New Sony Patent: solar charged e-reader/laptop built from two touchscreens

I missed this, which popped more than a week ago. From VentureBeat:

A patent application filed by Sony depicts a folding two-screen device that can be held like a book, or typed on like a laptop.

The patent paperwork explicitly states that there are “first and second touchscreens,” that “the image of a keyboard” could appear on one screen, and that “electronic book files” would be storable. The device would be “connectable to a solar charger.” ...

Sony’s device seems a more direct attempt to create an alternative to low-cost netbook laptops, one that doubles as a book-like reader. The obvious two benefits are a lower overall price and only one gadget to carry instead of two.

The concept of a laptop with a touchscreen keyboard has a novelty appeal, but it also says something about the intended market: Unlike the road warriors of the past who carried top-of-the-line laptops for constant typing, there’s a new demographic of mobile content consumers and producers that sticks to short messages. They don’t need a ThinkPad-grade keyboard to type on. Hopefully for Sony, they’ll be able to build a sexy-looking device that can serve as a status symbol like the company’s early Vaio laptops. ...