LG developing force-feedback TV phone

LG on Tuesday revealed that it has been working on a phone which provides a tactile response in videos and TV shows, adding a new layer to the primarily visual experience. Without venturing into specifics, the company noted that its new technology would vibrate the phone based on cues embedded into digital videos, such as explosions, to give a more visceral experience. The experience could apply even to live digital TV broadcasts over a DMB tuner, such as goals in a soccer game, LG representative Song Keun-Young said.

Future owners could also expect an experience similar to Philips' Ambilight technology which would flash LEDs in sync with the force-feedback effect, the LG spokesman added.

No phone models or precise periods were launched along with the news, but LG said it would ship more than one phone model sometime in 2008 after it had successfully negotiated deals with content providers to modify their broadcasts for the feature. The technology is likely to remain limited to Korea unless the company adapts the format to foreign standards such as Europe's DVB-H and the US-based MediaFLO.