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Forget rounded rectangles, the future is all about the octagon. Or it could be, anyway, with news of Motorola’s latest patent approval. The USPTO has awarded the Google-owned brand a patent for an octagonal smartphone. The design is a bit more specific than Apple’s rectangle patent, which has been the subject of numerous court battles focused on smartphone and tablet design.
Rulings have been mixed when it comes to Apple’s design, but Motorola would likely have an easier time going after those copying the more unique shape. But would any company even both to infringe upon the shape? Is it something we want to see for devices of the future? It could be that Google and Motorola are merely stacking ammunition. Maybe it’s a tongue-in-cheek jab at Apple (though it seems like a lot of effort to go through to simply mock your competition). Regardless, Motorola lays claim to the design now.
[via GigaOM]
Doesn’t matter. Apple will now sue Motorola for stealing their idea of patenting a shape of a smartphone.
This joke is getting so old…
Yeah, but it’s still funny…
Hardly, shawn derpa
You are not allowed to say that, Apple has patented that saying
And you are not allowed to say what you just said, because Apple has patented the discussion of their patents (wait what?).
Ah f*** now they’re gonna sue me for saying that! :/
Won’t somebody think of the children!?
welcome to what has become of the android fan base, just a big circle jerk of Samsung fanboys, discussing the rumored number of processing cores and screen sizes.
ya sheep circle jerks are way better aren’t they..
sounds like you would know.
But I would still take a note 2 Galaxy s3 over an underspecced overpriced iPhone any day.
yeah screw that noise, I dont like iPhones or Windows phones at all, I’m currently on a Nexus 4 and trading up to a HTC One as soon as its available. What I dont like is the Samsung circle jerk that goes on in these places about the number of cores or screen sizes. With the S4 receiving snapdragon in the most lucrative markets, no one will make applications that take advantage of Exynos. I also dont like Samsung’s stupid S- implementations of Google’s products like, Wallet vs Google Wallet, Google Now vs. S-Voice, and so on.
That would be a trade down not a trade up :p
The camera blows in the N4, I actually liked the camera of the Gnexus better not because it took better pictures but because it had a faster shutter, the N4 with HDR is slooooow. On the N4 if you dont go back and auto correct the color of your shots they look terrible on any other screen.
Neither have replaceable batteries or expandable memory nor is it a feature I look for, although HTC one has 32 Gb standard meanwhile 16 Gb is the biggest you get on the N4
Processor? I havent had lag on my phones since Android 4.0 although around android 4.2 the gnexus was getting laggy somewhat.
Screen? HTC one hands down.
Roms and stuff? I dont bother with them they’re never complete missing one aspect or another.
Price? Nexus 4 hands down but I can take the hit.
Ya it was more of a sarcastic reply I made hense the :p I don’t have any lag on the N4 the quality of the pictures out optimal lighting when blown up on a PC screen does suck but viewing on my phone its no big deal to me since I never view it on anything but my phone screen. I am kinda bummed that Google skimped out on the calibration of the screen because its a night and day difference between the N4 and the Optimus G even though they have the same screen. The storage side no huge biggie for me since I don’t really play games and I use the cloud anyway. I hate Sense I always have so stock android ftw there for me. No lag at all on the N4 totally different processor than the GNex anyway.
Yeah the N4 no lag for me either, it was on the Gnexus which I was beginning to get lag. Well for me going from Gnexus Oled to LG’s LCD, I have been quite pleased, the Gnexus was starting to get that status bar burn in and the yellow hue was annoying.
Ya that’s why I won’t get an AMOLED screen because of burn in. I have no complains about SuperLCD either they are amazing I had SuperLCD in the HTCmytouch 4G
You whine
You bring nothing to the table! I’m surprised you’re literate and competent enough to get a disqus account and mash enough keys together to get words on the screen. (admit it, you had help)
Says the derp with a crown
oh! Damn you got me guy.
Better that than a bunch of guys wetting their pants on how their new phone is so smooth and shiny!
and who would those guys be?
This has to be a jab. Just a simple sarcastic jab.
THX is suing Apple for their speakers design. I hope they lose ALL their money!!
Isn’t this just the shape of the Motorola Photon? Maybe a delayed patent from then?
Or even Motorola Razr.
That’s what I was going to say. Photon
Wow, now an android oem is claiming ownership of a shape. smh
So say we all.
Exactly what I was thinking! I think this BSG-inspired design could be a winner…unless BSG has a patent on all things with clipped corners. :-/
EXACTLY!
