
Pinch-to-zoom functionality: devices will now include a new pinch-to-zoom mechanism in the phone’s Browser, Gallery and Maps applications.
3G connectivity: we will provide a general fix to help improve 3G connectivity on some Nexus One phones.
In order to access the update, you will receive a message on your phone’s notification bar. Just download the update, wait for it to install, and you should be all set. This update will be rolled out gradually to phones – and most users might not receive the notification until the end of the week. We hope you enjoy these new features and look forward to your feedback.
While Nexus One owners will no doubt be pleased, the bigger story here goes unwritten: Apple owns the patent on multi-touch gestures, and Google just added that to their flagship device.
The pertinent patent in question is patent #7,479,949, which is summarized by the following excerpt:
A computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a computing device with a touch screen display comprises: detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display, applying one or more heuristics to the one or more finger contacts to determine a command for the device, and processing the command. The one or more heuristics comprise: a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a one-dimensional vertical screen scrolling command, a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a two-dimensional screen translation command, and a heuristic for determining that the one or more finger contacts correspond to a command to transition from displaying a respective item in a set of items to displaying a next item in the set of items.
In other words, Apple was awarded exclusive rights to devices that can detect more than one finger in contact with the screen, and can translate specific movements of those fingers for scrolling, panning and screen manipulation. By adding the famous pinch-to-zoom functionality to the Nexus One, Google and CEO Eric Schmidt have stepped on the “two-dimensional screen translation” aspect of Apple’s patent–flagrantly, we might add.
Last August we wrote that Google, rather than Microsoft, was Apple’s real competitor. Where at the time, we noted that Google had no actual phone hardware, that is no longer true. Google has deliberately rattled its sabre at Apple by releasing a smartphone directly to consumers through a store of its own. Google has also encroached on Apple space by buying Quattro Wireless and AdMob, two wireless advertising firms, the latter of which Apple also tried to buy. Now Google fires another shot across Apple’s bow by ignoring its patents. These developments say nothing of Chrome vs. Safari, cloud computing, tablets and smartphones, fast-growing and important market segments all.
This brewing conflict is certainly on Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ mind, as well. It has been reported by Wired that the chief exec made disparaging comments towards Google in a private session:
On Google: We did not enter the search business, Jobs said. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone. We won’t let them, he says. Someone else asks something on a different topic, but there’s no getting Jobs off this rant. I want to go back to that other question first and say one more thing, he says. This don’t be evil mantra: “It’s bullshit.” Audience roars.
It is anybody’s guess as to where the conflict goes from here, but make no mistake that it is hair trigger away from going nuclear with lawyers, injunctions and an endless string of appeals.
Articles RSS