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Samsung Wants To Bring Back the Flip Phone With Bendable Screens
redletterdave writes: A new patent filed last April but published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office earlier this month suggests Samsung might be working on a smartphone that can bend in half like a flip phone. The biggest problem, according to the patent, is all the strain that accumulates by continually folding the display, or keeping the display folded for a long period of time, which can result in deformations and imperfections, Samsung notes. But Samsung's patent also describes how the phone could keep track of how long it's been in the folded and unfolded states, so as to alert the user of any strain that needs to be relieved. This could help extend the lifetime of the phone and its display.
A problem we've solved already. Just use a hinge and two screens. Use code to stitch them into a logical entity. Bezels can be small, on one side.
I have a feeling it's just patent-troll-defense.
You mean Samsung would know when to tell the phone "not" to open as per their planned obsolescence policy.
A phone that nags me because it's under stress.
Get a fucking shrink like the rest of us.
This assumes some kind of software controlled physical locking mechanism wouldn't it?
Not really sure how useful a physical locking mechanism would be on such a small device... It makes me think of the little lock on children's diaries... utterly pointless against a determined attacker with physical access.
If Samsung wanted to enforce obsolescence in a dastardly way, it could do it a lot easier by simply bricking the phone through a software mechanism.
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
"But Samsung's patent also describes how the phone could keep track of how long it's been in the folded and unfolded states, so as to alert the user of any strain that needs to be relieved."
So sorry, your RMA request is denied due to error 666: Folding counter too large. Please enable SMARTS on your new phone.
Execution on this sort of thing is why Samsung shares dropped.
This revolutionary touchscreen appears to be foldable in exactly the same way that a standard modern-day touchscreen is foldable. You can fold it, but it won't really work afterwards.
Hardware QWERTY keyboard. This is the only reason why I haven't upgraded from my Epic 4G.
Of course the flip phone is coming back, they are even in use in the 23rd century! I have seen the historical documents!
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
Samsung would just know that the screen is guaranteed to break after so many opening and closings, so they know the phones wont last long term
First we had flowing screens along the edge of phones, now weve got bendable flip phones, and at some point we gained proximity gestures for a little while. Why cant phone manufacturers provide a product with features people actually want? a charger that doesnt change every year, removable storage, replaceable battery, support for multiple sims? Why does every new phone have to be a testament to landfill management?
Good people go to bed earlier.
This is brilliant! All the kids will want one so they, too, may brag about how long they've been able to keep their pet^H^H^H cell phone healthy and alive.
and complains when it's been bent over too long.
Why do I need this? I already have a wife.
*stares at his 2015 LG flip phone*
What do you mean "bring back"? Did flip phones disappear shortly after the beginning of the year?
Having recently dealt with Samsung on a warranty issue, I promise I won't be an early adopter of anything they push out. Especially first gen.
Agile Artisans
The biggest problem, according to the patent, is all the strain that accumulates by continually folding the display, or keeping the display folded for a long period of time, which can result in deformations and imperfections, Samsung notes
Don't fold the thing, ROLL it. Sell it at the dispensary with a few packs of Zig-Zags and brand it the Galaxy S 420. Problem solved.
I'm waiting for Apple to accuse them of stealing this idea from them. Their late 80s video "Knowledge Navigator" constitutes copyright on the idea, right? \
How about giving me a phone that makes it through a full day or two of real world use without running out of juice? Bonus points if I can actually make a decent quality phone call where both parties easily hear each other.
Seriously?
Flip phones reduce the joy of having my family and friends butt dial me from their cars, from a party, and oh so many other events.
Save the butt dial!
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
I'll buy one.
If they flip it the other way. I want a bigger screen when I choose to unfold it that way.
deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
It had excellent fidelity (loud too, can use while window was open), large tactile buttons for me to dial numbers without taking my eyes off the road. Though it considered now as big, heavy, and scary (Motorola flip phone with GTE wireless embellishment).
mfwright@batnet.com
And thus they'd be caught. This is more like Apple's overly sensitive moisture dots.
(Apple lost that class action though.)
You mean Samsung would know when to tell the phone "not" to open as per their planned obsolescence policy.
Hey, now, this isn't Sony we're talking about. ("Sony timer" was a common phrase in Japan for a few years, with a strong urban legend that actual timers were built in to pop the day the warrantee expired. My favorite urban legend was that Sony employees carried a remote that could expire all your Sony timers early if you annoyed them.)
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
The Sony smartphones of late are not only as good or better than the Samsung crap, they are also as open as a Nexus. Like, boot unlock codes, flash tools and kernel and Android factory images with sources open. Don't even compare them to Samsung.
is that just your phone unbending in your pocket?