This 13-inch MacBook has been modded into tablet form.
With all the crystal-ball-watching over the seemingly imminent Apple tablet, one issue hotly debated around the CNET offices, but infrequently mentioned elsewhere, is the hypothetical device's status as a mobile computer.
There are two schools of thought on this: either the Apple tablet (or iSlate, or whatever it ends up being called) will be a 10-or-so-inch tablet PC with a full Mac OS X operating system; or it will merely be a larger-screen version of the current iPod Touch, which has a closed, limited phone-like OS.
The former would mean it could very likely run any software you'd run on a MacBook, from Firefox to Photoshop, and maybe even install Windows 7 via Boot Camp or Parallels. The later points to a hermetically sealed ecosystem, where apps would have to be approved and sold through an official app store (as in iTunes).
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(Credit:
Troll Touch)
Sick of waiting for an Apple tablet? Tired of watching Windows 7 users show off their multitouch touch-screen programs? Well, Troll Touch is here to save the day, though you'd better be ready with a big wad of cash.
The Valencia, Calif.-based company sells resistive touch screens that can be installed on select Apple products and Dell monitors. These devices slip over the existing panels and connect to the machines via a USB port to impart some multitouch love. For those who prefer a complete package, Troll Touch also sells machines with a touch screen already installed.
The latest products from Troll Touch include touch-screen systems for the new 21.5- and 27-inch Apple iMac desktops and 13-inch Unibody MacBook laptops--all slated for delivery around December 1.
Retail pricing begins at $699 for the MacBook conversion up to $1,699 for the 27-inch internal iMac implementation that requires factory integration. You can purchase these products by contacting Troll Touch at its Web site. In the meantime, here are a few videos of touch-enabled iMacs in use.
(Source: Crave Asia)
The Droid doesn't do everything.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)One of the latest misconception to make its way around the blogspehere was that the Motorola Milestone features multitouch functionality whereas its Droid counterpart does not. As it turns out, Verizon's first Google Android smartphone does offer multitouch, just not in the same capacity. What's the difference and, more importantly, who made the decision to water down this feature for the Droid?
Made popular by the iPhone, pinching and pulling has become the preferred method for zooming in on a smart phone. While Verizon's Droid handset is built using the same Android 2.0 OS as the Milestone, users are left using a less-accurate double-tap.
The Milestone has multitouch built directly into the Android framework while the Droid relies on APIs that come with the 2.0 SDK. That means that it's up to app developers to implement the features.
For reasons unknown, however, Google hasn't integrated the capability into apps such as Google Maps. Though it could be added into future updates of select titles, the question remains: Who decided to leave basic multitouch off of Droid?
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(Credit:
Impress)
Hard to believe that before Apple made multitouch cool, the most we ever "touched" our PC was touch typing. Now, here's Photoelastic Touch, a more tactile form of interaction that enters into "Minority Report" realm (still one of the coolest future tech shows) by not even requiring users to touch the screen.
Japanese researchers led by Hideki Koike at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo used a face mask comprising see-through gel as a haptic interface, allowing users to press, pinch, or touch the transparent mold to control the face on the LCD. In this case, the actions prompted a furrowed eye brow or eye movement.
Koike says one application of the technology could involve building a 3D model of the brain from the material to give budding surgeons feedback as they "operate" on it. The researchers showed off the technology at Digital Content Expo 2009 in Tokyo.
Of course, there's nothing like watching all this in action. So catch the video below
(Source: Crave Asia via Impress)
All-in-one desktops and laptops are among the first PCs with Windows 7.
With the launch of Windows 7, computer shoppers are emerging from a dark period when newly purchased desktops and laptops would arrive with an already archaic operating system. Even with the promise of a free upgrade, it made sense for most to wait until systems started shipping with the new OS.
If you're eager to hit the ground running, we've already reviewed several Windows 7 PCs, from big names such as Lenovo, Toshiba, and HP. Click on the gallery below to check out each one, including the massive Toshiba Qosmio X505, the touch-screen Lenovo T400s, and the HP Touchsmart 600 all-in-one.
