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touch screen posts

ASUS delivers Eee PC T91MT to Amazon.com, completes world tour

by Richard Lai posted Nov 9th 2009 at 1:11AM

It was only two weeks ago when the ASUS T91MT -- the first-ever Windows 7 convertible netbook -- dropped by Amazon's German site, and now the Eastern wind from Taiwan has finally reached US soil. Amazon.com buyers are offered pretty much the same configuration as their European counterpart: Intel Atom Z520, 8.9-inch multitouch swivel screen, 1GB RAM and Windows 7 Home Premium. While there's only one color option available for now, those who're cool with white will be spoiled with a 32GB SSD -- twice as much as the German version yet $200 cheaper. Any students out there going to pick one of these up for some improved note-taking before Christmas exams?

[Thanks, Bernard]

HP Pavilion dv3 with multitouch screen spotted in the wild, we go hands-on

by Richard Lai posted Oct 27th 2009 at 7:28PM

Our curious British fingers managed to stumble upon a European HP Pavilion dv3 blessed with Windows 7 and multitouch on both the screen and the trackpad. The keyboard was great to type on with negligible flex, but the trackpad suffers from the same glossy issues on other recent HPs -- although it responded to our multitouch gestures better than the capacitive screen did. Our major annoyance came from the attempts to rotate pictures on the screen: we learned the hard way that the laptop (or Windows 7 itself) seemed to prefer more exaggerated rotation gestures than the MacBooks -- perhaps one would get used to it over time. The hinge is fairly solid, but we still preferred holding the screen while touching it. On a brighter note we totally dig the inclusion of an HDMI port and an eSATA port, plus you'll get up to seven hours of sweet battery juice from this 2.24kg (4.94 pounds) machine. Read on for our hands-on video and photo gallery.

Gallery: HP Pavilion dv3 with multitouch screen spotted in the wild, we go hands-on

Continue reading HP Pavilion dv3 with multitouch screen spotted in the wild, we go hands-on

Acer Aspire 5738PG wants you to reach out and touch its screen

by Ross Miller posted Oct 14th 2009 at 4:30AM

And with that, Acer jumps into the touchscreen laptop waters. Due out on the ever-so-popular October 22nd along with Windows 7 is the Aspire 5738PG laptop, with support for two fingers at once pinching, flicking and double touching their way across the OS, or if you'd prefer, it's also got a numeric keyboard and multi-gesture touchpad. Housed inside is an Intel Core 2 Duo with ATI Radeon HD 4570, a 15.6-inch LED-backlit screen with 1366 x 768 resolution, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, HDMI out, four USB 2.0 in, 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N. Starting price is $799.99, which from what we've seen isn't too bad of a deal. Press release after the break.

Gallery: Acer Aspire 5738PG touch notebook

Continue reading Acer Aspire 5738PG wants you to reach out and touch its screen

gCubik shows off its good side, and every other while it's at it (video)

by Ross Miller posted Oct 9th 2009 at 6:46AM

Remember gCubik? It's been a few months, but to recap, it's a cube developed by researchers from NICT that features textured surfaces that present you a different view on the "internal" image based on viewing angle, giving the illusion something is physically in the box. Theoretically, at least -- it's pretty low-resolution and in the early stages of development. We stumbled upon the device at the CEATEC showfloor this week and decided to snap some video while there. There were moments when the effect was lost, and getting too close completely blurred what we saw to the point of incomprehension, but again, this shows a whole heap of potential that's fascinating to us. See it for yourself after the break.

Continue reading gCubik shows off its good side, and every other while it's at it (video)

Fujitsu gifts LifeBook T5010 convertible tablet with multitouch LCD

by Darren Murph posted Sep 16th 2009 at 10:21AM

It's definitely not the first LifeBook to boast a multitouch panel, but given just how popular the original T5010 proved to be, we're pleasantly pleased to see the outfit bless that very convertible tablet with a touchscreen. The new dual digitizer option gives the 13.3-inch machine a whole new purpose in life, as it now supports two-finger touch (for rotating, pinching, zooming, groping, etc.) within Windows 7. Oddly enough, Fujitsu's choosing to ship this with Vista until October 22nd rolls around, so we'd advise you to hold tight for another month and change if at all possible. Everything else about the rig remains mostly the same, though the $1,759 (active digitizer) / $1,859 (dual digitizer) starting tags are actually lower than the MSRP given to the first T5010 in early 2008.

Gallery: Fujitsu gifts LifeBook T5010 convertible tablet with multitouch LCD

Video: Hard Rock Cafe Vegas Strip gets ginormous interactive Rock Wall

by Darren Murph posted Sep 9th 2009 at 5:46AM

We didn't think too much of Obscura Digital's multi-touch hologram when we spotted it last August, but evidently the company has been working overtime in order to outfit Hard Rock's newest cafe with a monstrous interactive video wall. Hard Rock Cafe Vegas Strip is the chain's second venue in Sin City, but it's far and away the one to hit if you're a self-proclaimed nerd. Aside from having access to a number of Microsoft Surface-based installations, you'll also spend a good bit of time navigating the Rock Wall. The 18- x 4-foot touch wall (video after the break) enables up to six guests to simultaneously surf through the outfit's expansive memorabilia collection, with options to zoom and flick through oodles of images. Obscura claims that it just might be the world's highest resolution interactive display available to the public, with a trio of HD projectors beaming the content from behind the glass. Not like you really needed another excuse to add one more HRC shirt / pin / glass to your collection, but feel free to express your gratitude in comments below.

