A new patent hints at greater integration between the iPhone and Facebook. Approved on April 1, 2010 and filed in September 2008, the patent focuses on creating device-to-device workflow.
The patent syncs actions between the iPhone and another device, like adding something to a calender with a Mac computer and having it be shared with an iPhone. Device proximity is also mentioned, with abilities like having an iPhone and iMac synchronize their calendars when they get within Bluetooth range of each other.
The Facebook element of the patent comes into play with contact syncing, writes Christina Warren. For example, say you meet a colleague or friend out somewhere and realize you haven’t friended her or him on Facebook. When you initiate an ‘add contact’ on your phone, it can first pull in all the vCard information from your friend s phone, send your info back (if you are exchanging information), offer to take a photo of your friend to add to your address book and then, if you so choose, add your friend to Facebook. Your friend will then get a notification on her device of the pending friend request and can then approve or ignore it. Basically, the idea is to take a series of separate actions and allow them to unfold autonomously with one command.
There are apps for the iPhone, Android and Blackberry that can perform similar functions, but nothing has been integrated into the device before this. It may or may not come about, but given the increasingly ubiquitous nature of Facebook it wouldn’t surprise us to see it some time soon.
Source: Mashable
