multitouch vs HTC TouchFLO

[psycho bob]

For many Apple's multitouch interface is one of a kind but whilst looking up a HTC handset for another thread I realised they were marketing devices with what they call TouchFlo.

The similarities are scary especially when it comes to scrolling through lists. If Apple have the idea patented as well as they initially made out how can HTC use such a similar idea on a Windows Mobile device?

http://www.htc.com/product/03-product_htctouch.htm

The video demo shows all.

 

[clevin]

If Apple have the idea patented as well as they initially made out how can HTC use such a similar idea on a Windows Mobile device?
.

indeed a good question, why HTC can do it?

lol, because apple didn't invent multi touch, and owns no related patent..

Apple did try thou, just like every corporate who have anything to do with a product with this tech, altho none of them has anything to do with the invention 25 years ago.

 

[psycho bob]

Indeed, so there is nothing to stop every company under the sun copying the technology?

It appears apple tried to copyright the name multitouch in the far east intellectual property office but don't actually own any specific rights over the technology itself. Could apple not have copyrighted the specific layout and gestures?

 

[clevin]

well, if nobody legally own the patent, sure everybody can use it.

copyright the gesture and layout? that sounds like too much of a stretch... probably useless, and has the suspicion of regulating human right.

 

[yg17]

The HTC Touch is based off the HTC Elf prototype which was revealed in November 2006, a whole 2 months before the iPhone was revealed. If anyone's copying, it's Apple. But I doubt anyone copied anyone. Both devices were in development at the same time and it's just a coincidence. But HTC was first to show off their version of it

 

[mkrishnan]

Many people are doing multi-touch, of course... but even in the context of phones, didn't Nokia also already announce a multi-touch phone?

But how does HTC do this inside WM6? It seems like a much more substantial departure from WM6's default behavior than any other device has ever made from the WM platform.... How well will the TouchFLO or whatever it's called mesh with WM6 in real life?

 

[yg17]

Many people are doing multi-touch, of course... but even in the context of phones, didn't Nokia also already announce a multi-touch phone?

But how does HTC do this inside WM6? It seems like a much more substantial departure from WM6's default behavior than any other device has ever made from the WM platform.... How well will the TouchFLO or whatever it's called mesh with WM6 in real life?

The Touch has been out for quite some time now and it has had generally positive reviews. AFAIK, it's just an app that runs on top of WM6. Not sure of the specifics, but I know TouchFLO is available from certain HTC hacking sites for other HTC phones. I've been tempted to install it on my HTC P4350, but it requires running a hacked ROM as well and it's just too risky IMO, I don't want to brick my phone.