SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Immersion Corporation , a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology , today announced that over 10 million mobile phones with VibeTonz® technology have been shipped by licensees, including 5.5 million shipped in 2007. In addition, several new VibeTonz-enabled mobile phone models were recently announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, February 11-14. Three of the four top mobile phone manufacturers in the world -- LG, Nokia, and Samsung -- are VibeTonz licensees.
The VibeTonz Platform has been incorporated into over 35 phone models targeted at a wide range of markets and demographics. Phones with VibeTonz tactile feedback technology have been sold broadly in Asia -- in China, India, and Korea -- as well as throughout Europe and the Americas. The technology is used in such phones as the Samsung SCH-n330 youth phone; the feature-rich, mass-market Samsung SCH-A930; the LG VX10000 Voyager touchscreen phone; and high-end designer phones like the Samsung Armani and Prada by LG.At the 2008 Mobile World Congress, the largest mobile event in the world, LG showcased the popular Viewty model with VibeTonz-enabled touchscreen that “touches back.” LG also introduced the KF600 phone featuring a secondary InteractPad enhanced with VibeTonz tactile feedback, as well as the KF700, another high-end touchscreen phone. Samsung debuted four VibeTonz-enabled phones, including the Soul (SGH-U900), SGH-F480, SGH-F490, and SGH-G400.
“That tactile feedback, or haptics, is gaining momentum in the wireless industry and elsewhere is not surprising when you understand the contribution it makes to user productivity and satisfaction,” explains Immersion CEO Victor Viegas. “In addition, our VibeTonz Platform cost-effectively enables a very long list of enhancements that can improve the user experience.”
The VibeTonz Platform lets mobile phone manufacturers and content developers embed touch sensations in the handset user interface, media, and applications, including for:
* Providing unmistakable tactile confirmation in response to touchscreen or button presses
* Empowering caller ID with distinctive vibrations matching a melody or song that let users know who is calling even when sound is turned off
* Enlivening mobile games with touch feedback similar to that found in console games
* Supplying pulses when scrolling over items, allowing favorites, friends, or unread emails to feel a bit different for easier, faster identification
* Heightening the music and ringtone fun-factor by “turning up the subwoofers” with a vibe beat
* Making alerts more discernible and memorable by varying how they feel: the beat of a team’s fight song tells the user a message with the latest score has arrived
Independent research has shown that haptics can increase user speed and accuracy, reduce complication and stress, and improve user satisfaction.
