Sep 11

Touch Vision Interface employs AR to control screens from afar

Posted in: augmented reality, AugmentedReality, Today's Chili, touch, video

We’re not exactly lacking in ways to interact with a screen from afar, but the folks at Teehan+Lax have now put an augmented reality-enhanced spin on things with their so-called Touch Vision Interface. While the “how” behind it is no doubt complicated (and being kept largely under wraps at the moment), the end result is fairly simple: you just point your smartphone at a screen (or two) and start manipulating it from the point of view provided by the phone’s camera. Of course, it’s all still in the early stages right now, but group sees a wide range of applications for the system — even including large outdoor billboards. Check it out in action in the video after the break.

Continue reading Touch Vision Interface employs AR to control screens from afar

Touch Vision Interface employs AR to control screens from afar originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 02

LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on (video)

Posted in: 3d tv, hands-on, hdpostcross, hdtv, Ifa2011, LG, plasma, Today's Chili, touch, video


Samsung took IFA by storm yesterday with its now-legendary “S Pen” (that Galaxy Note comes bundled), so it’s only fair that LG gets its chance in the spotlight with a pen of its own. The company’s Pentouch comes with a plasma TV in tow, and lets you do super-slick stuff to your productivity suite — you can mark up Word docs, handwrite URLs in the browser, highlight elements in your PowerPoint presentations, or even flick one of those little red balls of fluff in Angry Birds. $2,199 will net you a 3D-enabled 60-inch LG PZ850 with Pentouch TV — a non-3D model is available for $1,699, and there’s a 50-inch version as well, priced at a mere $1,099.

You’ll need to collect quite a few ingredients before you can get cookin’ here, including the TV, the pair of included pens, and a computer to pump content to your TV. If you’re planning to use the display with kids, a printer might be a good idea as well, so your little ones will have a platform to preserve all those on-screen sketched masterpieces (this thing puts coloring books to shame). Everything seemed to work as described (note: this isn’t a touchscreen, so you’ll need to use the pen), though the software did hiccup once while attempting to hand-write the Engadget URL. We see this being more of a hit for enterprise use, since there isn’t really any need to mark up photos or tap the screen to launch apps in your living room. Still thinking about taking the plunge? Jump past the break for a video walkthrough (yes, and yet another clip of Angry Birds).

Gallery: LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on

Continue reading LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on (video)

LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 01

LG goes big with stylus-equipped PenTouch plasma TVs

Posted in: 3d tv, hdpostcross, hdtv, Ifa2011, LG, plasma, Today's Chili, touch

It’s a good time to be a stylus fan. Not only has Samsung debuted its handwriting-friendly Series 7 Slate and Galaxy Note tablets, but LG is also bringing the stylus into the living room with its new series of PenTouch plasma TVs. Available in both 50-inch and 60-inch varieties, each TV comes with a pair of Touch Pens that let you either control the TV and included software like a calendar and photo gallery, or simply draw on it to your heart’s content. As if that wasn’t enough, the top-end 60-inch model is also a 3D TV, and include one pair of active shutter glasses — it’ll run you $2,199, while the non-3D models come in at $1,699 and $1,099. Unfortunately, you’ll also have to supply your own Windows PC to take full advantage of that touch-functionality.

Continue reading LG goes big with stylus-equipped PenTouch plasma TVs

LG goes big with stylus-equipped PenTouch plasma TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 12

Cirque’s GlidePoint NFC trackpad makes online shopping even lazier (video)

Posted in: money, nfc, notebook, tablet, Today's Chili, touch, touchpad, video
We’ve seen NFC technology pop up in everything from smartphones to windshields, but a company called Cirque has now expanded it to desktops, as well, with its GlidePoint trackpad. Cirque’s system is relatively straightforward, consisting of its GlidePoint module (with an onboard NFC antenna) and a simple touch sensor. With these two elements working in harmony, users can scan a compatible card by hovering it over the module, while simultaneously using the trackpad to execute onscreen functions. The company has applied the same concept to its proprietary glass touch panel, as well, which could be integrated at payment terminals, or within tablets and touch-based smartphones. It remains unclear whether we’ll see this kind of technology pop up on the commercial level, but for more details, check out the demo video after the break, followed by the full press release.

Continue reading Cirque’s GlidePoint NFC trackpad makes online shopping even lazier (video)

Cirque’s GlidePoint NFC trackpad makes online shopping even lazier (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 12

Wrist sensor turns the back of your hand into a meaty haptic interface (video)

Posted in: interface, Japan, research, screen, sensor, Today's Chili, touch, video
We’re all intimately familiar with the backs of our hands, so why not use them as a haptic interface to control our gadgets? That’s the idea behind the device pictured above — a nifty little wrist sensor that turns your paw into a flesh-toned trackpad. Designed by Kei Nakatsuma, a PhD student at the University of Tokyo, this contraption employs infrared sensors to track a user’s finger as it moves across the back of a hand. These movements are mirrored on a wristwatch-like display, thanks to seven IR detectors and a set of piezoelectric sensors, effectively turning any digit into an organic stylus or mouse. Nakatsuma, who unveiled his work at this week’s SIGGRAPH, says his creation can’t handle the more complicated, pinching or rotating gestures you could manipulate on most smartphone touchscreens and acknowledges that the screen can be difficult to read in direct sunlight. But the underlying technology could pave the way for similarly handy designs, while allowing users to interact with their gadgets without having to constantly glance at their screens, or go fishing in their pockets. Feel your way past the break to see a video of the device in action.

