German companies developing scented text messages

Virtually every smell-based tech that's come through the pipe has fizzled out in one way or another, but that checkered past isn't stopping Germany's ConVisual from partnering with the Institute of Sensory Analysis and Marketing on scent-delivery chips for cell phones. The partnership has been running for eight years and just received a patent on the tech, and the goal now is to start building the chips into phone within the next two years. The chip is initially supposed to have 100 different smells on it, and ConVisual says bad smells are a possibility as users will be able to reject certain messages. That's certainly interesting, but we've got to say, we're not all that keen on the idea of people having even more ways to emit odors -- we'll stick with the non-smelly cellys, thanks much.

[Via EE TImes]

[majortom @ May 3rd 2008 11:01AM]

why?

[silverblackvoid @ May 3rd 2008 11:28AM]

bcoz i can ignore someone whom i detest with a really smelly fart!

[中国加油！ @ May 3rd 2008 11:02AM]

无用的！

[Aguiluz @ May 3rd 2008 2:05PM]

(via google translate)
Name: China Come on!
Comment: Useless!

[Dave @ May 3rd 2008 11:04AM]

So this will give sex texts a whole new touch (smell) to it! Imagine you're at a business meeting and you first hear a soft vibration and then slowly a scent of wet pussy rises to the air.

Interesting? Not so much. Fun? Hell yeah!

[The Dude @ May 3rd 2008 4:22PM]

My first thoughts went to sext messages as well. (sex + text = sext for those who didn't see what I did there.) But if it's fetish stuff like 2 girls 1 cup (note: sharing is caring), just imagine the scent that will emanate from your phone.

[usedHONDA @ May 3rd 2008 11:15AM]

*Cell phone makes a sound alerting a new text message
*A hint of leather-scented gas is emitted
"Crap, it's my boss again"
*You continue on with your life

Meh, I could do without it.

[Joe Anstine @ May 3rd 2008 11:15AM]

please tell me they have ones that smell like farts. that could entertain me forever.

[sinai @ May 3rd 2008 11:24AM]

THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS!

[aboriginal @ May 3rd 2008 11:19AM]

smell ya later!

[TimeyWimeyStuff @ May 3rd 2008 11:26AM]

Imagine what Beckhams old phone smelt like!

[groggle @ May 3rd 2008 12:05PM]

The funny part is that it was developed by Germans, whose personal hygiene regimens (or lack thereof!) yield a very smelly city bus in the summer... I lived there for many years, and never understood how they could not smell themselves. Perhaps this is a public service??

[Avishee @ May 3rd 2008 12:24PM]

ammm, i can think of only one good use for it (exept farting of course...).
ur maried. u are working hard while ur wife is at home cooking dinner (yes, its the 60s), you text ur wife "honny, whats for dinner?"......

[Bosco @ May 3rd 2008 12:41PM]

And let me guess, she texts back an egg fart or a reheated lasagna fart? Nice.

[Aguiluz @ May 3rd 2008 2:02PM]

?

[Aguiluz @ May 3rd 2008 2:03PM]

AAAHHH!!! It was meant for the person 中国加油！

[SKI @ May 3rd 2008 2:08PM]

But imagine the near limitlessness of the fart sending possibilities!!!

[iy @ May 3rd 2008 2:33PM]

cool. 100 different smells of fart ! eggs, beacon and eggs, sweet peas......................

[dukemang @ May 3rd 2008 4:53PM]

Spam would be a heluva lot more annoying. Yes, even if it smelled like frying SPAM.

[Cassini @ May 3rd 2008 6:59PM]

Scented messages? Yeah, this is necessary.

"Bob, your presentation was complete CRAP!!!"

[Student Driver @ May 5th 2008 4:17PM]

I text in your general direction...

[Bunny @ May 6th 2008 2:39AM]

I'm not keen either. Not only do I not want one of these things, I don't want anyone on the bus that I'm using to have one either.

Free speech is one thing, freedom to pollute the breathing space of the people around you with volatile chemicals (which *all* smells are) is an entirely different one. They've banned smoking already in most civilised countries for that exact reason!