Hasta La Gadget!

Apple has come into possession of a number of patents owned by Canadian inventor Timothy R. Pryor in recent years (see the More Coverage link below for a few examples), and it’s just today been granted another that’s particularly interesting. Described rather broadly as a “method for providing human input to a computer,” the patent (filed in July of 2009) is a continuation of one dating all the way back to 1995, and appears to cover some fairly basic multitouch-related functions. As detailed in the patent’s claims, that includes controlling a virtual object on a screen with two simultaneous touch inputs, as well as virtual controllers displayed on the screen that can also respond to touch input. The patent also describes responses to touch input, including both visual and force feedback cues, and it offers a whole range of possible applications beyond the independent claims, including an aircraft cockpit or vehicle display. Those independent claims are clearly focused on general computer interfaces, though, not specific implementations. Naturally, all of this has simply been revealed by the USPTO — we wouldn’t expect to hear anything from Apple or Mr. Pryor on the terms of the deal.

Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

Apple secures multitouch-related patent dating back to 1995 from inventor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re shopping for your dream wheels, but hate poring over brochures, Audi’s got good news: you can now wave and touch to customize your prize ride. The experience starts at the Audi City showroom in London, where you kick off the process by choosing one of the German automaker’s 36 models. Then, you can browse the vehicle on a 210-inch HD display with a Kinect to read your gestures as you swipe around to take the tour. From there, a 32-inch 3M multitouch display helps you customize your machine, even letting you use physical RFID-equipped cloth and paint samples to dial in the specs. Once your Teutonic buggy is just so, you can save everything on a USB key, print out a custom brochure and even share the enthralling details on Facebook or Twitter. The company hopes to add 20 similar stores around the world, and if you’re near Picadilly Square you can try it out yourself — just keep one hand on that non-virtual wallet.

[Image credit: Wallpaper]

Filed under: Transportation

Audi dealership lets you gesticulate your way to a new car using Kinect and multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 05:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So you want a Wacom tablet but need something a little bigger than average? The company has two new products that you might be interested in, the Cintiq 24HD touch and Cintiq 22HD. The Cintiq 24HD has a large 24-inch display with multitouch support, capable of displaying 1.07 billion colors while also covering 97% of the Adobe RGB color gamut. The tablet features physical controls as well for menu selection and access to program shortcuts.

The Cintiq 24HD touch comes with a counter-weighted stand as well for the best ergonomics possible, with users able to select the best possible position. Wacom say that Corel Painter 12.2 is compatible with the new tablet, so you’ll be able to make use of all the functionality and real estate straight away. On top of that, Wacom says the tablet will play nice with the Cintiq pen which supports software from Adobe, Corel, and Autodesk. The tablet isn’t cheap though, starting at $3,699.

The Cintiq 22HD, meanwhile, offers a similar experience but without support for multitouch. You’ll have to rely on the Cintiq pen to create your latest masterpiece, although here you get the added benefit of a more flexible stand. You can adjust it to almost any position, and swivel the tablet while you’re working to approach work from the best possible angle. The physical ExpressKeys off to the sides can also be customized to launch favorite tools or functions.

As for pricing, the Cintiq 22HD won’t quite be as exorbitant at $1,999, but maybe think this one through before you throw down the cash. It should be shipping from today, while the larger 24HD touch will be available sometime in August.

Wacom announces Cintiq 22HD and Cintiq 24HD touch is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Who knew giant multi-touch tables would trigger the next big speed race? Ideum clearly thinks that the PixelSense-based Samsung SUR40 is lagging with that AMD Athlon II X2, because it just rolled out a pair of speed demon 55-inch, 40-point touch surfaces (but not Surfaces) in the Platform and Pro. The Platform has a respectable dual 2.2GHz Core i7 and 8GB of RAM, but it also carries a pair of 256GB solid-state drives in case that museum exhibit app won’t load quickly enough. Hopping to the Pro switches to two not quite as speedy 500GB hard drives in standard trim. It more than makes up for this with a quad 3.4GHz Core i7 and NVIDIA’s Quadro 600 for the truly stressful projects — the combination can juggle multiple users and tasks even more smoothly than its MT55 Pro ancestor. Outside of raw speed, picking a table depends mostly on svelteness versus expansion: the Pro has a full-fledged HP tower inside that can drop in SSDs and other upgrades you might fancy, while the Platform is half as thick as a SUR40 (at two inches) and sleeker overall than its big brother. We’re working to get price quotes, but the early five-digit figures we’ve seen in the past likely rule out upgrading the family coffee table. You can convince yourself with a video after the break.

Continue reading Ideum unveils speedy Platform and Pro multi-touch tables, says PixelSense ain’t got nothin’ (video)

Ideum unveils speedy Platform and Pro multi-touch tables, says PixelSense ain’t got nothin’ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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