Microsoft wants to embed secondary screens into smartphone flip covers

If you like the idea of having an extra screen for your smartphone, Microsoft may soon release a product that you'll probably find interesting. According to WM Power User, Microsoft's research division (known simply as Microsoft Research) is currently working on flip covers that include always-on, low-power displays.

As you can see in the image below, these low-power screens (presumably using e-ink technology) should be just as large as the screens of the smartphones that they're accompanying. The screens might be useful in various scenarios: they could act as full QWERTY keyboards, display detailed notifications, help with composing emails (by showing a full calendar, for example), and so on.

Russian company YotaPhone already has smartphones with secondary e-ink displays (the latest being the YotaPhone 2), though its approach is different: the secondary screen is part of the phone itself, being embedded on the back.

Reportedly, Microsoft Research is "in deep talks" with the Lumia division to see if it can turn these flip covers with embedded displays into real products. Unfortunately, there's no way of telling when, or if that's actually going to happen. Until we hear more about this, let us know if you like Microsoft's idea, will you?


source: WM Power User