Microsoft's prototype 'FlexCase' functions as secondary touchscreen

Technology giant Microsoft and Austrian researchers have developed “FlexCase” – a prototype smartphone that acts as a secondary e-ink display. Microsoft and the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria created the device that can act as an extended touchscreen to mobile devices and can power the device, www.techtimes.com reported. The smartphone case prototype can be flexed, tapped and twisted to control the main display. The “FlexCase” works similar to YotaPhone – the world’s first smartphone that had two screens released in 2013. It had an e-ink display on the back and a regular LCD front screen. “FlexCase” allows users to interact with their phone in many ways. Its cover can be used as an extended visual clipboard that makes searching and typing easier.

By simply bending the cover forward or backward, users can easily flip pages, zoom in and out, navigate pages and even rotate maps. Everyday motion can generate enough energy to be converted to electricity. The piezoelectric effect (push or pull) can be of use within multiple applications, including electronic frequency generation, detection and production of sound. The same principle is applied on the FlexCase prototype that uses piezoelectricity current to power the device. By allowing users to stretch, compress, flex, tap and twist the cover, an appropriate amount of energy is being applied that generates an electrical charge to operate the device. The “FlexCase” was scheduled to be presented at the “Computer-Human Interaction Conference” in May in California. IANS