Apple's New Tickle-Me iPhone
August 12, 2010
First comes Bump, then comes Bump-based encryption. Now, a new patent application shows that Apple wants your iPhones to "excite" each other.
As shown on PatentlyApple.com, Apple is looking to create a technology where one iPhone can establish secure communication with another iPhone by physically exciting it. The two iPhones would have to be in contact with each other, then one phone would generate a movement that the other phone can sense.
Unlike apps like Bump, this is not just being used to start a program. With one iPhone creating a motion and the other sensing it, the two are able to create a unique encryption key. This is similar to pairing Bluetooth devices, except the two devices automatically create and accept their own keys. Because it requires the two devices to physically touch, it makes the communication virtually impossible to hack.
Once the two devices establish a secure connection, any number of communications can occur; messaging, contact sharing, even financial transactions.
Like other Apple patent filings, there are no specifics as to how they want to use it, or when it may be available, but making secure communications simple is definitely worth pursuing.
