Synaptics Fuse puts the squeeze on next-generation touch UIs

Synaptics have ganged up with a few other companies to create the Synaptics Fuse concept full -touch phone. The concept tries to take phone interfaces to the next level by combining a touchscreen with other technologies to improve one hand usability and reduce the need to look at the screen.

The multi-touch screen is a given, but Synaptics have gone the extra mile and have covered the whole phone with a variety of sensors. Force and capacitive sensors on the sides of the Synaptics Fuse sense the users grip and control panning and scrolling.

The force sensors enable another gesture as well - squeezing the phone. The back of the phone is touch sensitive as well and can be used for 2D navigation. Yet another sense of the Synaptics Fuse is the proximity sensor.

Synaptics Fuse concept phone • the 3D UI developed by The Astonishing Tribe

But input is just half of the interaction expression. The Synaptics Fuse concept phone uses 3D graphics and "next generation" haptics to interact with the user's senses. The press release stays mum on the matter what exactly "next-generation" implies.

Still, from what we could tell from the videos below, the Synaptics Fuse uses a WVGA AMOLED screen and is powered by a Cortex A8 based processor with PowerVR SGX graphics chip.

Here goes a demo video, which demonstrates how the gestures work:

And another one, which shows off the interface. You can see the phone is social network-friendly with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogger and Skype integration.

The first video begs the question - how is the touchpad on the back "yet another mode of effective and fun single-handed control". Sure, it doesn't obstruct the display, but unless we counted wrong, the guy in the demo video used two hands. We'd need to hold the phone ourselves to judge if it's comfortable (or at all possible) to do this accurately with one hand.

The Synaptics Fuse will be demonstrated at CES in Las Vegas and the MWC in Barcelona next year.

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