As the mobility innovation pool continues to run suspiciously dry, today brings another couple of wacky tidbits from two major technology firms.
The first is a reported "curved glass" screen from Apple which, according to a Bloomberg contact "familiar with the plans", are "probably" due to be released in the third quarter of 2014.
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The screens will be built to 4.7in and 5.5in sizes, which would be Apple's biggest-screen phones yet. Samsung's love-hate "phablet", the Galaxy Note 3, weighs in at 5.7in, so this would be a truly colossal piece of pocket hardware from Apple.
Bloomberg's contact also added that more sensitive sensors that can distinguish between light and heavy screen touches may be added to subsequent models.
While Samsung and LG have already revealed their own curved-screen phones, the Samsung Galaxy Round and LG G Flex both appearing – and failing to make headlines – last month, it could be argued that Apple's use of the technology may represent the company's long-awaited attempt at a "next big thing".
But curved screens are not enough for Motorola, which has just patented an NFC-equipped tattoo that will be able to broadcast a speaker's audio signals straight from the throat to a nearby smartphone.
Working similarly to the throat-mounted technology favoured by special forces operatives – but based entirely under the skin – the tattoo includes an embedded microphone, an NFC transceiver and its own power supply.
After this, the audio picked up from throat vibrations can be transmitted to any nearby source, be it a smartphone, a video conferencing device or, for the sake of argument, Google Glass.
The possibility of muting the device, as well as individually identifying each tattoo in a group, are also discussed in the patent, but Motorola has so far declined to speak publicly about the filing.
