Smartphones Reading your Emotions: Creepy or Cool?

Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry smartphone, filed a new patent for something yet unheard of in the smartphone arena: a device that can not only sense your mood, but can turn translate that mood into the text message you’re sending. That’s right, if RIM’s new patent goes through, we may soon see a BlackBerry device with the ability to translate your mood into text design and visual cues so your recipients won’t be in the dark about how you’re feeling anymore.

This patent apparently outlines several different methods of getting this look into its user’s emotions. Reports claim the application can use the words the user has typed, his facial expressions, and how hard he’s jamming the buttons as he’s writing his message. Additionally, the device may include galvanic skin response sensors to detect blood pressure, heart rate, and various other biometric data.

The idea behind this technology is to remove the ambiguity of text messages. Instead of wondering whether or not your friend is upset, the app will clearly lay that out in large, red font, and it may even include an option to “like this if you’re angry,” too.

With so many new devices, applications, and technologies coming out every year for the smartphone market, developers need to come up with remarkable ideas to keep themselves afloat. Is an emotion-sensing phone the way to go?

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