During CES 2012, DVICE came across a few rather interesting concepts presented by Sony that seem to borrow some esthetics from Star Trek: The Next Generation (Sorry Kirk fanboys, but Picard is The Man). The concepts were encased in glass, so there wasn't any touchy-feely going on. But that's ok, because if these products are any indication of what's to come, then the future is looking rather slick.
As seen in the video below, one of the concepts currently on display is a tablet made out of an unknown, flexible material that can "shapeshift." This allows users to change the rear of the device from a flat surface to a stand so that it can sit upright on a table. Sony said the flexible material is indeed real, but conveniently hasn't allowed anyone to touch it.
Moving on. The keyboard is what actually looks rather TNG-ish, a slim, flat device with rounded edges. It is supposedly made of the same flexible material and plays host to an extremely thin backlit set of keys. Those keys reportedly light up as you touch them, perfect for helmsmen and talking androids. Scanning the system for life forms now, Captain.
Sony's third prototype, an ultrabook-tablet hybrid device, features a slide-out copper-colored keyboard when the screen slides upwards. DVICE reports that it was "incredibly thin" and may even have some bend on its display. There's also a built-in stylus mounted at the foot of the keyboard.
DVICE said that Sony wouldn't elaborate on the devices given that they're merely concepts. Still, some of us are eager to get our hands on that cool paper-thin keyboard. Though we imagine it probably wouldn't be any good for gaming.
