The Korea Herald said Tuesday that Korea's SK Telecom has launched a new service, dubbed 1mm, that provides access to services such as messaging and games by speaking to interactive characters shown on the display of the phone. The service works on three phones from LG Electronics and Samsung.
The Korean newspaper quoted a SK Telecom executive Yoon Song-yee as saying: "With mobile-phone-based services becoming enhanced and sophisticated, the point of competition is to deliver relevant information to customers with less complexity."
In July, the 1mm service will be combined with a digital music service, the Korean publication said.
Separately, Samsung released two phones in Korea that use VibeTonz, a technology from U.S.-based Immersion Corporation, that provide touch sensations when playing games.
"During an auto racing game, for example, the mobile phone vibrates as the player's car bumps over gravel or other unpaved surfaces, adding realism to virtual reality," a Samsung executive said in a statement.