Palm patents combo slate and smartphone

Posted on 13 Aug 2010 at 15:39

A newly-uncovered patent filed by Palm - now owned by Hewlett Packard - suggests that the company might be working on an unconventional approach to a combined smartphone and PDA.

With the day of the dedicated PDA surely over - now replaced by the dawn of the slate, as typified by Apple's highly successful iPad - everyone assumed that a smartphone with in-built PDA-like functionality was the way forward. Everyone, that is, except Palm's engineers.

A patent filed by Palm and spotted by Unwired View indicates that the company is at least considering the concept of a large palmtop - or small slate, depending on your perspective - which features a removable voice-only handset.

When the handset is connected to the main body of the device, both will function in tandem: the large touch-screen provides a comfortable working area, while the handset offers mobile broadband connectivity. Remove the handset and you've got a compact device for making calls - without the need to carry two separate gadgets.

It's a clever concept - and one which saves tablet users from the embarrassment of holding something like the over-sized Dell Streak to their ear - but so far there has been no confirmation from Palm or parent company HP that the patent indicates any future product.

For now, it seems, users will either have to carry a slate and a handset - or suffer with an overly large 'phone or an overly small screen.

Author: Gareth Halfacree

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