Lenovo, looking to give a boost to lagging smartphone sales, is adding haptic, or sense of touch, technology to smartphones and tablets.
It’s the latest technology innovation Lenovo hopes will spark growth in its line of smartphone sales worldwide. In addition to new models, Lenovo recently unveiled augmented reality capability through a partnership with Google.
Lenovo’s plunging device sales dropped it out of the top five manufacturers.
The new deal comes in a licensing agreement with California-based Immersion Corporation. its technology is already utilized in more than 3 billion devices worlwide.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Haptic is defined as :relating to the sense of touch, in particular relating to the perception and manipulation of objects using the senses of touch and proprioception [to take or grasp]” at Dictionary.com.
Lenovo plans to use technology from Immersion, which has more than 2,100 patents, in its Windows and Android devices.
“Our goal at Lenovo is to have our products stand out among the rest in quality of design, usability and advanced features. Likewise, we are constantly focused on the research and development of the most advanced technology on mobile,” said Zhang Hua, Vice-President of Chrome and Android Computing Business Group at Lenovo. “Incorporating the sense of touch in our offerings is in line with our desire to continue to offer innovative and industry-leading products that provide great value to consumers.”
According to Immersion, its technology provides:
- unique and customizable touch feedback effects;
- (can) excite the senses in games and videos
- restore “mechanical” feel by providing intuitive and unmistakable confirmation
- expand usability when audio and visual feedback are ineffective.
Watch a demo at:
