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Two well known handheld companies, Palm, Inc. and Research In Motion (RIM), submitted patent applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) over the last couple of years for technologies to enhance their respective mobile devices. For RIM, its application meant inventing a way to improve the cell phone features of the BlackBerry, while Palm went old school by bringing monochrome back into today's high resolution, full color world.

For years now, RIM has merged voice capabilities into its BlackBerry devices, essentially making the popular wireless handhelds smartphones. To many users, however, while BlackBerrys are great with data, their phone capabilities are less than satisfactory, especially in loud milieus.

Earlier this month, the USPTO published a patent application - submitted back in October 2004 from RIM itself - that could change all that. Patent application #20060073819, found by blog BBHub, seeks to automatically adjust the volume of a BlackBerry depending on the level of surrounding background noise; similar, it seems, to the way BlackBerry 8700 series handhelds incorporates intelligent light sensing technology that automatically adjusts both the LCD and keyboard lighting to provide an optimized view in outdoor, indoor and dark environments.

Here's what a brief synopsis in patent application says: "The volume, or audio intensity, of audio output from a mobile communications device may be selected based on a detected state of the environment of the mobile communications device," presumably a BlackBerry, of course.

According to the application, a BlackBerry would contain a sensor system for detecting one of at least two environmental states, as well as a system to adjust audio output, depending on the state detected by the sensor. After determining the noise level of the environment, the system would then "select an intensity of output for the audio output device. In another aspect, a computer readable medium is provided to allow a processor to carry out this method."


       Chart Illustrating Process

One would presume that the user would then be able to set the maximum and minimum level for the volume of their phone. However it works, we welcome any feature that emphasizes hands-free (another reason not to take your eyes of a busy highway, for example) and usability.

Full Color to Shades of Gray
Palm recently received a patent from the USPTO (#7002569) covering software to enhance battery life in handhelds and smartphones by enabling color screen devices to go monochrome. Since monochrome displays don't require backlights, this technology could conceivably save users up to 75 percent in battery life; a potential life saver when juice is running low. The company filed the application patent back in 2003.

This is taken from the patents abstract:

In one embodiment, the electronic device is a handheld computer system with a display device. When the battery level is detected as below a preselected level, a message is generated on the computer display screen. The message informs the user that the display mode of the screen can be changed to enhance the battery life. If selected, the display mode can change from color to monochrome thereby saving power because the monochrome display does not utilize a back-lighting element. In one embodiment, color sequential techniques are used to provide a flat panel color display. Within the display, a transreflective layer provides reflective light for monochrome applications. When the battery energy returns to normal levels, the color display mode can be re-entered automatically. It is appreciated that the display mode changes can also be performed automatically if the battery level falls below certain critical levels.

       Palm Display Illustration

While users of Palm devices no longer need to worry about losing their data should battery power run dry, the exclusive use of flash memory (a hard disk in the LifeDrive's case) has taken care of that, the ability to use their device for extended periods when there's no outlet or charger around would be a welcome addition for most. The technology may even get those pre-IIIc owners nostalgic for a simpler time, when their favorite OS wasn't in danger of slowly fading away.