Hasta La Gadget!

There’s been a whirlwind of chatter about Apple’s multitouch patents since the Motorola DROID was released to reviewers sans any built-in support for Android 2.0’s multitouch APIs — there’s no pinch-to-zoom in the browser or maps app, and the soft keyboard is decidedly a single-touch affair. What’s even more curious is that the DROID clearly supports multitouch, as several new apps have demonstrated, and the overseas UMTS variant of the handset, the MILESTONE, has been shown on video with pinch-to-zoom in the browser several times now. That’s led to a ton of speculation that Apple’s somehow blocking Google from using pinch-to-zoom in the US, so we thought we’d step in with a little refresher on the state of Apple’s multitouch patents and some thoughts how they might be affecting the DROID. Read on!

Continue reading Some more perspective on the DROID and multitouch

Filed under: Cellphones

Some more perspective on the DROID and multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already seen the MILESTONE showing off multitouch capability, something the DROID clearly lacks in the States despite the fact that Android 2.0 rocks kernel support for it — and now we’ve got another smoking gun: the official spec sheet. A quick glance at Motorola’s tech specs for the Euro-flavored handset lists “pinch and zoom” as an interface feature, so yeah, it looks like this’ll be in the shipping firmware. There’s speculation out there that Apple was somehow involved in making sure that multitouch “fell” down a flight of stairs before reaching US-bound Android devices, but really, it’s anyone’s guess what’s going on here — and Moto’s official statement isn’t helping much:

“We work very closely with our carriers and partners to deliver differentiated consumer experiences on our mobile devices. At times, similar devices come to market with different features, depending on the region, carrier preferences and consumer needs.”

Nor is Google’s:

“The Android 2.0 framework includes support for multi-touch. As with other platform technologies, such as the text-to-speech engine, carriers and OEMs can choose to implement it.”

So let the speculation — and the firmware hacking — begin.

[Via Gearlog, image via mobile-review]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola MILESTONE does what DROIDon’t originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surface? What Surface? Ideum, which popped out a rather gigantic MT2 multitouch table earlier this year, is now introducing another model that makes that fellow look like child’s play. The 100-inch MT-50 is an outright beast, boasting 86 viewable inches, a 16 x 5 aspect ratio and a stunning 2,304 x 800 resolution. It was engineered for the Space Chase Gallery at the Adventure Science Center, which is one of several high-tech exhibits the company has deployed at the Nashville, TN-based science center. The table itself can support over 50 simultaneous touch points, and while the Flash-based software is obviously tailored for learning applications, there’s nothing stopping this thing from becoming the world’s next great arcade fixture. Hop on past the break for a drool-worthy vid.

Continue reading Ideum’s 100-inch MT-50 multitouch table supports 50 simultaneous touch points (video)

Filed under: Displays, Science

Ideum’s 100-inch MT-50 multitouch table supports 50 simultaneous touch points (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While Dell and HP were busy holding a competition to see who could do a worse job of announcing their new optical multitouch displays, Albatron was crafting away a 42-inch monstrosity to completely steal their thunder. The optical part refers to a pair of CMOS sensors embedded in the bezel which are responsible for touch detection, a cheaper alternative to your typical capacitive and resistive tech, which requires an extra USB connection between the monitor and computer. Although some issues were found with Windows 7’s multitouch implementation, the promise of recognizing more than two fingers with the proper software support and the general responsiveness of the unit whet our appetite for more. Alas, nobody dares speak of a price, but a 1080p 22-inch model is already available for $450, in case you wanted to add to your touchy-feely shortlist. The video after the break contains the hands-on and a little mystery — why is there Bulgarian handwriting on the whiteboard in the background?

Continue reading Albatron’s 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video

Filed under: Displays

Albatron’s 42 inches of optical touch monitor get examined on video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading HP Pavilion dv3 with multitouch screen spotted in the wild, we go hands-on

HP Pavilion dv3 with multitouch screen spotted in the wild, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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