So Apple files patents all the time for improvements on existing technology that they have, but recently they filed for something a little bit our of the ordinary. It looks like they are looking to incorporate biometric sensors in the iPhone and iPod Touch! Apple suggests that embedding biometric sensors in locations where users already touch devices is their plan. In the case of the iPhone, a patent drawing shows a biometric sensor embedded in the display sensors beneath the area of the screen that is used to unlock the device.
Other drawings also show sensors embedded in a notebook trackpad and on certain keyboard keys. The patent application discusses a number of other authentication methods, including facial feature recognition and even retinal scanning, although those may not be coming any time soon. I think we could see biometric sensor technology in the Apple laptops and the iPhone as soon as October 2009. 
Apple’s latest Mac mini is being toted as the world’s most energy-efficient desktop computer according to Apple’s website. Apple claims that when the Mini is idle, it uses less than 13 watts of electricity, which is 45 percent less energy than any previous model. It also looks like Apple has finally made an effort to address the problems with the video card on the Mac Mini. The new Mini boasts a powerful NVIDIA graphics card, which will offer plenty of speed for the latest 3D games and graphics-intensive applications.
For those of you not familiar with the Mac Mini, it is sold as just computer allowing you to use the display, keyboard, and mouse from a previous computer or purchased from a third party. Simply plug in your existing peripherals, turn on the Mac Mini, and there you have it: your instant desktop. All of the new Mac Minis come equipped with iLife ’09 and Mac OS X Leopard. iLife and OS X can let you organize your photos by faces (iPhoto), make movies in just a few clicks (iMovie), and even earn to play music in Garageband.
The Palm Pre was recently announced, and is set to combine the best of Waterloo based Research in Motion’s (RIM) Blackberry and the Apple iPhone. The first thing users will notice about the Pre is its user interface and operating system (WebOS). At first glance, it is very similar to the HTC Touch. However, there are tonnes of cool features we have never seen before: like being able to switch between applications with the “Deck of Cards” feature. At a glance, the phone features GPS, WiFi, a full qwerty keyboard, a high reslution half-VGA screen, and more.
Palm has been struggling for many years to keep up with RIM and Apple; although it once dominated the market for PDAs. Palm’s Treo series has so far been unable to compare with the blackberry and iPhone. The Pre is being rolled out in the US by Sprint and we can expect to see it there during the first half of 2009. Look for the phone later in the year in Canada with Bell or Telus as it is currently only a CDMA phone.
It looks like the Pre may be the phone to pull Palm back into being a major player in the PDA market.
