A phone with two screens certainly isn't a new concept, but LG has applied for patents that will take the concept in a couple of new directions. First up is the image you see above, which takes the traditional landscape slider concept and turns it on its head (or, rather, slides it) by revealing another screen beneath the main screen. The screen on top would likely be used to display content, like a video, while the secondary screen could be used for any number of things, including a virtual keyboard or media controls. Think of it like a Nintendo DS.
The second patent involves a set of gears that push out the second screen when the first one is tilted away from the body and toward the user. The final product would end up looking similar to the HTC Tilt. When fully opened, the user would be presented with an almost laptop-like experience, although it looks like there would be a large part of the body of the phone jutting out from behind the two screens.
We've seen similar dual-screen products in the laptop space a couple of times already this year from Acer and Toshiba, but there hasn't been much of anything like this before in the mobile space. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for new and innovative ideas, but I'm not completely sold on a dual-screen phone like LG is trying to patent. The horizontal slider seems like the better of the two ideas, but I'm sure that, for a lot of users, they'd rather be sliding out a physical keyboard rather than another screen. The gear-powered second product just seems a bit too bulky and cumbersome for day-to-day use. Then again, if you're really into screens, these devices may be your cup of tea. The most important thing to remember is that just because a company patents something, that doesn't mean that we'll ever see it come to market. That said, what do you think of LG's ideas? Would you buy a phone that looked like either of the two devices?
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