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touchscreen posts

Sony and Atracsys develop 3D interface for ORs, sci-fi franchises (video)

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 6th 2009 at 11:37AM

You know what the world needs? Another company peddling their take on the touch interface as being "just like Minority Report!" Sun, Raytheon, Oblong -- it's a pretty obvious press hook (as well as a pretty awesome area of research), but every once in a while some such technology does come around that begs for a closer look. A collaboration between Sony Europe and Atracsys (a Swiss company specializing in optical tracking) ICU is a dual camera-based system that tracks and analyzes body movements in three dimensions, in real-time. Initially designed for use with a computer in a sterile operating theater, the interface not only notices subtle changes in the position of your body, arm, hand, or finger position, but it's also determine rough age, sex, or facial expression of the user. We're guessing that this bad boy has some novel gaming potential as well (count on the folks at Engadget to bring everything down to their level)! PR / videos after the break.

Continue reading Sony and Atracsys develop 3D interface for ORs, sci-fi franchises (video)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 scores mixed reception

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 5:45PM

By now you should be thoroughly familiar with Sony's Party-shot-loving and almost unreasonably svelte TX1 compact shooter. Its headline features -- 720p movie mode and better low light performance courtesy of the Exmor R sensor -- have now been put to the test and we're here with the scorecard ready to spill the results. Reassuringly, all reviewers found image quality to be excellent for the camera's size class, and the TX1 even outperformed its peers by keeping noise comfortably in check all the way up to ISO 800. A 1cm (or 0.4-inches for you heretics) Macro mode was another highlight, though criticisms did rain down on issues of lens distortion, a fiddly touchscreen menu that was too prone to accidental activation, and an uncompetitive price point. Of course, your biggest draw here might still be the optional (and spendy) party dock, but the thorough reviews below at least give you the chance to pretend like you're buying this camera for the image quality alone.

Read - Photography Blog review
Read - Wired review
Read - Imaging Resource review
Read - Electric Pig review

Sony Ericsson lets XPERIA X10 videos and press shots loose

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 3rd 2009 at 8:16AM

If you weren't up all night following Engadget (and why wouldn't you be?), the first place you'll want to visit this morning is our extensive hands-on of Sony Ericsson's inaugural foray into Android territory. There you'll find the full XPERIA X10 announcement details and spec sheet, which is highlighted by a 4-inch capacitive display and a deeply customized user interface. With plenty of time to go before that first quarter of 2010 release date, though, we thought we'd get the anticipation revved up a few notches with a selection of handsome images of the device below, and a pair of videos -- one a spit-polished advertising promo, the other a useful demo of Speed Forge 3D -- after the break.

Gallery: XPERIA X10 official pictures

Continue reading Sony Ericsson lets XPERIA X10 videos and press shots loose

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 announced, we go hands-on

by Vladislav Savov posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 11:00PM

The first Android device from Sony Ericsson may have undergone an upgrade in the naming department, jumping from X3 all the way to XPERIA X10 (probably to avoid confusion with Nokia's X3 handset), but what lies under the hood is reassuringly in line with what we've been hearing. That is to say, a 1GHz Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm, wide 4-inch capacitive touch display, 8.1 megapixel camera with LED flash, and a thoroughly tricked out Android skin named Rachael. Sony Ericsson stressed to us the symbiotic importance of both the new flagship device and "open OS" UI -- the X10 was presented as the patriarch of a whole new family of handsets, which we can expect to see in the first half of 2010, all sporting the beauty of Rachael and perhaps helping to bridge the gap between featurephones and, well, more advanced featurephones. So don't be shy, come along past the break to see our uncensored first impressions of both, along with hands-on video and pictures.

Gallery: Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 announced, we go hands on

Continue reading Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 announced, we go hands-on

Sony VAIO L touchscreen humiliates presenter on live TV (video)

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 5:14PM

You know what they say in show biz: never work with children, animals, or gadgets. And if you must, make sure that you test drive your consumer electronics before going live. As you can see in the video (after the break), the kids on one overseas morning show failed to heed the last bit, to humorous results. For our part, we're inclined to believe that the unresponsiveness of the Vaio L All-In-One touchscreen herein is pilot error of some stripe, but either way the man on screen handled it like a real pro. Besides, we've seen far worse bloopers on Japanese television -- really, after the whole Yukio Mishima seppuku mess, it's hard for us to take any of this stuff too seriously. Video(s) after the break.

