Apple files proximity detector patent

MAKER of entertainment gear Apple has filed a patent for a handheld device that operates without needing a keyboard.

Apple's patent uses proximity detection as a means for providing inputs. It senses an object in close proximity to the electronic device and performs an action in an electronic device when an object is sensed.

The upshot is that you can control any electronic device by waving your hand in front of it.

The idea for the patent came from Steven Hotelling, Robert Duncan Kerr, Bas Ording, Jonathan Ive, Peter Kennedy, Anthony Fadell and Jeffrey Robbin.

More details here. µ