Apparently ASUS thinks that people will want a tiny computer which they can delicately slip into their back pocket, but would also be interested in carrying around a slew of cabled peripherals. Hence the creation of this USB "handwriting pad" for the Eee -- not to be confused with a steam-rolled Dreamcast controller (VMU included, of course). Honestly, when the plastic takes up more space than the screen, things might not be as "handy" as you suspect. Guys, Sega and 1998 called, they want their design back.

[Via Pocket-lint]

If you've ever felt the burning desire to give your index finger a little more prominence in your day-to-day computing exercises, here's your chance. A DIY'er has combined an IR-based, homemade tracking system with a piece of software that he's coded which can translate the IR data into 3D navigation. So far, the system can track the movement of two hands using six individual points (we assume one per axis, per hand). Details are scarce on the project right now, but the prospect of manipulating onscreen images or spaces in three dimensions with a cheap and simple solution is definitely enticing. Check the video after the break to see a finger in action.

From the amazing "artist" who created the Compubeaver (a case mod involving a dead beaver meant as social commentary), comes this latest thought-provoking piece: the Text-o-possum. Delivered as a conceptual composition, the taxidermized opossum is supposed to represent our "disconnect from nature." Undoubtedly thrilling stuff if you just got out of art school, but seriously, this is just one of those laser keyboards wedged under the leg of a dead animal. We get the impression that, Damien Hirst excepted, no one's very interested.

[Via Wired]

If ZDnet staple Mary Jo Foley (or more specifically, her source) is right, we may be seeing Microsoft take the next big step in device interaction at tomorrow's D: All Things Digital Conference, with the perennial Redmond watcher predicting an official unveiling of the company's PlayTable / Project Milan multi-touch, gesture-based input technology. PlayTable, which combines elements we've seen in the iPhone, from NYU's Jeff Han, in various prototype devices, and from Microsoft's own, recently-demo'ed DigiDesk, is envisioned as a multi-purpose interface that can be employed in anything from a DAP (Zune) to a cellphone (WinMo handsets) to a gaming console (Xbox) -- so it's no coincidence that the project is being developed by the same Mobile and Entertainment division that's also in charge of these categories. All in all, tomorrow promises to be a big day: not only is Palm making a potentially breakthrough announcement, and the faces of Apple and Microsoft scheduled to appear together on the same stage, but we may also get to witness computing history to boot; man, if we had real jobs, we'd be calling in sick in a heartbeat.

[Via Scobleizer]

It might be difficult to hold back your astonishment, but it looks like yet another input peripheral maker is offering up a "gaming mouse" to hopefully hook buyers who'll try (and buy) anything to gain an edge. Incredibly, SandioTech's iteration somehow manages to differentiate itself from the hordes of alternatives already out, but this somewhat positive attribute was also its biggest pitfall according to DragonSteelMods. Reviewers tested the 2,000dpi laser mouse out in a variety of circumstances, and immediately noted how unique the "six degrees of freedom movement" system was, but also felt that it catered more towards RTS gamers and macro-lovers than your average FPS guru. Swamped with programmable joysticks and buttons, the relatively large mouse was deemed versatile and full of potential, but the high learning curve and somewhat specialized layout could be a turnoff for the casual fan. Still, the mouse garnered a four out of five rating overall, but unless you spend the majority of your life tackling pixelated monsters in an MMO, we'd suggest looking elsewhere.

Oh the suits, how we love 'em. Spreadsheets, meetings, PowerPoint -- doesn't get much more exciting than that. Or does it? A few enterprise types at Colgate-Palmolive gathered after-hours and managed to get a Wiimote up and running with a custom Ruby on Rails / Script.aculo.us / database-thingy, allowing for much more immersive data manipulation. Unfortunately, all that's really going on is the Wiimote is interfacing with the computer as a substitute mouse, pushing around some oversized buttons. Not quite the beautiful melding of gaming and office work we had envisioned, but we congratulate these guys for trying -- now back to work, we need new cover sheets on those TPS reports!

U.K. defense and security firm QinetiQ -- you may remember them from such fun-filled gadgets as exploding ink and the Millimeter Wave see-it-all-o-vision -- have turned their attention to slightly more mundane endeavors, developing what is effectively a mouse-less mousepad. Dubbed for patenting purposes the "non contact human-computer interface," the system consists of an array of infrared emitters and sensors that work in conjunction to detect the position of a hand moving above them (as artfully illustrated above). While it can be used to control simple cursor movement, the device one-ups the venerable mouse in at least one area, boasting the ability to recognize various gestures to perform more complex tasks -- for instance, moving your hand in a circle to shut down your computer, or flashing a gang sign to open up your favorite website (we're hoping). While there's no word when it might actually be available, QinetiQ says it should be fairly inexpensive, as it relies on the same infrared diodes commonly used in television remotes, and we all know there's no shortages of those.

[Via New Scientist Tech]

They say that you only hurt the ones you love, which may be why even the savviest computer users still resort to physically striking their laptops out of frustration or in futile attempts to fix a problem. Well a recently-posted article at IBM Devworks shows you how to take those punishing blows and channel them into something more productive, by allowing you to input commands on select ThinkPad notebooks through rapping your knuckles on the case in specific sequences. Using a script called knockAge, owners of post-2003, Linux-powered ThinkPads with the Hard Drive Active Protection System can leverage the sensitivity of their machines' built-in accelerometers to perform almost any task imaginable simply by whacking the side of the LCD screen. Once the software is properly configured, you can program your lappy to accept a specific knock sequence for unlocking the screensaver, for instance, or to change tracks in your music player; and if you set up a command for initiating remote troubleshooting, why, for the first time you'll have a way to actually fix your computer by landing a few well-placed blows.

[Via Slashdot]

Those of you who were disappointed to learn that Nokia eschewed that rumored QWERTY thumb board for a less functional on-screen keyboard in the recent 770 software bump will be pleased to hear that a new interface method is just one of several changes the company is looking at for its next-generation of Internet tablets. In discussing the future of the 770 line with Cnet, Nokia's VP of convergence Ari Virtanen also mentioned that a webcam could be part of the equation, as one of the company's goals with this lineup is to duplicate the fixed Internet experience on a mobile device. And although cellphone radios are still not expected to find their way into these new products-- Virtanen said that Nokia wants to keep some of its offerings out of the "cellular value chain" -- their absence may not be actually be missed that much if the company goes ahead and includes WiMax as it's also said to be considering.