This collection represents the very first wave of Windows 7 computers, but after October 22, it'll be rare to find a Vista or XP desktop or laptop for sale anywhere.
Click here to see all the Windows 7 laptop and desktop reviews
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
Along with a redesign of the iMac, MacBook, and Mac Mini, Apple today also unveiled its new Magic Mouse, a departure from the underwhelming Mighty Mouse Wireless that flew beneath the consumer radar back in 2006. The new Magic Mouse is also the next device (after the iPod, iPod touch, and MacBook Pro) in line to receive a dose of multitouch capability.
We've only had a day to play around with the multitouch features, but so far we're still on the fence about switching from our Logitech Performance Mouse MX. There's certainly no denying the aesthetic appeal: the bottom half is sleek aluminum and the top shell is made of a milky white shade of polycarbonate with a subtle gloss. The entire surface is a single button (no Mighty nipple, of course), but you can also change the settings to recognize a right-click or a lefty orientation, as well.
The multitouch user area is spread across the entire surface of the mouse, so you can swipe your finger anywhere and expect uniform results. Aside from the two main buttons, you can also scroll 360 degrees around a Web page, photo viewer, or document using a single finger, or quickly navigate forward and backward in a Web browser by simply swiping two fingers horizontally across the top of the mouse. The last feature is basic, but useful: holding down the Control key on the keyboard while scrolling up and down with a finger lets you zoom in and out of virtually anything onscreen.
Like the Mighty Mouse, the magical sibling connects to your computer through a simple Bluetooth pairing, and it works with any Mac running OS X version 10.5.8 or later, as long as it has the latest Wireless Mouse Software update 1.0. Windows users will bemoan its inability to work with non-Mac PCs.
Check out more pics after the jump and look for a full review coming soon.
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View the latest prices for Apple Magic Mouse
PC maker Acer is adding another pair of laptops to its Windows 7 laptop lineup. The two entries are a 15.6-inch touchscreen system, called the Aspire 5738PG; and a 11.6-inch addition to the Timeline series, called the Aspire Timeline AS1810TZ.
The touchscreen Aspire 5738PG has a multi-touch display that can understand two-finger gestures, but in a standard laptop design instead of a convertible tablet. We've seen something similar recently with the Lenovo ThinkPad T400s.
The Aspire Timeline AS1810TZ has an 11-inch Netbook chassis, but instead of the Intel Atom CPU, it has the dual-core Intel SU7300 -- which essentially gives it thin-and-light performance in a Netbook-size system. Although, at $599, you're definitely well out of the standard Netbook price range.
Both systems will be available starting with the October 22 release of Windows 7.
The Acer Aspire 5738PG
Acer Aspire AS5738PG-6306 Multi-Touch Screen Notebook
- 15.6-Inch HD CineCrystal LED-Backlit Multi-Touch Screen Display (Widescreen 16.9 Aspect Ratio, 1366x768 Resolution)
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
- Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6600 (2.2GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB)
- ATI Radeon HD 4570 Graphics with 512MB Dedicated DDR3 VRAM
- 4GB DDR2 667MHz Dual Channel Memory
- 320GB SATA Hard Drive
- 8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
- Dedicated Numeric Keypad
- Two Built-In Stereo Speakers With Dolby 10-Optimized Surround Sound System
- HDMI Port and Four USB 2.0 Ports
- 6.16 lbs with 6-Cell Battery
- MSRP: $799.99
The Acer Aspire Timeline AS1810T
Acer Aspire Timeline AS1810T-8679
- Intel Core 2 Duo Processor SU7300 (1.3GHz, 3MB L2 cache, 800MHz FSB)
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
- 11.6-inch HD Widescreen LED-backlit TFT LCD 1366 x 768, 16:9 aspect ratio)
- Mobile Intel GS45 Express Chipset
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
- 4096MB DDR2 Dual-Channel 667MHz memory
- 320GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive
- Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam
- Multi-in-1 digital media card reader
- Dolby Sound Room Audio Enhancement
- Intel WiFi Link 1000 802.11b/g/Draft-N WiFi
- Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
- 3 USB 2.0 ports
- HDMI port
- Multi-Gesture Touchpad
- Standard 6-cell Li-ion (5600 mAh) Battery
- 3.08 lbs.
