My wife, Thomasin, might be familiar to some GBM readers for some videos she did here on the site awhile back. (Do a search here on the site for “Thomasin” if you want to catch some of the fun of those videos.) If you do remember those videos you’ll remember several things. First, she had [...]
When Apple had announced the iPhone in 2007, it brought with it the disruptive technology known as capacitive touchscreen, and since then we’ve seen this employed on a number of handsets using various platforms such as Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows Phone, HP/Palm’s webOS, Nokia’s Symbian, and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry OS. Now, it seems that [...]
Last week Kevin brought the new iPad App, Paper, to your attention. The day before that I gave a “not ready for prime time” review of Taposé. Both of these Apps deserve recognition. Not just because they sprung from some of the minds that were behind the Microsoft Courier project, although there is something to [...]
At Mobile World Congress, Microsoft is letting out even more details about its next-generation Windows 8 operating system and we now know that aside from the Metro-like Start screen–borrowed from the company’s mobile Windows Phone 7 operating system–that in classic desktop mode, there is no Start button. On Windows 7, the so-called Start button was [...]
Microsoft has just released the Windows 8 Consumer Preview to the masses. This free download allows anyone with a compatible computer to test out Windows 8 before it is available in stores and on new computers. The Windows 8 Consumer Preview is a beta of Windows 8, so you shouldn’t install it on your main [...]
Google had recently filed a patent for multitouch trackpad gestures, potentially bringing new functionality to Chrome OS and the company’s Android OS. However, another potential, rather than the merely using Android on a laptop or desktop system, would be the trackpad as an application for Google’s scalability feature that comes with the next-generation Android 5.0 [...]
Developer DDRBoxMan has used Microsoft’s Kinect camera to power a television or projected screen that mirrors an Android smartphone’s content. The development work is still currently in the early stages, but it looks like a promising start to not only mirror a smartphone’s content to a larger display via video out or HDMI, but also [...]
What was once a field of dreams two years ago is now littered with casualties. Hopes and hype have been dashed. Strategies have been changed and are changing again. Generals have fallen. The fortunes of competitors have been ransacked, as others continue to enrich their treasuries. The fallout thus far will most likely be just [...]
When Microsoft releases its Windows 8 operating system next year, which will be optimized for tablets, the OS may be accompanied by a new music and media player that will also get the same finger-friendly, touch-optimized treatment. Screenshots of the new media player have been leaked out via Winunleaked. The player will allow users to [...]
Lots of folks are picking up on a study that says users are having some “fat finger” difficulty with Touch on the Kindle Fire. All of the Apple lovers are saying this affirms Steve Jobs’ comments that Tablets in a 7 inch form factor just won’t work. Time may indeed prove Jobs correct, but quite [...]
Microsoft Research might need to be a little careful with its naming and branding of some of its projects and technology. Designed to allow users to control their mobile devices while they remain in their pockets, this technology, PocketTouch, can track gestures using Microsoft’s digital Ink handwriting recognition system and preset gestures. The full name [...]
This article is cross-posted on Notebooks.com. I had joined HP on a press tour earlier this week where the company was showing off its business-class EliteBook notebooks, which is an elegant aluminum-clad enterprise notebook that boasts rugged features that are tested using military specs. During the company’s presentation on design, notebooks design head Stacy Wolff [...]
At their long-awaited tablet announcement, Amazon unveiled their new Amazon Kindle Touch. The Touch is a touch e-ink book reader for $99 with no keyboard, but rather an infrared touch screen which allows you to quickly turn pages and interact with your eBooks or periodicals on-screen instead of the old buttons the current generation device includes. [...]
Of all the touch features in Windows 8, the one I feel is most valuable is also the least dazzling. “Fuzzy hit targeting” as it was called earlier this year enables wide fingers to more accurately work with an interface designed for pinpoint cursors. But how does it work? Long Zheng at istartedsomething explains. The [...]
While testing various scenarios with Ink and Touch on the CL900 I am reviewing I found several significant issues with the reliability and consistency of Ink on this tablet. I reached out to Rob Bushway to discuss his experiences with this device and the digital pen. He told me he was not experiencing any problems [...]
We spend time with the Motion Computing CL900 slate. It has multi-touch, digital ink, and up to eight hours battery life in a small, light slate. Does it live up to it’s potential as the perfect companion in the office, on the road, and sitting on the couch?
Thanks to Computex 2011 in Taipei we have a large collection of new notebooks to share with you. We also have some new news about smartphones and tablets, including an in-depth look at the HP TouchPad from Computex. Don’t forget, if you signed up for our reader meetup tonight, you should grab your ticket and get to the venue for your [...]
Well, Microsoft took the wraps off their touch tablet strategy yesterday and if I had to describe the effort in one word, it would be “impressive”. They addressed several key problems with touch in Windows, including my main one. But there’s a rub that we old schoolers may not like and still unknown is how [...]
Remember the BlackBerry Touch (Monaco/Monza)? You know, the phone that RIM was supposedly going to announce at BlackBerry World and then supposedly wasn’t and then didn’t? Well, it has shown up in a new photo today showing off its non-QWERTY roots. We’ve seen the BlackBerry Touch 9860 show up in front of the camera before [...]
While the debate over how ready Microsoft will make its next iteration of Windows–Windows 8–tablet-ready is continuing, Microsoft is continuing to experiment with the ribbons user interface that was present on Windows 7 and its Office suite and extend the paradigm into Windows 8. Gone will be the menu-driven toolbars in favor of the ribbon, [...]
With the developer previews of OS X 10.7 being rolled out by Apple, we’re beginning to see new features in additions to those features that Steve Jobs had demoed in a prior Apple keynote. Those features take the best-in-class user experience designs of Apple’s experience in mobile from iOS on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and [...]
