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LinnStrument multitouch music maker gets demoed on video, grasps for investors
Roger Linn. Ever heard of him? He's only the man behind the modern day drum machine and the original MPC-60, and he's also the man behind the concept you're inevitably peering at above. For now, Roger's calling this beaut the LinnStrument, and there's quite a back story to go along with it. The design began way back in 2006, with the goal being to create a full-on multitouch instrument with the ability to let one's finger dictate volume, timbre, pitch and pressure. No doubt, many have tried to concoct something similar, but Roger's discovery of TouchCo enabled him to create one sans the limitations of imitators. Unfortunately, Amazon quietly scooped up the startup in January of this year (to have this sort of technology available for the Kindle product line), and in turn, shut down TouchCo's involvement with the outside world. Now, Roger's being forced to reveal his unfinished work in hopes of attracting investors or unearthing another company that could mimic this sort of awesomeness en masse. Jump on past the break and mash play to get a better idea of what the world's missing out on, and be sure to tell Jeff Bezos "thanks" the next time you bump into him. [Thanks, Peter]
Peratech's QTC sensor technology headed to your next cellphone
We've always heard to strike while the iron's hot, and that's exactly what Peratech seems to be doing. Just weeks after we heard that the company's pressure-sensitive touchscreen methodology was being seriously considered by the powers that be, along comes Samsung Electro-mechanics to take 'em up on their offer. For those unaware, Samsung EM provides components to loads of leading phone makers, which could mean that Peratech's pressure sensitive 5-way input device is on its way to your next mobile as we speak. These so-called Navikeys will supposedly provide a greater level of immersion when interacting with phones, and we get the feeling that those aging dome switches are feeling mighty frightened by all this encroachment. The best part? Paratech claims that a "Navikey using QTC from Samsung EM is already being used in a Tier 1 mobile phone," so here's hoping that we find out exactly what phone that is in the near future.
Displax film could turn nearly any surface into touchscreen, make your keyboard irate
Light Blue Optics already blew our minds up with its touchscreen-creating projector, but it looks like Displax will be the one to really turn the touchpanel into a modern day commodity. The Portugal-based company is trumpeting a new polymer film that can be stuck onto or just under glass, plastic or wood in order to transform a vanilla surface into one that responds to touch and airflow. Furthermore, the tech can be overlayed on curved panels, and it also plays nice with opaque and transparent surfaces. As the story goes, an array of nanowires embedded in the film recognizes your digits or pointed breath, and it then passes the information along to a microcontroller and software suite that transforms the inputs into reactions on your system. In its current form, the solution can detect up to 16 touch points on a 50-inch screen, and if all goes well, the first Displax-enabled wares will start shipping this July. Huzzah! [Thanks, Ben]
Logitech app turns your iPhone into wireless trackpad or keyboard
It ain't the first company to do it, but Logitech's new iPhone app is certainly one of the easiest to get into. Oh, and did we mention that it's completely free to download? Available now in the App Store, Touch Mouse transforms your handset into a wireless trackpad or keyboard, and thanks to its reliance on vanilla WiFi signals, you won't need any proprietary equipment to get it up and running. It's fully compatible with both Mac and PC platforms, and it's obviously a pretty fantastic way to control your HTPC without dragging a full-fledged keyboard / mouse into the living room. Hit the source link for more details, and be sure to let us know how it goes in comments once you give it a roll. [Thanks, Wulf]
Chunghwa Picture Tubes churns out 21.5-inch capacitive touch panel
Big screen touch panels aren't anything new (or fancy), but a 21.5-inch capacitive touch panel is definitely pushing "drool-worthy" territory. In a presumably dingy corner of some overseas show floor, it looks as if Chunghwa Picture Tubes (or CPT, as the cool kids call it) has one of those very displays out for public viewing. Reportedly, the 21.5-incher has yet to reach mass production, but it's currently shipping 10.1-inch versions to an undisclosed amount of customers. As of now, the big boy is being "validated by clients," which means it'll probably be ready for mass consumption between next year and next century.
