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If you’ve ever tried to use your smartphone while standing in a cramped tube carriage, or while carrying a bag of shopping, you soon realise the limitations of a touchscreen UI. You need two hands free, particularly in the age of the jumbophone. So as an alternative means to interact with your device—not a replacement—NTT Docomo in Japan has developed a handset that detects and responds to squeezes.
Understandably called the Grip UI, the prototype surrounds the phone in pressure sensors that work like a series of buttons. So squeezing the handset in specific areas would be translated as different functions. For example, putting more pressure on the left side of the device would jump back a page on a website. There’s also the possibility for complex gestures since the prototype seems to be able to measure pressure on all sides at once.
It’s good news for usability, but bad news for your one creepy friend who’s already too attached to their phone as it is.
[NTT Docomo via Akihabara News]
[CEATEC 2012] Docomo introduces Grip UI, a new way to “hold” your phone from AkihabaraNews on Vimeo.
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They better patent it before Apple does it on the lines of, let us see… pressure sensitive imput method for a mobile device or something
They’ve already got that covered with their “Using hands and/or fingers to operate phone” patent.
I’m claiming multi-squeeze right now, that’s mine.
Am I the only one who can just use my thumb to reach the touchscreen with one hand? Apparently not if that second video’s preview frame is anything to go by…
I use my genitals
Who doesn’t?
Eunuchs, that’s who..
So you’ll be sticking to the 3.5″ iPhone then?
Not necessarily, my Galaxy Nexus has a 4.65″ screen and I can reach every part of the screen with just my thumb using one hand.
I was making a joke about the size of Chidmas’ genitals, whoops.
HAHAHAH Wade too bad dudeman1996 didn’t get it
So how do you squeeze one side of the phone without squeezing the other?