toggle

AAPL Stock: 433.26 ( -1.32 )

http://www.macnn.com/articles/09/01/13/apple.map.and.cal.patent/

Apple looking to merge calendar, maps on iPhone?

updated 05:15 pm EST, Tue January 13, 2009

 

Apple map and cal. patent


Apple may be looking to merge the mapping and calendar functions of iPhones, a newly-published patent application suggests. At present, iPhone owners looking to find their way to an event marked in their calendar must memorize any addresses and look them up manually within Google Maps. Under the proposed scheme, any addresses associated within an event could be viewable from a quickly-referenced map.

The technology could also let users make associations in the reverse direction, by first locating a destination (such as a restaurant) and then presenting the option to connect the address to a calendar event. Other possibilities could include the ability to plot a route for several different events in the same day, with travel-time estimates dictated by expected traffic conditions.

Exploiting GPS capabilities, an iPhone might also be able to trigger alarms based on how long it will take to reach a particular destination. These alarms could be further engineered to send automatic messages, for instance confirming an appointment or notifying someone that the user will be late.


by MacNN Staff

Post tools:

TAGS :

 iPhone, patents, Apple
toggle

Comments

  1. Marook

    Forum Regular

    Joined: May 1999

    +3

    About time!

    Wow, that is about time.

    Why is that 'location' field in the events so stupid?

  1. cdjoyce

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2008

    +5

    How about...

    linking an appointment to a name in the address book? As a Mac consultant, I would like to link these two together.

  1. malax

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2006

    +3

    that's patentable?

    Good that Apple is adding this. Stupid that it's considered a patent-worthy "invention."

  1. ClevelandAdv

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2004

    +5

    Agreed

    I would be much more interested in combining events and individuals in my address book.

  1. Guest

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 1999

    +2

    sad state of affairs

    I am sure this isn't patent worthy at all, however if apple does not patent this, and some patent troll notices it and files a patent... with how screwed up our courts are they may not even recognize Apple's prior art and Apple would end up paying some idiot $25 million.

    Sad state of affairs indeed.

  1. MacnnGregor

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2004

    0

    New Model

    There should be a seemless flow between the Calendar, Maps, Contacts, ToDo lists, etc. Neither app is all that complex (though iCal seem to take forever to load). They should all be manifestations of the same database or transparent combination of multiple databases where the display simply "windows" whatever info you want.

    How is this not standard by now?!

  1. facebook_Zack

    Via Facebook

    Joined: Oct 2010

    +1

    New iPhone App Solves this Problem

    Just wanted you to know we’ve released Arrive 1.0 on the App Store. It connects your Calendar events with instant location Maps and requires no setup at all.

    We’d love to hear what you think: http://arriveapp.com / http://arriveapp.com/itunes

Login Here

Not a member of the MacNN forums? Register now for free.

 
close
Photo
toggle

Network Headlines

toggle

Most Popular

MacNN Sponsor

Recent Reviews

MaxUpgrades MaxConnect for 2006-2008 Mac Pro

Nobody outside of Cupertino's privileged bunch knows the future of the Mac Pro line for sure. Despite Apple's reluctance to tell us wh ...

Brother HL-3170CDW LED Printer

We've mentioned before that we are far from a paperless society. For now, at least, there are tasks that require a piece of paper for ...

HTC One

It is hard to overstate just how critically important the HTC One is to the Taiwanese company’s fortunes. Despite its alarming decline ...

toggle

Most Commented