(via DoCoMo)
One of the most appealing features of new phones or updates is the improving of useability. Not having to press multiple buttons multiple times to get back to the home screen or the most used apps, for example. NTT DoCoMo, the Japanese mobile phone company, is well aware of how consumers are all about easier functionality. They were some of the first to try Near Field Communication (NFC) forms of payment. Now they are pioneering yet again with a phone that uses your grip pressure as a fast way to access exactly what you want.
The DoCoMo Grip UI prototype is a phone with the addition of pressure sensors along its sides and one on its back. (The exact type of sensor is not known at the moment.) The sensors can be pressed at various positions and pressures to execute different commands. Combinations of grips and swipes allow for even more intricate shortcuts.
The pressure sensors detect pressure in 5 different levels, lightest, strongest and three levels in between. The Grip UI also comes with an app that shows you where and how hard you are gripping, so you can visually get used to it and use grips that are more suited for your hand. The phone also displays an indicator light when it thinks you are applying a meaningful squeeze. The grips are customizable so the user can program it to unlock the phone, launch certain apps or do different functions when different apps are in use.
The mechanisms can theoretically be added to any smartphone and would facilitate single hand operation; useful for those who commute or constantly carry a drink on the other hand. It would also make the big screen smartphones more manageable for people with smaller hands. DoCoMo’s Grip UI still has a long way before it is included in phones but a prototype was exhibited at this year’s CEATEC in Japan.
This looks like a great way to still use a large screen device without the need for the thumb to reach all points.
Cabe