muti touch
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Wacom outs the Cintiq 24HD touch, adds multi-touch controls and more to its largest pen display
Hot off the heels of the more modest Wacom Cintiq 22HD's introduction, the outfit has announced a new version of its 24HD pen display as well. Labeled the 24HD touch, the upcoming offering adds multi-touch functionality to the company's 24-inch input device -- just as the name would suggest. The added features don't stop there. A touch-enabled 24HD also touts an improved display that shows 1.07 billion colors while covering 97% of Adobe's RGB gamut and implementing RGB backlighting that improves on-screen color rendition. Similar to the sans-touch offering, you can expect to utilize Express Keys and Touch Rings to customize your workflow for maximum efficiency in addition to the touchscreen. When the 24HD touch hits shelves, it'll play nice with upcoming Windows 8 operating system. In order to customize those pricey multi-touch commands, though, you'll need the requisite software. If you splurged for the regular ol' 24HD, we can understand your frustration. However, Wacom says that it intended for the touch model to be released at the same time as the pen-only version, but the development took a bit longer than anticipated. Part of the reason for the delay was the extra time needed to perfect features like palm rejection in the kit's software. The peripheral company also hopes that software developers will take the gesture tech and create features that will showcase its full range of potential -- your move, Adobe. Itchin' to snag one already? Well, you'll have to wait until sometime in August to get your hands on this model and be prepared to shell out $3699 for the pen display ($1100 more than the previous release). Need a bit more info before emptying your savings account? Hit the PR button for all the particulars or take closer look in the gallery below. %Gallery-159996%
RIM promises HSDPA BlackBerry, hints at touchscreen models
While rumors of a touchscreen BlackBerry are nothing new -- and hey, we've even got ourselves a patent to go on nowadays -- it's still encouraging to hear promising hints from the likes of RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie. When asked if RIM would release a touchscreen version of the BlackBerry, Balsillie sounded optimistic. "For sure we're looking at all kinds of different device packaging and presentation," he said. "I think getting religious on packaging is not the way to go, it's really user preference-oriented." Whether that means we'll be seeing an iPhone look-alike, or something completely different in the near future is yet to be seen, but at least we do have word that HSDPA is showing up in a BlackBerry near you before long: "Certainly going to HSDPA is something that's very important to us in the near term," said Balsillie.
