Docomo Unveils Pair of 7-Inch Tablets for Japan, One With Haptic Screen Feedback

Japanese mobile carrier NTT Docomo (NYSE:DCM) held a small press event today to show off a few new mobile devices. Perhaps the most notable among them, I thought, was the NEC Medias Tab UL N-08D. This is a razor-thin 7.9mm thin tablet, with a 7-inch, 800 x 1280 resolution display. It weighs in at just 249 grams. Running on Android 4.0, the tablet is powered by a 1.5 GHz processor; more or less par for the course.

But what was especially fun about this tablet was that it features haptic feedback, or in other words, when you press buttons on the touchscreen, you feel a slight vibration response. So when you dial numbers, or when you type using the on-screen keyboard, you feel a response. There’s even a fun super-ball game that demonstrates the function, making the tablet vibrate when the ball hits the sides of the box (see picture). I had a chance to try it out briefly, and it works pretty well and is an interesting experience. Personally, I’m a big fan of touchscreens with haptic feedback, and hopefully in the future we can see it integrated into our mobile games.

As for the rest of the specifications, the tablet is equipped with an 8 megapixel camera on the rear, and a 2 megapixel camera on the front. It will be compatible with Docomo’s Xi LTE network, and will also feature one-seg television. The Medias Tab UL N-O8D is set for release in September or October. No word yet on the price tag for this one.

NEC Medias Tab, superball game with haptic feedback

NEC Medias Tab, side view, 7.9mm thin

I’ve noted before that there might be an opportunity for tablet makers in Japan to succeed with the 7-inch form factor where they might not overseas. The ability to hold and operate a device with one hand is important for many consumers in Japan, since many people spend so much time commuting on crowded trains.

Similarly, Docomo also showed off the Samsung (005930:KS) Galaxy Tab 7.7 Plus tablet, which is also 7.9mm thin, and is said to be the world’d largest organic EL display at 7.7 inches. It will also feature a 1.5 GHz dual core processor, and comes with a 3 megapixel camera on the rear and a 2 megapixel camera around the front.

It will also be the first Galaxy model with support for Docomo’s NotTV streaming video service subscription service, which recently surpassed 100,000 users.