ClearForce
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Car screens are getting force touch tech
Large touchscreen infotainment systems have become an important feature in modern cars, but they can also be a huge distraction for drivers. Synaptics thinks it would help if you could "feel" the screen, so it teamed with auto accessory supplier Valeo to create a new type of automotive display. It will be equipped with the company's ClearForce tech that provides force sensing and haptic feedback. The idea is to provide a safer interface that supports single finger, multi- and variable haptic touch, so that drivers or passengers can use the interface without looking at it.
Synaptics will bring pressure-sensitive screens to Android phones
Right now, the only way to get a pressure-sensitive screen in a smartphone is to snag an iPhone 6s or wait patiently for the Force Touch version of Huawei's Mate S. You won't have to be quite so picky in the near future, though: Synaptics has unveiled ClearForce technology that brings pressure sensitivity to many phones (read: Android). The tech enables the kind of finger-savvy features you've already seen in the iPhone and Mate S, such as contextual menus and photo zooming, as well as extra tricks like scrolling and choosing special keyboard characters. Synaptics isn't saying just which phone makers like the concept, but "leading" brands should launch their ClearForce devices sometime in the first quarter of 2016.