Continue reading Wrist sensor turns the back of your hand into a meaty haptic interface (video)

Wrist sensor turns the back of your hand into a meaty haptic interface (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 04:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 26

IBM’s Mighty Morphin’ Touchscreen Keyboard Tailors Itself to Your Hands

Posted in: patents, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili, touch

Screen Shot 2011 07 26 at 3 59 18 PM

This awful diagram doesn’t show it well, but the keys have been resized to fit the user’s fingers

Touch screens look like they’re going to be the default method for most people to input text into their computers. As cellphones and tablets relegate laptops and desktop to the role of “trucks,” we’ll have to un-learn touch typing in favor of primitive hunt-and-peck. Or will we?

IBM has filed a patent that could provide on possible answer. The patent concerns touch-screen calibration. When you first fire up your device, you go through a training stage, only it’s the computer and not you that is being taught. Through a series of tests, it determines how you type, how big your fingers are, and how accurately you hit the keys.

Armed with this information, it then presents you with a custom keyboard, tailored to your own fat (or thin)-fingered paws. In my case, it might stop me typing “M”, “N” or a comma every time I try to hit “space” on my iPad.

Sadly, this is just a patent application, which in the United States means that it is will be used only to add firepower to lawsuits. A real shame, as touch-screen keyboards need all the help they can get.

Touchscreen keyboard morphs to fit your typing style [New Scientist]

Morphing Touchscreen Keyboard Interface (PDF) [Pat2PDF/IBM]

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Jul 24

Habey USA’s 12-inch panel PC brings that rugged look to your home

Posted in: intel atom, IntelAtom, nvidia ion, NvidiaIon, PC, rugged, Today's Chili, touch, touchscreen

It’s a shame this steel-encased touchscreen PC from Habey USA arrived too late for our violent outburst on the Engadget Show, but at least it has some broadly agreeable specs. The PPC-6512 can reel off 1080p vids on its 12-inch screen while consuming just 30W thanks to its 1.8GHz Atom D525 and NVIDIA Ion GT218 combo. An empty 2.5-inch removable HDD tray and eSATA port give it potential as a networked storage hub, and an old-school serial port lets it handle home automation controls too. It could also be used as a comms or security terminal, as there’s a 1.3MP webcam on board, vesa mounting holes and four USB 2.0 ports. Heck, we’d buy three and rig our whole house up — were it not for the $800 price tag, the apparently limited availability on Habey USA’s underloved Amazon page, and the fact that we like our terminals to show a bit of emotion. Full specs in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Habey USA’s 12-inch panel PC brings that rugged look to your home

Habey USA’s 12-inch panel PC brings that rugged look to your home originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 13

Report: Touchscreen demand to grow by 90-percent, led by mobile, tablet markets

Posted in: app, business, capacitive, gaming, market, mobile, money, research, tablet, tablet pc, TabletPc, Today's Chili, touch, touchscreen

This just in: people really like touchscreens, and their tastes aren’t going to change anytime soon. That’s the takeaway from a new report from market research firm DisplaySearch, which predicts that revenue from touch panel sales will hit the $13.4 billion mark by the end of this year, before soaring to nearly $24 billion by 2017. Shipments of capacitive touch displays, in particular, are expected to increase by 100-percent over last year, accounting for a full 70-percent of all tactile revenues. The mobile market still accounts for most of this industry-wide growth, but demand for touch-based tablets is accelerating considerably, with more than 72 million panels expected to ship this year, and 100 million projected in 2012. Jonesing for more numbers? Better gallop past the break to get your hands on the full PR.

Continue reading Report: Touchscreen demand to grow by 90-percent, led by mobile, tablet markets

Report: Touchscreen demand to grow by 90-percent, led by mobile, tablet markets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 08

Kobo Update Adds New Fonts, Text Layout Controls

Posted in: e-readers, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili, touch

Now you can — finally — adjust the look of the Kobo Touch’s display

Kobo has added a much-needed update to its Touch e-reader, bringing new fonts and layout options. Previously, the not-too-bad e-ink Kobo was limited to a choice of just two font, with no way to control the way these were represented on-screen. The free 1.9.5 update fixes this.

First up are the fonts. You can now choose between 7 typefaces — Amasis, Avenir, Delima, Felbridge, Georgia, Gill Sans and Rockwell. I picked Amasis, and not just because it’s the first on the list: to my eye it’s the least obtrusive when reading.

Next are the typesetting options. Now you can control font size, line spacing, margin size, justification (off, full or ragged-right) and something called “Kobo Styling.”

The margin setting is the big one here. The IR beams that detect your finger to activate the touch-screen mean that the screen is set farther back in the case than in, say, the Kindle. This a casts small but not insignificant shadows at the edge of the screen. Previously, the text ran right to the edge, into these shadows. It was a big distraction. Now, the shadows are still there, but the text can be moved out of the way.

You can also add your own fonts via the Kobo desktop software.

Finally, about that “Kobo Styling” option. I though I was going crazy, clicking it and seeing no effects. It turns out that it really doesn’t do anything. According to a forum posting by Kobo intern George Talusan, “The checkbox is vestigial. We’ll remove it in a future release but in the meantime have fun clicking it.”

The update is either already installed on your Kobo device, or will turn up soon, over the air.

Kobo Touch Edition Software Updates [Kobo]

Kobo Touch Firmware 1.9.5 [Mobile Read Forums]

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Jun 16

moJo iCuisine uses touchscreen tables for menus, orders and entertainment

Posted in: projector, Today's Chili, touch, touchscreen

Imagine a world where you could go to a nice sit-down dinner and not have to worry about when the waiter would come by to take your order. A new restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan called moJo iCuisine achieves just that by letting the customer browse through the menu and even order through an interactive touch-enabled […]

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