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Nokia files patent for side-sliding mobile phone with QWERTY keyboard

By: , IntoMobile
Wednesday, November 21st, 2007 at 2:50 PM

Here’s an interesting tidbit from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). We stumbled across this patent application, from none other than Nokia, that outlines a method to incorporate a “turn and slide” display that tilts upward to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. Now, there have been numerous sliding-screen designs in an effort to combine the full-face screen (touchscreen in some cases) with a full, comfortably-sized QWERTY keyboard – there’s the inimitable Sidekick flip-display (Motorola Sidekick Slide excepted), the HTC Kaiser‘s (AT&T Tilt) slide-up and tilting display, and the laterally opening design on the Nokia E90 and HTC Omni. With all that competition, you would think Nokia would want to design a unique way to combine the full-face display with a QWERTY keyboard – and you’d be right.

Nokia patent application for turn and slide touchscreen concept with QWERTY keyboard

The USPTO patent application reveals Nokia’s intention to use a rotating “knob” on one end of the device that, when rotated, will slide the display to the side and tilt it upward for convenient viewing – unveiling a full QWERTY keyboard underneath. Interestingly, Nokia’s design sketches seem to hint at a full-touchscreen setup – indicated by the lack of buttons on the front-face of the device. Could this be destined to be part of Nokia’s S60 Touch lineup? A touch-based S60 device with a sliding and tilting display and a full QWERTY keyboard? Be still our beating hearts. We’re not sure if this patent application will actually materialize in the real-world, but we sure hope it will. Maybe Nokia will see fit to include some Haptikos haptic feedback as well? Fingers crossed.

[Via: Unwired View]

About The Author

Will Park

Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...

  • Dan

    There are way too many moving parts in this design. It scares to think how wobbly and creeky such a device would be. The N95 has only one moving part and… well, everybody knows how it is.

  • solltex

    This phone feeling like appearance of the product a few years ago

  • skr

    Transformers? I’d love to have an N95 with sliding qwerty keyboard but man, somehow I think it wouldn’t be very robust..

  • jonnybruha

    As I said over on Engadget, I think this is closer to the idea behind the new touch than anything else. The images look more like a touch device on the front when it’s closed than a Sidekick or Tilt.

  • kkk

    omg they totally copied the sidekick