MacRumors has deciphered Apples latest patent filings for the iPhone which suggest new gesture functions and exact position/direction of the iPhone.There a appears to be new functionality for changing function during activities such as jogging, using motion sensors. A future iPhone also could incorporate more gesture technology like flicking the phone to step through contacts. They write "Additional uses of onscreen buttons or bezel touch detection could prevent accidental gesturing".
The patent diagram also shows a front-facing video camera on the front side of the device (labeled 180). A front facing camera could allow video-chat capabilities in future iPhones.
The patent shows a proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, and accelerometer. Apple also mentions the possible use of a gyroscope (digital compass/magnetometer) which has 3-axis magnetometer than can determine absolute position, which the phone is facing, no matter how the phone is oriented. Examples of how this could be used include pointing your iPhone's camera at a building and the phone telling you what building it is by combining GPS, accelerometer and compass information. The iPhone could even overlay graphics and text on top of the image to provide additional information.
From the first Patent:
Form second Patent:
One problem with existing portable media devices such as cellular telephones is that users can become distracted from other activities while interfacing with the media device's video display, graphical user interface (GUI), and/or keypad. For example, a runner may carry a personal media device to listen to music or to send/receive cellular telephone calls while running. In a typical personal media device, the runner must look at the device's display to interact with a media application in order to select a song for playing. Also, the user likely must depress the screen or one or more keys on its keypad to perform the song selection. These interactions with the personal media device can divert the user's attention from her surroundings which could be dangerous, force the user to interrupt her other activities, or cause the user to interfere with the activities of others within her surroundings.
Form second Patent:
A user of a device can interact with the graphical user interface by making contact with the touch-sensitive display. The device, being a portable device, can also be carried and used by a user while the user is in motion. While the user and the device is in motion, the user's dexterity with respect to the touch-sensitive display can be disrupted by the motion, detracting form the user's experience with the graphical user interface.
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