Hasta La Gadget!

Fujitsu LifeBook UH900 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google and its partners have a track record of being clear as mud about their intentions regarding multitouch — they’re obviously all dancing around the issue, but there’s definitely some logic (probably legal logic, but logic nonetheless) behind which devices are getting it in which markets. Notably lacking multitouch, though is the flagship Nexus One — an odd device for Google to fail to pimp out in every conceivable way, we’d argue. Our man on the ground in Mountain View today pressed Android chief Andy Rubin on the matter today, asking whether we might see multitouch in a future Nexus One software update: “we’ll consider it.” That’s all we could get out of him, suggesting this is still very much a sensitive subject — but at least we have some confirmation that it’s a software limitation alone, so if nothing else, this’ll get hacked every which way within a few days of release.

Rubin on adding multitouch to the Nexus One: ‘we’ll consider it’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen this done badly so many time that it’s hard to imagine anyone so self serious as Apple taking a crack at it (even if they’ve already done so in the desktop space), but for whatever reason the company picked up this 3D UI patent back in 2008 under the guise of a few French employees. The patent was just released in December, and describes in some detail a method of zooming around in 3D using multitouch. Of course, this picture seems to imply that it’s for jumping through some representative icons on a 3D plane, but the patent seems more concerned with the core mechanics of using multiple fingers at once to get around in 3D space and manipulate 3D objects — and then going to great lengths to cover Apple’s back in regards to multitouch, capacitive touch, and “multifunction” devices. So, this could be something we see in “the tablet,” the next iPhone or even never, but at least we can rest assured that pinch to zoom won’t be the only multitouch game in town forever.

3D UI patent snapped up by Apple in 2008: could be bases-covering, could be life-changing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo already treated us to a slew of new ThinkPad machines, and now it’s time for the Idea line to get its due. Up first, we’ve got the IdeaCentre A300, which is hailed as the industry’s thinnest all-in-one desktop. Measuring just 18.5mm deep, the 21.5-inch machine sports a 1080p LED panel, Core 2 Duo CPU, WiFi and a bundled Bluetooth keyboard / mouse. The IdeaPad S10-3t (shown above) is the industry’s first multitouch capacitive netbook tablet, with Lenovo trumpeting the device’s ability to easily recognize fingertip input and plow through chores with an Atom N470 CPU and a 320GB hard drive. Moving right along, the 14-inch Y460 and 15.6-inch Y560 offer up respectable multimedia performance on a budget, while the 20-inch Lenovo C310 goes down as the company’s first multitouch all-in-one desktop. The Core i7-equipped IdeaCentre K320 caters to the gamers, and the G460 / G560 lappies are slated to suit those “mainstream” users who just need something basic to handle… well, the basics. Pricing, availability and detailed specifications await you just beyond the break.

Continue reading Lenovo busts out IdeaCentre A300, IdeaPad S10-3t and plenty of other solid Ideas

Lenovo busts out IdeaCentre A300, IdeaPad S10-3t and plenty of other solid Ideas originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This little nugget of software is itself still in beta, but if you can’t wait for the full Milestone firmware port to climb out of alpha development, it’s a good alternate route to getting your Droid dancing in the “pinch to zoom” party. Once again produced by the good folks over at AllDroid, the patch substitutes the Droid’s default browser with the Milestone’s multitouch capable one — and from the feedback we’re seeing it does so very cleanly and painlessly, whether you’re running Android 2.0.1 or 2.1. You’ll still need to root your device first, and some background reading is advisable before jumping in, but then you should be clear for take-off into the world of multitouch browsing. Video evidence after the break.

[Thanks, Steve]

Continue reading Milestone multitouch browser ported to the Droid by a user-made patch (video)

Milestone multitouch browser ported to the Droid by a user-made patch (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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