[Via Sony Insider]

Continue reading Sony VAIO L touchscreen humiliates presenter on live TV (video)

Soyea's MID Z5 features an Atom CPU, 3G, and a significant price tag

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 1:01PM

Sure, there are some of us who like to play around -- and a first-generation Android MID might be lots of fun to those folks -- but how about the peeps out there that need a portable Internet device with serious muscle? Soyea's Z5 features a 5-inch (800 x 480) resistive touchscreen, 1.2GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, WiFi, 3G (from China Telecom) and Bluetooth 2.0. A dual boot device, this bad boy eschews the cell phone OS du jour for both Windows XP and Linux -- and since you're liable to fall in love with this thing (and quickly max out the storage) the included microSD slot should take the sting out of the mere 8GB SSD. But that ain't all! It also rocks stereo speakers, a webcam, a VGA port, and mini USB. Of course, a device this serious has a serious price to match -- expect to pay 5,999 Chinese yuan (roughly $879) from Amazon China. Available in black and white, we have one more pic for you after the break.

[Via Electronista]

Continue reading Soyea's MID Z5 features an Atom CPU, 3G, and a significant price tag

Albatron's 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 28th 2009 at 12:23PM

While Dell and HP were busy holding a competition to see who could do a worse job of announcing their new optical multitouch displays, Albatron was crafting away a 42-inch monstrosity to completely steal their thunder. The optical part refers to a pair of CMOS sensors embedded in the bezel which are responsible for touch detection, a cheaper alternative to your typical capacitive and resistive tech, which requires an extra USB connection between the monitor and computer. Although some issues were found with Windows 7's multitouch implementation, the promise of recognizing more than two fingers with the proper software support and the general responsiveness of the unit whet our appetite for more. Alas, nobody dares speak of a price, but a 1080p 22-inch model is already available for $450, in case you wanted to add to your touchy-feely shortlist. The video after the break contains the hands-on and a little mystery -- why is there Bulgarian handwriting on the whiteboard in the background?

Continue reading Albatron's 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video

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

eviGroup's Pad is a 10-inch 3G tablet with personality

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 26th 2009 at 2:24PM

Time to freshen up the old netbook market with a dash of Windows 7, a pinch of touchscreen functionality, and a generous helping of... Seline10? eviGroup, the crew responsible for the attractive 5-inch Wallet MID, has announced the 10.2-inch Pad, whose pièce de résistance is the Seline10 artificial intelligence software that's been in development for a decade, if you can believe it. Its purpose is to act as your secretary / assistant, and while the novelty's good, we all know how well Clippy worked out. Fret not though, it's just an optional extra and shouldn't detract from the appeal of a device that offers 3G and a/b/g WiFi connectivity, one VGA and three USB ports, multicard reader, webcam, microphone, and the old faithful 1.6GHz of Atom power. A price of under €500 is being touted, with further details set to emerge over the coming days.

Nokia patent app reveals dreams of pressure-sensitive multitouch interface

by Darren Murph posted Oct 24th 2009 at 10:24PM

Nokia's no stranger to the patent application process here in the United States, and while we've certainly seen some strange ones emanating from its R&D labs, this one looks like something that should be implemented on the double. Explained as a "user interface for controlling an electronic device," the multitouch solution would essentially allow you to pinch, zoom and rotate objects as usual, but it would also employ an array of pressure sensors in order to give your motions a sense of severity. If executed properly, one could theoretically envision the use of a strong push to simulate a double tap (for example), or as a means to activate a secondary function that generally requires another button press or the use of a 'Function' key. Hit the read link for all the mumbo jumbo, but be sure to keep your expectations within check. Or not.

