Is this the next Nokia Internet Tablet?

[daveb70]

http://www.unwiredview.com/2007/11/21/nokia-is-thinking-about-its-own-sidekick/

Will it remain a Symbian-based phone? Will tablet technologies be incorporated, or will it provide another direction for the tablet to consider?

I suspect the size will be somewhat smaller than the current crop of tablets, so I'm guessing phone/somethink to kick T-mo with. :)

[Reggie]

Nokia has filed a US patent on a device which seems to resemble an Internet Tablet. While it is still very early to know if this is a Symbian or Maemo-based device,Â* a device with its look and features like a camera and a touch screen, as stated in the patent application, will almost surely belong to the Nokia N-series group of mobile devices. I wonder if this will ever get approved, considering that it looks like the Sidekick, the HTC TyTN II (AT&T Tilt), and the HTC Advantage. [Thanks daveb70!]Â*Read the full article. (http://www.internettablettalk.com/2007/11/21/is-this-the-next-nokia-internet-tablet/)

[Kozzi]

I think it will be the S60 phone with touchscreen interface which is rumored to come out next year.

[fpp]

What it looks like to me is what I've ranting about forever around here : an IT that's more like a clamshell Psion, with a hinge system that moves the keyboard and screen together. Yes, I know I'm a deluded monomaniac, but one can always dream :-)

PS : Hey, Nokia - BTW, there is PRIOR ART on your patent in this here forum, ya hear ? Even a photoshopped picture ! :-)

[Hedgecore]

There's no dpad, zoom, etc buttons... I think it's a phone. While the keyboard layout is just meant to show design, if there were other interface controls they ought to have appeared in the diagram. Then again, what do I know.

[martin_d]

Also the top pictures shows what I would call a typical "phone-gesture" (I don't know how to describe it better.)!

[amigokin]

If you are planning to buy the N810, wait a few month. You'll find it with a 50% discount some weeks before the release of this new iT baby :-P

[bokubob]

If you are planning to buy the N810, wait a few month. You'll find it with a 50% discount some weeks before the release of this new iT baby :-P

No, wait forever, because there will always be something better coming out "real soon now". Then you'll never have something old!

-Jonathan

[YoDude]

First there was side talking...
Now crank typing :D

You could "crank" out a few e-mails with that sucker I bet.

[unique311]

definitely a phone, screen is way too small, why make the screen smaller, on the next IT.

[iball]

Probably some future form for Nokia's S60 touch UI.

[fpp]

it's just a patent application for a concept, not an FCC filing for a new model. if it's granted they can pretty well use it in whatever size suits them, add a d-pad and buttons, etc.

[Kozzi]

No, wait forever, because there will always be something better coming out "real soon now". Then you'll never have something old!

-Jonathan

Agree, N800 was on my ToGet-list until I saw rumours about new one, perhaps I could wait for about 1 month after the release of N810 to see if it's worth to wait few more months for the next one.

[Hedgecore]

fpp: I was wondering that. I realized it was more of a patent application regarding movement / function, but wasn't sure if the keyboard just represented a cluster of input devices (buttons, switches, etc.), or if it had to show a rough actual layout.

[fpp]

IANAL either, so just a guess :-)

The illustration is just that, what really matters is the description text in the patent application. I tried to look at it but all that legalese made my head hurt :)

[penguinbait]

http://www.google.com/patents?id=4k4SAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4#PPP1,M1

I thought this looked kinda similar, was this ever made? Its from 2004

[jacexxx]

i wouldnt buy it

if you notice closely
the camera is on the side [weird place to put the camera]

and in order to use the whole device you have to basically turn and flip it.... for example the screen resembles tmobile's sidekick so it will either slide up or flip to reveal the keyboard. also to use the camera u need to twist the side panel. making the device look bulky with an extra piece sticking out.

has anyone else noticed this flaw?

[adammelancon]

jacexx, there is a minor flaw in your font size and color choice, but thats just my opinion.
Tone it down a bit bro.
No need to be flashy. Plain old sentences and proper punctuation and capitalization will do.

[fpp]

Much better jacexxx, thanks !

[Paradux]

For years, my brother never bought anything because something better would always come around. Took him 6 years to finally buy a VCR. At that time he did have the finest B&O available, but in the meantime he used my Blaupunkt (this was in Europe). I guess my not-so-subtle point is that there will always be something better coming up. Like the N810, while I'm still messing around with my 770. For me, the 770 fits the bill perfectly, and I'll upgrade when something new comes around that has features I desperately need. Until then, I'll be staring at the beautiful green grass on the other side of the fence while sitting in my inflatable wading pool playing with my 770 (not a euphemism).

But it's fun to speculate, isn't it?

[Roc Ingersol]

IANAL either, so just a guess :-)

The illustration is just that, what really matters is the description text in the patent application. I tried to look at it but all that legalese made my head hurt :)I've spent quite a few years in an IP law firm. The diagrams are purely to illustrate the concepts covered in the text. They don't have to be complete. Hell, the 'representative image' doesn't even have to be relevant. Most times they're pretty close, but there's no rule that says they must.

Most everything that truly matters in a US patent application is the claim text.

The gist of 'why this is special' seems to be limited to the fact that you don't 'slide' the display itself with this invention, as you would with a sidekick. You twist the whole end of the device (the bit labeled 16 in the diagrams), and that pushes the screen part of the device 'up' through various distinct stages. Basically, you keep twisting it to reveal more and more of the keys.

I have no idea why they think it might be a good idea to do things that way. To be honest, they might not actually think it's a good idea either. Patent prosecution is an odd duck.