A Nokia smart watch? Company gets patent for wearable, multi-screen device

Lagging behind in the smartphone race has not stopped Nokia from working on its own smartwatch – a multi-screen device at that.

 

Nokia got a patent from the US Patent and Trademark Office for a "multi-segment wearable accessory" where each screen is a "virtual segment."

 

"Each screen presented on or capable of being presented on the display of a segment of the multi-segment wearable accessory may be considered a virtual segment, and the number of virtual segments may be greater than the number of physical segments of the accessory," the USPTO said. 
 

The patent was filed on Aug. 20, 2012.

 

Nokia, once a leading mobile phone maker, is now lagging behind in the smartphone market, behind Apple's iPhone and those running Google's Android.

 

The Finnish company has since partnered with Microsoft to produce smartphones running the Windows Phone operating system.

 

A separate report on Engadget said the modular design allows users to customize the device.

 

"An even more outlandish idea is that each of the segments would contain a display tailored to a specific function – and by turning the device around, you'd be able to access and use whichever was pointing upward," it said. 

 

Mashable added that Nokia appears to be the latest company looking to join the smartwatch market. Other players include Sony, Samsung, and even Nissan, it noted.

 

"There's also been rumors about a possible Apple iWatch and one from Google, too," it added. 

 

Engadget also said the diagrams indicate the phone is using a "Windows Phone-style lock screen."

 

"[We] imagine that Microsoft will want some say in this device's development if the Nokia Watch ever makes it as far as a working prototype," it said. – KDM, GMA News