RSSNokia Touch-screen, Tactile Response Interface Coming to Symbian S60
By Scott M. Fulton, III | Published October 16, 2007, 5:00 PM
At the Symbian Smartphone Show in London this morning, Nokia showed a video depicting a model with a screen larger than the one on its current N95, and without its pivoting thumb controls. This model was running applications on the Symbian S60 platform using a new touch-screen interface that was similar to Apple's iPhone in one respect, and dissimilar to it in another: It provides tactile feedback.
Nokia confirmed the development in a press release issued later in the day. "S60 touch user interface comes with support for tactile feedback," the company stated, "which means that there is a physical pulse and feedback when the user taps on the screen. This provides better awareness of the device's response improving the user experience."
Last July, Nokia licensed the VibeTonz tactile feedback technology from Immersion Technology. In recent months, that company has been actively campaigning for developers' interest, including the release of a developers' SDK for mobile phones. But perhaps not until now has there been any visual evidence that developers' work would culminate in a physical product on a viable platform.
Today's video contained no verbal information of any use, and may easily have been borrowed by an ad for pantyhose, life insurance, or pain reliever. It also lacked a timeframe for product development milestones.
| A video demonstrating a Nokia S60 with a touch-screen, haptic feedback interface is demonstrated this morning at the Symbian Smartphone Show in London. |
But in its literature today, Nokia says tactile feedback could dramatically improve the way users remember how to perform key functions, as well as how the application responds to user interaction. Conceivably, "Cancel" could feel different than any other touch on the screen; and a directive that makes something go could respond with a water-like ripple. It could also reduce an application's dependence upon sound or graphics to make its point or get the user's attention.
Sad to see Nokia thinks the iPhone design is cool, because it is not.
We want knobs and buttons. We want to press a button without taking the phone out of the pocket. We want to feel buttons trough the cloths and fabrics of our clothes without even putting hands in the pockets.. Buttons are human. Touchscreens are not.
Touch screens are just a sad technology with greasy spots..
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Cool or not, theres plenty of market for these kinds of toys.
Other than looking awesome cool playing with the touch screen, i fail to see the point. Especially when these things arent exactly cheap. However, i would take UNLOCKED Symbian based touch screen over some Apple LOCKED POS anyday.
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wonder what chipset this will use. i see nothing wrong with having a dozen different options when it comes to touch screen phones if it raises the bar for everyone. SO BE IT. As far as I know, the iPhone doesn't have tactile feedback. bring on the 3G revolution. Bigger screens. Real features. Video. Audio. GPS. 3rd party apps. BRING IT!
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yet another iPhone clone. yawn.........
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yet another apple fanboy.
Its an improvement to something apple didnt put.
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Funny that, seeing as the iPhone is a clone of other touch-screen phones.
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Sounds like a great idea to me - don't know if it will be in practice of course. However if it is as good as it sounds then why wouldn't it be absorbed into the iPhone at some point in the future. Just because Apple didn't think of it doesn't make it a bad idea y'know.
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Like? Exactly. Talking out your azz like always teatman. lol@trolltestman
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iPhone already has tactile feedback. YAWN. Just another unimaginative clone. next...
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LG Prada
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I guess some of the first users of "knobs and buttons" must have sounded like Crispy777 too, considering something levers and pullies as human. the way people interface with the devices evolves with the techonology, thats human. Sure touchscreen has been slow to catch up with real buttons but thats because they always lacked this: Feedback. not anymore.
Bilal Zaheer
http://buzzzword.blogspot.com/
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