Dual-sliders are nothing new. Having a dedicated numeric keypad in addition to a full-QWERTY keyboard is just so convenient. And, it seems, Sony Ericsson is giving some serious consideration to bringing that convenience to a future handset. In their patent application, entitled “Two-way sliding mobile terminal,” Sony Ericsson reveals plans to use what looks like a pop-out mechanism that features a full-QWERTY keyboard layout as well as a numeric keypad. The keyboard pops out lengthwise to become a keyboard. Holding the handset vertically, the keypad pops out widthwise.
This actually looks like a way better alternative to the dual-sliding setup that we’re used to seeing. By combining the keyboard and keypad onto a single pop-out slab, Sony Ericsson’s future dual-sliding jobbies should be slimmer than the current dual-sliding offerings. We sure hope the Japanese-Swedish company will actually apply this concept to a handset in the near-term.
Download the entire patent application PDF here (1.3MB).
[Via: Unwired View]