- 11 September 2007
Feel*Talk (available in the Panasonic P704i handset)
Matsushita Electric Industrial
In an effort to make communication technology more expressive, Panasonic has developed Feel*Talk, available on the latest P704i handset. "By displaying an animation at the end of the conversation, we can make the user feel good about the conversation, and in the moments after the call has ended they can be introspective and contemplate how the call has made them feel and hopefully enjoy the communication experience." When communicating face to face, its easy to see, understand and subconsciously analyze the other persons feelings and mood, but with our increasing reliance on digital communication technologies, communication can become one way, distant and impersonal. By analyzing the voice of the user and giving feedback based on the tone of the conversation the phone ceases to be just an object facilitating communication but can itself evoke emotion in the user. "By analyzing the frequency of the waves and the tempo we can determine the nuances of the speech, and therefore ascertain the overall atmosphere of the conversation." There are six different styles of animations, with 36 in all, reacting to the pitch and speed of speech. To accompany the animation displayed on the screen, they also developed the sound cell. "By analyzing the atmosphere and tone of the conversation and using variable such as the length of the call, the time of day and the phases of the moon, the soundcell can play up to 3840 different music combinations." The animations displayed can emulate the happiness in the user and also be supportive if the mood is sensed. The animations displayed can emulate feelings such as happiness or be supportive if the user seems to be sad. The p704i running the feel*talk feature is now available in Japan on the DoCoMo network.