An unsung Google Nexus 7 smart cover sensor is now out in the open, courtesy of an experimental user. Basically, the device owner in question stumbled upon a magnetic sensor on the left-hand side of the tablet’s lower panel.
The magnetic effect was seen when the slab was placed in the portrait mode with the display on. As observed with Apple’s Smart Cover, this sensor seemed to put the tablet to sleep when a magnet was rubbed over its lower left side. So this looks like the onset of a patent infringement trial, if this functionality indeed comes to life.
Though most of us know that the Nexus 7 tablet arrives with a smart cover, it’s not clear if it works just like the Apple Smart Cover. The Cupertino-based company has been bundling in the magnetic case with the second generation tab. Speculations suggest that a similar case could be seen on the new Microsoft Surface tablet as well.
Pointed out by a post on Android Police, Apple seems to have a patent for its magnetic system, though the exact details on it are not very clear. Going by the patent, the details seem to be targeted towards the case’s ability to cling to the device magnetically and does not necessarily highlight its on/off and sleep mechanisms. For now, the Google smart cover sensor does not seem to infringe on the patent, though nothing is confirmed.
Recently, the device was put through a teardown, which we believe is required to better understand the Google Nexus 7 smart cover sensor.