HTC HD2 capacitive stylus just around the bend?
Ah, ha! Remember that curious patent application that popped up from HTC back in mid-August? You know, the one dealing specifically with a "capacitive stylus?" If UK e-tailer Clove is to be believed, one of those very devices will soon be shipping for the wide-faced HD2, though little else about the product is known. In fact, we're told that "price, specification and availability" are still being confirmed, although a preliminary asking price of £15 ($25) is posted. So, anyone already getting hot and bothered just waiting for this, or what?
New iMac and MacBook touchscreens debut, thanks to Troll Touch
Troll Touch -- the fun little company with the unfortunate name -- have announced more of their award-winning analog resistive touch kits for 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs as well as unibody MacBooks. Prices for the iMac kits themselves start at $1099, or you can order new machines with the kits pre-installed starting at $2299. For laptop owners, your touchscreen kits start at $699. Not cheap at all, but you know what the song says: You've got to pay the troll's toll. Delivery slated to begin before December 1, 2009. If you've never seen a video of someone using a touchscreen, you're in for a treat -- we included one after the break. You're welcome.
Fujitsu gifts LifeBook T5010 convertible tablet with multitouch LCD
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-73133%
Video: Hard Rock Cafe Vegas Strip gets ginormous interactive Rock Wall
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 releaseRead - Obscura Digital's take
Touchpanel Laboratories shows off touchscreen with 9-point detection
It's not exactly as impressive as a touch panel with unlimited points of input, but this new resistive touch panel with 9-point detection from Touchpanel Laboratories is still a cut above most and, better still, it seems to actually be ready to head into production. Unfortunately, details are otherwise a bit light, but the company does say that they're able to make panels ranging in size from four to 15 inches. Touchpanel Labs didn't stop there, however, and also took the opportunity to show off a touchpanel that can be installed on curved surfaces, as well as a touchpanel-based ordering system specifically designed for use in restaurants, which it intends to install in "bars located around the company."
MeridianSooloos produce first jointly developed touchpanel: Control 10
Given just how zany the past few months have been in the HD world, you probably forgot all about Meridian and Sooloos' little tie-up back in December. Lo and behold, the newly conjoined company has just released its first jointly developed product, the Control 10 touchscreen. The device integrates Meridian's proprietary connectivity with a Sooloos touchscreen in order to create what's called the "most user-friendly media-access solution yet." For those with lots of Meridian equipment, it'll be hard to let this one pass given just how well it'll integrate, and there's also RS-232 for more widespread control. Hop on past the break for the nitty-gritty, but only after you've grown comfortable with the $5,000 asking price.
Mitsubishi shows off "3D touch panel" display
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.
EETI to purportedly ship 7- and 12-inch capacitive touchscreens this year
It doesn't take much to make us happy -- in fact, just mention the word "capacitive" and you're already halfway to winning us over. Throw in "multitouch," and you've got us hook, line and sinker. According to an admittedly dodgy DigiTimes report, Taiwan's own EETI is gearing up to ship laptop-grade 7- and 12-inch capacitive touch panels in the the latter half of this year, and if you're to believe it, that's word straight from company president Mei Tsai. EETI has already begun shipping smaller capacitive touch panels, so larger ones for use in netbooks and ultraportables is just a logical extension of the business. Of course, just because these things ship to OEMs doesn't mean we'll see them right away in commercialized products, but we feel pretty good about seeing a few near-final units at CES 2010.[Via Slashgear]
Control4 unveils $1,299 7-Inch Table Top Touch Screen
You'd like to sit around in your sofa while controlling every aspect of your home, huh? Thermostat, garage door, home theater system, whole-home audio volume, etc. -- if so, Control4 has the goods for you. The 7-Inch Table Top Touch Screen sports a 16:9 aspect panel, WiFi and Ethernet, though -- strangely enough -- the company is being mum on the rest of the details. Here's the detail that matters, though: $1,299, shipping to the US this month.[Via WidescreenReview]
Video: Vissumo touchscreen takes 9mm bullets like a champ
It's not often that even rugged gadgets can withstand the force of a flying bullet, but whatever Vissumo has baked into its unique touchscreen technology, well, can. In Vissumo's Test Video #99, a firearm wielding employee unloads a few 9mm rounds into the panel (exciting, we know), and then he proceeds to prove that the touch functionality it started with is still there. We're not sure what it says about your choice of living location if you can think of just how helpful this would be in your everyday life, but regardless of all that, you simply have to see the vid after the break. Go on, give it a look.
