A new Microsoft patent depicts a concept for a "slider" type cell phone with customizable control schemes -- in the form of multiple controller attachments that snap into a cavity in the phone. "The second devices can comprise one or more game controllers, batteries, physical keyboards and/or mobile phone handsets with a display," the patent explains. Wait, mobile handsets? Microsoft wants to put a phone in your phone so you can talk while you talk?

The included drawings depict, as examples, a QWERTY keyboard, a game controller with a circular pad and four face buttons, the aforementioned extra battery, and ... some thing that looks like a film strip, which the patent specifies is a second display.

The existence of this patent is no guarantee that this is the next Windows Phone device, but it's an interesting concept that would probably put more attention on the platform if realized. Like, some attention.