Live Tiles in Windows 8, the Windows Phone 7 & 8 devices and Xbox Dashboard are under attack by a firm claiming to have patents on the live tile feature. While some of it does sound similar, a lot of it has been done before. Something to keep an eye on. Patent trolls are at it again. Why they didn’t start this battle when live tiles were introduced and waited until the huge product was finally released? More cash to be had via a settlement. Microsoft won’t just throw away the live tiles and modern UI after it’s been released.

Live Tiles are a feature of Microsoft’s redesigned operating system officially launched this month. They reside on the phone’s start screen and can contain real-time information. Users can "pin" Live Tiles of people (their tweets, photos, etc.), song, Web sites, photos, e-mail, notifications, Facebook and other items to the screen.