Touchy-feely NextGen handsets

After the iPhone, what? The handset may give you a romantic touch with a touch-and-feel vibration. The new new things also include user interfaces that you can tailor to your needs and fancies, finds out Ruchi Hajela.

After the iPhone, what? The handset may give you a romantic touch with a touch-and-feel vibration. The new new things also include user interfaces (like screen icons) that you can tailor to your needs and fancies.

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On show at the CommunicAsia show that telescopes into the future, Samsung’s showcase devices include two touchscreen phones that support haptic – the technology that enables a device to sense human touch and respond with a vibration.

The geek term is derived from a Greek word, “haphe,” that pertains to the sense of touch.

“Earlier touchscreen devices did not have any feedback, but haptic makes users know what is right or wrong,” said Kim Byung Joo, Manager, Design Group, Mobile Communication Division, Samsung. One of the handsets named Omnia also includes ‘vibetones’ where users can set different vibration settings for incoming call alerts from different people.

LG’s upcoming handset, the KF 700 expected to be launched in India in the next quarter also supports haptic. Both LG and Samsung are expected to launch their devices in India starting next month onwards, much before the iPhone that missed out on these features hits India around October.