It's about time that voice started getting treated as just another data stream (and not a very demanding one)... there's no reason why when I connect my iphone with another intelligent device like another iphone or blackberry I shouldn't be able to share more than just my voice. Create a shared space where I can drop pictures, video, whatever I want with the other party. These new "Cell phones" aren't really cell phones anymore... that's just one of their many functions.

I think cellular providers have just been lazy... stuck in their voice centric box. They need to update their coms standard to not be as voice centric... an open streaming data standard that would allow the creation of muliple data streams between two connected parties, some would be realtime (voice or live video) and have priority over the others (files), which would transfer during idle time.

Wow, I can do all kinds of stuff on my WM phone at the same time. I regularly talk on the phone, tether to my laptop, e-mail files, and text all at the same time. I have been able to do all these things since my first WM phone about 3 years ago.

Kinda fun that apple releases the possibility to send text messages while speaking to someone considering the vulnrebility of the iphone text messages... do they want someone to be able to politely hang up when they send the "magic" string that bumps the iphone of the net =P

D_Kuhn i agree, i can't begin to tell you how many times im chatting on my Iphone and talk about some email or Pic i got but can't forward till the call ends, It's Dumb.

Peckerhead... I never relised any phones could do this!! my ignorance i guess. Iphone isn't great for everything, but it has it strong points too.

Cool... can transfers be linked into the cell connection to the other party? So when you "Phone" another WM phone is it smart enough to let you drag and drop stuff to the other caller or do you need to create a separate link via the net to do it?

I can do this with my Pre easily. Usually the "contacts" card is already open and the person I'm talking to is already selected, so its a very simple process.

iPhone does come with many nice features.. and looks like in the future it will have more on it (like other smart phone on the market). However now it is not the problem of how good iphone is /will be... it is how good the our cell phone carrier can be or will do... The idea sounds pretty nice... but will our AT$T be able/welling to support it?... if it even have problem with a pitcure message... sending files while calling seems too much to ask for it...>_<

I can't say about the Pre as I have never used one, but I currently use an Omnia from Verizon with their top data plan and every business option available from them. While I can do each of those things as stated by peckerhead above. I cannot do all of them simultaneously except when I am connected to a Wifi connection in addition to the National Broadband connection and the voice service.

And those things do not even pertain to what is discussed in this article and neither does what was stated above about the Pre doing this either. As this appears to me that they are proposing turning all phone calls into an always open data channel to that person. To me it kind of reminds me of a cellular version of googles wave idea, where you can start with a call and then conference it, move data back and forth, and include people remotely through a cell call at a remote office and then through bluetooth for a group in the conference room with you.

I really don't think anyone is doing this atm on any network or brand of phone.

Apple is exploring a possibility that most other phones can already do. At least, I can with Windows Mobile. I love that OS more and more every day.

Including viruses

The T-Mobile G1 has Android on it which is an OS written to run 6 apps at the same time, so yes, when I'm on the phone I can put the person on speaker, open up my GPS app or Google Maps and keep talking, while using WiFi, and could even take pictures or answer the other line at the same time while waiting for my phone's printer queue to print out on my printer with no cables

Again, being a Windows Mobile 6.1 user myself and having nothing to do with Apple as I don't have any of their products, how are you WM people doing all these things with your phones already? Is there an application that you can buy? Is it the difference between different venders ROM's? Do you need a certain version of WM, I have to use apps made for QVGA/PPC mobile phones? I just tried to do what was stated in previous posts and I found that I can not in fact do all the things listed in a post above concurrently in any kind of reasonable fashion even with all connections active. I am not slamming on anyone, I am just curious for my own benefit as I have not done more than dabble into the workings of my phone to get the exchange / push email services going and a few minor things.

it is possible to do all of these things simultaneously, but your doing each one as a separate task at the same time.. its not the same thing.. apple are proposing a system whereby all of these tasks are performed using the very same connection, a fundermentally different method to doing each task using a different connection type but with a similar end result..

i suppose you could argue that you can talk to somebody using skype, email them a file, transfer a file using an instant message client and look them up on google maps all using one connection (the web via wifi).. but your still using uniquely separate apps or tasks to do all of these things. apple are talking about rolling all of this functionality right into the os interface itself and hanging off of the phone calling for ease of use... as in each of these separate tasks you have to repeatedly select the desired user in each tasks specific interface.. (a minor point i know, but it makes the difference)..

What Apple is trying to patent is a very simple idea. There is no realistic idea of dropping the voice channel in cell traffic because it is too ingrained in the way the companies do business.

Apple is trying to patent a couple ideas tied together:
1) Ability to do more than 1 thing at a time. This ability already exists for every major smartphone (Pre, WM, BB) except the iPhone so prior art should prevent patenting this.
2) Ability to transfer files from 1 person to another using drag and drop functionality. This sounds like a simple way of describing peer to peer file sharing. This too should not be patentable because of prior art.

The only thing I see special about the Apple idea is automatically selecting the person you are on the phone with as the recipient instead of making the sender pick a recipient.

The method that comes standard in WM allows me to transfer files via e-mail. I can have e-mail open and the persons e-mail address populated to the person I am talking to with 4 keystrokes (I opted for a device without the touchscreen). Attaching a file is basically the same as attaching a file to any other e-mail. Sending the e-mail is 1 more button click.

Could the process be simpler? Yes. Is the idea of making an already existing process prettier and slightly simpler valid for a patent? I think NOT. That would be like the person that created the second microwave oven getting a patent on it because they had push buttons to set the time instead of a knob.

don't htc phones already do this?

I just can't understand why we still have patents coming on simplest ideas. They are just implemented now but still the patent is only an idea and that prevents anyone else to develop a better one without paying to some patent owner.
Patents on ideas or software are only for some people to get easy money and get less evolution.

I am sure if you worded it correctly you could get a patent for sliced bread its common for companies to pat anything they can think of and then sit back hoping for a HUGE lawsuit payday if anyone ever uses it.

Remember the long forgotten ITU V.70 and V.61 standards? Those are for Digital/Analog Simultaneous Voice and Data over a single link. Ah the good old dial up modem age of the 90s.

Yep ... I can do all this crap on my WM phone too.

To the guy that said he basically can't do anything on his iPhone while on a voice call, that is just sad.

I routinely like to play Pocket Grandmaster while talking, or use Garmin Mobile XT simultaneously.

Cool idea apple, but ditch AT&T first before exploring further. Also, get rid of these DATA plans that can only be used on one device. It would be better for everyone, including 3G data providers, to give a customer a Data account and be able to use ~5 different 3G devices with that data plan. They'd get more subscribers and make more money, but I'd prefer if this happens for 4G networks that are MAC/PHY and TCP/IP based networks.