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Gigabyte launches Aivia Xenon dual-mode touchpad mouse
When our eyes first landed upon the device from Gigabyte you see above, it took them a few seconds to work out exactly what they were looking at. There's a reason for that, though, as the Aivia Xenon -- as it is known -- lives a double life. By day, it's an ordinary PC mouse, with support for multi-touch gestures. By night (well, and day too, if you choose) it's a portable touchpad. The hybrid device offers 1000DPI resolution, can be used up to 10 meters away (for presentations etc.) and comes with software that lets you create custom gestures. If you have two birds, but only space for one stone, head down to the source link for more info.
Researchers suggest haptics and audio for discreet password input
You can use as complex as a password as you like, but that won't do you much good if someone's able to watch or record you entering it. Researchers Andrea Bianchi, Ian Oakley and Dong-Soo Kwon have some ideas for overcoming that little problem though, and recently put together a video demonstrating a few of the possibilities they've come up with. All of those rely on haptic input systems -- either on their own or in conjunction with some audio output (through headphones for privacy). That includes things like a dedicated haptic keypad or haptic wheel, and different methods that could take advantage of a haptic display on a smartphone. As you can see in the video after the break, some of those options could be a bit more time consuming than an easy-to-remember password, but there's certainly plenty of potential applications where security would trump convenience.[Thanks, An]
Microsoft reveals how your old slate will get all of Windows 8's charms (video)
Being able to touch, click and press your way around an operating system with a variety of hardware configurations, while not alienating potential upgraders, is no mean feat. That said, Microsoft thinks it might have the solution. By introducing a new mode, a 20 pixel buffer will be designated to working with those edge swipes we've heard about. It'll also go towards preventing accidental hits around the, typically less sensitive, edges of older screens. It does mean that you'll be losing a little real estate, but perhaps a small trade-off for being able to keep your Windows 7 touchscreen device. Going forward, Microsoft will be working with hardware providers to ensure new gear really shows off the new features of Win 8, but for now, legacy users can look forward to a better experience. Hit the source below for the full rundown.
SwiftKey launches SDK, phones and tablets get more predictable
SwiftKey is responsible for as many saved typing hours, as it is crushing affirmations of just how predictable we really are. A fact that can now be drilled home by infinitely more devices, thanks to a new SDK for OEMs. Developers for a variety of platforms and programming languages (including C++, iOS and JVM) can access SwiftKey's core language-engine technology for their own UI or on screen keyboard, and with support for over 40 languages, we can expect many more tablets, phones and even white goods to worryingly know what we were going to say.
Samsung updates S Pen SDK to 2.0, SCanvasView brings Note animation and narration
Following Samsung's launch of the it's-definitely-a-tablet 10.1 Note, it's become even more clear that the company's stylus S Pen is here to stay, in a very big way. Now, it's time for third-party developers to get sketchy with version 2.0 of the S Pen SDK. The biggest feature boost is the ability to animate drawings to pair with recorded voice, while other additions include SAMM Library access, improved rendering and the ability to revert after accidentally clearing all. Ready to start jotting? Hit up our source link below and get your download on.
SWTOR to get ability delay fixes but no Valor rollback [Updated]
Oh, happy day! BioWare's Georg Zoeller has posted a new entry on the Star Wars: The Old Republic official site addressing the incredibly frustrating ability delay that has had players up in arms. Zoeller states that the team has found a number of issues, including abilities on cooldown being displayed as usable, unreliable instant abilities, and significant input delay in "certain game situations, most notably (but not limited to) fast-paced PvP." The team has worked out the two former bugs and is scheduled to get the respective fixes onto the public test server in the next update. Work on the latter issue is in "the later stage of testing," and the team hopes to be able to roll it out onto the live servers "very soon." Here's to hoping that when Zoeller says soon, he means "soon" and not "soon™." [Update: A second dev blog, this one by BioWare's Jeff Hickman, explains the situation with Ilum PvP and why the team decided not to rollback Valor points in the wake of recent exploits. He does promise that the team will use game metrics to take action against the worst offenders if merited.]
iConnectivity outs iConnectMUSE digital audio mixer for iOSers (video)
Some hot music tech for iDevices already dropped at CES, but the product announcement concerto plays on. The next act? The iConnectMUSE digital audio mixer from iConnectivity, featuring six stereo in / outs, headphone out, two USB ports, a "hub-able" USB host, Ethernet / network sharing and MIDI pass-thru. Maker iConnectivity claims studio-grade analog-to-digital conversion will make it a snap to record professional sounding mixes on tour, back at the hotel or even at home. Your garage band can get mixing from Q2 and iConnectivity is asking $230 for the privilege. Hit the PR and curiously silent video over the jump for more details.
