Often times I dream of the days when the Sidekick (Hiptop) was my handset of choice. Today, a similar slider design can be seen in the latest concept phone: the HTC Metal. Tucked beneath a beautiful 3.7 inch AMOLED display could be the perfect Android slider.
Back in 2002 when the original Hiptop was released, the slide out screen was something of a phenomenon. In the years following, a series of Hiptop devices were released, each improving the design and inspiring innovation. The idea of an always-on data connection was not just a novelty, it was a reality for Hiptop owners. Instant (push) email was standard, and quite honestly the Hiptop was far beyond its time.
Today, Android touts an incredible percentage of smartphone market share and dozens of handsets. Unfortunately, the perfect slider inspired by the flip-out Hiptop keyboard has remained elusive. In order to fill this void, concept phone designer Long-Nong Huang has come to the rescue of Android users worldwide with the HTC Metal.
The HTC Metal features a 1 GHz processor, a 3.7-inch AMOLED display and an 8-megapixel camera. On the right side of the phone are the traditional hardware Android keys and a trackball, similar to the original Google phone, the G1. The four-row QWERTY keyboard looks to draw inspiration from the HTC Touch Pro2, recessed beneath the screen.
As much as I love a beautiful slate, touchscreen-only smartphone. I would be remiss if I didn’t express my inner desire to return to a hardware keyboard. There’s just something about the tactile feedback, the ability to pound out emails with ease and convenience of not having to look at the screen while typing. If the HTC Metal materializes in an Android product launch, who else is with me?
via concept-phones
