Forget ringtones; cell phones could reach out and tap you | The San Diego Union-Tribune

Description

Georgia Tech Information Security Center - Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2009 Data, Mobility and Questions of Responsibility will Drive Cyber Threats in 2009 and Beyond

You're on the road when the boss calls. But rather than ringing or pinging or buzzing, your cell phone taps, then taps harder and more insistently when you don't immediately answer.

A friend calls. She misses you. But rather than talk or text – “MSS U BF. URAQT. CLL ME L8R. ;-)” – your friend sends a different signal to your phone, tucked away in your pocket. Your phone begins to gently rub your thigh.

OK, that's a little weird, but neither scenario, it turns out, is all that far-fetched. Researchers from UC San Diego and Microsoft presented a paper last week that explores how the next generation of cell phones or computer games might employ new forms of “vibrotactile feedback” to improve communications between people and machines.

Original URL

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20081027/news_1n27phone.html

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20081027/news_1n27phone.html