Samsung draws in developers with S Pen SDK for Galaxy Note
Ever since the mighty Galaxy Note first popped up at IFA we've been curious about that S Pen and how it'll make its way into our real-life workflow. Samsung promised there'd be an SDK back at its October London launch and it's finally here, letting developers get busy adding some S Pen magic to their apps. Version 1.0 lets you add a basic canvas, a pop-up for pen settings (opacity, line color and so on) as well as erase and un/redo. Sure, ICS might natively support stylus input, but as Samsung is keen to point out -- with its capacitive tip and configurable button -- a simple stylus this is not. And remember: until the Note gets an ICS update, you'll be scribbling all over that snappy Gingerbread install anyway. Tap that source link if you want to get your hands on the goods, and let the tic-tac-toe commence.
Microsoft's PocketTouch prototype is like x-ray vision for your fingers (video)
Is it more gauche to pull out your phone in the middle of a date, or to draw a bunch of crop circles on your pants? That's the question we were asking ourselves after coming across PocketTouch -- a new Microsoft Research prototype that lets you manipulate your handset without ever removing it from your pocket. Developed by researchers Scott Saponas, Chris Harrison and Hrvoje Benko, the device essentially consists of a customized, multitouch capacitive sensor hooked on to the back of a smartphone. This sensor is capable of picking up gestures through fabric, allowing users to execute a wide array of eyes-free, gesture-based functions (including simple swipes and alphanumeric text) without ever having to actually whip out their phones. To do this, the team implemented what it calls an "orientation-defining unlock gesture," which helps the prototype get its bearings, before testing the capacitive sensors across different fabrics. According to Microsoft, the outcome "exceeded expectations," though there's no word on when or if this Goliath of a device could ever hit the mainstream. Head past the break to see a video of a man playing tic-tac-toe on his pants.
Wrist sensor turns the back of your hand into a meaty haptic interface (video)
We're all intimately familiar with the backs of our hands, so why not use them as a haptic interface to control our gadgets? That's the idea behind the device pictured above -- a nifty little wrist sensor that turns your paw into a flesh-toned trackpad. Designed by Kei Nakatsuma, a PhD student at the University of Tokyo, this contraption employs infrared sensors to track a user's finger as it moves across the back of a hand. These movements are mirrored on a wristwatch-like display, thanks to seven IR detectors and a set of piezoelectric sensors, effectively turning any digit into an organic stylus or mouse. Nakatsuma, who unveiled his work at this week's SIGGRAPH, says his creation can't handle the more complicated, pinching or rotating gestures you could manipulate on most smartphone touchscreens and acknowledges that the screen can be difficult to read in direct sunlight. But the underlying technology could pave the way for similarly handy designs, while allowing users to interact with their gadgets without having to constantly glance at their screens, or go fishing in their pockets. Feel your way past the break to see a video of the device in action.
Microphone for Mac
Got a pair of iPhone headphones with a built-in mic? If you've got an Apple laptop made after 2007, chances are that microphone will work just as well with your computer. Plug it in, then check in the Sound system preferences pane for the 'External Microphone' input.
JVC Kaboom adds a guitar input, dares you to get the band back together
New audio input capabilities are nothing new for JVC, but soon you'll be able to show off your guitar chops alongside whatever bands you choose to idolize -- so long as you're kosher with rocking a boombox atop your left shoulder, of course. The company has announced that the 2011 offering from its Kaboom line will showcase a guitar / microphone input (1/4-inch) with mixing capabilities to allow for gigs to be played from anywhere you darn well please. The RV-NB70 will have all the key ingredients of previous models, including an iPod dock (updated to be both iPod and iPhone compatible), a USB host that enables use of a mass storage device, an audio input and CD / radio playback. True to the original's design, this fellow features much of the same look while promising 40 watts of guitar soloing power. Your next box 'o fury can be had right now for $299.95, and if you're eager for an encore, the full presser (as well as a demo vid) is just past the break.
Sony's Move.me database used to create gesture-enabled mouse driver (video)
Unless you're into weird promotional mascots, video games, or measuring the rotation of the earth, the PlayStation Move probably hasn't caught your eye. Here's an idea: what if you could wave it about to control your PC? Earlier this week, electronics hobbyist Jacob Pennock used the Move.me C library to build a gesture-controlled mouse driver, and we've got the project's tech demo after the break. Watch as Pennock launches Facebook by drawing an "F," starts a video with a jaunty "V," and closes a few items with a quick "X" motion over the offending windows. Control motions are loaded through the creator's own gesture recognition library, called hyperglyph, which he claims can record motions with 98 percent accuracy. As Move.me is currently a closed beta, Pennock is keeping the source code under wraps, but he hopes to eventually put the driver to use controlling a gesture-based Linux media center. Pretty neat, but not quite enough to stave off our Kinect hack envy. [Thanks, Robert]
The Awesome button is...
