Peratech's QTC sensor technology headed to your next cellphone
By Darren Murph 
posted February 8th 2010 1:27PM
posted February 8th 2010 1:27PM
We've always heard to strike while the iron's hot, and that's exactly what Peratech seems to be doing. Just weeks after we heard that the company's pressure-sensitive touchscreen methodology was being seriously considered by the powers that be, along comes Samsung Electro-mechanics to take 'em up on their offer. For those unaware, Samsung EM provides components to loads of leading phone makers, which could mean that Peratech's pressure sensitive 5-way input device is on its way to your next mobile as we speak. These so-called Navikeys will supposedly provide a greater level of immersion when interacting with phones, and we get the feeling that those aging dome switches are feeling mighty frightened by all this encroachment. The best part? Paratech claims that a "Navikey using QTC from Samsung EM is already being used in a Tier 1 mobile phone," so here's hoping that we find out exactly what phone that is in the near future.
haha, the picture looks like a single joystick from a dual shock 3 mounted in the center of a free nokia phone.
@New Reformation
Nah that phone is unmistakably a SE K700: http://www.mobile-review.com/articles/2004/image/se9march/k700/k700front.jpg ...that might explain the dual shock like joystick, maybe this is the PlayStation phone we were meant to get all those years ago?!
This is cool I guess but I Agree that picture looks like one of those Nokia phones you get at 711 from 5 years ago with a prepaid card lol.
Perhaps it would be best for their marketing dept to learn how to market better :D
yeah y would I want this instead of a touchscreen?
@iamlilysdad
Maybe because touchscreens suck and offer up no feedback, nor are they accurate enough for delicate input.
@iamlilysdad
And lets not forget that if you are touching the screen for input, that means you are blocking a large percentage of the screen surface itself.
@Hazdaz
Yeah, but for the most part, you're using the on screen keyboard, which you'd be blocking anyway if it were a physical one...
What you're saying (I don't totally disagree with your lack of physical feedback comment by the way) is that you'd rather have a smaller screen, and have it never blocked, than a screen twice the size and have it sometimes blocked (and when you're spending long periods of time looking at said screen.. you're going to be watching a video, or playing a game.. in the video circumstance you'd not have your hands on the side, and in the game, you'd be covering a small part of the screen, still allowing a larger image than on the hardware-keyboard biased variant..
People realise this, which is why the iPhone, and Android phones have been so successful.
And with a tremendous improvement on input pick-up on touch sensors these days (mostly thanks to capacitive..) there's little room to complain...
@iamlilysdad Pretty much all touchscreen phones require a data plan, which not everyone wants, needs, or can afford.
it actually looks more like a sony ericsson w810
@Acey
Yea your right, it's that too, it's a W810/K700 hybrid = top/bottom lol
"NaviKey"? I hope they don't plan on using that name on the box. ;)
See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8504373.stm for a better idea of the actual phone...