Press your finger on a cell phone touch screen in 2007 and the screen could press right back. Immersion - a developer of tactile or haptic technologies - said today that it plans to license its new force-feedback technology to handset makers, to make virtual buttons on cell phone screens.

Photo: Cell Phones to Get Tactile Touch Screens Photo 1

With screens needing to be larger to accommodate richer data and more complex applications, there is less device real estate available for dedicated mechanical keys. Touch screens can provide virtual keypads adaptable to different operating modes through software control.

Built into a personal digital assistant or smart phone, a haptic (touch-responsive) screen doesn't actually flex against a user's finger, but a small electric motor behind it delivers a small tap. Combined with an audible "click" feature used in platforms like automated teller machines, the overall effect helps mimic a mechanical button on a digital screen.

Immersion's VibeTonz system heightens interactivity, letting touch screens respond more like mechanical keys, which are known to support more efficient user navigation, typing speed, and accuracy because of their tactile qualities.

Designed to be embedded in any mobile device, VibeTonz Mobile Player exerts precise, high-speed control over the device's vibration actuator to produce tactile effects with unprecedented subtlety and dynamics. VibeTonz SDK provides cross-platform APIs and a suite of authoring tools for making development and customization of touch feedback effects fast and easy. The VibeTonz System has been implemented in mobile phones offered by leading operators worldwide to enhance the user experience in diverse applications:

- VibeTonz synchronized vibrations in ringtones underscore the beat or melody, supplying the feeling that you've turned up the subwoofers.

- VibeTonz-enabled ringtones have also been used for caller identification, where they provide information on who's calling even in noisy environments or when sound is turned off.

- Mobile game play is more fun and exciting with touch feedback similar to that found in console games.

- VibeTonz tactile cues in user interface features, like call dropped, key press, and ringing and busy signals, make phone operation easier.

- VibeTonz cues can also be added to navigation features, helping users find unread or important messages, friends in the address book, and particular menu items quickly.

- Alerts using VibeTonz effects can be made more distinguishable from each other and also more memorable. Users are more likely to remember the reason for the particular alert if it is distinct and discernible - a subtle tapping, a reverberation like Big Ben's clock tower, or the rhythm of ocean waves, for example.

According to a Gartner Dataquest forecast, smartphones that depend on larger screens to integrate the functionality of a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant comprise the fastest-growing portion of the mobile terminal market.