A flip (or clamshell) phone consists of two or more sections that are connected by hinges, allowing the phone to fold or flip in order to become more compact. When flipped open, the phone's speaker and microphone are placed closer to the operator's ear and mouth, improving usability. When flipped shut, the phone can become much smaller and more portable than when it is opened for use.
Motorola was once owner of a trademark for the term flip phone, but the term flip phone has become genericized, and used more frequently than clamshell in colloquial speech. Motorola was the manufacturer of the famed StarTAC flip phone.
In 2010, Motorola introduced a different take on the flip phone with its Backflip smartphone. When closed, one side is the screen and the other is a physical QWERTY keyboard. The hinge is on a long edge of the phone instead of a short edge, and when flipped out, the screen is above the keyboard.
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Read more about this topic: Mobile Phone Form Factors
Famous quotes containing the word flip:
“By act of Congress, male officers are gentlemen, but by act of God, we are ladies. We don’t have to be little mini-men and try to be masculine and use obscene language to come across. I can take you and flip you on the floor and put your arms behind your back and you’ll never move again, without your ever knowing that I can do it.”
—Sherian Grace Cadoria (b. 1940)