A new Samsung patent application could mean changes to their S Pen. According to the filing, Samsung wants to cobble a microphone and speaker into their stylus. It makes a bit of sense for some utilities, but would almost certainly ask for a redesign of the hardware altogether, rather than just packing more into the currently slim stylus.
We saw this kid of thinking with Sony’s Xperia Z Ultra, which was widely marketed as being better with their little Bluetooth dumb-phone accompaniment. The Xperia Z Ultra phone (loose term, there) is likely a bit too bulky for some to use as an actual phone, so Sony created a little device that could handle simple tasks like making and taking phone calls, as well as text messages. A Stylus with a microphone and speaker could do much of the same in that regard.
It would also make verbal note taking simpler, which is great for enterprise solutions. The patent filing also shows how a larger grip would fit into the re-design, which makes us immediately wonder how it will fit into the tablet or phone — if that’s still the angle.
We don’t have a timetable for release, so this could just be a placeholder patent. For what may already be the best stylus on the market, these updates to the S Pen are unique. A microphone and speaker make for interesting use case scenarios, like making a call with the pen clipped to your jacket pocket, or dictating a memo while writing something else entirely. Definitely cool, we’ll keep these changes in mind for future Samsung products.
VIA: Ubergizmo
I thought there was already a Samsung stylus that acted as a phone handset.
We saw this “kind” of thinking