Phones these days are getting more and more complex. It seems there is nothing that can’t be added to a phone. So it’s no surprise that Samsung has filed a patent for a transforming gaming phone, not unlike an interstellar intelligent robot. Hit the jump for the details.

In a day when having a phone that simply opens is not enough, a phone with a rotating screen and multiple keypads is becoming the standard. And this little beauty contains not one, not two, but three keypads.

But the genius of this particular phone is that two of the keypads combine to create a set of buttons ideal for gaming. If you’re not quite sure how it all works, take a gander at the schematic, and accompanying description, courtesy of Just Another Mobile Phone Blog.

Provided is a portable terminal having a game function. The terminal includes a main body housing having a first keypad and a second keypad; a folding housing having a third keypad, a hinge device for rotatably coupling the folding housing to the main body housing about a first hinge axis; an opening unit provided between the main housing and the folding housing along the first hinge axis; and a swing housing positioned on the folding housing, swinging about a second hinge axis from the folding housing to a position longitudinally parallel with the main body housing and the folding housing, opening the first keypad and the opening unit before swinging to expose the first keypad, and closing the first keypad and the opening unit after swinging to hide the first keypad.

Thus, a user interface environment can be improved in a game mode and in a phone mode.

What’s next? A Rubix cube of screens and keypads that also transforms into a console, complete with TV and maybe even a toaster? Surely, the future will hold such wonders.

Via Gizmodo

Tags: game_mode, keypads, phone_mode, rubix_cube, samsung

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2 Comments » Patrick Steen on February 21, 2008 11:46 am Wow. Patents and legal stuff never use full stops. That’s an insanely long sentence. Wade Larson on February 21, 2008 2:24 pm They sure do love their semicolons. RSS feed for comments on this post. Comment Now Note: Commenting on Ripten does not currently require registration, however to be eligible for contests on the site, you must be a registered user. Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Commenting Rules: No hate speech allowed. If you must argue, please debate intelligently. Comments containing selected keywords or outbound links will be put into moderation to help prevent spam. Ripten reserves the right to delete comments and ban anyone who doesn't follow the rules. Thanks. Notify me of followup comments Tired of the Goomba? Upload your own custom comment avatar.