Multi Touch -- Engadget

multi touch posts

Motorola DROID's built-in apps don't have multitouch support, third-party stuff is another story

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 4th 2009 at 5:05AM

Turns out that the DROID does support multitouch after all -- it's just not as baked as the MILESTONE's, and it's certainly not the kind you'll see out of the box. The DROID's European cousin features multitouch right in the phone's core software load (most notably pinch-and-zoom in the browser, which we've seen demoed on video) whereas the DROID itself still features multitouch capability in APIs but doesn't expose it through any built-in app. Translation: the apps you use every day -- Google Maps and the browser, chiefly -- get left out in the cold for some reason that neither Google nor Motorola (nor Verizon) have thus far been willing to adequately justify. Where you can experience the magic of pinch-and-zoom is in third-party apps written to take advantage of Android 2.0's new APIs (Phandroid demos it on a fresh version of Picsay, for instance), but at the end of the day, that's a consolation prize -- we still want a spin-free explanation of why this was all turned off for the base apps. Follow the break for video of Picsay's support for the good stuff in action.

[Image via mobile-review]

Continue reading Motorola DROID's built-in apps don't have multitouch support, third-party stuff is another story

Motorola MILESTONE does what DROIDon't

by Chris Ziegler posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 7:14PM

We've already seen the MILESTONE showing off multitouch capability, something the DROID clearly lacks in the States despite the fact that Android 2.0 rocks kernel support for it -- and now we've got another smoking gun: the official spec sheet. A quick glance at Motorola's tech specs for the Euro-flavored handset lists "pinch and zoom" as an interface feature, so yeah, it looks like this'll be in the shipping firmware. There's speculation out there that Apple was somehow involved in making sure that multitouch "fell" down a flight of stairs before reaching US-bound Android devices, but really, it's anyone's guess what's going on here -- and Moto's official statement isn't helping much:

"We work very closely with our carriers and partners to deliver differentiated consumer experiences on our mobile devices. At times, similar devices come to market with different features, depending on the region, carrier preferences and consumer needs."

Nor is Google's:

"The Android 2.0 framework includes support for multi-touch. As with other platform technologies, such as the text-to-speech engine, carriers and OEMs can choose to implement it."

So let the speculation -- and the firmware hacking -- begin.

[Via Gearlog, image via mobile-review]

Aspire 1420p tablet cameos on Acer's US site, at Chinese press event

by Ross Miller posted Oct 23rd 2009 at 2:59AM

He's twisting away from the camera because he's shy, obviously. Acer's Aspire 1420p tablet made an appearance today at a Chinese press event, and our regional Engadget correspondents were there to grab as many glimpses as their cameras would allow. What makes it even sweet, though, is knowing this little guy's coming to the states, as a rough product page was found on Acer's US site. From what we read, it's got a 11.6-inch LED-backlit multitouch screen with WXGA resolution, an Intel Celeron processor with integrated graphics, up to 8GB RAM and 320GB HDD, 802.11b/g/Draft-N, Bluetooth, a multi-card reader, webcam, and optional 3G. Some secrets remain, of course, like price and release date -- where's Encyclopedia Brown when you really need him?

[Thanks, Dennis L]

Read - US product page
Read - Engadget Chinese hands-on

Wacom Bamboo multitouch tablet found at Best Buy, unboxed on video

by Ross Miller posted Sep 16th 2009 at 9:24PM

Need even more proof the Wacom Bamboo multitouch tablet is real? Apparently cued by one of our posts (or so he says), "weaksaucetwelve" ran out to his local Best Buy and picked up the device for the previously-heard price of $69 plus tax, and then proceeded to take it home and unbox it on camera. From his experience so far, it only seems to support up to two fingers at a time with OS X Leopard, but otherwise it works great. Video after the break.

Continue reading Wacom Bamboo multitouch tablet found at Best Buy, unboxed on video

Windows Mobile 7 to be a premium, multitouch beast of a platform

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 3rd 2009 at 4:34PM

Seeing the gold build of Windows Mobile 6.5 in action was pretty nifty, but Inquirer's recent video actually managed to unveil a few juicy tidbits about version 7 as well -- a platform that's shaping up to be that massive, ground-up rewrite of WinMo we've all been hoping for for years (as far as we can tell). The lack of multitouch is a sore point for some in 6.5 -- not just because of the goodness of the multitouch gestures themselves, but because it's indicative of a broader failure on Microsoft's part to recognize that touch-based mobile UIs have been wholly reinvented since the days of Windows Mobile 2003. Redmond looks to be cognizant of that, though with a mention in the video that 7 will "exploit the hardware" and "introduce multitouch," going on to say that it'll be able to go toe-to-toe with "competitor devices" -- ostensibly a reference to some combination of webOS, Android, and the iPhone. The video also mentions that 6.5 will end up being a "breadth play" while 7 branches out into the premium end of the market -- at least to start -- and over time, 7 will become Microsoft's mainstream mobile platform as future versions are released. In other words, Microsoft looks like it could be setting itself up for a two-version cadence going forward -- one for the unwashed masses, one for the gadget fiends. You know which category we fall into -- and we suspect we know yours, dear readers.

