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You thought Mac was the only media handling company to think about delving into the mobile business? Think again. The above design shows a phone subitted by Nintendo in 2001 to the U.S. patent office. The patent title was “Electronic apparatus having game and telephone functions”. The patent was not approved until June of 2006.
The name on the patent was Satoru Okada, general manager of research and engineering over at Nintendo. His name being on the patent makes it clear that at one point this was considered a serious mobile venture. To be anything breathtaking, the phone would have to be redone, design and interface wise.
The phone was to have two processors. One for the phone and a seperate one used solely for gaming. The last thing that Nintendo needs is to jump into the Japanese handheld market when there is so many goddamn competitors hitting the kids these days.
In 2001, we’re sure that a Mario inspired phone seemed like a very good idea. Though, now it just seems already obsolete. Who’s fault is it that we’ll never see this phone? We’re gonna take a jump and blame it on the patent office. — Andrew Dobrow
