But if you dread the loss of physical keyboards and mice, with their reassuring physical clicking and movement, you should know that two Silicon Valley companies plan to artificially replicate the feel of at least keyboards on touch devices. But that's just the beginning. They also intend to create high-quality feedback for other on-screen objects, such as buttons, window edges and even video game action.

Of course, in the form of buzzing vibrations have been with us for a while and are already contributing to a much richer experience with devices of all kinds. South Korea's Samsung, LG Electronics and Pantech, Finland's Nokia, Canada's Research In Motion and many other cell-phone makers are using haptic feedback.

Samsung even makes a phone with the word "haptic" in the model name: The Samsung Haptic 2. The phone uses haptics to create a physical dimension to ringtones. The phone vibrates according to the sound.

has crept into everything from GPS gadgets to automobile dashboards in some Lexus, BMW and other makes. Samsung even sells a haptic digital camera called the ST10. A new generation of medical robots, which enable very fine, minimally invasive surgery, relies utterly on haptic feedback to the surgeon.

Haptics are great. But a transformational new generation of the technology is about to emerge from at least two Silicon Valley companies: Immersion and Apple.