COMMERCE TECH

Microsoft working on Surface Phone; releases patent

Microsoft has been struggling with falling revenues for Surface PC line and Windows phones. However, this has not stopped it from aiming for new devices called “Surface Phones”. The company recently made its patent public. According to a report in Forbes on Monday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has confirmed that Microsoft will “make more phones, but they will not look like phones that are there today.”

Earlier this year, the CEO had stated, “We will continue to be in the phone market not as defined by today’s market leaders, but by what it is that we can uniquely do in what is the most ultimate mobile device.”

The patent is titled ‘Wireless Communications Device’ and it talks about a bendable smartphone with antenna, battery, SIM card holders and screen connectors split over a hinge to create a dual-winged device. The patent was filed in January 2016. The smartphone design would separate the wireless components, reducing the risk of interference.

In the patent, there are two suggestions for the design of the device. The first one makes it look like a “traditional” foldable surface phone. The second one features a thicker portion that would allow Microsoft to incorporate thicker elements such as cameras (both front and rear facing) easily.