Google [GOOG] has filed a patent for a new unlock screen. Apple has recently been chasing after companies who use a “Slide to Unlock” feature on smartphones and was successful in a case just recently.
This new unlock method by Google looks to aim to avoid any disputes but also add a few more functions to the unlock to make it in to a mechanism to access certain parts of the system.
It appears to follow in line with what is available on the Galaxy Nexus where you can swipe right to unlock or swipe left to activate the camera. This new version is a full circle with a dot in the centre. Around the circle are various functions such as email, text, call etc… Sliding the dot to the relevant section will take you exactly where you need to go.
The speed behind this will be a benefit to most people as it will cut out the need to unlock and then navigate to where you want to go. If you can go direct in to email then this will cut out the middle step. Apple does have notifications on the lock screen which allows you to slide to read/reply when a message comes in, but the function on Apple forces you to read a particular email when all that might want to be done is a general browse of what emails have arrived, along with a short first line of text.
As with all patents, it doesn’t mean that we will see the function or feature although this one isn’t far fetched and would work well on tablets and smartphones that Google releases… or that run the Android OS I should say.
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