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Nokia Haptikos Display  (Source: The Red Ferret Journal)
New Nokia tactile touchscreen is enough to make Jobs weep

When Apple rolled out the iPhone, the mobile phone world went touchscreen crazy. That isn’t to say that other major handset makers didn’t have touchscreen devices before the iPhone hit the market.

One of the biggest drawbacks to many users of the iPhone is the lack of tactile feedback from the onscreen keyboard. Nokia has some new technology that is set to revolutionize the touchscreen phone market and make the iPhone green with envy.

Nokia’s Haptikos technology doesn’t simply vibrate under your finger like some touchscreen devices, but clicks and feels, according to The Red Ferret Journal, just like you are clicking a real key. The description of the technology sounds very similar to the touchscreen feedback patent filed by Apple recently in that it uses a screen with two elements that move to provide the feel of clicking something.

Roope Takala, Senior Program Manager at Nokia’s research labs told The Red Ferret Journal, “The basic technology is not that difficult,” he explained, “We inserted two small piezo sensor pads under the screen and engineered in a 0.1mm movement in the screen itself. What’s taken the time has been fine tuning the movement and response to mimic exactly the sensation of pressing a real key.”

The technology works well; according to reports, you forget it’s an onscreen keyboard.

The first Nokia phone rumored to be getting this tactile touchscreen technology is the upcoming Nokia S60 Touch phone seen at recent Nokia demos. Nokia says its next challenge is to get different type of feedback suitable for on screen scrolling and paint/draw programs.

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That's not the main issue
By Orbs on 11/6/2007 5:05:26 PM , Rating: 5
The main issue is no tactile feedback when feeling for a key. The larger advatange of real keyboards is that you don't need to look to know what key you're about to press, or to find the key you want. It doesn't sound like this addresses that issue.




RE: That's not the main issue
By UNCjigga on 11/6/2007 5:09:12 PM , Rating: 3
Yup. I need my bumps on "F" and "J"! :)

Also, how do you fix the problem of smudgy fingerprints all over the place?


RE: That's not the main issue
By Quiescent on 11/6/2007 8:55:29 PM , Rating: 1
I like the idea of using a pen of some sort like for the Nintendo DS. It is more precise and I am quick with it unlike a blunt object such as a finger.

I really just hate how all these people are like "The iPhone is awesome! I want it!" And they get so defensive when I mention a product that is 10x times better such as the Nokia S90. I have made quite a comparision with the two. I think I'd take the Nokia over the Apple product even if Apple used quality hardware with theirs.


RE: That's not the main issue
By cheetah2k on 11/7/2007 12:22:51 AM , Rating: 2
I wonder if you have ever made those comparisons on My-Symbian.com

If so, we (and the S60 comunity) know who you are

:-D


RE: That's not the main issue
By crazySOB297 on 11/7/2007 3:41:25 AM , Rating: 2
I am sorry, but I have to argue that. I just made the switch from a N90 and before that a N70, and even before that a 3650 (that thing was UGLY). Now, they're not the most up to date of the Symbian phones, but man they crashed alot.

The Symbian OS is definately a well developed smartphone OS, but for some reason every phone I've had based off it has serious issues: memory leaks, terrible stability issues, less than intuitive UI (better than many, I'll give it that), expensive 3rd party apps (seriously, $40 for an instant messaging client!?), odd issues with memory cards... and the list goes on.

I am by no means an apple fan boy, the iPhone has some serious issues (come on, no forwarding multicasting or deleting single SMS messages, no MMS, lack of tactile feedback, and a closed system) but S60 is NOT the alternative people are looking for.

On a more bleh note, I don't think they're really aimed at the same markets. For some reason I will always feel that S60 is a toy for people with the money/time. The iPhone will have an overall broader appeal.

Yes, I know there are gramatical issues with this post, but it's late and I really don't care.


RE: That's not the main issue
By DeepBlue1975 on 11/6/2007 7:26:57 PM , Rating: 2
That's quite right.

When I use any kind of keyboard, I expect to find a bump in the central key/keys so that I immediately position my index finger/s over it/them.

I hate to look at keyboards while typing, I just like to look at the screen of whatever it the hell is while typing. And this certainly won't do anything in that department.


name
By Gul Westfale on 11/6/2007 9:45:02 PM , Rating: 2
i know haptikos stand for the "haptic" feedback technology, but it sounds like an STD.

- "so what did the doctor say?"
- "that i have a severe case of haptikos. it buuuuurns!"




RE: name
By xNIBx on 11/7/2007 9:03:37 AM , Rating: 3
Haptic comes from the greek word "haphe" which means "touch". The word "Haphe" doesnt have an "h" in greek, it is spelled "aphe". It is only spelled with an "h" in english, because english dont have spirits(and a silent "h" is used instead). Also it's ending is bastardised by using the "ic".