- 11.2" (W) x 0.87" to 1.18" (H) x 8.03" (D)
- MSRP $599.99
(Credit:
USPTO.gov)
The sharp-eyed bloggers at AppleInsider have noted a newly revealed patent application related to multitouch surfaces--leading to further speculation about Apple's purported tablet PC project.
As per usual, the application came through law firm Morrison and Foerster, and was originally filed in June of this year. According to the paperwork on file at USPTO.gov, this is:
A method of performing operations on a computing system having a touch-sensitive surface, the method comprising; tracking the paths of multiple distinguishable contacts, the contacts corresponding to touch devices as they move on or near the surface at the same time, wherein tracking is based on at least shape and position data corresponding to the contacts; determining scaling motion information corresponding to two or more of the multiple contacts based on the tracked paths of the contacts; generating a scaling gesture control signal based on the scaling motion information.
This reminds us of an earlier Apple touch technology patent application we looked at more than two years ago, for a wide laptop touchpad that could distinguish between intentional and unintentional input. The new application also takes current tablet and touchscreen technology to task, saying:
Touch screens and touchpads often distinguish pointing motions from emulated button clicks or keypresses by assuming very little lateral fingertip motion will occur during taps on the touch surface which are intended as clicks. Inherent in these methods is the assumption that tapping will usually be straight down from the suspended finger position, minimizing those components of finger motion tangential to the surface.
(Credit:
USPTO.gov)
There's little else to tie this documentation directly to an Apple tablet, a project long-rumored, and currently thought to be coming sometime early next year, and some commentators even think this patent refers to mouse technology, not a tablet screen.
Interestingly, this comes on the heels of the recent rumors about an imminent refresh of the MacBook laptop line, keeping Steve Jobs and company in the public eye as we head into the all-important holiday shopping season.
Oh, those smart rascals at Microsoft are on a roll. I love their Courier tablet concept, and now they may have found the way to make on-screen multitouch keyboards actually work great--even for touch typists like me.
The problem with screen keyboards is that you actually have to look at the screen to hit the keys correctly. With real keyboards, touch typists have a physical reference to position their hands. That's why they type blind. With a flat screen keyboard, however, you lose the physical reference frame.
The patent for this screen keyboard, however, uses multitouch technology to automatically align the keys to the position of the hand. Since the keys are always in the same relative position to your fingers, you will always have a physical point of reference: Your own hand. That way, you can blindingly hammer your keys against the screen, knowing that your fingers will always hit the keys they are aiming for.
The patent also details the way this virtual keyboard would appear anywhere on the screen: Just place your hands as you would normally do while typing, and the keyboard will pop up. [USPTO via WMPowerUser]
This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.
We've played around with various pre-release versions of Windows 7 for a long time now, but the prize for being the first PC maker to actually ship us a street-ready system with Windows 7 pre-installed goes to Lenovo.
Even better, this new version of the ThinkPad T400s also includes a multi-touch display, with custom touch software to take advantage of Win 7's built-in touch support.
It can be argued that Lenovo's build quality and attention to detail are second to none, and the T400s feels like a solid, heavy-duty machine that will stand up to a lot of action. ThinkPad buyers (either small business individuals or corporate IT departments) know what they're looking for and don't mind paying premium for it. The touchscreen T400s starts at $1,999, and includes Lenovo's usual ThinkVantage suite of business and security-minded software and hardware.
Read the full review of the Lenovo ThinkPad T400s (Windows 7 Professional).
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