Read - Hard Rock's press release
Read - Obscura Digital's take

Continue reading Video: Hard Rock Cafe Vegas Strip gets ginormous interactive Rock Wall

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

Asus Eee PC T91 reviewed in the UK: "genuinely moves things forwards" for netbook market

by Ross Miller posted May 18th 2009 at 10:34PM

Asus' Eee PC T91 has gotten its first review ahead of the reported late May / early June UK launch, and those cats at TechRadar seem quite smitten with the swivel-proficient touchscreen netbook. Battery life is said to be solid, though points are deducted for not being replaceable. Some issues with the resistive touchscreen also plagued the pre-production model, and while the company assures those kinks are being worked out, we can't help but worry they'll invariably still find their way into the finished product, and that glossy display will no doubt keep the memories of fingerprints long after you want it to. Despite these concerns, the review gives much love for the overall performance, video playback, build quality, and keyboard. At £449 ($688), it ain't the cheapest option on the market, but we do appreciate Asus straying a bit from its tried and true netbook formula. Now how about news on a stateside release, eh?

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

Skytone's Alpha 680 tablet, Android interface gets underwhelming hands-on treatment

by Ross Miller posted Apr 27th 2009 at 7:24PM

We're still not sold on the $250 price tag for Skytone's Android-powered Alpha 680, and these video hands-on of the tablet / netbook from netbooknews.de don't help. While the apps shown off run smoothly -- browser, Maps, Skype, Office, etc. -- they also serve as painful reminders that multitasking's just not gonna work when each app takes up the full screen and can only be opened one at a time. Not that we necessarily expected to do nine things at once with an ARM-based processor, but something tells us we'd be reaching for the Jaunty Jackalope before too long. See for yourself in the two-part video series after the break.

Continue reading Skytone's Alpha 680 tablet, Android interface gets underwhelming hands-on treatment

Viliv S5 reviewed, is mostly smiles with good video playback

by Ross Miller posted Apr 24th 2009 at 3:46AM

You've seen its introduction, its unboxing -- in two different languages, no less -- and maybe even fancied the pre-order page. Now Pocketables has what appears to be one of the first full-fledged review of the Viliv S5, and the verdict? It's quite a sturdy and well-built MID, with surprisingly good battery life and video performance from the Intel Atom Z520 processor (same one as found in the Vaio P). The virtual keyboard leaves a lot to be desired for, and it's a shame to hear the joystick's mouse functionality is limited to four directions, but despite these complaints and a $599 price tag, the conclusion is still a overwhelmingly positive for those who like the form factor. Hit up the read link for the full examination.

Lenovo MRT800 touchscreen PMP unveiled, pities no fool

by Ross Miller posted Apr 5th 2009 at 12:21PM

On the surface, Lenovo's MRT800 doesn't seem to have any surprises, but if you look closer... well, it's more or less the same. The touchscreen PMP's got a 4.3-inch TFT LCD with 480 x 272 resolution, a microSD expansion slot, FM tuner, and a voice recorder. Codec support includes RMVB, AVI, ASF, MP4, and FLV for video, and MP3, WMA, OGG, APE, FLAC, and WAV for audio. Mum's the word on pricing, release date, or if anyone else mispronounces its name and gets the urge to watch A-Team reruns.

[Via iTech News]

Mitsubishi shows off "3D touch panel" display

by Donald Melanson posted Mar 11th 2009 at 9:47PM

Bothered by all the touching involved with touchscreens? Then you may want to keep an eye out for Mitsubishi's latest and greatest bit of technology, which promises to detect the distance between a finger and the touch panel to allow for a whole host of new interface options. That's done with the aid of an array of sensors that can also be used to calculate the speed at which the finger is approaching, and allow for a so-called "mouse-over function," which would essentially let your finger control a cursor without actually touching the screen -- something Mitsubishi says would be ideal for devices with small screens. Of course, it is still just in prototype form (currently a 5.7-inch capacitive VGA display), but Mitsubishi says it's based on panels that are already on the market, which should help ease development and reduce costs. Not surprisingly, Mitsubishi also says that "it will first be used for our products," although it naturally didn't say exactly what those product might be.

Foam-infused Impress DIS.PLAY encourages touching

by Darren Murph posted Feb 24th 2009 at 7:03AM

Move over Surface, we just found our next tabletop display. The aptly named DIS.PLAY beautifully merges the functionality of a touch panel with the allure of dimly-lit scenarios, and the inclusion of memory foam just makes it all the more sweet. In one usage scenario, we're told that objects could be put into motion with sound, and when a certain "shape" is mashed and deformed, the respective audio would bend along with it. Another instance showcased 3D modeling that could be varied by simply twisting the hand or intensifying a finger press. Check the demonstration video after the break, and grab your Tempur-Pedic pillow if you're looking to play along.

[Via KanYeWestBlog, thanks DellAppleFan24]

Continue reading Foam-infused Impress DIS.PLAY encourages touching

Panasonic's Toughbook 52 upgraded, shows its touchier side

by Ross Miller posted Feb 5th 2009 at 5:58AM

After watching its Toughbook 19 and 30 siblings get a makeover, Panasonic's CF-52 wasn't about to miss out on all the fun. The semi-rugged laptop has a few new tricks up its armored sleeve, chief among them an optional 13.3-inch XGA touchscreen with integrated stylus holder, dual overhead keyboard light, and Intel GM45 video controller. If you're not the touchy-feely type, the 15.4-incher is still around, swapping tactile interface for WUXGA resolution and an ATI Radeon HD 3650. Both models sport Intel Core 2 Duos with vPro technology, 2-4 GB DDR2 RAM, Bluetooth and 160GB HDD. Look for these babies to hit retail shelves -- and still work -- later this month for an estimated starting price of £1851 ($2677).