Useful Windows 7 touch and multi-touch gestures demonstrated on video

We saw Windows 7's multi-touch capability way, way back in the day when Bill Gates was still at the wheel of Microsoft (uh hem, May). That demo was pretty limited to in-application touches and did little to show off the interaction with the OS and Internet browser -- the two places we find ourselves most often. Now we've finally got some video, brief as it is, that gives a better idea of what it might be like to work with arms out-stretched in front of you to manipulate icons and images on a desktop display. At about 4.20 into the video posted after the break, we see the usual panning and gesture controls already available in Vista on what looks to be HP's TouchSmart PC. We then learn that Microsoft's goal is to enable "most applications," out of the box with simple (think: pinch to zoom) multi-touch on day one of the Windows 7 launch. Individual apps can then be optimized to improve performance and offer a greater degree of touch and multi-touch control. As demonstrated in the video, finger flicks applied to Microsoft's optimized Internet Explorer send the scroll whizzing away compared with an un-optimized MS Word document (shown in a zooming gesture above) while gentle upward swipes to Windows 7 taskbar icons expose jump lists normally requiring a right mouse click. Interesting.

[Via NowhereElse]

[Macca @ Oct 29th 2008 7:45AM]

Wrong place but ill tell you. Go on a good torrent site, im assuming you know what they are and where to go.

Search KALYWAY 10.5 or iAKTOS, those are the hacked versions of OSX that can run in an everyday PC.

Follow instructions to install.

Also, linux is easy.

[matt merritt @ Oct 29th 2008 7:46AM]

The command line

[Cubfan786 @ Oct 29th 2008 7:37AM]

plus have any of you noticed how windows 7 doesnt seem to have any desktop icons other than the gadgets???

[vb @ Oct 29th 2008 7:42AM]

Umm, delete all the icons you have on your desktop and you wouldn't have any icons either.

[Marcus @ Oct 29th 2008 7:58AM]

I can only see this useful on like a tablet computer. No reason why you would want to reach out your arm horizontally to pan up and down a window... On a tablet pc however, it'd be really cool.

[Kali4 @ Oct 29th 2008 9:50AM]

Just lay your monitor on the desk maybe? It will be even nicer when the thinner monitors become cheaper/available. Until then cut a hole in your desk and mount the monitor inside the hole. TaDaaa! comfortable multitouch computing!

[Mikko Tikkanen @ Oct 29th 2008 8:16AM]

Urgh. That gotta be the worst cameraman ever.......

[Boards of Canada @ Oct 29th 2008 8:30AM]

mmm... I really dont care about graphic goodies... I need SPEED!!! MORE SPEED!!!!!!!!!!

[Troels C @ Oct 29th 2008 8:30AM]

Cool. Now where do I get a proper multitouch monitor?

[Ike Turner @ Oct 29th 2008 8:57AM]

Here http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/touchsmart/index.html

[Troels C @ Oct 29th 2008 12:23PM]

@Ike Turner
Thanks, but thats a multi touch descktop tablet. Not a monitor.

[Toby H @ Oct 29th 2008 8:43AM]

I imagine we will see all major laptop manufacturers producing laptop/tablet screen swivelling models in line with some new Windows 7 certification, which could only be a good thing methinks. The future generation of netbooks will definatly be using this concept and I'm sure they will suceed.

[K @ Oct 29th 2008 9:32AM]

The zoom is so sluggish!!! I wonder if all this talks of using the GPU will smooth things up, cause right now beyond being a gimmick that makes Vista (sorry windows 7) looks kind of fancy, it's unusable. At least to me.
Once again Microsoft tries to surf the trend, tries to be cool... but it still looks as dysfunctional as Steve Balmer.

I like the scroll on Word though, smooth and useful.
But I agree with most all these "touchy" features are handy for a laptop, a tablet, a kiosk... not a desktop.

[sit2k @ Oct 29th 2008 9:45AM]

coughBETAcough!

i sense a crack against a great os like vista.. for shame indeed!.. education is key

[Kali4 @ Oct 29th 2008 10:47AM]

It wil be pretty handy on your desktop when your desk is covered in these:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/29/samsung-titillates-with-transparent-and-0-05mm-flapping-oled-p/

[SewerShark @ Oct 29th 2008 4:30PM]

Apple fanboys don't know what a beta is.

[matt merritt @ Oct 29th 2008 10:01AM]

But... why?

Serious. Why? I really don't understand the necessity of this at all.

Apple includes multi-touch in its trackpads, which makes sense because your hand is already there... but having to reach up and touch the screen doesn't make anything easier. I suppose in the tablet space this makes sense as an input method, but that new HP whatever it is desktop - it's just a stupid gimmick.

[Kelmon @ Oct 29th 2008 12:04PM]

Agreed. This has purpose for the likes of integrated devices but for general purpose desktop computing, no. This said, Microsoft is providing the software tools and it will be up to the hardware manufacturers to put it into a context that makes sense to the customer. Perhaps they have some great idea that we do not.

[CosterMonger @ Oct 29th 2008 10:13AM]

ORB? Microsoft! shame on you, people will still think this is Vista

[Ryan @ Oct 29th 2008 10:31AM]

Wow! Its so great to see Windows 7 still runs Solitaire! What are great use of this technology.

[Zakk @ Oct 29th 2008 10:22AM]

Well, as it looks awesome. But as it seems to be more useful when using tablets outdoor, I hope Windows 7 would not become a battery hog like Vista is now compared to XP. I am so frustrated with my laptop's battery life.

[Mr. Picklesworth @ Oct 29th 2008 11:42AM]

So how long until people realize that kinetic scrolling Has Nothing To Do With Multitouch, hm?

The only "multi touch" gesture I've seen here is zooming, which is largely irrelevant. It would be useful, for example, if you could drag the window from its client area using a three finger touch since dragging around windows on a thickly bordered touch screen is a major pain in the ass.

As for these "multitouch trackpads" people are suddenly noticing, it may interest folks to know that most Synaptic trackpads detect two finger and three finger inputs. (Eg: Two finger scrolling, tap with three fingers to right click). The weak link is the Windows drivers, which suck.

Oh, and WTF kind of video demonstration was that?! I just watched about 10 minutes of someone pushing toplevel windows around with his finger.

That's my grumpy grumbling for the day.

[TeSo @ Oct 29th 2008 11:56AM]

This video is Original By FayerWayer, not by Nowhere Else... please Edit Your [Via]

[Edward Bixler @ Oct 29th 2008 11:54AM]

any chance that any of these multi-touch features will be incorporated into the trackpad as well, or are these just tablet pc applications? That's the one thing I really like about Macs is the multi-touch trackpad.

[snowglyder @ Oct 29th 2008 12:05PM]

Seeing how he scrolls through a webpage, I'd say he has experience spinning the Price Is Right wheel.

[Joe @ Oct 29th 2008 7:24PM]

So far Microsoft seems to be doing a great job! I'm definitely liking what I'm seeing. The only problem is that the zooming should be made faster and smoother. In the video it seemed like a painful chore for the OS.