Would you believe that Acer is working on a frameless laptop with touchscreen keyboard? As far-fetched as the idea might be, it's certainly plausible, expected even. The idea, as rumored by
DigiTimes, involves doing away with the display's frame by printing colors directly onto the back of the display's reinforced glass substrate from Corning (a la
Gorilla Glass presumably). Coupled with a touchscreen keyboard, the rumored device should be impossibly thin by traditional laptop comparisons. Keep in mind that we've already seen this
Frame Zero concept pictured above from Fujitsu and Acer's arch-rival ASUS has been showing off its
dual-display laptop prototype with touchscreen keyboard for months. Even the
OLPC XO-3 plans to eschew the clickity keyboard in favor of a touchscreen version. And anyone who has ever seen a scifi movie knows that tactile keyboards and display bezels have no role to play in our computing future anyway, so we might as well get things started now -- or in the second half of 2010 according to
DigiTimes' sources.
posted March 8th 2010 5:55AM
Underpowered? Probably
Difficult to use? Probably
Unreliable because it’s new? Almost Certainly
Will you buy one anyway? Almost Certainly
Will I buy one anyway? Yes
IT has moved on … we’re now in at least the 30th year of people owning personal computers, and just like the car, people now buy them as much as a fashion statement as for their utility. Just look at the iPhone or iPad, not technically great but look at their loyal (sometimes too loyal) fanbase.
If this just works I’d buy it and THEN find a use for it.
Make it hinge like a book, make the keyboard a bezel-less touch screen as well. Better yet, get two of those pixelQi screens.
Yay for frameless screen.
Nay for touch keyboard.
Too much bezel!!!
Oh boy, it'll appeal right to Engadget's unfounded hate of Bezels! It'll sell millions!
But honestly, the flat keyboard? Uh, no thanks. That sounds incredible uncomfortable to type on. This isn't a smartphone where you can type on your screen for a little while with your thumbs, this is a full fledged keyboard. No tactile feedback? How am I going to touchtype? Yeah, fuck this shit.
24-inch frameless monitors, please.
Wow.
That's like what they used to show us the future would be like.
Pretty slick.
ACER, you have my moneys, that's my next laptop!
make sure it has multitouch and Win7 or Win8 :)
*not that there is anything wrong with Android, just...
btw, why does it have the fujitsu logo on both the screen and the keyboard and no acer logo anywhere?
@mrqs
Awkward.... VERY VERY EXTREMELY AWKWARD...
@mrqs
Gee I couldn't imagine why. Oh wait, yes I can.
"Keep in mind that we've already seen this Frame Zero concept pictured above from Fujitsu"
I think this is a new definition of "thin client".
Don't drop it the wrong way, will be left with an expensive wireless keyboard.
The keys should light up as you type on them. Now that would be cool!
This all sounds so nice, until you realize how painful it is to hit a flat glass surface repetitively with your fingertips.
@Palmada
If you try to type on it the way you would on an IBM Selectric (or an old manual typewriter), then yeah it will hurt.
The kids, though, will know better. It's about speed, not force. Lightly tapping a smooth hard keyboard is no more painful than pounding a traditional keyboard.
@Kevin B
You don't type on a touch screen you "press" with the pads of the fingers or the tips it's not like a keybaord or a typewriter where you smack the finger down, here you glide it in to it's location.
No need to explain i have yet found one person of any age unable to use a touch screen, usally in 5 mins you get the point.
@Kevin B That's certainly true, but then you need to keep your hand in a more awkward position since you can't actually rest it over the keyboard as most people do instinctively. You'll have to hold them mid-air which is also unsustainable.
I mean, sure, twitter/facebook users and short-mailers aren't going to suffer, but people who need to write stuff longer than a few paragraphs will suffer... It's my take on it at least. I *vaguely* remember that this has been tried before and that the company gave up on it as it appeared that users were reporting hand pains and cramps. Since I have the memory of a goldfish, I guess it's just fud from my side =P.
Nasty. This is a truly awful idea.
I want one. I do not want a lot of toys and gadgets, but I sure want this one/two/....
Big deal. Call me when TouchFace gets here.
Courier killer, let the pants jizzin' begin!
More frameless screen, less touchscreen keyboard please.
"Frameless," "display bezels have no role"??? So you're saying Acer is making the anti-iPad?
looks ugly imo, the frame is important for the looks i think :) maybe it's just they should have used rounded edges...
Frame-less notebooks and netbooks are the next logical step for screens on these devices. Not sure about the keyboard I would prefer a notebook/netbook style keyboard because I prefer tactile feedback when I press a button.
Once bezels disappear people will be able to stick cheap, small screens together to make bigger ones, and there go the manufacturers massive profits.
Which is why you cannot buy a bezel-free screen Right Now.
It is a bigger con than light bulbs used to be.
What about this option? http://www.wergadgets.com/2010/03/05/light-blue-optics-unveils-light-touch-a-10-inch-touchscreen-pico-projector-based-on-lasers/ I think this is a great solution as well! :D
@The Gadgetman You can't use it on your lap... What's the point in a laptop if you can't radiate/ionize your balls?
This would be even better if it didn't have Windows… But, seriously, it's awesome!
"It's just display, and then... no display" - Jonathan Ive
anybody else lay awake at night dreaming of a framleless smartphone? (well maybe it would have 2 have small home, back, and search captive buttons at the bottom lol :) )
@icanhazwm7plz
No buttons. Squeeze the sides, pull bits or touch the edges to engage certain functions. Or you can speak to it, yell at it, shed tears on it, make love to it... too, should you need more actions to be performed.
@Acer if you are still taking ideas in "full screen on screen and the keyboard" movie playing and internet surfing would be cool.
I'm so tired of touch this and touch that.. Since when is no tactile feedback better than tactile feedback?
It's especially just what I want in my car: force me to look away from the road because I can't feel for what I'm trying to do.
I don't want to kill myself and two carloads of families because it was too hot or too cold in my car.
Okay, how about we stop with the crap you're not going to make and just try shrinking the bezels on the existing laptops just a little sometime soon m'kay?
I had a concept for a boarderless screen PMP...
Put a mirror on the back of that display so I can cut lines of blow.
Sure, why not? I would like to have one!!!
MSI made a dual screen "tablet" device. It was awesome! It would be even more awesome if they actually brought it to market though!
Ok, so what I'm thinking is this, its an awesome idea, but make the touch keyboard be able to change so if you want to type russian or chinese characters it looks like the russian character, also if you go into CAPS LOCK then the letters look like caps. also you could rearrange them into alphabetical(idk why though) order if you wanted to....the possibilities are endless.
i want a droid!