Check out the story here on CrunchGear:

http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/02...tube-hands-on/

Note the modality in the touch-screen keyboard, and even the applications icon in the menu.

Perhaps the phone business has been getting some inspiration from the tablet side?

Gizmodo had this in their report: "It's almost exactly like what's found on Nokia's touchscreen internet tablets like the N810, which makes sense, since Nokia recently folded the tablet group in with the smartphone folks to help develop touch features for S60 v5."

Whoops, I missed that bit of news. Haven't been around here in a while.

Feels good to be back.

Engadget has an article shows a concept that looks like a cross between the Tube and the E90, that was shown as part of the Tube's webcast.

I'd buy that concept, if:

1) T-Mobile-USA 3G
2) GSM Voice, SMS/MMS
3) Maemo (with Android extensions and N-Gage support being nice add-ons)
4) S60 PIM apps ported to it (integrated contacts, calendar/todo/tasks, bookmarks)
4) standard 3.5mm headset jack
5) micro-USB with easy to select/change client/host/otg modes
6) SyncML for contacts, calendar/todo/tasks, bookmarks
7) decent portrait camera, with flash, and video support
8) would be nice: micro-DVI with DVI-I
9) obviously bluetooth (with DUN, PAN, HID, and BIP) and wifi (usable both as a joikuspot type access point, and as a client)

I think that'd just about be the perfect tablet.

tablet folded into smartphone? must have missed that, as i have never read about it until now.

as for the engadget concept, that second image with the keyboard is just weird...

How is it weird? it's basically like the E90. Only the d-pad is modernized (same style as the d-pad on the face of the device).

Well, one way it's weird is that it appears to be made out of leftover glossy LCDs, or something similarly shiny, flat, and distasteful. Concept and all, but I hope the product doesn't come out like that...

*sigh* it's exactly the look I'd want for a Maemo Phone :-}

To give a better explanation, look at the first image, then the second. Note that on the second the front buttons are visible. All communicators so far have been folding phones with one internal and one external screen. Unless this is a slider, and given how the keyboard is lined up with the rest, i find that unlikely, then its just weird.

I read it as flipping out (at least) 180; when closed, the shiny flat keyboard is on the outside of the back, and presumably all input is discarded. When open, it flips up around flat, or hopefully farther...

I see what you two are saying (I was just about to post what Benson said, in reply to tso). So, it's not exactly like the E90 (except with the tube on the face, instead of a numberpad faced phone).

Hm. Maybe. It is a little weird, you're right. But I think I'd still like it. But, yes, I'd want/need it to swing past 180 degrees, and I want it to have the feel of the E71's keyboard.