Looking for a phone that's going to give you the functions of an iPod, but doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the iPhone? Apple may be working on just that.

A new patent discovered shows that Apple is looking to create a device with a touch pad that will have different symbols that are lit up depending on what mode the device is in. Looking carefully at the images in the patent, It's pretty easy to outline two major functions that such a device would have, making phone calls and playing music.

Photo Credit: Information Architects

Essentially what you would be left with would be something like an iPhone nano. It would hopefully have a decent amount of storage, and keep the same iPod interface that we're used to, but integrate the phone function as well. It would really be like what the MotoROKR should have been.

Apple patents show touch-interfaces continue to top agenda [via SlashGear]