Apple's 24-inch LED Cinema Display goes touchscreen courtesy of Troll Touch
Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Apple's 24-inch LED Cinema Display knows that it's hard to lay off on the touching. No one knows that better than Troll Touch, who has just announced a touch panel integration kit for Apple's freshest LCD. The touchscreen gets powered internally via USB, and the custom touchscreen overlay design doesn't alter the panel's form factor in any way. Those looking to dive in from scratch can order a touch-enabled version now for $2,299, but those looking to simply upgrade their own can ship it to Valencia, California along with $1,399 marked for integration. Talk about a steep price to pay for permission to touch.
ELAN ships $3,350 XP-8.4 WiFi touch panel
If Embedded Automation's mPanel is the exception to high priced touch panels, ELAN's XP-8.4 is the rule. Granted, it does feature an 8.4-inch touch screen and it doesn't have to be mounted in your wall, but $3,350 is a lot of scratch no matter how you spin it. The WiFi-enabled device is now shipping (months ahead of schedule, mind you) to dealers, and aside from controlling just about every aspect of your digital home, users can also browse the web (Flash support included!) on the unit itself. It comes bundled with a tabletop docking / recharging cradle with Ethernet / USB ports and a built-in rechargeable battery pack, but it's too bad that the picture above is about as close as we'll ever get to owning one.
ReQuest introduces 5.7-inch TS6 in-wall control panel
If you call yourself a proud owner of ReQuest's F-Series, N-Series or iQ Intelligent Music System, have a gander at this. Said outfit has dished out a new in-wall control panel dubbed the TS6, which features a 5.7-inch 640 x 480 panel and connects to your existing home network via a single CAT5 cable. The system automatically detects any connected ReQuest server and enables owners to browse collections, select / build playlists and control connected set-top-boxes. Interested? Bust out the check book, as this one's going to set you back $1,995 when it ships in November.
HP gets hot on touchscreen technology, plans array of finger-friendly gear
In case you haven't noticed, HP has a thing for attempting (emphasis on attempting) to stay one step ahead of the sector. Now, it's being reported that touch technology is all the rage within Palo Alto, and HP is purportedly aiming to introduce "an array of products, including notebooks," that utilize the finger-friendly tech within the next 18 months. Details on those very products are few and far between, but Phil McKinney (CTO of the Personal Systems Group) sees touch "as the almost preferred method for nontechnical users." Funny thing, though -- it seems most everyone else recognized touch as the new hotness a good while back. We're betting HP has just been holding all of this mighty close to the chest... guess we'll see in 18 months, huh?[Image courtesy of Old-Computers]
ELAN ships 10-inch VIA! Valet10.0-EM home automation panel
If you thought Control4's 7-inch POE touch panel was on the large size, get a load of this. ELAN has just started shipping its 10.2-inch widescreen VIA! Valet10.0-EM, which will obviously look mighty peculiar in all but the most spacious of dens. Not surprisingly, ELAN even affirms that yes, this ginormous (comparatively speaking) display can indeed double as a video monitor, which certainly opens up even more possibilities. The unit features rear-placed Ethernet, power and sense input triggers needed for installation, but unless you've got $2,000 laying around unclaimed, that image above is as close as you'll get.
