Immersion Hits 25M Haptic Mobile Phones

Immersion has announced more than 25 million mobile phones have been sold worldwide featuring Immersion’s renowned haptic technology.

In the second quarter of 2008 alone, more than 7 million handsets shipped with Immersion’s VibeTonz(R) platform, double the number that shipped in the previous quarter.

Market movers such as Samsung and LG are incorporating Immersion’s touch feedback system into their devices to enhance the consumer’s experience with a variety of mobile applications from games to alerts. More than 90 different handsets have shipped with VibeTonz haptic technology around the world.

"With 15 years experience creating new touch sensations for every imaginable consumer and industrial device, Immersion is thrilled to hit this important milestone in sales of haptics-based mobile handsets worldwide," said Clent Richardson, Immersion CEO.

"This achievement validates our strategy and belief that the future of the human-machine interface is all about touch. Immersion is uniquely positioned to continue delivering on the promise of a truly touch-based digital world."

Increasingly, mobile phones are becoming a hub for infotainment and communications as mobile customers look for devices that can keep them connected, informed and entertained. As handset manufacturers seek innovative ways to differentiate and drive demand for their products, they are realizing that touch feedback can provide the most enriching, powerful, and prolific experiences for their end users.

Maximizing the sense of touch, Immersion’s VibeTonz platform lets mobile phone manufacturers and content developers embed touch sensations in the handset user interface, media, and applications. For example, end users can feel exhilarating mobile game experiences similar to that found in console games;.movie trailers that allow mobile users to feel action sensations such as explosions; unmistakable confirmation in response to touchscreen, keypad, and button presses; and unique Caller IDs with distinct vibrations that reveal who is calling even when sound is turned off.

Thanks to the richness and depth of these touch experiences; Immersion has seen significant growth in the widespread use of its haptic technology in a new generation of mobile handsets worldwide.

These include the popular Prada, Voyager, Venus, and Dare phones by LG as well as Samsung’s Anycall "Haptic" phone, Instinct, Omnia, and Soul. Additionally, the special edition "Samsung Olympic Phone" SGH-i688 used Immersion’s technology to help Olympic officials and VIPs follow all of the action of the recent Olympic games in China.