Cypress touchscreens track hovering fingers, make devices even more 'magical' (video)

If you're reading this from a Samsung i8910 or Palm Pre, you're already holding a Cypress-powered touchscreen, but chances are you've never given it a thought. That's going to change, because this week the company demoed a killer app: TrueTouch screens that can detect fingers hovering over glass, not merely on it, allowing compatible software to finally register mouseover input. In other words, you won't actually need to touch new touchscreens to zoom in on text or perform certain commands. Cypress expects to have the tech ready in Q2, but first it might have some explaining to do -- we're pretty sure Apple successfully patented this very idea in January. Plus, KIRF iPhone? See it in action after the break.

[evildoer Posted Apr 23rd 2010 1:26PM]

@jlself
one cannot get used to? you have got to be kidding me. you NEED to see the cursor before you push down or youd be painting in random places. wtf? thats the entire functionality of a tablet. if you just pressed down and it clicked who knows where, it would be unusable.

[dmglouis Posted Apr 23rd 2010 3:33PM]

PAAAAALLLLMMM!! With flash coming out by the first half of this year, I need hover input NOOWWW!!!

[Joseph9307 Posted Apr 23rd 2010 5:36PM]

What in the FUCK has the world come to?!
Are people that lazy that they don't want to use their fingers to move throughout a touchscreen interface?!?

While the concept seems pretty cool, I just have to say that this is probably the epitome of "fatassery."

/rant

[dlambert Posted Apr 23rd 2010 10:14PM]

Awesome -- I only asked for this two and a half years ago:

http://blog.componentoriented.com/2008/04/on_tooltips_and_affordances/

[rando Posted Apr 24th 2010 11:57AM]

If engadget is going to post something about a patent, maybe they should READ it first rather than basing their knowledge of the patent on the title.

Apple does not a patent on this technology. They have a patent on a VERY VERY VERY small idea that incorporates the technology. Read the claims.

As an example, here is a patent issued in 2000:
6,137,427 - Multiple input proximity detector and touchpad system

Just because the title of this patent sounds like it covers the same idea doesn't mean they are the same. YOU HAVE TO READ AND INTERPRET THE CLAIMS.

[ajoan0077 Posted Apr 26th 2010 1:35PM]

Next Up: Finger Cancer!