Samsung's folding keyboard brings a little starfighter to the cellphone

Looks like Samsung's elves have been busy thinking up new ways to cram a QWERTY onto all those touchscreen phones they've been selling lately: check out this patent application for a side-mounted flip-down keyboard. We're not sure if this would be comfortable, usable, or even stable, but we do know that we support any design decision that makes our phones look more like super-awesome space planes from the future. Carry on, Sammy.

[Via PhoneArena]

[Maeztro @ Jul 8th 2009 4:24PM]

Autobots...Transform and ROLL OUT!

[Maeztro @ Jul 8th 2009 4:25PM]

...and txt message!

[Techie @ Jul 8th 2009 5:45PM]

Do you realize how hard it will be to type on that thing without folding it back in?

[OneLove @ Jul 8th 2009 6:08PM]

Samsung and Sony never pass the joint back. puff, puff, pass. wtf?

[iphonerulez @ Jul 9th 2009 12:44AM]

This is a joke article, right? No company would be crazy enough to have a fold out keyboard for a cellphone.

[JJ @ Jul 8th 2009 4:25PM]

Make it fly.

[Templarian @ Jul 8th 2009 4:38PM]

I want to attach a firework to it after the one/two year mark. It's like the idea of skipping ones pre across the water at the 2 year mark.

[13enS @ Jul 8th 2009 4:25PM]

Need to see a hands-on model. Just from the sketch, I'd imagine it'd be top head, and flip out of your hands.

[gstar @ Jul 8th 2009 5:09PM]

ahhh, top head, my favorite kind of head...

[13enS @ Jul 8th 2009 5:15PM]

brain fart...

"...top heavy..."

[Jonathan @ Jul 8th 2009 4:25PM]

YES.

This is really, really cool. Hope it fixes the thickness that slide outs bring.

[Sisyphus @ Jul 8th 2009 4:26PM]

No, no.

That's not a keyboard, its a featurephone. The primary feature? Making waffles.

[edd @ Jul 8th 2009 4:30PM]

It's a cool concept but if they make it that thin... "SNAP"

[Smccullough @ Jul 8th 2009 4:33PM]

I believe they sell those at Toys R' Us already...it's the Batman communicator!

[Ivan @ Jul 8th 2009 4:33PM]

If you need a paddle fan during hot summer then there you have it!

[egress63 @ Jul 8th 2009 4:33PM]

Interesting in design. Lets keep it that way, shall we?

[Wolfticket @ Jul 8th 2009 4:58PM]

What?

[dan2600 @ Jul 8th 2009 5:12PM]

lolwut

[dangribbin @ Jul 8th 2009 6:03PM]

uh.

[Fingal @ Jul 8th 2009 4:34PM]

It will be called Death Blossom

[Neil @ Jul 8th 2009 4:34PM]

Hahaha.....thanks Samsung, I really needed a laugh and you just gave it to me.

[iGO @ Jul 8th 2009 4:35PM]

OUCH !

This looks like a lesson on how NOT to design.

Imagine a "coil/sprung" based cable, that you pull from the bottom like a string tape-measure, to provide mousing functionality.

eeek!

[Ken Renner @ Jul 8th 2009 4:37PM]

Reminds me of my old Nokia 6800 with the fold out keyboard. The keyboard on it worked fine, but this looks pretty flimsy.

[Monkey with glasses @ Jul 8th 2009 4:52PM]

My homie still uses that phone. Lol.

[Choco_Taco @ Jul 8th 2009 4:41PM]

Ugly!!

[joe23521 @ Jul 8th 2009 4:41PM]

How are you going to hold the device?

[Sam @ Jul 8th 2009 5:42PM]

lol thats what I thought.. it looks like it would be really awkward to hold, let alone type on while holding.

[James @ Jul 9th 2009 12:02PM]

My thoughts too, Why not turn the whole design upside down? The keyboard flips toward the top of the phone instead, then you have someplace to put your fingers (the back of the phone, below the kb) making the whole thing more stable. As an added benefit, it wouldnt want to fold up on you like the current design appears it would do.

[Matt @ Jul 8th 2009 4:42PM]

"Lock SMS-foils in attack position!"

[TJ @ Jul 8th 2009 4:50PM]

You win.

[dan2600 @ Jul 8th 2009 5:12PM]

winrar is you

[private.information @ Jul 8th 2009 4:43PM]

Swiss Army Knife of Phones, just add a screw, magnifying glass, toothpick, etc...

[sweet greggo @ Jul 8th 2009 4:45PM]

wtf.

[mugerg @ Jul 8th 2009 4:46PM]

wow this is some grade A crap from samsung. thumbs up on amazing garbage

[Dayne @ Jul 8th 2009 4:47PM]

Shouldn't you have said, "Play it again, Sam."

[J D @ Jul 8th 2009 4:47PM]

Put the sharp edges of a Pre on it and have a Samsung switchblade

[Wwhat @ Jul 8th 2009 4:47PM]

Every phonemaking company:
"no we can't put a regular headphoneplug, there's no room"
"no we can't use mni USB there's no room"

And now they have this patented? Makes no sense, where would the battery and PCB go?
And yeah, joe23521 has a point too, how to hold it?
And who will underwrite the massive returns as people break off these things then demand a refund? Although I guess you could make some sort of flexible hinge setup where if you bend it it'll just bounce back.

[ryan @ Jul 8th 2009 4:48PM]

not to mention it won't even work if you tried to fold it back in, the keyboards occupy the same plane and would hit each other. if they were on higher and lower planes it would just look stupid as well...

[NOCknock @ Jul 8th 2009 4:49PM]

I think I saw this on the cover of a journey album. :P

[T.W.G @ Jul 8th 2009 4:54PM]

very old ... as the german Siemens SK65 had this type of keyboard a few years(!) ago and Engadget even reviewed it ;-)

http://www.engadget.com/2005/02/09/siemens-sk65-review/

[Jonathan @ Jul 8th 2009 5:17PM]

That keyboard twisted, like two l one behind another twisting to become a X

This new keyboard is like ||| becoming -|-

It's different.

[Chad @ Jul 8th 2009 4:56PM]

Actually the Siemens SK65 from WAY back in 2004 did this IMO much better. Would be nice to see that design resurrected with an Android smart-phone.

http://www.mobileburn.com/imagepop.jsp?Id=1098&file=media%2Fsiemens%2Fsk65%2Fthumb_sk65_open-IMG_1862.jpg

[Timmy @ Jul 8th 2009 5:01PM]

No sillies, those are Solar collectors/ cheese graters for your fresh Parmesan

[LocalToast @ Jul 8th 2009 5:06PM]

Wrong, it's a cyborg UAV carrier pigeon.

[Grumpy old man @ Jul 8th 2009 6:52PM]

Yeah great Samsung, way to go! So when the all-spark comes to town we're not going to even try to make it work? You've just made it easy to create a mini-Megatron!

[Carrie @ Jul 8th 2009 5:21PM]

Vrrooom!! Zzzzooooommmm~! Whoossshhhh

[Chad Zeluff @ Jul 8th 2009 5:56PM]

Thanks, but my motor skills have already developed to use both physical keyboard (PC) and touchscreen keyboards (iPhone).

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Jul 8th 2009 6:06PM]

What are ya talking about? That's "Cell-Wing" the newest Decepticon.

[Scout650 @ Jul 8th 2009 6:06PM]

A DECEPTICON!!!

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Jul 8th 2009 6:08PM]

Weird