[Via Unwired View]

Microsoft Touch Pack brings Surface experience to Windows 7

by Ross Miller posted May 27th 2009 at 8:58PM

Our initial experience with Windows 7's multitouch was decidedly less than stellar, but it looks like Microsoft's taking the initiative to ramp up the usability with the newly-unveiled Touch Pack. It's a software suite consisting of three games and three Surface apps, including a a globe you can pinch and twist around, the ever-popular surface collage for images, and and a zen-inspired lagoon screensaver. OEMs making touchscreen-capable Windows 7 rigs are being offered the pack to use as a pre-installed option, so look for these to arrive around the same time as the new OS, which should be sometime this holiday season. In the meantime, GottaBeMobile's gotten their hands on the app collection early, and you can view their efforts in the video after the break.

Gallery: Microsoft Touch Pack brings Surface experience to Windows 7

Read - Windows 7 Team Blog
Read - GottaBeMobile's hands-on

Continue reading Microsoft Touch Pack brings Surface experience to Windows 7

Carnegie Mellon morphs 'pop-up buttons' onto multi-touch display

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 28th 2009 at 4:39AM

While attempts to add feedback to touchscreen displays via vibration and audible tones are laudable, these attempts are nothing by comparison to the tactile euphoria felt at the press of a well-designed button. Still, many of us are willing to sacrifice tactility in order to maximize display sizes on our pocketable or portable devices. Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon have developed touch-sensitive displays with physical buttons that "pop-out" from the surface. CM's prototypes pump air through geometric-shaped holes to create concave or convex "buttons" on a screen covered with a semi-transparent latex -- IR sensors and cameras detect finger placement while a projector cast images (like numbers and graphics) onto the display. It can even sense press-force by monitoring changes in air pressure. Sure it all sounds overly cumbersome until you see the technology demonstrated. For that you can travel to Pittsburgh to count the rivers or just hit the read link below for the video.

Read -- Video
Read -- Technology Review

Video: Epson's multitouch X-Desk is your next coffee table

by Darren Murph posted Apr 18th 2009 at 1:23AM

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense for Epson to get into the touch-surface game -- most of the larger versions are projector-based, and Epson's been making great little beamers for quite some time. Showcased earlier this year at ISE 2009 alongside a multitouch air hockey table, the Core 2 Duo-powered X-Desk boasts a 1,024 x 768 resolution panel and possesses the ability to recognize up to 16,000 objects using "Smart Tags." Also of note, gesture recognition software enables users to actually speak to the table and see results, though there's no word on whether raising your voice or blurting out obscenities improves efficiency. Like all of these things, we've nary a clue when they'll really be available for the layperson to purchase, but you can certainly live vicariously by hopping past the break.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Continue reading Video: Epson's multitouch X-Desk is your next coffee table

HP TouchSmart tx2z with 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD now $450 off with coupon

by Ross Miller posted Apr 3rd 2009 at 6:49PM

In the market for a multitouch tablet? HP's TouchSmart tx2z, both the readers' and editors' choice for Tablet PC of the Year in the 2008 Engadget Awards, currently has two stackable discounts totaling $450, dropping the price here to a much more manageable $650. That includes an AMD Turion X2 Dual-core processor, 4GB RAM and a 320GB hard drive. Offer expires tomorrow, so hit up LogicBuy soon via the read link for details and the promo code.

Hobbyist brings multitouch to the Nokia 5800, doesn't fix 3G reception

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 3rd 2009 at 7:39AM

Okay, yes, pardon the headline -- we're a little fired up about the 5800's 3G situation at the moment, and at a time like this, nothing soothes the soul quite like some awesome hackery. Self-described "homebrew coder" Jamie Fuller has somehow magically turned the singletouch 5800 into a multitouch device, delivering a proof of concept in the form of a Guitar Hero-style game requiring cat-like thumb reflexes in response to the beat of one of the best songs we've ever heard. Considering that neither the hardware nor the software technically support multitouch here, it's a hell of a feat -- and it's also proof that hope springs eternal for even the most seemingly hopeless limitations of your favorite gadget, no matter what that gadget might be. The developer says that the app will eventually be available for free once it's further along, and in the meantime, he needs some beta testers and help with graphics -- you know, something beyond colored circles -- so if the dream of putting two fingers on your 5800's screen at the same time keeps you awake at night, you might consider pitching in. Follow the break for a video demo.

