Nokia is to bring out three more touchscreen phones later this year, all running the Symbian S60 Series 5 OS found in the N97 and 5800 XpressMusic. Unlike those two phones, the new handsets are to incorporate a simple form of haptic feedback – user interface tech that provides physical feedback to the users, in this case in the form of vibrations.
Nokia has been playing around with haptic feedback for a while. Last year the company filed a patent for an advanced and somewhat esoteric system called Haptikos that combines subtle vibrations with a polymer membrane that can be made to change shape slightly when a voltage is applied. By raising and lowering discrete elements of the membrane, Haptikos can simulate the feel of a button or key – an effect that is further enhanced by sound and vibration.
It seems as though Haptikos just isn’t ready for prime time however, so in its place, Nokia has licensed VibeTonz – a purely vibration-based solution from Immersion. VibeTonz won’t be quite as jawdropping as Haptikos could potentially be, but does have the rather obvious advantages of both existing and working.
The new phones are said to be thin touchscreen handsets – presumably aimed squarely at the iPhone/Viewty/G1 axis – and should be on the market by the Autumn.
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