Video: Sharp's Mebius LCD trackpad

Akihabara News was on-site for the unveiling of Sharp's Mebius netbook with combo LCD display and trackpad. Fortunately, they did the world a favor and snagged video (posted after the break) of the 854 x 480 pixel LCD in action. Sure, the icons and apps demonstrated are all a bit lame but the idea of repurposing that 4-inch space for a dual-purpose trackpad and secondary display / widget panel is killer. This friends, this is the future.

[pechorin @ Apr 21st 2009 5:28AM]

i bet apple will copy this and they will sell it as a wonderfull original idea

(and apple fanboys will believe it, of course)

[霽月瀛台 @ Apr 21st 2009 5:35AM]

I do not know whether Apple would take this idea or not.
But I believe Apple Fans Boy will never believe Apple copies any ideas.

[TMM @ Apr 21st 2009 5:58AM]

No, Apple already has a multitouch glass pad.
And that actually acts *functionality* and *usbility* to the computer, opposed to this, in my oppinion gimmicky nonsense, which doesn't help you at all in productivity. A stylus? Seriously? A stylus? :P

But, hey, there's some people who might need this. Good thing about the free market: there's a lot of niches there to fill.

[YeahYeah @ Apr 21st 2009 6:04AM]

Apple were already rumored to be developing something like this a couple months ago. These guys probably just got the idea into production faster, which is why "the icons and apps demonstrated are all a bit lame but the idea of repurposing that 4-inch space for a dual-purpose trackpad and secondary display / widget panel is killer."

Who cares who gets there first? Apple will most likely release the first good version of this because they have an excellent design team. Yeah?

[Den @ Apr 21st 2009 6:05AM]

TMM wrote: A stylus? Seriously? A stylus? :P

He was using a paint package. Do you paint with your fingers???? Did you not notice in the rest of the video he was using his fingers.

[Mike @ Apr 21st 2009 6:18AM]

no, i think China will copy it first and make KIRFy versions

[Mike @ Apr 21st 2009 6:23AM]

and if apple were to copy it. they'd probably remove the keyboard and make the whole bottom part a huge touchscreen with touch keyboard. like the iphone, they hate physical buttons.

[MeowR- @ Apr 21st 2009 10:16AM]

@Mike

Google Asus Dual Touchscreen. I hope THAT comes out 0.o

[MioTheGreat @ Apr 21st 2009 10:35AM]

>Apple were already rumored to be developing something like this a couple months ago.

And nVidia actually DID develop something like this several months ago.

[Lemmiwinks @ Apr 21st 2009 11:27PM]

//Lemmiwinks hears a commotion and looks up from his DS.

[kolas @ Apr 22nd 2009 12:53AM]

http://blog.laptopmag.com/olo-iphone-turned-netbook
All is already stolen before us. :D

[霽月瀛台 @ Apr 21st 2009 5:32AM]

micro control owns.
but..........it is so tiresome.

[silentio @ Apr 21st 2009 5:31AM]

I'm surprised they put it on a Netbook-like product instead of a regular notebook. This would be a good alternative to the Lenovo W700 with the Wacom tablet if it had better processing/graphics power.

[▀█▀ █ ▀█▀ ▄█▀ @ Apr 21st 2009 5:32AM]

I am stunned that it has a higher resolution than my current netbook (first gen eeePC)

[霽月瀛台 @ Apr 21st 2009 5:34AM]

Don't need to be stunned by a 2 years newer nettop.

[Leindurstit @ Apr 21st 2009 7:50AM]

Most things do.

[Jack @ Apr 25th 2009 5:09PM]

HTC Touch Pro2/Diamond2, anybody?

[Erik Franzén @ Apr 21st 2009 9:23AM]

Nintendo DS meets Laptop have a love child

[Tony @ Apr 21st 2009 5:37AM]

Wow, I'm not often impressed by new ideas like this, but it's a case of "why has no one thought of this before?!"
I love the idea... for some reason! I don't even know if it'll be THAT useful, but I still love it!

[Tony @ Apr 21st 2009 5:41AM]

Oh, and I just love the use of p0rn music to go along with gadget p0rn... especially at the end of the video, classy ;-)

[bluesky_v2.01 @ Apr 21st 2009 3:31PM]

I actually agree. It's a strange sort of feeling, I'm really impressed and disappointed at the same time.
Maybe if it had a more attractive interface . . . or say, an APPLE LOGO!!!
I kid, I kid.

[leonard.low @ Apr 21st 2009 5:42AM]

Meh - I thought this up two years ago!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leonardlow/428584640/in/set-72157594196518712/

[SimonRichards @ Apr 21st 2009 5:54AM]

I think we all did.

[TMM @ Apr 21st 2009 5:55AM]

And dismissed it.
Who wants a stylus?

