The manufacturers of mobile phones are desperate for new features that will persuade people to buy new ones. Motorola’s latest big idea is a phone with dancing lights (US 2004/139842). All the keys and controls buttons on the new phone will have their own differently coloured LED backlights, which can be separately switched on and off in patterns and rhythms.
The lights are controlled by MIDI signals, the system that is already widely used to control computer music and lighting at concerts. The switching sequence can be preset to match a favourite ring tone, or the lights can flash…
