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The Touch Enabled Interface You Thought You Knew May Soon Change

Bart Salisbury — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:23:43 -0500

It’s become obvious that computing potential is currently outpacing the ability to manipulate it. The roadblocks at present are the keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is an easy example, with it being adopted without modification from the typewriter, where the QWERTY version, at least, was designed to slow the typist down. The mouse presents another set of problems: it works mostly in two dimensional space, and offers only limited input--from one hand only.

The quest, then, is on to develop a snazzy human interface that works as effectively as the one that runs the USS Enterprise (D Class) on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Microsoft has been playing with the idea of a next generation mouse, which captures information from the whole hand rather than the odd finger or two. And, of course, there are the touch-screen efforts which populate a number of mobile devices, most prominently the iPhone/iPod Touch.

But are current touch screens the solution? R. Clayton Miller says there is a better way.

Miller has advanced a notion for revising our conceptualization of the touch screen with his 10/GUI project. He contends that the touch screen as used is too limiting to work effectively as a mainstream computing solution. He argues instead for a touch-screen input pad (sort of a super-sophisticated Wacom table) that pairs with a monitor, and makes use of input from all ten of your fingers. (No word on toes just yet.) Sort of a macro version of a Nintendo DS: input on the bottom screen and watch it play out on the top one.

Miller also argues that present windows-based paradigm for organizing information will also have to be replaced. He suggests instead something he calls “Con10uum.” Con10uum is a sequence of linear windows, each context sensitive, that offer a more systematic means of managing and interacting with on-screen information.

What’s the future hold? Perhaps a typewriter hardwired to a cathode-ray tube as seen in the movie Brazil. Or you could build your own, as MaximumPC’s Alex Castle did back in April. Still, it might be worth a moment of your time to check out Miller’s video presentation of his vision of the future of the human-computer interface.

Image Credit: R. Clayton Miller

10-Finger Touchscreens on their way to Mobile Phones

Paul Lilly — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:21:23 -0500

Synaptics hopes to take mobile touchscreen technology to a whole new level with the company's recently announced ClearPad 3000 Series. Unlike two-finger capable touchscreens, the ClearPad 3000's capacitive touch pad can track up to 10 simultaneous finger touches.

"By enabling more devices to have multi-finger gesture capabilities, our premium ClearPad 3000 Series opens the door for innovative software developers to push the edges of the user interface envelope by creating exciting new classes of applications -- such as multi-user gaming -- not possible before, giving OEMs greater flexibility to differentiate their products," said Tom Tiernan, Synaptics president and COO.

Synaptics says the ClearPad 3000 is based on new, proprietary technology featuring 48 sensing channels and advanced power management. The end result is support for larger screen sizes up to 8 inches diagonally in a thin, low-profile design. Synaptics also boasts a high level of accuracy.

The company plans to ship engineering samples for general release starting in November 2009, which means you may see some snazzy new multi-finger touchscreen devices just in time for the holidays.

Image Credit: Synaptics via CNet

Microsoft Introduces SideSight: Multi-Touch Interface that Takes Away the Touch

Alex Castle — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:30:12 -0500

Image Credit: gearlog.com

Pay attention, mobile-makers; Microsoft is showing off a new technology called SideSight at the User Interface Software and Technology conference in Monterey. SideSight allows for a mobile, touch-screen device with a twist: you don’t have to touch the screen.

Instead, the phone is controlled by moving your fingers in the space on either side of the device—essentially expanding the interface real estate greatly over a traditional touch screen. By moving your hands around the outside of the prototype SideSight device, objects and images on the screen can be rotated and manipulated, and text and pages can be scrolled through.

SideSight detects motion with an array of ten infrared proximity sensors lined up along each side. The prototype also features a smaller, traditional touch screen, allowing a user to write on the screen with a stylus in one hand, while moving the “page” by moving the other hand beside the device, simulating the way people write with a pen and paper.

Is this technology just a gimmick, or are we seeing the future of mobile devices? Give us your thoughts after the jump.

Intel Classmate Receives Atom-ic Power, Touch Screen, Tablet Functionality

Pulkit Chandna — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:21:31 -0500

Intel is currently busy renovating its Classmate notebook by adding a few cool features. The diminutive notebook will receive more than a trivial facelift as the revamped version will feature a touch-screen and tablet functionality. That is not all, the notebook will now feature an Intel Atom – it currently employs a Celeron M with a primeval clock speed of 900 MHz. The Classmate PC is primarily designed for students, especially in emerging countries. The Classmate PCs that run on different Linux versions or Windows XP Professional are produced and marketed by OEMs and not Intel.

Image Credit: Laptoping