Window’s Text Input Panel (TIP) behaves nicely when using Internet Explorer and other Microsoft applications, but it doesn’t show up when it’s supposed to in Chrome, my favorite browser. GBN reader Brendan Sullivan and I got into a discussion by email about optimizing his HP Slate 500 for touch and he found a great plugin [...]
Ina Fried at D: All Things Digital is reporting that N-Trig is hoping to woo Android Tablet developers to the world of pen and touch. Featuring N-Trig’s DuoSense technology that allows both pen and touch, NTrig is making the rounds and hoping that Tablet makers see that Pen functionality might actually help them stand out [...]
The Microsoft Arc Touch Mouse is now available at most retailers for $69.99. As far as a mouse goes in my view it is not a bad alternative if you need a mouse that is relatively compact for your bag or you pocket with one exception. I’ll get to that in a minute. The design [...]
Looks like Microsoft continues to try and push the envelope when it comes to touch. According to a recently filed patent they’ve created a method of touching a surface to create a different tactile experience that makes users think they are touching a 3D like surface. According to an article on New Scientist, Microsoft is [...]
If you’ve drooled over the Microsoft Surface or any of the other futuristic touch projects coming out of Microsoft’s labs, you’ll appreciate the following video of a hacked connect that maks any surface touchable. Microsoft sold a million Kinect sensors within 10 days of it going on sale and expects to sell another four million [...]
I posted about AGloves a week or so ago. Although I don’t think they are actually for me, AGloves actually do work quite well with capacitive touch screens. I got sent a pair for review and so last night my lovely wife, Thomasin and I gave them a try. You can check that out in [...]
Touch is touchy. It works well in many cases, and well there are just some cases that it isn’t quite there yet. According to this article on TechCrunch web designers don’t favor touch all that easily because it is harder to code for in the browser, and easier to do so in dedicated Apps. Yahoo [...]
Here’s an interesting video from the National Taiwan University. A rig consisting of a pico projector and camera can fir in to any standard light bulb socket and project on the surface below. The camera allows the system to sense touches and gestures. In the video, gestures are used to focus in on buildings. The [...]
German software company mirabyte is stepping into the game of making Windows more touch-friendly with an application called FrontFace. It is similar to other UI overlays, such as Thinix Touch and Microsoft’s Origami, but they seem to be emphasizing web integration.
If you’re looking for a better Windows touchscreen experience you should check out Thinx Touch v6. According to Thinix, the software “allows users to transform their computer devices into Easy-to-Use, Finger-Driven Appliances.” Earlier this week Brett Gilbertson wrote a great article about why Windows is just fine for touch. Thinix Touch v6 is an example of [...]
I’ve now spent about two weeks full time with the multi-touch Fujitsu T900. I have been interested to see how capacitive touch works with Windows on a daily basis since there has been a lot of suggestion in the IT media (including this website) that Windows is not designed for touch due to its orientation [...]
Jolicloud one of the alternative OS for mobile devices that keeps trying to edge its way into the mainstream is announcing that the new version (1.0) will support some touchscreen displays out of the box. You can read a list of the touchscreen technologies here and check out the video below.
Maybe it is just that I sweat easily and I guess a lot. (Not quite as much as the guy in the picture.) But when the Virginia humidity kicks in during the late spring and summer, I find myself very frustrated with touch screen and touch enabled trackpads on devices. It’s early on what will [...]
We’ve heard reports and some grumblings about the inconsistency that users face when using apps on the iPad. Essentially apps (and of course their developers) have their own way of thinking how a user wants to interact with them and there isn’t really a consistent approach to how controls and functions work from one app [...]
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Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE Review: A Worthy Successor to the Original (Video)
When Sprint had debuted the original WiMax-capable HTC EVO 4G nearly two years ago, it was an instant hit on the Now network. Not only was the HTC EVO 4G the first 4G smartphone in the world taking advantage of Sprint’s then speedy WiMax network, but it brought some new features and pizzazz to the [...]
Last year Toshiba waded into the Android tablet market with the Thrive, a 10.1-inch slate that served as the company’s response to what they deemed missing in the then current crop. Thus, it had several full-size ports, a rugged-ish exterior, and a thick chassis to accommodate both. Though a decent tablet, the Thrive didn’t generate [...]
Samsung Shows That It Is a Software Company
As exciting as it has been to talk, postulate, and speculate about the Galaxy S III’s hardware and specs before the third-generation Galaxy flagship smartphone was announced on May 3rd in London, once the device was announced one thing became apparent: Samsung is now a software company. That doesn’t mean that Samsung is shying away [...]
Autumn Dynasty Review: A Great RTS for the iPad
With its large touchscreen, the iPad seems like the perfect platform for Real Time Strategy games, and Autumn Dynasty proves it, mostly. Autumn Dynasty is an RTS iPad game with art that looks like tradition Chinese painting. The story involves quelling a rebellion while solving a mystery of shady noblemen. The story though, just serves [...]
Griffin GuitarConnect Pro Review: Record Your Jams with Ease
The Griffin GuitarConnect Pro interfaces with your Guitar and your iPad or iPhone so you can record your music easily using apps like Apple’s GarageBand. My son Daniel, who’s learning to play guitar, helped me test it out and he loved it. When he gets as good as Jimi Hendrix, I’m sure he’ll steal my [...]
Google Search App iPhone and iPad Update Looks Beautiful (Video)
Google just delivered a beautiful update to the company’s Google Search app for the iPhone and iPad The Google Search app for iPhone and iPad replaced Safari as my browser of choice, earning a spot in the iPhone and iPad dock. It’s faster and offers a beautiful new full screen image search which looks awesome on the [...]
