If this load of recently filed Apple patents become a reality, your iPhone may become a perfect tool for spies soon, with real world object identification, faces recognition, voice alteration, and text filtering, among other things:
• Real world object identification: This function will let you point at any object and obtain information about it after the iPhone recognizes, using either the object itself—like a painting—RFID tags, or barcode scanning. Alternatively, you can just search the object up in Google. It's not like it's hard to read a tag or enter a name.
• Face detection and recognition: Similar to the face recognition feature in iPhoto, this can be used for security access. In other words: We are doomed.
• Text message filtering: If you are offended by the cursing in my twitters and SMS, the new filtering system will save your ears from bleeding, you **************** *******.
• Smarter text messaging: There are two patents about this. One allows you to check if text messages fail to reach someone in a group. The other informs you if you have received any messages (mail, text, or voicemails) from someone before you try to contact them, just in case you have received what you wanted before initiating the contact. Paranoids and control freaks rejoice.
• Voice changer: Since I sounds like Daffy Duck, this is my favorite new feature by far. Now I would be able to sound like Sean Connery in every single call. Or, apparently, Oprah. I can go either way. [USPTO patent on object recognition, USPTO patent on face recognition, USPTO patent on SMS via Unwired Review]