Patented iOS journaling system could revolutionize searching on your device

If your favorite iOS device could log every song, phone call, app download or other action with location and time stamps, searching for anything would be a lot easier. For instance, you could ask "What songs was I listening to when I was on my bike on the Cherry Creek bike path yesterday?" or "What apps did I download while I was in Barcelona?", and you'd get an answer. Apple received a patent (#8,316,046) today that describes a system-wide journaling capability providing just this type of everywhere, all-the-time tracking of actions.

As described in the patent and diagrammed above, the system would track actions from a number of services and store the journal in "the cloud." An interface similar to the one described in the drawings below would be used to search in time and space for events or actions (left), then displayed by location and event (right).

Of course, Apple patents are no indication that a product will ever make it to market, but it's fascinating to see what is going on in the labs in Cupertino.