RIM patents a keypad with wings

Someone in RIM (probably someone high up) apparently said, "Hey, you know what'd be great? A candybar Pearl that's narrower for no apparent reason," which caused a team of engineers with advanced degrees to spring into action and craft this doozy of a patent app. The concept is that you start off with a numeric keypad slapped onto a handset that's too narrow to handle even an abbreviated SureType configuration, and when the time comes to type, you swing out ridiculous wings that house the extra keys you need. Obviously, we have no good excuse for giving RIM a hard time about this until it appears on an actual product -- a doomed-for-failure product, may we add -- but you think they could've just saved the application fees on this one, you know?

[Via Cellpassion]

[glenskey Posted Dec 26th 2008 3:32AM]

FIRST!

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 3:59AM]

Sadly, I think I'd buy this before I would buy a Storm.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 11:12AM]

That is sad, becuase im absolutely enjoying my storm. =)

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 5:04AM]

idiots the key pad fold out thats why the bottom of the wings are angled

[000000 Posted Dec 26th 2008 8:12AM]

It wraps around the sides probably. Folding out would make it very fragile. And dangerous/sharp looking.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 10:49AM]

RIP OFF!!! In LG's "Design a Phone" contest I made a phone exactly like this one! Aw man...

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 11:00AM]

"Someone in RIM (probably someone high up)"
Take the "up" out of there and have it just say "(probably someone high)" because only a stoned person would come up with this idea.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 11:02AM]

@ Jack
Musta been some good smoke, huh?

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 12:35PM]

I think that RIM should try a new device maybe with a slide Qwerty, because this looks fragile, and not that beautiful to me.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 1:13PM]

In later news, Tampx is filing a copyright suit against RIM for use of the word "with wings" in their latest cell phone.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 3:17PM]

reminiscent of the thinkpad 701 butterfly

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 4:39PM]

Nobody who made fun of the Sierra Wireless Voq gets to touch this thread.
http://images.pricecanada.com/images/products/227/l227392.jpg