Clamshell
Encyclopedia
Mobile phone form factors
Mobile phones are designed with one of a variety of different form factors, depending on its functionality or aesthetic considerations.-Bar:A bar phone takes the shape of a cuboid. It is named because of its resemblance to a candy bar in size and shape...
which is in two or more sections that fold via a hinge
Hinge
A hinge is a type of bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation. Hinges may be made of flexible material or of moving components...
. If the hinge is on a long edge the device is more likely to be called clamshell than flip phone (e.g., Nokia Communicator
Nokia Communicator
The Nokia Communicator is a brand name for a series of business-optimized smartphones marketed by Nokia Corporation, all of which appear as normal phones on the outside, and open in clamshell format to access a QWERTY keyboard and an LCD screen nearly the size of the device footprint.Nokia...
s).
When the clamshell is open, the device is up and ready to be used. The interface
User interface
The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
components are kept inside the clamshell, which offers more surface area than when the device is closed. Interface components such as keys and display
Computer display
A monitor or display is an electronic visual display for computers. The monitor comprises the display device, circuitry, and an enclosure...
are protected when the clamshell is closed, and it is less long or wide, making the device easier to carry around. A disadvantage of the clamshell design is the connecting hinge, which is prone to fatigue or failure.
The clamshell form factor is most closely associated with the mobile phone market, as Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
used to have a trademark on the term "flip phone", but the term "flip phone" has become genericized
Genericized trademark
A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...
to be used more frequently than "Clamshell" in colloquial speech. The design is also used on some landline
Landline
A landline was originally an overland telegraph wire, as opposed to an undersea cable. Currently, landline refers to a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fibre, as distinguished from a mobile cellular line, where transmission is via radio waves...
phones, particularly cordless phones. Other devices using the flip form include laptop computers
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
, subnotebook
Subnotebook
A subnotebook is a class of laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical laptop....
s, the Game Boy Advance SP
Game Boy Advance SP
The , released in February 2003, is an upgraded version of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The "SP" in Game Boy Advance SP stands for Special. The SP was marketed at US$99.99 at launch. In September 2004, Nintendo lowered the price to US$79.99...
and the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, though these are less frequently described as "flip" or "clamshell" compared to cellular phones.
History
The form factor was first used by the laptop manufacturer GRiD (who had the patents on the idea at the time) for their CompassGRiD Compass
The Grid Compass was one of the first laptop computers when the initial model was introduced in April 1982 ....
model in 1982.
Clamshell design of phones is generally agreed to have been inspired by the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
original series communicator
Communicator (Star Trek)
Communicators are devices used for voice communication in the fictional universe of Star Trek. They allow direct contact between individuals or via a ship's communication system....
.
The first Motorola model to support the clamshell design was the StarTAC
Motorola StarTAC
The Motorola StarTAC is a clamshell mobile phone manufactured by Motorola. It was released on 3 January 1996, being the first ever clamshell/flip mobile phone. The StarTAC is the successor of the MicroTAC, a semi-clamshell design that had been launched in 1989. Whereas the MicroTAC's shell folded...
, created in 1996, although General Telephone & Electronics (GTE) held the trademark since the 1970s for its Flip Phone (one of the first small hand-held electronic phones), until 1993.
The design has since been copied by virtually all mobile phone manufacturers many times, with major manufacturers including Samsung and LG.
Motorola is best known for its clamshell models such as the RAZR.
The clamshell design has also been used in the Nokia Communicator
Nokia Communicator
The Nokia Communicator is a brand name for a series of business-optimized smartphones marketed by Nokia Corporation, all of which appear as normal phones on the outside, and open in clamshell format to access a QWERTY keyboard and an LCD screen nearly the size of the device footprint.Nokia...
series, with the first model released in 1996. Early models were very expensive and Nokia did not adopt the traditional clamshell phone design until 2004.
Clamshells were, as of early 2009, the most popular form factor for cellular phones in the U.S. However, they have been losing ground to phones with slide-out keyboards, and touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
slate phones like the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
.
Other uses
Cellular phones are the most popular use of the clamshell form factor. The design is also used on some landlineLandline
A landline was originally an overland telegraph wire, as opposed to an undersea cable. Currently, landline refers to a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fibre, as distinguished from a mobile cellular line, where transmission is via radio waves...
phones, particularly cordless phones. Other devices using the flip form include laptop computers
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
, subnotebook
Subnotebook
A subnotebook is a class of laptop computers that are smaller and lighter than a typical laptop....
s, the Game Boy Advance SP
Game Boy Advance SP
The , released in February 2003, is an upgraded version of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The "SP" in Game Boy Advance SP stands for Special. The SP was marketed at US$99.99 at launch. In September 2004, Nintendo lowered the price to US$79.99...
and the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, though these are less frequently described as "flip" or "clamshell" compared to cellular phones.
Other appliances like pocket watch
Pocket watch
A pocket watch is a watch that is made to be carried in a pocket, as opposed to a wristwatch, which is strapped to the wrist. They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wristwatches became popular after World War I during which a transitional design,...
es, waffle iron
Waffle iron
A waffle iron is a cooking appliance used to make waffles.It usually consists of two hinged metal plates, molded to create the honeycomb pattern found on waffles...
s, sandwich toaster
Sandwich toaster
A sandwich toaster is used to make toasted sandwiches. It can be either a cooking utensil designed to be used over hot coals, or an electrical appliance....
s, krumkake
Krumkake
Krumkake or Krum kaka is a Norwegian waffle cookie made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and cream. Krumkake are traditionally made during the Christmas season....
irons and the George Foreman Grill
George Foreman Grill
The George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, commonly known as the George Foreman Grill, is an indoor, electrically-heated grill manufactured by Russell Hobbs Inc.. It is promoted by George Foreman, a former champion boxer. Since its introduction in 1994, over 100 million George...
have long utilised a clamshell design; a very similar concept is used in racing and road legal cars, like the Ford GT40
Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 was a high performance sports car and winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times in a row, from 1966 to 1969...
and Ferrari Enzo
Enzo Ferrari (car)
The Enzo Ferrari is a 12 cylinder mid-engine berlinetta named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari. It was built in 2002 using Formula One technology, such as a carbon-fibre body, F1-style electrohydraulic shift transmission, and Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide ceramic composite...
, where the whole rear end can be lifted to access the engine compartment and suspension system
Suspension (vehicle)
Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. Suspension systems serve a dual purpose — contributing to the car's roadholding/handling and braking for good active safety and driving pleasure, and keeping vehicle occupants...
.
Bookbinders
Bookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
build clamshell boxes in which valuable books or loose papers can be protected from light and dust.
It is also an informal name for General Motors full-size station wagons (manufactured 1971–1976), that featured a complex, two-piece "disappearing" tailgate, officially known as the "Glide Away" tailgate.