Hasta La Gadget!

In case you haven’t heard, IPS panels are making inroads into the lucrative mobile market this year, and Hitachi’s been working behind the scenes on something that should keep that momentum going. In the mainstream, touchscreen IPS displays are currently only available on Apple’s iPad (and expected to show up in its next-gen iPhone), but should Hitachi’s new production technique pan out, we might be seeing this screen tech in much more affordable devices as well. The company has fiddled with the arrangement of the touchscreen elements inside the panel, which it argues has made them cheaper and easier to produce and replace. All good news, but these things do take a while to filter through into reality, until which time you might wanna sate yourself with the latest desktop IPS displays, those ain’t too shabby or expensive either.

Hitachi working on cheaper, higher quality IPS touchscreens for cellphones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Asus announced the Eee Tablet today at Computex 2010, an electronic reader that will also serve as a digital note-taking device thanks to its touch-sensitive screen. The Eee Tablet uses a reflective LCD display, instead of the E Ink found on readers like the Kindle and the Nook. This means it can refresh the screen without the lag that is common to E Ink displays.  The touch-sensitive display is based on Wacom‘s pen-input technology, which can sense 2,450 dpi. The device also comes with a built-in camera, a USB port, and a microSD slot.

The product is designed for students and mobile professionals and will be available in the Fall of 2010. “We want to put it in the hands of every college student,” says Will Chuang, Product Manager with Asus.

Check out our ever-growing Computex 2010 slideshow at PCMag.com.

Reach out and touch whatever screen you’re reading this on. What if, instead of feeling the glass or plastic beneath your finger, you could experience the texture of a brush, woodgrain, or even a stone? Well, Toshiba’s working on just such a project, which operates on the basis of a film affixed to, say, a smartphone’s touch panel — electrical currents are sent through this layer, and your digits are shot up with the simulated sensation of touching those various surfaces. Senseg, the company behind this tech, has been around since 2008, but perhaps this recent prototype demo is a sign that things might actually start going places. It’s not like there’ll be a shortage of imaginative uses for such precise tactile feedback. Video after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba brings texture to touch (video)

Toshiba brings texture to touch (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roger Linn. Ever heard of him? He’s only the man behind the modern day drum machine and the original MPC-60, and he’s also the man behind the concept you’re inevitably peering at above. For now, Roger’s calling this beaut the LinnStrument, and there’s quite a back story to go along with it. The design began way back in 2006, with the goal being to create a full-on multitouch instrument with the ability to let one’s finger dictate volume, timbre, pitch and pressure. No doubt, many have tried to concoct something similar, but Roger’s discovery of TouchCo enabled him to create one sans the limitations of imitators. Unfortunately, Amazon quietly scooped up the startup in January of this year (to have this sort of technology available for the Kindle product line), and in turn, shut down TouchCo’s involvement with the outside world. Now, Roger’s being forced to reveal his unfinished work in hopes of attracting investors or unearthing another company that could mimic this sort of awesomeness en masse. Jump on past the break and mash play to get a better idea of what the world’s missing out on, and be sure to tell Jeff Bezos “thanks” the next time you bump into him.

[Thanks, Peter]

Continue reading LinnStrument multitouch music maker gets demoed on video, grasps for investors

LinnStrument multitouch music maker gets demoed on video, grasps for investors originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 May 2010 11:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While keeping the overdesigned aesthetic of their IdeaCentre brandmates, the new A700 and B305 (above) all-in-ones from Lenovo are moving things forward with optional touchscreens and freshened up spec sheets. The A700 offers the full range of Intel’s Core 2010 laptop CPUs, but tops things off with the slightly older 45nm Core i7-820QM, which gives you four cores operating at a somewhat pedestrian 1.73GHz default speed that can be cranked up to 3.06GHz when circumstances demand it. Other specs include a 1080p 23-inch display, built-in 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, and a side-mounted Blu-ray drive. If you’re feeling extravagant, you can even cram in 8GB of DDR3 RAM, but don’t expect to be paying the $999 entry price for that package when these become available at the end of June.

The B305 gives AMD fans something to admire, with Athlon II X4 processors, Radeon HD 5450 graphics — great for multimedia, but forget about 3D gaming — up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and up to a 21.5-inch display stretching to 1,920 x 1,080. Built-in wireless and a DVD-RW drive are again present, along with up to a terabyte of storage (2TB on the A700, that showoff) should you opt to tread beyond the $699 entry price. The B305 will be purchasable next month, as will be the H320 old schooler. Starting out at $549, this small form factor pc offers Intel’s 32nm desktop parts, with the finest of the bunch being the 2.8GHz Core i7-860. Radeon HD 5570, up to 8GB of memory, a terabyte of storage, Blu-ray, and wireless options fill out its vital statistics, though you’ll have to buy your own monitor. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Lenovo adds touch to IdeaCentre A700 and B305 all-in-ones, vies for your desktop dollars with H320

Lenovo adds touch to IdeaCentre A700 and B305 all-in-ones, vies for your desktop dollars with H320 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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