October 25, 2004
S.J. firm customizes phone vibrations
Ring tones have led the craze for personalizing cell phones. Now get ready for "vibe tonz.''Immersion in San Jose has created a technology that allows cell phones to vibrate in unique ways to communicate information, reports the Mercury News.
"Such individualized vibrations can tell you that a call has been dropped or that a spouse is calling when the phone is in a vibrate-only mode, said John Grundy, vice president and general manager of Immersion's mobility business.
Immersion has released a software kit to enable phone makers and applications creators to customize vibrations for phones.
The technology doesn't work in current phones because it requires a slight tweak to a phone's hardware. Grundy said vibrating phones can do much more than just reproduce a song's beat. The vibrations are distinct enough that a user can make out the melody of a song just by feeling the vibrations, he said."
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