EveryJoe » multitouch

Multi-Touch Smart Pad

Robin Parrish — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:59:15 +0000

Multitouch gestures are all the rage right now. The most basic laptop functions like scrolling a page or zooming in and out, traditionally handled by using a single finger to find the right on-screen function and click-and-drag, have been replaced with more intuitive gestures using multiple fingers on the touchpad.

But those with older-generation laptops have been left out in the cold. No multitouch gestures for them. Until now.

The USB Multi-Touch Smart Pad is a simple peripheral that adds multitouch gestures to any computer. Just plug in the USB connector, and you can use two or three fingers to scroll, zoom, rotate, switch windows, and more. As a nifty bonus, the Smart Pad can also use its touch-sensitive trackpad as a numeric keypad, something that desktop users often miss when switching to a laptop.

The only catch is that the Smart Pad doesn’t work with Macs — only PCs. Then again, now that the Magic Mouse has come, Mac users really have no need for an additional multitouch device, do they?

The Multi-Touch Smart Pad is on sale now at ThinkGeek for $39.99.

Image: ThinkGeek.

Post from: EveryJoe

Multi-Touch Smart Pad

Microsoft’s prototype mice

Robin Parrish — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:06:43 +0000

As further evidence of just how feared and respected Apple is in the electronics industry — their every product is scrutinized, studied at length, and its new ideas and design aesthetics copied by pretty much everyone else — Microsoft has secretly been at work on a whole bunch of new prototypes for a multitouch mouse. The folks at MS Labs are doing some wildly cool stuff, but are they merely reacting once again to Apple’s already-rumored efforts to release a multitouch mouse of their own?

Multitouch, in case you’re not familiar with the term, refers to gesture-based controls primarily used on touchscreen devices, usually where two or more fingers are used to do things like scroll, and zoom in and out. CrunchGear got the lowdown on not one, but five distinctly different and unique types of multitouch mice that are under development by the brainy types at Microsoft, and you can see their intriguing capabilities in this video.

The real question, though, is whether or not the mouse has enough life left in it to justify adding multitouch. Touchscreen devices are quickly becoming the wave of the future. If the mouse is on its way out of fashion, can it survive consumers’ wants and needs long enough to take advantage of multitouch technology?

As CrunchGear rightly points out, making a solid mouse is an area that Microsoft truly excels in, while every mouse Apple has ever made has kinda sucked. Seriously, has Apple ever had a successful mouse? The Mighty Mouse ain’t bad, but it ain’t great, either, and still leaves a lot to be desired from many users.

What do you think? Would you buy a multitouch mouse from Microsoft based on the innovative ideas on display in the video above?

Post from: EveryJoe

Microsoft’s prototype mice

Windows 7 Multitouch Girl?

Jayvee Fernandez — Fri, 30 May 2008 07:42:51 +0000

With Windows 7 supporting multitouch, you have to wonder what its OS-tan will look like. OS-tans — Japanese fan mascots for various operating systems — take the form of cute anime girls with characteristics representative of their respective OSes. 2000-tan is businesslike, XP-tan is bouncy, etc.

If Windows 7 features multitouch, will its OS-tan be a girl you can touch all over? Will she be a grabby nymhpo, an archetype quite common in anime? Will she be a touchy temptress, slowly caressing herself while seductively splayed upon a Microsoft Surface? Discuss.

Post from: EveryJoe

Windows 7 Multitouch Girl?

Make Your Own Multitouch Pad for $50

Jayvee Fernandez — Wed, 14 May 2008 09:04:49 +0000

Screw Microsoft Surface. It’s nothing but a big-ass table. Here’s how to make your own multitouch pad for $50. Software and hardware updates here.

Post from: EveryJoe

Make Your Own Multitouch Pad for $50