As smartphones continue to grow bigger they become increasingly unwieldy, hard to fit into pockets and purses, but Samsung’s new patent shows they are getting series about a phone for next year that will fold.

A series of bendable joints toward the center of their new patented device let it fold down the center much like a flip phone while flexible-screen technology provides a smooth flat surface when the phone is opened. Also, the folding nature could help the phone comfort to the user’s face for easier speaking and listening.

Rumors suggest Samsung aims to bring a device like this to market next year. They have been working on flex screens for years with demos and concepts of ones that would wrap up like scrolls – those ideas may be a bit further out from reality (especially since some hardware would be hard to roll) but this gadget could bridge the gap.

The post Foldable Phone Patent Presages Return of Flip-Type Devices first appeared on Gajitz.

The Mi MIX by Xiaomi, a Chinese company, is a gorgeous realization of an age-old idea: making displays go right to the edge in order to maximize screen space with a minimalist aesthetic.

Designed by Philippe Starck, this ceramic smartphone features a beveled chamfer, curved on each end, creating its unique appearance.

No edges and corners to content with, nor buttons to get in the way, the 6.4″ display has a 91.3% screen-to-body ratio, record-setting for its device category.

Seamless connectors fuse ‘Mi MIX’s body without any external adhesives. Cantilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic technology replaces the traditional earpiece speaker, allowing users to listen to calls without the earpiece. Additionally, a compact front camera, about 50% smaller than traditional camera modules, is almost invisibly located along the device’s ‘chin’.

The post Full-Screen Phone: Record-Setting Edgeless Display Design first appeared on Gajitz.

No matter how small devices get, you still have to get a speaker near your ear and microphone near your mouth, which generally requires a certain minimum dimension unless your fingers can do the talking while you’re walking.

The Sngl taps into a wristband and turns your fingers into the receiver, requiring no speaker on the device. Audio is directed to the ear via vibrations through your body while you talk into the band.

While you can wear it as a wristband, the device also doubles as a watch strap (for conventional or smart watches) so you can tie it right into another wearable you already carry with you – one less device!

The project comes from Innomdle Lab, a startup that’s been spun out of Samsung. Eventually something like this could be tied into a smartwatch design completely, but for now at least you can wrap your wrist and look like a secret agent while you talk on the phone (or a new-fangled Inspector Gadget).

“There’s no one who never lost their earphone in their lifetime. With Sgnl, you can keep your cell phone alone in your pocket and simply raise your hand to answer a phone call without carrying any extra headset or earphone. When you place your finger to your ear, your finger not only transmits the sound but it also blocks out background noise. So you can hear very clear voice in a loud places without worrying about other people listening in.”

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From floating bonsai trees to levitating gadgets, hovering household items is all the rage, and now you can lift your smartphone with a similarly elevated form of design (and all while it charges!).

The OvRcharge floats your device using magnets, and has magnetic cases available for phones that would not float on their own devices.  As you phone charges, it hovers and spins slowly over the stand.

To be fair, this is absolutely a functionally useless gimmick, but you can’t have function without fun, so for fans of floating ‘stuff’ it can be a dynamic addition to your decor collection. The makers seem to have worked out both the wireless charging and magnetization issues.

“Wireless power transfer is around for years, wireless energy transmitted to  electrical load from a base or transmitter. Energy is sent through waves and on other end  an inductive coupling to electrical device, which can then use that energy to charge batteries or run the device. There are some drawbacks are in this technology like power loss and distance limitations but still that’s enough for the magic.”

“The two primary issues involved in magnetic levitation are lifting forces: providing an upward force sufficient to counteract gravity, and stability: ensuring that the system does not spontaneously slide or flip into a configuration where the lift is neutralized.” No smoke nor mirrors, just good old fashion wireless charging and magnets.

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Project Ara, a modular phone technology where users can swap out broken parts or splice in upgrades, is scheduled to ship out later this year to developers, and then next year to consumers.

The device is designed to solve longevity problems related to single-block devices, containing six modules (including the camera lens) that can be traded out or up on demand. Some of the similarly-sized modules are also interchangeable, letting you decide where, for instance, you want your camera to sit on the back. Developers can also build further hardware modules, creating open-source possibilities much like the Google Play app store has enabled for software development.

Other functions, however, are built into a single core, including the CPU, antenna, battery and screen display. This part of the announcement came as a bit of a disappointment to some fans and followers hoping to see a more fully modularized system. Google, however, has implied that such modularity is yet to come.

From Google: “Project Ara is a new modular computing platform, allowing devices to be customized for style and function. Choose your high-res camera, add a louder speaker, swap in a better battery. Imagine the possibilities. And we’re releasing a developer kit with device later this year. We are looking to module makers to create technology never before seen on smartphones. We’re hard at work on an open marketplace to connect the next generation of ideas with the broader Ara community. Google is looking for beloved brands and forward-thinking developers to join us.”

The post Ara Ready? Modular Part-Swappable Phone is Google to Go first appeared on Gajitz.