HTC Patent Could Bring New Form Factor
We’re all familiar with slider phones of various forms… the LG enV, T-Mobile G1, Sidekick, Palm Pre, etc… there are a lot of different possibilities. HTC has filed a patent that could lead to a new form factor that, in the end, just accomplishes the same thing in yet another way:
Apparently the clamshell uses magnets, is spring-loaded, and somehow opens on its own after you give it a nudge in a certain direction. I’m not positive they’ve got it right, but Greg from MobileCrunch seems to describe it best:
Imagine a clamshell phone, like the LG enV. Instead of opening the handset by pulling the hinged halves apart, however, you slide the top layer down a few millimeters, and bam! It springs open. When you slide the top half down, you’re breaking the connection between two magnets (one in each half of the phone) that held it closed, allowing the spring-loaded hinge to do its thing.
Will this be used for an Android phone? No clue… but given the company’s pursuit of Android dominance/success, there is at least a decent chance that if this comes to market, it’ll be sporting our OS of choice.
[USPTO via WMPowerUser]