One the key technologies in Windows Mobile that may people don’t think about because they take it for granted is "tap twice" and "tap & hold".
– You might "tap twice" to get a different function on the screen or from a hardware button.
– You usually "tap & hold" to get a "right-mouse button click menu" from the screen interface.
It’s a great way to add new "Z" dimension to the traditional point & click interface. But these won’t be features of Blackberry, Apple iPhone, or any Symbian/Linux based device… because it’s patented.
I’d forgotten about this article: It was from back in 2004 when the patent was finalized.
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Microsoft Wins Patent for Handheld Computer Click
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Computer users with itchy trigger fingers take note: The next time you open a software program with two quick clicks on a handheld computer you may be engaging in a process patented by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) .
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 27 granted a patent for a "time based hardware button for application launch" in which a click of a button can start different programs if it is clicked once, twice or held down for several seconds.
That’s a process familiar to countless computer users who have double-clicked their way through Microsoft’s Windows operating system, as well as anyone who’s tried to set the time on a digital watch.
Mouse-wielding computer users need not worry, as the patent only applies to handheld computers which run Microsoft’s PocketPC software — specifically the method of bringing up different features depending on how many times a button is pressed.
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