Samsung released its latest touchscreen-based handset in South Korea yesterday. Special features of the Anycall phone include haptic feedback, or touch-sensitive reactions built into the phone, such as when the volume of the radio is changed the handset will simulate both the sound and feel of the “clicks” of the volume knob on a vintage stereo. Samsung built in 22 kinds of haptic feedback into the phone.
Anycall, also known as the SCH-W420 or SPH-W4200, also sports a 3.2-inch widescreen touch display, 2-megapixel camera, Internet browser, Bluetooth 2.0 and terrestrial digital TV reception.
In South Korea the handset will cost between $700 and $800; no word from the company on when a worldwide release might be coming.
Samsung also announced the acquisition of IP assets of Clairvoyant, an IP licensing company responsible for the development of PenTile subpixel rendering display technology. Samsung says that Clairvoyante’s PenTile technology offers a significant reduction in power consumption for high-resolution mobile LCDs.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Following the close of the acquisition, Samsung said Clairvoyante will be dissolved and the new entity will be called Nouvoyance. It will be led by Candice Brown Elliott, a founder of Clairvoyante. Together with Samsung, Nouvoyance will carry forward the future development of PenTile technology.
And finally the handset maker also announced a multi-year agreement with Nuance Communications, a provider of speech and imaging solutions. The company said that with Nuance speech solutions for mobile devices, it can simplify and enhance the way its customers use mobile phones, applications and services.
The global license agreement includes Nuance’s VSuite, Vocalizer and VoiceMode speech-based services and interfaces, which have collectively shipped on more than 160 Samsung models for the last several years.
