Cellphones tend to either have cluttered symbols on a sparse keypad or a fuller keyboard on a larger, more unwieldy unit. It might sound like cheating, but what if the keys just changed appearance?

DoCoMo is playing around with using electronic paper to allow its cellphone keys to change what is displayed, shifting between numbers and characters and the like depending on what application you're using on the phone. The e-paper, manufactured by SiPix, is separated into small sections filled with white particles and colored liquid. To display varying symbols, the white liquid floats to the surface and is then visible to the user. While this makes for an easier-to-read key, right now the response time is a little too slow for DoCoMo's liking, as it can take over a second for the keys to morph. DoCoMo is working on increasing the number of symbols the e-paper can show, as well as cutting the response time to half a second. — Kevin Hall

NTT DoCoMo, via Fareastgizmos