Have you ever wanted to hug somebody down the phone? Maybe somebody's just given you some brilliant news? Of course you have. But you can't. What can you do? Send a photo of yourself in a "come here and hug me" pose? You could express your gratitude verbally but how boring is that? We haven't got all day to be thinking up words and whatnot. Well Nokia think they've got a way for you to say thanks, sorry, "hey you, have this momentary expression of love/like/compassion" through your mobile phone!
While annoying TV advertisers have worked out that playing a vibrate tone in their commercials immediately draws your attention to the screen [annoying], Nokia are planning to use the pocket rumble in an altogether more heart warming fashion by allowing you to send a love squeezing down your mobile handset. The Finnish mobile phone manufacturers are hoping that the "hug" will become as much a part of mobile communication as the text, call, or commuter boredom relief.
According to Engadget:
The modified N900 attaches a resistor that responds to a squeeze at four different pressure levels, and doles that out during a traditional or Skype-based call as a vibration on the other end. As you'd imagine, the aim is to give family, friends and lovers the closest they'll get to a hug (or the occasional frustration) when the distance is just too great for an in-person visit. Don't hold your breath for an extra-lovable Lumia anytime soon: there's no mention of any near-term production plans, and any adoption would require a platform switch just to get started. But if we ever see "reach out and touch someone" become a lot more than a slogan, we'll know where it came from.
What would you like to see send down your phone? Office favourites so far include a smell, a sack-wack, a sleeping bag and Peter Odemwingie.
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