RIM applies for rotating keyboard patent – What?

Research In Motion has filed for a relatively odd patent and it could lead to your next BlackBerry featuring a rotating keyboard.

With the BlackBerry Torch and the upcoming clamshell BlackBerry, we know that RIM is okay with experimenting from its standard form factor but this patent, which was filed for earlier in the year and just became public, takes it up a notch. The art shows a large screen with a slide-down numeric and QWERTY keyboard. If this came to fruition, you’d be able to flip that keyboard around to bang out your messages.

Of course, this is just a patent and companies file these all the time and it doesn’t lead to products that the consumers see. It’s interesting to see a fresh, new form factor being considered though, as it seems like every single new phone is either a full touch slate or sports a sliding QWERTY keyboard form factor.

RIM has taken a few left turns from its traditional BlackBerry form factor with varying degrees of success. The BlackBerry Pearl has been a huge hit and the latest version even has 802.11n WiFi.

The BlackBerry Storm was pretty successful in the market but it’s not a device that is loved by many. Please don’t give me any guff, as I used a Storm as my primary device for a year and am so happy that time is gone. The BlackBerry Storm 3 should be hitting the market soon with advanced specs but it’s still too early to tell if RIM has optimized its hardware and software for touch input.

What do you think of this patent? Would you like to see a RIM handset with a rotating keyboard?

[Via GoRumors]