Like so many other dodgy things in life, ASUS' Eee PC T91 has been around the block a time or two. It wasn't until this week, however, that ASUS finally came clean with a full specifications list for the swivel-screen netvertible. The 3G-equipped machine also packs a GPS module, Bluetooth, WiFi, an 8.9-inch LED-backlit touch panel, Intel's Atom Z520 CPU, Ethernet, a multicard reader, VGA output, twin USB 2.0 sockets and audio in / out ports. Sadly, there's still no definite US release date, but we suspect it can't be too far off now. In related news, this very machine was caught showcasing its elite multitouch skills with Windows 7, and if you're interested in seeing exactly how that went down, hop on past the break and mash play.

Read - Official Eee PC T91 specifications
Read - T91 multitouch on Windows 7

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

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]

Remember all the fun everyone had watching Palm and Apple's legal wordplay regarding multitouch patents? If you missed it, Apple delivered a very thinly veiled threat to Palm, flouting how it had touch-sensitive intellectual rights up the wazoo to protect itself from the competition. Apple, though, may be due for a heaping helping of humble pie, as it's now on the receiving end of a lawsuit from Elan Microelectronics claiming infringement on two patents -- both involving multitouch. Elan, best known for its keypads found in Eee PCs everywhere (along with some other diversions), won a court injunction against Synaptics for infringement on one of those patents, and seems like it may actually have a shot of shaking down the house of Jobs. It's also seeking an injunction against Apple to prevent it from selling the MacBook, iPhone, and iPod Touch until everything gets legally sorted. That seems like a long-shot, but anything could happen. Oh, and Palm corporate officers, try not to look too giddy today, yeah?

Read -- Apple sued over touch-screen rights
Read -- Injunction quote [Warning: requires subscription]

If you have an Eee PC you're probably familiar with the name Elantech and how making multi-touch gestures on the company's tiny touchpads is easier said than done. Looking for a little more room to be creative, Elan has created a prototype it calls the Smart Remote Controller. It's basically two touchpads on a wireless device with a pair of buttons in the middle, able to act as a gamepad, mouse replacement, virtual keyboard, and even a remote control that looks even less intuitive than Logitech's 1100. No word on when or if this will ever see the light of day at retail, but after watching the video below you may or may not be too heartbroken if it never does.

Well, well. Japan just scored an exclusive on this new multi-touch Studio One 19 PC from Dell. The All-in-One "entertainment PC" comes in a variety of colors to match your kitchen decor with specs that max-out on options such as a Core 2 Quad processor, 4GB of memory, 750GB hard disk, 6x USB, integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, and NVIDIA GeForce 9400 graphics, and Blu-ray player. The 18.5 inch display features a 1,366 x 768 aspect ratio with touch or non-touch glass panels -- capacitive or resistive... that's the question. Prices start at about ¥149,800 which translates to a tax inclusive price of about $1,538 of the green stuff. Hey Dell, how about a shot from the side so we can measure the chub index?

Update: Helloooo chubby sexy! Profile and top-down pictures found (thanks LionelatDell!) and dropped in after the break and into the gallery. Who knew that the display was actually offset-forward from the main slab? Nice. And she sure is curvy.

Update 2: PC World got a demo of the new AIO and reveals a $699 starting price (now confirmed by an official press release) when it hits the US this Spring -- a lot more when you start adding the $100 touchscreen option, $200-ish Blu-ray, more memory, etc.

[Via Engadget Japanese]

We just got a look at some amazing touchscreen interaction, running on a humble resistive touchscreen with some OMAP hardware backing it up. Stantum's technology is a software-based refinement to resistive touchscreens that allows for accuracy beyond the pixel density of the display, a complete lack of touchscreen "jitters" and some fairly incredible input methods. Termed "TouchPark," the multitouch framework provides gesture recognition, cursor management and physics processing for phone builders to stick on top of the phone OS (Symbian, Windows Mobile and Android are currently supported), and works with hardware such as Texas Instruments Zoom, Freescale i.MX and ST Nomadic. The PMatrix multitouch firmware allows for unlimited inputs, detection of any contacting object (a finger, a stylus or even a paintbrush) and pressure sensitivity. We played with the demo unit for a bit and were frankly blown away, it's far and away the best touch experience we've ever seen or felt, and the multitouch functionality is just gravy on top. Stantum is targeting resistive touchscreens because they're still considerably cheaper to build than capacitive ones, and from our perspective there seems to be zero tradeoff -- for sensitivity and accuracy this destroys everything else we've seen on the market, capacitive or not. Sadly, there's no word on when this will make it into real, shipping handsets, but we'll certainly be tracking its progress obsessively. Video is after the break.