I kid, I kid. Don't flame.

:P

[kdanyluk @ Apr 21st 2009 5:46AM]

That's basically a nintendo ds in a laptop.

[Jayenkai @ Apr 21st 2009 11:05AM]

Indeed..
Touchscreens have definitely come up in the world, since the DS came out.

I wonder if we'd be in this same touchscreen wonderland if it hadn't?

[Richard Lai @ Apr 21st 2009 5:50AM]

I think I might have seen this on a Fujitsu before. Need to find some evidence though.

[Pastry Chef @ Apr 21st 2009 5:58AM]

Very cool. Like having a mini Cintiq!

[Mike @ Apr 21st 2009 6:14AM]

i thought the same.

like what i said on the previous thread. would be great for adobe photoshop/illustrator where the toolbar was on the trackpad and have a minipad to draw..

[benedictm @ Apr 21st 2009 5:58AM]

Hmm, i agree, i like this idea but not sure why. Maybe i just like writing Happy Birthday.

Like to see it ina Macbook - maybe in this fabled Apple Netbook

[videonevin @ Apr 21st 2009 6:16AM]

I emailed this idea to apple 2 years ago, though not stylus based. side icons would change dependent on what program you have open and what the cursor is currently over, ie if your in safari and it's over a picture you get icons that 'save picture' 'copy picture' 'print picture' etc.

Now apple can't say "First!"

[superhobo @ Apr 21st 2009 6:25AM]

Apple doesn't need the ideas of mere commoners like you. Pfft

[Mike @ Apr 21st 2009 6:55AM]

good luck getting any recognition. i wrote steve a letter 5 years ago about an idea of a touch screen phone and ipod combination, and look what we get now. not even a letter of 'thanks'.

[superhobo @ Apr 21st 2009 7:37AM]

Mike, I'm sure you were the only one.

[Major4Play @ Apr 21st 2009 9:40AM]

Congratualtions if Apple use your idea you get no recognition or payment and instead get to pay them to buy a copy of your idea.
Welcome to the iDiot farm you are too stupid to live in the outside world

[Major4Play @ Apr 21st 2009 9:42AM]

@VidYour ownderful idea also sounds like the main contoller on my 3 year old Samsung phone.
Oh well thank you come again.

[Mike @ Apr 21st 2009 10:09AM]

@Major4Play

Please proof-read your comments before adding them. no one knows what you the hell you are going on about. and there is no one by the name of @VidYour

[videonevin @ Apr 21st 2009 2:37PM]

I didn't want recognition, I just wanted to see the macbook pro with the screen for a trackpad.

[Barry Christian @ Apr 21st 2009 8:00AM]

Perhaps we have some "Sharp Fanboys" out there, since this is not a Sharp original idea. ;)

It has been done before. Toshiba did it about 5 or six years ago ( at a lower resolution of course since it was so long ago) It had a signature capture app, a calculator, notes app, etc. I had one. I think it was the Satellite model 5250 or something like that. I have often wondered why it didn't catch on.

[Tukachinchilla @ Apr 21st 2009 7:58AM]

How do I love it? Let's see...

Sign your credit card sales
Sig recognition for access
Media player display
Touchups in Photoshop
Toolbars in your current app.
Company logo as a trackpad

Stylus over finger FTW

[lee martin @ Apr 21st 2009 2:21PM]

Watch porn, while having serious apps running on the main screen ;)

[MarClar @ Apr 21st 2009 7:59AM]

Love this! Any clues as to battery life?

[moldymac @ Apr 21st 2009 8:15AM]

My old Toshiba satellite Pentium 4 had an LCD touch pad, that was back in 2003.

[Mitch @ Apr 22nd 2009 12:07AM]

Same here. Did yours have a blue gloss cover?

Anyone on the touchpad, I never used the darn thing. Stupid novelty imo.

[mocax @ Apr 21st 2009 8:26AM]

i think it'll be rather useful for chinese/japanese/korean text input.

where the IME interface appears on the 2nd screen, leaving the main desktop free for other stuff.

[poulan @ Apr 21st 2009 8:45AM]

Great idea. Why write directly onto the 10 inch display when you have a tiny 3 inch one. WTF?

[tc @ Apr 21st 2009 9:06AM]

cost?

[mocax @ Apr 21st 2009 9:19AM]

writing on an upright screen for a prolonged period of time will give you the "gorilla arm" symdrome....

[MioTheGreat @ Apr 21st 2009 10:36AM]

Now, now. I own a tablet PC, and you simply don't want to write on the screen unless it's in slate mode.

[Jacob @ Apr 21st 2009 8:54AM]

neat but they should show its use as a mouse. That is the purpose of a touchpad, after all.