Doing the Nokia Swivel

By | September 2, 2006

Another day, another new Nokia, but I think the N93 might be the shape of things to come. The clamshell swivel has several positions, but this one I think offers a way forward for all smartphones:

N93

More pix here. Perhaps other manufacturers have already adopted the manoeuver conveyed above; apologies if I missed it. But if the keyboard can be modified so that it faces the screen in a more traditional way, this would open up opportunities for a lot of smartphone manufacturers looking to put screen and keyboard in an alignment that favors typing.

4 thoughts on “Doing the Nokia Swivel

  1. Taka

    I just got me a new Nokia E70 for exactly the reason you gave, a proper keyboard (plus the bigger screen).

    http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e70-review-96.php

    It was pretty cheap too, compared to the other phones I was looking at (e.g. Atom O2).

    I want to be able to do Awasu emails, etc. and so a normal 0-9 keyboard just wouldn’t cut it. The only problem is that it’s a brand new model and the firmware seems a little beta šŸ™ Can’t wait for the first update… šŸ˜

    Reply
  2. Jeremy Wagstaff

    Taka, good to hear from you. I was going to mention the E70’s keyboard; it’s interesting how what was considered a gamer’s form factor is being repackaged for the business crowd….

    Reply
  3. Taka

    There’s a Doopod phone that has a keyboard that’s the full size of the phone that slides out as a kind of a tray but I wasn’t too keen on buying that brand.

    I also consdered getting a Bluetooth keyboard but it’s just another thing to carry around and I’d never have it when I would need it šŸ™‚ The E70 keyboard is really nice and I suspect having it split actually makes it easier to use than a single unit. Since it’s so small, you’re never going to be able to touch-type and so it’s either a two-finger peck or use your thumbs. The E70 requires you to use the latter and it’s actually quite quick.

    Reply
  4. Christian

    My first thought was “that is a nice looking phone” – but surely the keypad is the wrong was round? If you have to open the phone in order to use the keys, surely the screen will get in the way?

    Reply

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