With VIZIO and Pioneer jumping out of the plasma game, we can totally foresee sales of Panasonic's 103-inch PDP skyrocketing. All kidding aside, a startup arcade would be ludicrous to not shove one of these into the center of the action. What you're looking at above is a mutltitouch air hockey table, made possible by Panny's ginormous plasma and a U-Touch overlay from uicentric. The table was on display over in Amsterdam at ISE 2009, and quite frankly, we're intensely envious of the attendees who were able to blow off some steam by grabbing a game on this. Obligatory video is just past the break.

While DigiTimes tends to nail rumors focused on Taiwanese companies like Acer and ASUS, its component supplying sources can be hit or miss across other geographies. So take it with the usual lump of NaCl when talkative sources say that Nokia is increasing orders in March as it prepares to "launch several 3G and 3.5G products with multi-touch and multimedia functions in 2009" -- Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and Synaptics being the chief beneficiaries. Of course, Nokia has been perfectly clear that its 5800 was the just the initial salvo in an onslaught of touchscreen devices to come and led by its flagship N97. Nevertheless, with profits down and the economy mired in the suck, it's nice to have confirmation (as tenuous as it is) that things are on track in Espoo.

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.]

After Microsoft announced Windows 7 would natively support multi-touch displays, Albatron was one of the first to show off a prototype panel intended to take advantage of that functionality. Seven months later the company is finally letting you know when you'll be able to buy one, and is also taking another opportunity to talk up its optical touch tech, which features sensors embedded into the bezel rather than the surface itself -- in theory resulting in a brighter image and greater durability. The company is planning to release its 21.5-inch LCD in March, and, while provided details are few, we know that the display will support 120Hz, have DVI and VGA inputs, and will relay touch information to the PC over USB. We also know that the company's motto is "captures the spirit of the Albatross," which we're going to go ahead and assume is a reference to Monty Python and not Baudelaire.

Ryan Gardner did wonders when he proved that multitouch was a real possibility on the G1, and now Sir Luke Hutch has taken things one giant leap further. Put simply (or as simply as possible), he has figured out a way to demonstrate full working multitouch on a stock T-Mobile G1, and he even provides the video to prove it and a list of instructions for developers to follow suit. For those just casually interested, the vid after the break is apt to be enough to get your saliva flowing, but for the hardcore data snoopers in the crowd, the incredibly lengthy read link is where it's at. Go where you must -- it's like a choose-your-own-adventure book, but for nerds.

[Via Phandroid, thanks Rob and Keyan]

Multi-touch is where it's at, but what if you already have one of those lame, obsolete, big-screen, flat-panel displays that accept only smudges from your fingers? What you need is a Multi-Touch G2 from PQLabs, an overlay that attaches to your existing 32-inch (or larger) set with double-sided tape, adding the multi-touch sensitivity that your fingertips have been yearning for. The company has also announced its upcoming iTable, effectively a multi-touch panel with a built-in computer, having something in common with Microsoft's Surface, but nothing with Apple's iPhone (from which it dishearteningly takes a naming cue). We spent a few minutes with our fingers stroking both the iTable and the Multi-Touch G2 and were impressed by both; they initially seemed a bit unresponsive but, within a few seconds, we were browsing media, building grunts, and decimating forests in no time. Playing an RTS like Warcraft 3 with gestures is a fantastic experience no strategy gamer should miss, but, at $2,399, is one that only the richest of tacticians can put in their buy queue. No pricing for the iTable just yet, but expect it to be more.