[Via Symbian Freak, thanks mj]

Continue reading Hobbyist brings multitouch to the Nokia 5800, doesn't fix 3G reception

Ideum MT2 multitouch table surfaces, looks to replace museum curators

by Ross Miller posted Feb 5th 2009 at 11:41AM

Ideum designs has unveiled a multitouch table targeted specifically for the museum crowd. The MT2 Table is composed of aircraft-grade aluminum and sports a 50-inch tempered glass widescreen display with 1280 x 720 resolution and 2000:1 contrast ratio -- that's a good deal larger than Microsoft Surface and its 30-inch screen. The DLP-based projector system has 2100 ANSI brightness and a 3,000-hour bulb life. Tactile response is measured via dual-camera IR system, and the whole thing is powered by a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT 512MB, 4GB RAM, 1250GB HDD, and Windows XP. Each table comes bundled with Swedish-based Natural User Interface's Snowflake software and lets you create your own apps using Flash, Java, Python, and C/C++/C#. According to the press release, the first owners will be the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, Texas and Vulcan Park and Museum in Birmingham, Alabama -- doesn't look like they're vying for the coveted DJ Roker demographic. Video of the table in action embedded after the break.

[Via slashgear; thanks, Chris]

Continue reading Ideum MT2 multitouch table surfaces, looks to replace museum curators

Get your hack on: unofficial multi-touch support released for Android

by Chris Ziegler posted Jan 25th 2009 at 2:12AM

We've been hearing for months now that both Android and the T-Mobile G1 hardware have some magical, top secret low-level support for multi-touch, but unless we can... you know, do something with it, it really isn't doing anyone any favors. That's where the lovely people in the ever-industrious dev community come into play, throwing together demos on their way to a full release that you -- yes, you -- can finally install on a G1 of your very own. It's still in the proof-of-concept phase, but the load does include a multi-touch version of Android's excellent browser, probably the single app that could use two fingertips more than any other. Needless to say, you should be installing this jazz at your own risk -- but considering the number of hoops you need to jump through to get it up and running (hint: you need to start by gaining root access), the whole process should be enough of a deterrent for the casual types who can't take a hiccup here and there. Video of the included multi-touch map browser app (among others) in action after the break.

[Thanks, Ryan G.]

Continue reading Get your hack on: unofficial multi-touch support released for Android

Video: 50-inch multitouch TV on display from Samsung

by Jacob Schulman posted Jan 10th 2009 at 6:46PM

If there's one thing for sure here at CES it's that we've seen a bunch of multitouch devices, both good and bad. Add this 50-inch multitouch display from Samsung to the list titled "cool as hell." Once we were done snapping shots of the P3, we saw people surrounding this bad boy so we decided to see what was up. We don't have much info but one thing's for sure: these devices are much more fun when you're just playing around rather than using it for some more meaningful purpose. Peep the video after the jump.

Continue reading Video: 50-inch multitouch TV on display from Samsung

Apple files patent for gesture-based text editing

by Joshua Topolsky posted Dec 26th 2008 at 10:58AM

An Apple patent unearthed by Mac Rumors named Swipe Gestures for Touch Screen Keyboards suggests a future direction the company might be taking which would substantially change interaction with devices like the iPhone. According to the document, the new system would allow for simple finger gestures like swipes to the left or right to control basic functions of text editing. Some movements outlined in the application include a left swipe for deletion of characters, right swipes for a space, and a swipe down in place of the return key. Of course, these types of gestures are nothing new (and frankly, nothing patentable we suspect), as applications on the company's own devices -- namely the jailbreak-only MobileTerminal -- feature almost this exact implementation of gesture control, and Microsoft has had a similar (albeit stylus-based) concept in WinMo for years. Still, adding in this functionality to the software's existing tools would likely improve navigation and input, and opens the door for solutions to the lingering (and annoying) copy / paste problems Apple seems to have.

[Via Mac Rumors]

How would you change HP's TouchSmart 2 all-in-one PC?

by Darren Murph posted Dec 12th 2008 at 9:28PM

HP's TouchSmart 2 launched without a whole lot of fanfare, but what you get for $1,299 is pretty unique. The IQ504 / IQ506 all-in-one PCs are one of the first to actually encourage full-on touchscreen use in a PC, with HP urging users to touch their way to computational bliss. Of course, with an unorthodox design such as this, there will always be pundits who feel that this or that should have been done somewhat differently, and if that's you, you've found your sounding board. Are you a little let down by the internals? Yearn for more expandability? Is the screen as responsive as it should be? Get heard, won't you?