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Motorola files patent for smartwatch

posted by Alan F. / Aug 31, 2013, 11:10 AM

Originally filed in February 2012, the USPTO on Friday outed a patent application made by wholly owned Google subsidiary Motorola for a smartwatch. According to the filing, the watch will offer "gaze detection" which means it will know when you are looking at it. And there is talk of dual-touchscreens and enough health related functions to keep a hypochondriac busy including pulse measurements, body temperature readings and a heart monitor.

Of course, Motorola has been down this path before with the MOTOACTV smartwatch that pairs with your phone and is generally focused on those interested in fitness. The new smartwatch era begins on September 4th with the expected introduction of the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch. This new generation will be lead by offerings from major smartphone manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Microsoft and Apple. The Apple iWatch is believed to have run into a few snags but the latest rumor has Apple's smartwatch launching in the second half of the year, priced between $149 and $229.

Motorola files patent for smartwatch

source: USPTO via Engadget

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21 Comments

1. PapaSmurf

Posts: 10457; Member since: May 14, 2012

The patent drawings that are coming out now are ridiculously terrible. It's as if they got a fourth grader to spend 2 minutes drawing what they wanted to lol.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 11:17 AM 0

2. Commentator

Posts: 3723; Member since: Aug 16, 2011

A fourth grader who's spent too much time playing Assassin's Creed, by the looks of how that woman is getting her eyes gouged out by that wrist-blade.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 11:36 AM 3

3. KingOmar

Posts: 5; Member since: Aug 16, 2012

Yeah, she also have eagle vision capability as well. Wow, this woman got featured more than the smartwatch xD

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 11:51 AM 0

19. Finalflash

Posts: 4063; Member since: Jul 23, 2013

Its mainly to be as vague as possible so as to not limit the patent in any way. A trick of the trade at the least. If the woman in the drawing had blonde hair some lawyer would actually bring that fact up for some ungodly reason when this eventually goes to court.

posted on Sep 01, 2013, 2:30 AM 1

4. Shatter

Posts: 2036; Member since: May 29, 2013

This guy could help them draw at a true professional level:http://youtu.be/LfpFPVLanpY

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 12:26 PM 0

5. Mxyzptlk unregistered

Seems like a bandwagon move now.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 1:37 PM 1

7. tedkord

Posts: 17465; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

You did read that this application was from 2012? Which makes it just as much a bandwagon move as Apple. But nice try.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 2:12 PM 5

9. ardent1

Posts: 2000; Member since: Apr 16, 2011

D*ck Tracy had a smartphone, and the world has known about it for years. I agree with the bandwagon comment -- once Apple is rumored to be working on it, then everyone wants to join in. Look at the iPhone, once Apple showed the world how to build the modern-day smartphone, practically every electronics OEM reverse-engineer the iPhone to unlock Apple's secrets.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 3:32 PM 0

10. tedkord

Posts: 17465; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

Apple wasn't rumored to be working on it a year and a half ago, when this patent application was submitted. I know the two of you believe that Apple invented everything, but the truth is Apple is jumping on this bandwagon.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 5:48 PM 2

11. tedkord

Posts: 17465; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

They reverse engineered nothing. They surpassed it, mainly because Apple fell back on their usual MO - innovate once, litigate from then on.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 5:50 PM 3

12. stealthd unregistered

They might not have to litigate as much if so many companies didn't copy them, or at least follow them into every category they bring a successful product to. To a certain extent it's just competition, but some companies just follow their competition.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 7:01 PM 0

15. tedkord

Posts: 17465; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

Following into a product catagory isn't a lawsuit offense. Apple did it with the iPhone.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 7:46 PM 1

13. ardent1

Posts: 2000; Member since: Apr 16, 2011

tedford, you need to work on your use of logic. Before the other OEMs "surpassed" as you have asserted, they had to reverse engineer Apple's iPhone. Your hypocrisy knows no bounds. Whether you like the fact or not, the fact remains Apple set the standard for the smartphone.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 7:05 PM 0

14. tedkord

Posts: 17465; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

Did Apple need to reverse engineer the smartphones prior to it to surpass them? You either don't know what reverse engineering is, or have no logical capabilites.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 7:41 PM 3

18. tedkord

Posts: 17465; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

Apple did set the standard for smartphones - in 2007. SInce 2010, they've been playing catchup, and not very well.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 9:08 PM 1

16. joey_sfb

Posts: 6794; Member since: Mar 29, 2012

There are so many smart watches around and Apple is not even in the market and yet the two Apple lovers had already implied that the world is waiting to copy Apple. Goosh! You are the reason why there are so much Apple haters around.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 8:18 PM 2

17. tedkord

Posts: 17465; Member since: Jun 17, 2009

Well of course Apple invented smart watches. Next, they're going to invent a big screen that you watch video on. They are going to call it teevee.

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 8:31 PM 2

6. harigrg33

Posts: 188; Member since: May 20, 2013

Looks like everyone is in hurry to register there patent ....

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 2:07 PM 0

8. Jurdiales

Posts: 138; Member since: Oct 10, 2012

Motorola had excellent ideas on the past that I don't understand why they haven't taked advantage of it: the lapdock was a good idea, but bad executed, MOTOACTV could be much more than a fitness watch, the OG Droid, it was great because their keyboard and hardware in their time, why they don't repeat the formula?

posted on Aug 31, 2013, 3:16 PM 1

20. Finalflash

Posts: 4063; Member since: Jul 23, 2013

Because now they are owned by Google and as such will now be used mainly to bring to life googles crazy imagination. That's not a bad thing though, the industry has gotten fairly stagnant and needs more real innovation. We don't need another Samsung who only innovates by adding hardware and remedial little software perks or another apple who innovates once every 3-4 years by adding a fingerprint sensor so I can unlock my phone easier. We need a diversity of strategy in the market not a diversity of just competitors. As seen with googles attempt with the moto x, they are trying to bring specialized hardware to phones which hopefully others do too. We don't need 4 more new idle sitting processor cores all running at 2ghz for about 1 minute total in a month, but 4 new specialized cores would be very useful.