Computer chameleons revisited

More on the idea of digital devices that can change colour, mentioned here on Thursday. According to the New York Times [free registration required]: "Perhaps most surprised by the Apple patent application were the engineers at Color Kinetics, a start-up company in Boston that specializes in light-emitting-diode technology. It turns out that Color Kinetics had filed an application for Patent 20020113555, for a 'lighting entertainment system,' on Dec. 20, 2000. It is intended to cover self-illuminated consumer devices that might include 'a television, a computer, a compact disc player, a stereo, a radio, a videocassette player, a DVD player, a toy, a CD-ROM drive, a film projector, a surround sound system, a Dolby sound system, a THX sound system and a tape player'." Two companies with the same idea? Not necessarily. "Neither Apple nor Color Kinetics executives would comment on the seemingly dueling patent applications. But several people close to the companies said that in 2001, Color Kinetics had worked extensively with Apple on the concept, only to have Apple back out of a deal at the last moment," says the NYT story.