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Samsung Electronics introduced the first mobile phones to support touch feedback (or haptics) with technology partner Immersion last week. The SPH-G1000 and SCH-G100 phones are to ship only in South Korea, however. Usually when something new hits the mobile marketplace, those of us in the U.S. must wait a spell before seeing it for ourselves. Not this time. Today, Samsung unveiled the SCH-n330, the first phone for the American market with a tactile sensory dimension. The new phone leverages the same Immersion VibeTonze technology used in the South Korean handsets. The SCH-n330 plus VibeTonz-enhanced downloadable ringtones and games will soon be available from Verizon Wireless for an as-of-yet undisclosed price.. With the SCH-n330, key sounds are accompanied by simple touch sensations that confirm each key press. If a call is dropped, a ramp-down touch sensation informs users, so they know to stop talking. There are also special VibeTonz touch sensations incorporated into power on and off, enabling people to confirm these actions—even in situations where viewing or hearing is difficult. The SCH-n330 comes with 15 preloaded VibeTonz ringers (bells and melodies) that can be used for identifying individual callers. These enhanced ringers include touch sensations synchronized to the melody, beat, and dynamics of music.
Third-Party Vibes
Paul Trowe, president of Pulse Interactive, says SCH-n330 users can feel a motorcycle's acceleration, collisions, and the roughness of off-road terrain. "In the same way that force feedback forever changed PC and console gaming in the '90s, VibeTonz touch effects will stimulate the rapidly growing trend of mobile gaming. This is just the beginning of what's to come," asserts Trowe.
VibeTonz enabled games and ringtones for the SCH-n330 will sell through Verizon's downloadable Get It Now service. Informa Telecoms & Media Group director of consulting Freda Benlamlih likens touch feedback to the advent of camera phones because it adds unexpected appeal to a mobile handset. She says, "I believe the VibeTonz System can add a great deal of value for users in navigating and operating an ever broadening set of features. It also provides an element of fun and personalization that users are increasingly valuing in their mobile devices. Carriers benefit as well. “This development opens avenues for generating additional revenue from enhanced ringtones, games, and messaging," states Benlamlih. Operators are always happy to support products and technologies that increase ARPU (average revenue per user). Data services, such as downloads, are one way to do just that. So if haptics can increase how much content a subscriber buys, that should be great as far as carriers are concerned.
Behind The Vibration So with VibeTonz, mobile games can deliver orchestrated touch sensations. The developer enables touch sensitively through the VibeTonz System SDK and a composition tool that addresses a handset-embedded haptic player, which tells the phone when an how much to vibrate.
To create this level of control manufacturers must replace the usual "on/off" pager motor in a phone with Immersion's hardware and control software. (For more on VibeTonz, see Samsung Phones Incorporate Tactile Dimension.)
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