The concept started by Mat Brady. He wanted to get rid of his N95, but couldn't get himself to buy an iPhone for the same reasons other people dont like the iPhone. It lacks a good camera, it doesnt have a physical keyboard, and it doesnt have enough storage space.
Mat made his concept through photoshop and called it iPhone Elite- an iPhone with 60GB of storage, a true 16:9 aspect ratio, a slide-out keyboard, a one megapixel front camera for iChat, and a high quality camera, with optical zoom, and video capability.
Gizmodo expanded hid idea and changed the keyboard up a bit, and added a Nintendo D-Pad.
Here is an email to Steve Jobs from Mat Brady
Hi Steve,
As you can see I've made a few design suggestions to your iPhone. I've held off getting an iPhone until it gets a better camera. (See pic)
those mockups just scream fail and ugly ... fugly. especially the bulge of a camera lense and the physical keyboard and the analog stick. Go buy a nokia if you want that.
I hope you know that now that he has sent that in, the likes of it will never been seen. Apple hates when people send in suggestions because in the even that this comes out, mat has proof that he "designed" it first. It's a streatch, but he could sue back saying apple copied his design, even after sending it in.
I would love that phone, minus the keyboard. But it won't happen :s
I like everything EXCEPT the keyboard! I would HATE IT if they added a Victorian piece of technology such as a physical keyboard! Yuck! I'd rather have my THIN iPhone they way it is, thank you very much. Whenever you add a physical keyboard you automatically add half an inch in thickness, and THAT I can live without!!!!!
that, is a dream come true - December 29, 2008 at 6:54pm
WOW..!!? it's like those concept cars that companies make but never sell. cause they simply don't exsist. but you only see them in
magazines and posters. THAT phone is every iphone's dream come true. and the fact that you got to send it to Steve Jobs, you're geniouse. Let's hope it gets to the guy.
this is what you call an iphone!!!!! hey dude you should apply at apple for design. lol you mite get a multibillion dollar job designing apple products
It would be better to have a slide keyboard system like that, but have 2 touch windows, then you can totally customise they input device. I would upgrade my 1 year old iphone for that. Flag the physical keyboards.