Nokia sees future for touch screens

SINGAPORE: Optical sensors and touch screens are the leading technologies that cell phone makers are likely to use as improvements to the tiny keypads on many of today's handsets.

"Optical sensors and touch will be the next big things," Nokia chief technology officer Tero Ojanpera said in Singapore on Monday ahead of the CommunicAsia telecom fair.

Touch screens enable cell phone makers to hide numeric keypads, while optical sensors pick up movement of the phone. For example, shaking a phone could initiate a call to your loved one, or turning it around would open an Internet connection.

"I believe there will be a lot of innovation around these," Ojanpera said.

Nokia has used touch screens on its niche products for years, but LG Electronics' Prada and Apple's forthcoming iPhone are set to introduce touch screens to wider audiences. Also Taiwan's High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) is set to roll out its Touch phone this month in Asia and Europe.