The hyperlinked data option menu a US only issue?

[Robmonster]

Hi there,

I've just read the following main page post here:- http://www.androidcentral.com/htc-us-customs-review-finished-shipments-coming

I must admit, I've not been following this patent thing very closely. Is this a US only issue? I am just able t to take delivery of the HTC One X here in the UK, so will the Open With menu still be available?

Can someone please explain briefly what the patent claim changes in the HTC handsets? What functionality exactly is missing?

Rob

 

[sniffs]

Should be US only because the ITC is a US based agency that blocks imports/exports into/from the US when applicable.

The patent Apple has basically means any clickable link, such as a phone # in an email/text, won't auto open the corresponding app.

 

[rdxhd]

The patent Apple has basically means any clickable link, such as a phone # in an email/text, won't auto open the corresponding app.

Is that really it? becasue my phone takes me to the dialer when I click on a phone number. It does not show the phone number as a link. It looks like plain text but it does work.

I thought it was about how the applications are linked to the link. It does not show you a menu of apps that you can use to open the link. That's why you can't select the youtube app for youtube videos. But I may be incorrect.

 

[sniffs]

Sorry yes, it's the menu that doesn't show. It's called "Data Tapping"..

HTC added in an app called "HTCLinkify" that prevents the menu from showing.. you might see it running as a Recent App every now and then..

 

[icebike]

Should be US only because the ITC is a US based agency that blocks imports/exports into/from the US when applicable.

The patent Apple has basically means any clickable link, such as a phone # in an email/text, won't auto open the corresponding app.

No the patent isn't that broad.

The patent does not cover links.

The patent covers detecting items in data that are NOT html links, and presenting a LIST of applications that you can do with that detected data.

Example: a phone number in an email, web page, or text message, that is not formated as an html call-to link.

As long as the phone only offers ONE action when you tap a phone number, its ok.

If it offers a list of actions, its not ok.

Example: Call up this page at bostonherald.com (chosen at random because it contains non-html phone numbers).

Tap the number and it should offer to CALL it. It won't offer more than one option.

That is my understanding of it anyway.

 

[Robmonster]

Thanks all. So, if I get the old style Open With type menu then my phone is not affected.

Is this problm jsut US phones though, or ill I get it over an update at some point?

My main problem is with Youtube links as I much prefer using the Youtube App over watching in a browser. There doesn tseem to be any other way to get a Youtube html link into the app, you cannot paste into the YT app itself as far as i can see.

Rob

 

[icebike]

Thanks all. So, if I get the old style Open With type menu then my phone is not affected.

Is this problm jsut US phones though, or ill I get it over an update at some point?

My main problem is with Youtube links as I much prefer using the Youtube App over watching in a browser. There doesn tseem to be any other way to get a Youtube html link into the app, you cannot paste into the YT app itself as far as i can see.

Rob

Youtube links are ALWAYS html links. And there is no patent protection for HTML links.

 

[Robmonster]

Ah, ok. I'm beginning to understand how this works. Thanks for the clarification.