Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s long-neglected iPod Touch just got a considerable upgrade with a new design, improved camera, and 4-inch Retina display. Not unlike the iPhone 5, the new model also supports iOS6 and has a 5-megapixel camera and A5 Dual-Core chip.

The Touch is a considerable improvement over the old model but takes more design cues from the original Touches and iPhone 3G instead of the new iPhone 5. The back panel is curved, not chamfered, but the bottom is almost identical to the iPhone 5.

Games and apps were far snappier (and better-looking) on this new model and at $299 it could be a go-to device for folks not looking to spend big bucks on an upgrade this iteration. While the iPhone 5 is, at best, a minor upgrade, the Touch has been given plenty of oomph and is now far more compelling as a general purpose information manager and media player.

The iPod Touch costs $299 for the 32GB version and $399 for the 64GB version. They will be available in October and up for pre-order on September 14.

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Disney Research think it can go one better on Tactile and Haptic touch displays by using electrical fields to add sensation to nearly anything you can touch. Using Reverse Electrovibration, REVEL works by strapping an electrostatic signal generator to your body, so when you come into contact with an object on the same electrical plane, that low-level field can be altered to create friction. It’s hoped that the technology could revolutionize touchscreens, add a whole new level of feeling to augmented reality and help blind people feel their way around. There’s a video after the break, but be warned, it’s light on the sort of cartoony hijinks you’d normally expect from the House of Mouse.

Continue reading Disney’s REVEL could turn the whole world into a tactile touchscreen (video)

Filed under: Wearables

Disney’s REVEL could turn the whole world into a tactile touchscreen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 05:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, you spend plenty of time talking to your plants, but have you ever made them sing? In partnership with Berlin-based Studio NAND, Walt Disney’s experience development arm, coined Disney Research, has found a way to take human-plant interaction to an almost freakish level. The project’s called Botanicus Interacticus, and centers around a custom-built capacitive sensor module, which pipes a very low current through an otherwise ordinary plant, then senses when and where you touch. Assuming your body is grounded, the device uses more than 200 frequencies to determine exactly where you’ve grabbed hold of a stem. Then, depending on how it may be programed, the sensor can trigger any combination of feedback, ranging from a notification that your child is attempting to climb that massive oak in the yard again, to an interactive melody that varies based on where your hand falls along the plant.

Because this is Disney Research, the company would most likely use the new tech in an interactive theme park attraction, though there’s currently no plan to do much more than demo Botanicus Interacticus for SIGGRAPH attendees. This week’s demonstration is giving the creators an opportunity to gather feedback as they try out their project on the general public. There’s four different stations on hand, ranging from a stick of bamboo that offers the full gamut of sensitivity, including the exact location of touch, to an orchid that can sense an electric field disruption even as you approach for contact. While interactive plants may not have a role in everyday life, Botanicus Interacticus is certainly a clever implementation of capacitive touch. You can see it action just past the break.

Continue reading Disney Research’s Botanicus Interacticus adds capacitive touch to ordinary plants, we go hands-on

Filed under: Household, Peripherals

Disney Research’s Botanicus Interacticus adds capacitive touch to ordinary plants, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has released details on two new products, the Wedge Touch Mouse and the Wedge Touch Keyboard, which look perfect for when you’re on the go and you get tired of using the touch-based keyboard on your tablet.

The Wedge peripherals use Bluetooth. The keyboard’s cover doubles as a multi-angle stand for your tablet, which is a smart idea. There is a joint at the center which allows you to adjust the angle. The cover also powers the keyboard down automatically, once it’s placed inside. There are some hotkeys along the top to launch some functions. The Wedge Touch Mouse offers four-way touch scrolling using Bluetrack technology, which means it will work on any surface.

While Microsoft doesn’t specifically state which devices the Wedge series will work with, they mention Windows, Mac OS X, and “basic functionality on ARM-based devices,” but I’m guessing that any Bluetooth tablet should work with the keyboard. The mouse will only work with a computer though. The keyboard will sell for $79.95(USD) and the mouse will sell for $69.95. They will be released soon.

[via Wired]

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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