We all know better than to read too much into patent applications, but here’s one filed by Motorola that my poor over-stressed pockets would really like to see come to fruition.  Coyly titled a “User Interface System” it details a cellphone that has either a rollable e-ink display, rollable keyboard, or both, together with a very clever way of keeping them rigid once unfurled.

A narrow reservoir of electrorheological fluid – which is normally flexible but, upon application of an electrical current, becomes rigid – is behind both the keyboard and display; at the push of a button, the current is applied and the interface becomes stiff so as to make typing and viewing possible without needing to place the device on a solid surface.

One or more enclosures hide the rolled sections when not in use, while the electronics are kept in a solid part, meaning that overall the size of the device can be kept compact or, alternatively, a far larger screen and QWERTY keyboard can be fitted into a normal sized cellphone.

The patent was filed on July 24th 2006, and while there’s no hint from Motorola that they have such a device in the pipeline, 2008 looks to be a year of collapsible e-ink gadgets.  Polymer Vision announced this week that their Readius cellphone – complete with a 5-inch fold-out monochrome display – will be shipping later this year.

[via Unwired View]