RIM gets sued by Eatoni for SureType

Damn, RIM, can't you just stay out of legal trouble for like, fifteen minutes? The latest hot water they've gotten themselves into is with Eatoni, who are alleging that the SureType predictive-text system they've implemented into their 7100-series devices infringes on a patent they hold with regard to mobile qwerty devices. Their products, LetterWise and WordWise, apparently also combine qwerty keyboard functionality and predictive text—so we have to wonder, does this mean they're also going to sue Microsoft, for example, over the ability to enable Windows Mobile's predictive text engine on a qwerty-enabled device?

[Craig @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

If they can win against RIM, they'll most assuredly go after Microsoft. Palm/PalmSource/Access is safe since they don't include predictive text, I don't think.

[Seni0r @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Patents are getting out of hand.

[bluetrane @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

yay azerty will become standard now

btw i hate RIM

[ari @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

All I want is a 7100 flip phone.

[Andrew B @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Too bad there isn't any real public awareness about the sad state of patent law.

[fistpittingnork @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Craig, you're correct, Palm does not include predictive text.

[fistpittingnork @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

The Blackberry 7100, 7100v, 7100x for example all use a SureType keyboard layout, as where, for example a PalmOne Treo, uses 26 seperate keys (obviously, one key per letter)

A SureType keyboard is laid out like this:

[QW][ER][TY]

Where Palm's are laid out like:

(Q)(W)(E)(R)(T)(Y)

Since on a Palm you'll hit each letter individually, Predictive text is not needed, it would actually be impossible. Unless of course if you type "Tue" and it 'predicts' you're going to type "Tuesday"

[Rob @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Hey - as soon as RIM and NTP "settled" for US$450M (which turned out to be false), everybody that had the remotest chance of getting ANYTHING from RIM probably called a lawyer. Lawyers (being lawyers) probably took the cases pro bono, for a cut of the proceeds. I'm not surprised this lawsuit turned up.

[Dave E @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

What goes around, comes around. RIM got their financial backing by suing almost everyone who had the nerve to put out a device with a keyboard on it...looks good on'em.

[tom @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

So what is the defference between the predictive text on the Blackberry and the predictive text on Nokia cell phones? I know Nokia was using predictive text way before Blackberry was.

[Elias @ Dec 19th 2005 1:06AM]

Nokia and Windows Mobile use T9.

-- Elias