By your command. This is Android after all
This is so stupid! How can someone be allowed to patent shapes!?
techxgame.blogspot.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_GMMD_GCTg
Pyramid tablet anyone??
http://allthingsd.com/files/2011/12/triangle_tablet.png
I loved that shape for the photon. Looked legit.
Motorola Titanium, Photon 4G, Electrify, and Photon Q all had the shape. I actually liked the unique form factor, when I had my Photon, but good screen protectors were hard to come by.
I’m waiting for the dodecagon shaped phone.
pentagonal dodecahedron – if TV can 3D, so can we
Might appeal to those in the Battlestar Galactica universe :)
Hell yeah, and I couldn’t figure out why I liked RAZR’s shape.
In my 50 years (yes, FIFTY) of experience using smartphones and tablets. This is the most genius invention I have witnessed. Now human kind is ready to conquer the Universe.
And one day we will discover Earth and it shall become our new home. So say we all!
50 years ago I was tapping the switchhook on our rotary dial phone to dial my long-distance girlfriend after my Dad put a locked plug in the 1 hole trying to stop me from running up the bill. Sure glad we didn’t have a smart phone back then…
I am in the process of filing a patent for a “round” tire. woohoo.. I’m gonna sue everyone.
Stop Sign tablets ftw!
All these patents are ridiculous. Nice to see someone other than Apple getting design patents, but still ridiculous.
Call me crazy, but I’m all for more of these ridiculous patents. The more ridiculous they get, the sooner there will be some real patent reform.
im sorry but i do not want a octagon shaped smartphone wtf
I can’t help but laugh at this. Personally I was hoping for a patent on an isosceles triangle phone but they must have skipped it. >facepalm<
I’m holding out for the right triangle
I do kind of enjoy the slight blunted corners on current models. But too much can be a waste. For rectangular screens the most efficient shape is a rectangle (which is just one reason why Apple’s patents are so ridiculous). I think if Motorola sticks to similar designs to what they’ve done then I wouldn’t mind. The image in the patent is a little too much for me though.
One thing can be said for Motorola though, no one has ever said they look like an iPhone.
Angled corners. More distributed force upon impact. Smart. What was that about a smartphone that can survive multiple drops?
This should not be patentable. It is not creative nor innovative. It is a damn basic shape.
Tell that to USPTO RE: iPhone.
Remember on The Office when Sabre introduced “The Pyramid” phone? Hilarious.
Apple will probably hire the grandson of whoever invented the stop sign, just so they can attempt to sue Moto
Bet Apple comes out with a mobius strip phone. It keeps going round and round and totally confused.
This has all happened before and will all happen again…SO SAY WE ALL! :-D
I don’t think it’s an attempt to mock Apple. I believe they have come up with a unique design and merely want to make sure their product retains differentiation from future competitors. It’s definitely an interesting shape. I look forward to seeing the final design…. Hopefully this is for the X Phone.
Motorola Droid Xyboard is a great looking octagon shaped tablet. OG Motorola Droid RAZR & RAZR Maxx (on which I am typing this post) could arguably be called octagon as well, and the shape and build quality are excellent… IMO.
I absolutely agree
Yawn!
Ah. So Motorola finally has rights to their signature design? Cool.
Also, I upvoted everyone here who made a BSG reference.
This is stupid. I’m an android fan boy, but this is an awful patent and the US Patent Office is a f–ing joke. Apple proved it many times, and this patent for Motorola supports that just as much. I’m not sure who would want to steal that hideous design either…. maybe it is a joke, I don’t know.. but the US Patent Office needs mass firings.
Oh its the motorola photon, right? ;)
Lol, that’s a patent that won’t ever be infringed on.
What a stupid trend. Basic and fundamental features such as shape and colours should not be patented at all and can be trademarked only if it has specific meaning in specific circumstances (e.g. logo that means something specifics – Red cross for example)
Now, the thing that will show the world that Motorola is different from the iFruity company is this – open the patent to public and make a public and binding declaration that they will not charge others for the use such shapes. This way, they protect themselves and yet shows that they are not using it to bully others.
I thought Motorola phones were already octo-shaped? (Razr, Photon, etc.)
This is almost as dumb as the Octomom
“Forget rounded rectangles, the future is all about the octagon.”
You mean the past. They have a plan.
Only Apples patents seem to matter.
Now I’m beginning to worry that the “X Phone” may actually be in the shape of an X
This will be the new company phone for the UFC :D
I feel like as phones get bigger, corners like this will help them slip in and out of your pocket easier. W2G Moto!
I think its ridicoulas unoriginal and plain shapes can be patented
xyboard phone? cool…
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