It sounds like a disease, because almost all diseases are greek words and because foreigners tend to barbarise greek words(both in spelling and in pronunciation).

Hell, even the word "barbaric" is greek and its origin comes from the fact that foreigners used to sound as if they spoke "bar bar" to ancient greeks, so ancient greeks called them barbarians. Hence the true meaning of "barbarian" is someone who doesnt speak greek :P


RE: name
By Gul Westfale on 11/7/2007 10:55:20 AM , Rating: 2
i know, i looked it up... but i still think it's funny :)


RE: name
By fifolo on 11/17/2007 2:14:47 PM , Rating: 2
My doctor said I have acute angina. Was he coming on to me?


To late
By rudy on 11/6/2007 5:54:23 PM , Rating: 2
Nokia makes good phones probably the best, maybe I am out of the loop but they needed to release this stuff before the iPhone, phones are their main business and they knew this had to be coming but they did not bring out a product first. Now everyone is just seen as a copy of the iPhone regardless of what it may bring to the table. The same with all the other pathetic "iPhone Killers" we see in the news every week.




RE: To late
By Denigrate on 11/7/2007 10:07:56 AM , Rating: 1
Apple has done exactly zippo in original thinking on things like Ipod or Iphone. They just rip off another company and then market it like they came up with the idea. Apple's a great marketing company, and also great at taking other companies ideas and profiting from them. Capitalism at its best!


RE: To late
By AlphaVirus on 11/7/2007 12:21:43 PM , Rating: 2
I have to totally agree with this. Apple has not made anything "revolutionary" as they like to say but they sure do know how to market and advertise. Every station I turn to seems to play the iphone commercials its irritating.

The only idea I can say goes to Apple is the 2 finger UI of the iphone. You squeeze in to shrink and squeeze out to expand.


RE: To late
By kalak on 11/7/2007 3:12:01 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The only idea I can say goes to Apple is the 2 finger UI of the iphone. You squeeze in to shrink and squeeze out to expand.


nope. That's NOT a Apple idea.....


Touch war
By hadifa on 11/6/07, Rating: 0
RE: Touch war
By xsilver on 11/6/2007 7:44:27 PM , Rating: 2
nokia is the largest cell phone maker in the world.
I dont see how apple is in front of nokia...


RE: Touch war
By Oregonian2 on 11/6/2007 8:10:17 PM , Rating: 2
The ant walking out front of the elephant needs to watch where they walk. :-)


RE: Touch war
By hadifa on 11/7/2007 2:53:08 AM , Rating: 2
The Nokia innovation is about the User Interface experience so I was talking about the UI and not the market dominance.


touch screen
By MangoSRT8 on 11/6/2007 5:55:22 PM , Rating: 2
I haven't had a single problem adapting to the touchscreen on the iPhone. I can type far faster on it than I can on my previous smartphones with the built in QWERTY's. I hope this technology takes off, I guess some tactile feedback would really take it to the next level.




RE: touch screen
By Myrandex on 11/6/2007 6:42:18 PM , Rating: 2
rofl I dunno how. On my HTC phone, I have typed over two pages at a time with no problem, and very few if any typos. I have used the iPhone (g/f has one) and I swear I couldn't type one sentance properly and it was the most frustrating device to type on. I think I typed just as fast using an old cell phone that only had a number pad. I'm sorry but there is no way someone could pay me to use an iPhone (I might take the cash and the phone, but turn around and unlock it and sell it and buy a Kaiser instead).


RE: touch screen
By Kode on 11/6/2007 7:08:42 PM , Rating: 2
I hope they will also use it with the internet tablet series, as there are 2 of them next to it... and it could be usefull.


Eh?
By WilsuN on 11/6/2007 5:03:15 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The technology works well; according to reports, you forget it’s an onscreen keyboard.


...Until you look up and couldn't find a screen.




Correction
By Wildi on 11/6/2007 5:26:43 PM , Rating: 2
Roopr Takala, Senior Program Manager at Nokia’s research labs told The Red Ferret Journal, “The basic technology is not that difficult,” he explained, “We inserted two small piezo sensor pads under the screen and engineered in a 0.1mm movement in the screen itself. What’s taken the time has been fine tuning the movement and response to mimic exactly the sensation of pressing a real key.”

- The correct name is "Roope"




Watch out NOKIA!
By nangryo on 11/7/2007 12:22:33 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
The description of the technology sounds very similar to the touchscreen feedback patent filed by Apple recently in that it uses a screen with two elements that move to provide the feel of clicking something.


APPLE will SUE you!




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