Microsoft Smartphone Patent
Although Microsoft is synonymous with software it is also a hardware company and an innovative one at that, as the natural user interface design of the Kinect proves. One piece of hardware they themselves do not make are phones, having long killed the Kin phones before release. Furthermore, despite being roundly praised for its usability and user interface design, smartphones featuring Windows Phone 7 have produced lackluster sales. A deal with ailing giant Nokia represents Microsoft’s best chance yet of getting as many users as possible to be in a position to fall in love with Windows Phone 7’s user interface design. As of writing a Nokia smartphone running Windows Phone 7 is still forthcoming, yet a patent shows Microsoft has its eyes on creating their own unique smartphone.
What could be the implications of this patent on user interface design?
The basic premise of the patent is a modular device with a slide out section that can be filled with several modules depending on a user’s use case. In total the patent showcases four modules: a QWERTY keyboard, a game control pad, a secondary screen, and a battery module. Today smartphones are differentiated across these four niches, so to speak. Some phones feature a QWERTY keyboard, the Playstation phone features a game pad, battery cases are used to increase the tie you can use a smartphone, and a few phones have also tried to implement a dual screen etc. In terms of user interface design the second screen holds the most promise. Nintendo’s DS handheld console has shown the great practicality of dual screens, with the second screen’s user interface design used to display vital information leaving the main screen’s user interface design uncluttered. The tiled user interface design of Windows Phone 7 could be made just as practical as users view, say, a YouTube video on the main screen while writing a text on the second.
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