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Android Multi-touch Patent Points to Jelly Bean on a Notebook?

By Leo Boon Yeow - on 23 Feb 2012, 11:42am

Android Multi-touch Patent Points to Jelly Bean on a Notebook?

Image Source: Patently Apple

If you've played around with an Android device running Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) before, you might notice certain options that improve the usage of ICS on notebooks. And even before ICS appeared on the scene, manufacturers like ASUS are already toying around with the idea of putting the increasingly powerful Android mobile operating system on a number of form factors. Meanwhile, other manufacturers like Lenovo are already deploying Android as a secondary operating system on their hybrid business notebook.

Now, the unearthing of a Google patent for trackpads (filed in late 2011) may just add more credibility to Android on notebooks. This patent basically covers the use of a multi-touch trackpad that can navigate Android like a multi-touch display can. According to the patent, multi-touch operations are mapped to touchscreen events. For example, scrolling on the trackpad may take multiple fingers when it normally only takes one on the touchscreen.

With rumors on the next version of Android (Jelly bean) just beginning to appear, would this trackpad patent help predict some of the newer features we're about to see in Jelly bean? It's quite hard to say now, but with Microsoft (Windows 8), and Apple (OS X Mountain Lion) aggressively pursuing the integration of desktop and mobile platforms, we think it would be a good idea if Google started working on Android for conventional desktops environments right about now.

Source: Patently Apple, Via Phandroid

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