Unique Form Factor: A Split Phone for Motorola

Well, Motorola is not one for making novelty phones (that’s something right up Nokia’s alley); and though the company does take risks with devices such as the Backflip, it is not really common for Motorola to just go with any weird looking device just to get noticed.

Anyway, there have been some bits of rumours floating around recently that mobile phone manufacturer Motorola is cooking up another strange brew at its laboratories. This time, they are bringing out a mobile phone with a split keyboard (not the first, Nokia’s 6820 beat them to it).

The unique thing about this phone is that at first glance, it looks like an ordinary touch screen device. There are two slide-out panels on the top and bottom (if you hold the phone in a portrait oriented way). Each panel will hold half a keyboard each made to be used when the device is turned sideways

The concept photos look impressive at the very least; the mock layout of the phone shows a form factor not unlike the Milestone. If this is a hoax, it’s a really well made one since the architecture and the style of the device has that distinct Motorola style and feel.

Another detail seen in the image shows the back panel of the device. The back panel is split into three parts, though the partitioning of the back panel does not reflect the slide form of the Split keyboard.

The question now is: do we really need a device with a split keyboard? Nokia once thought so, but the fact that no other mobile phones followed the same layout stands for something. For one thing, typing on a split keyboard is pretty restrictive for people who prefer to type with just one hand.