[Via UnwiredView]

MPIO V7 PMP hits October 26th, 2009, we struggle to contain ourselves

by Laura June posted Oct 21st 2009 at 6:11PM

It's been a pretty long while since we heard anything from MPIO -- so this is certainly good news. The V7 -- a 3-inch PMP which will apparently boast a (possibly capacitive) touchscreen LCD, an accelerometer, and an FM radio, at a thickness in the neighborhood of 10.5mm. We also know that it'll come in both 4GB and 8GB varieties -- but specs beyond this are sadly absent. We'll see what else we can dig up for you, but look for it to run ₩129,000 for the 4GB model and ₩159,000 ($109 and $134, respectively) for the 8 when it launches on Korea on October 26th.

[Via PMP Today]

HP unleashes Compaq L2105tm touchscreen, multitouch monitor

by Laura June posted Oct 21st 2009 at 5:39PM

HP's just rather quietly announced a new display hot on the heels of tomorrow's Windows 7 launch. This 21.5-inch, 1080p bad boy boasts an optical multitouch panel with one finger scrolling and two finger mousing capabilities. Stylus fans will also be overjoyed to hear that the Compaq L2105tm has a stylus of its own that tucks into the side of the monitor when not in use. HP is calling this one the first "Windows 7 certified" monitor, meaning you should be able to pull it right out of the box, plug it in and get moving. The Compaq L2105tm will be available tomorrow for $299. Full press release is after the break.

[Via Display Blog]

Continue reading HP unleashes Compaq L2105tm touchscreen, multitouch monitor

Gigabyte T1028X and M1022X netbooks launch in Japan, Win 7 in tow

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 21st 2009 at 2:20AM

In anticipation of the Thursday's launch, the crazy kids at Gigabyte Japan have refreshed two of their netbook lineup to include Windows 7 Starter. Unfortunately for the T1028X tablet we've been tracking for a while now, this flavor of the OS doesn't support multitouch. While that makes a touchscreen far less attractive in our eyes, maybe you're into that sort of thing. Who knows? That said, new OS aside, you're pretty much looking at the same old netvertible. Also on tap, the M1022X brings the M1022M docking netbook up to speed, adding a 6 cell battery (boasting 8 hours of use) to the 10.1-inch, Atom N280-powered ultraportable. Look for that one to retail for ¥66,800 ($738) while the T1028X fetches ¥72,800 ($804).

[Via Netbooked]

Dell SX2210T adds touchscreen functionality to 1080p panel (Update: multitouch!)

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 20th 2009 at 3:17PM

You asked, questioned and implored -- why, with all these underpowered touchscreen all-in-ones prowling our lands, can we not get a decent standalone touchscreen monitor? Well, somebody somewhere listened, and somebody else, presumably elsewhere, leaked. Presenting the entirely unofficial, but all the same real, Dell SX2210T: a 1920 x 1080 21.5-inch panel that has HDMI and DVI inputs alongside an integrated 2 megapixel webcam and microphone for your Skyping convenience. If its 1,000:1 contrast ratio and 2ms grey-to-grey response time sound familiar, it's because the non-touch sensitive SX2210 has been available for a while already. From the support documentation we're looking at, you'll need to hook up an extra USB connection for the touch interface, which doesnt appear to be multitouch, but we can always hope for a miraculous firmware update down the line, right?

Update: More info has surfaced on this monitor, which can now be purchased for $469 from Dell's online store, and will come with multtitouch panning and zooming when attached to a Windows 7 machine.

[Thanks, Bruce and dennispg]

LG BL40 New Chocolate review

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 19th 2009 at 11:44AM

You know the deal by now: we grab a slab of fresh new hardware, fiddle, play, and tinker with it until exhaustion or boredom is reached, then wax poetic about the whole experience, with a side serving of pictures and videos thrown in. Today's candidate for a grilling is LG's BL40, which is now available in Europe. You'll be familiar with it already from our hands-on look last month, but do join us over at Engadget Mobile where we explore what's under the glossy hood in more detail, and give you a definitive answer on just how useful that elongated screen really is.