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Nokia was working on a kickstand-equipped tablet before Surface launch

Nokia was working on a kickstand-equipped tablet before Surface launch

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Nokia tablet patent
Nokia tablet patent

A newly revealed patent application has unearthed images of a Nokia tablet. While we've known Nokia has been working on a tablet, the patent application shows how an old design included a keyboard cover with a kickstand. Sources familiar with Nokia's plans previously detailed Nokia's Windows tablet to The Verge in December, describing it as a device with a special cover that envelops it like a book. The cover was said to include a keyboard and a kickstand for Nokia's tablet.

While the patent application might not be directly related to a Windows Nokia tablet, it was filed months before Microsoft revealed its own Surface tablet to the world — similar to how third-party case manufacturers created an iPad cover before Apple's own Smart Cover. With a similar design and for a keyboard cover and kickstand, it's clear Nokia has been designing its own tablet concepts for a couple of years now. So far, a Nokia Windows tablet has not yet surfaced, with rumors suggesting the company may have cancelled its RT plans in favor of a Windows 8 version.