BlackBerry Cool

ZDNet has discovered that RIM has patented a form of touchscreen LCD. The patent, titled System and Method for Integrating A Touchscreen Within an LCD, describes “a touchscreen which is integrated into an LCD” in more detail than you can shake a stick at. The technology works primarily by detecting displacement of liquid crystal in a display and sending information based on that movement. ZDNet author Russell Shaw pointed out that the patent was published only four months after being filed rather than the usual 18, a very good indicator that the technology will be used soon. The rumors about a touchscreen for the BlackBerry 9000 have been mostly quashed, so it remains to be seen what device the technology will be used in.