We’ve seen a variety of flexible devices over the years, including the Nokia Morph and other prototypes, but usually they were handsets that turned into tablets. Today we’re dealing with a very interesting touchscreen flexible case.
Microsoft Research, working with Austria’s Media Interaction Lab developed a case for Windows Phone models, that has some interesting features. FlexCase is the name of the accessory and it’s a flip cover for handsets, bringing flexible input and output for those models. It includes an e-paper display with support for pressure sensitive and bend sensitive input, via sensors.
This model can interpret touch, pressure, grip and bend gestures in a natural manner, as if the user were interacting with a sheet of paper. The secondary e-paper screen complements the main one and shows extra info related to the apps on the phone’s screen. It’s also a flexible piece of materials, based on printed piezoelectric sensors.
I’m still waiting for the phone that turns into a tablet…
