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 [...]
Remember Skinput? You know touch your hand or arm and control your device? We blogged about it awhile back. Apparently the folks at CNN thought it was worth a report and did one. Keep in mind we’re still a ways away from anything like this.
Xavier Lanier reported from the iPhone 4 OS launch at Apple headquarters that Steve Jobs answered a question about the possibility of a stylus for iPad with this little gem: “If you see a stylus, they blew it” Gotta love Steve J for his “super” quotes. Well sorry folks, but I’m with Steve on this [...]
Long Zheng of istartedsomething links to the this video of Bill Buxton talking about the Natural User Interface. It’s worth a look-see. Apparently Mr. Buxton gave a presentation at the conclusion of Mix10 Conference on what the natural is in Natural User Interface and this video talks about the same thing. There’s some fascinating stuff [...]
Along with a Mobile Surface concept, Microsoft also has a different kind of touch experience that might make your skin crawl a bit. It’s called Skinput. Apparently touchable armbands worn on your bicep can pick up different touch inputs. Because of differences in bone density, tissue mass, and muscle makeup, unique acoustical signatures can be [...]
If you think the eBook wars aren’t that big of a thing, you might want to think again. Although Amazon is not commenting, the New York Times says that Amazon has bought Touchco, a New York based company that makes touch screens. Touchco’s technology called interpolating force-sensitive resistance (doesn’t that sound like a military term?) [...]
Tablets are the in thing at the moment in the Year of the Tablet, or Tablet 2.0. Of course that’s before anyone really has any of these devices in hand and able to figure them out. The iPad firestorm continues to consume whatever oxygen is out there and will continue to do so. But soon [...]
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12 iPhone Photography Accessories – Lenses, Stands, Filters and More To Enhance Your Photos
Apple made a lot of shutterbugs happy with the camera upgrades in the iPhone 4S — more pixels and a bigger sensor means an even better “best camera” to carry everywhere. Want to take the iPhone even further than that? With some additional accessories and apps you can turn this device into a mobile photo and video studio worthy of your enhanced skills.
Droid RAZR MAXX First Impressions and Unboxing Video
The Droid RAZR is just months old, but Motorola has already seen fit to introduce another mmber to the RAZR family, the Droid RAZR MAXX. The Droid RAZR (review) was known for a super thin design and Kevlar back, but it lacked in the battery life department. We saw 11-12 hours of battery life in [...]
The Next Nexus: What It Needs to Stay Ahead of the Pack
Late last year, Google and Samsung released the third rendition of the Nexus smartphone. The first of course was the HTC-made Nexus One which arrived in 2010 to great fan fare. Then, in late part of 2010, the Samsung-made Nexus S launched which eventually became available in two variants, the regular Nexus S and the [...]
iHome iB40 Headphones: Decent Sound at Budget Price
If you’re looking for a budget set of headphones that still produce decent sound and rich bass, then you should give the iHome iB40 Headphones a look. They’re comfortable, have an understated look, and produce good sound for the money. I hate ear buds! When I’m around the house and want to listen to some music [...]
Droid 4 Review: Incredible Keyboard, Awesome Speeds
The Droid 4 is the most recent of Motorola’s Droid line. The original Droid kicked off the Android revolution on Verizon, so it is good to see that the company is still thinking of users who want a physical keyboard. The Droid 4 marks the first time Motorola has included Verizon’s super fast 4G LTE [...]
Samsung Series 7 Slate Review: First Impressions
These days whenever someone mentions the word “Tablet” visions of the iPad or something similar dance in their heads. Not that long ago a tablet was something quite different: a Windows-based slate computer. Since the rise of the new idea of the tablet there have been a few Tablet PCs trying for relevance in an [...]