Ever struggled to find the perfect adjective to articulate your admiration for a given article of awesomeness? Matt Richardson over at Make felt exactly the same way, so he perfected himself an Awesome button, designed specifically to spit out synonyms for his favorite descriptive word. To accomplish the task, he had to gut a Staples "easy" button and arrange a Teensy USB microcontroller inside it, before making the resulting mini-thesaurus compatible with his computer. Don't worry, full instructions are contained in the video above. Just mash the play button.
3DxWare 10 lets 3D mice work in 2D apps, leaves your standard mouse feeling a bit flat (video)
Your standard mouse may do it on the table, but 3D mice do it with extra dimension -- some of the time, anyway. Quit 3ds Max and suddenly you have one axis too many on your hands. After all, the vast majority of applications are 2D to match mice that may exist in a 3D reality but are limited to a decidedly dual-dimensional existence. No more. 3Dconnexion, makers of a couple different controllers with depth, has released 3DxWare, a Mac or Windows driver that enables exciting 3D mice to work with boring 2D apps. The first video after the break shows some one-handed zooming and browsing, while the second has you cutting and mixing in Final Cut Pro -- again with nary a keyboard or controller in sight. The software is free if you have a compatible mouse, but if not you'll be paying between $99 and $399 for a suitably compliant critter.
Kiss Controller lets you play a bowling game with your tongue... while it's in someone else's mouth (video)
Oh, this isn't weird at all! The Kissing Controller, an experimental project by one Hye Yeon Nam, is designed so that players of a bowling game can impart power and direction to their spherical projectile by performing the timeless act of smooching one another. A customized headset is required for one of the participants, acting as the input receiver, while the other straps a magnet to his or her tongue and goes to town with some literal full motion controls. Thrust is added to the on-screen ball in accordance with how vigorously you move your tongue around, something we're sure your partner will appreciate. Video after the break.
Circboard brings fast typing to console controllers (video)
Entering any kind of text using a console gamepad is an exercise in frustration. Certain games have offered innovative solutions, like Beyond Good and Evil's infinitely spiraling letters, but none quite as simple as Circboard. It basically splits the keyboard into bunches, with the left analog stick on an Xbox 360 controller selecting a group of letters and then the right stick or buttons grabbing a specific letter. Shoulder bumpers handle space and backspace, while the left trigger does caps. Simple, easy -- and as of now just a demo. But, the team is looking to get its idea into a variety of games and other console apps, and they're looking for investors. You always did say that mutual funds were boring... Update: Alfredo wrote in with some prior art that might make patenting this approach somewhat... difficult.
Fling joystick lets you get physical with Super Megaworm on the iPad
You know, some people take gaming very seriously, and there's no doubt that a good portion of them will be picking up this new peripheral from Ten One Design. For $24.95, the Fling tactile game controller promises to enhance some iPad games by overlaying their virtual D-pad with a physical mini joystick. And that's not it -- the funky spiral mechanism also provides resistance to simulate force feedback, meaning your thumb will always know its boundaries. Check out the video demo after the break. %Gallery-112504%
LaCie Float concept combines external HDD with trackpad, ingenuity with fantasy
How do you freshen up the typically unexciting external storage unit? You slap a multitouch trackpad on the top of it, of course. And since you're dreaming up wild concepts, make that top out of carbon fiber, provide a base made out of glass and insert some LEDs next to it to provide ambient illumination -- with an integrated light sensor adjusting their brightness on the fly, obviously. Yes, André Silva's LaCie Float is indeed out of touch with things like "feasibility" and "economics," but don't tell us you wouldn't love that slice of converged awesomeness sidling up next to your laptop. USB 3.0 comes standard and an SSD option is also available, if you wish for it hard enough.
Xbox 360 gets a limited edition orange Tron controller, because wired gamers need love too
In most circumstances, we'd argue a self-illuminating controller crisscrossed by bright bands of orange is a couple of notches over the top, but when it's Tron you're talking about, it all makes sense. This latest peripheral for the 360 is up for pre-order now at $39.99 and comes prepackaged with the smugness of knowing that each one sold will be part of a very limited 250-unit production run. It's officially licensed by Microsoft and arriving at snowy doorsteps some time later this month. A less exclusive blue brother should be joining it soon as well, in case the current hue's not quite to your liking.
