touchscreen

So, who's still buying Netbooks?

While PC makers are running full-speed to chase the iPad's success, it's notable that just as quickly they've stopped talking about Netbooks. Some people call them mini-notebooks. Even more people now call them that thing that's bigger than a smartphone but smaller than a laptop that looks more than a little bit clunky next to a tablet device.

Between October and December last year, PC makers shipped 10.5 million mini-notebooks, according to Gartner. That may have been a market peak. Fast-forward to the first quarter of this year: 9.7 million units shipped. Tick forward again to the second quarter of this year, and 8.4 million Netbooks left PC factories. The numbers are expected to drop even further in the coming months.

So what happened? It's not a stretch to connect the dots between the rise of the iPad and the sudden drop in last year's most-hyped product category. Even before the iPad was officially introduced in January, the talk of the PC world just a few weeks prior at CES 2010 was about tablets. Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Archos showed touch-screen tablets somewhat tentatively--few details were named, and some shipping dates were vague--but it was clear the attention had shifted away from targeting consumers looking for a new mobile device with Netbooks. … Read more

Immersion unveils new touch-screen haptics processor

Most onscreen keyboards, like those in the iPhone or other smartphones, have no tactile feedback, so you need to look at the screen and the virtual keyboard to make sure of the correct input. However, this might soon change, thanks to haptic technology, a mechanism that allows the screen to "touch" you back.

One of the major developers of this technology, the Immersion Corporation, announced Tuesday a new product that powers touch-feedback effects in touch-screen computers, the TouchSense 2500. The company claims that this product enables drop-in integrated circuit solutions to drive haptic effects that bring the user … Read more

iMac the next touch-screen Apple device?

Apple's put a touch interface on so many of its other products, could an iMac be next?

If a patent application filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is any indication, the answer is possibly yes. Patently Apple, a blog that keeps tabs on Apple's USPTO filings, noticed an application on Monday that depicts a hinged-screen version of Apple's iMac desktop that has a touch-sensitive screen. The hinge appears to allow the computer to alternate between a traditional vertical desktop configuration and a flat, iPad-like surface when rocked back on its hinge.

Because this would … Read more

Nokia unveiling X3 'Touch and Type' music phone

Nokia announced Tuesday that its X3 smartphone will hit the European consumer market sometime in the third quarter and sell for around 125 euros ($160).

The Finnish mobile phone maker is touting the X3 as a "Touch and Type" model, offering users both a touch screen and traditional keypad. The 2.2-inch touch screen offers a resolution of 320x240 pixels. And at 9.6mm (less than 0.4 inches), the X3 will also be one of the company's slimmest, according to Nokia.

"We have given people a larger screen with clear icons and menus plus kept … Read more

Beach Camera has the Garmin Zumo 550 Touchscreen GPS Navigator for $629.87, after $447.04 savings, plus free shipping.

Save $447.04 on the Garmin Zumo 550 Touchscreen GPS Navigator from Beach Camera >> Regular price is $1076.91 >> Sale price is $629.87 >> Savings $447.04 (41.51%) >> Click here for deal

Fujifilm makes three midseason camera replacements

Like failed sitcoms canceled halfway through a season, Fujifilm is giving the ax to three of its cameras from the first half of 2010. Fujifilm is replacing the FinePix Z700EXR, S1800, and JX250 that it announced February 1 with the Z800EXR, S2800HD, and JX280, respectively. I didn't review the three outgoing models, so I can't say if there was anything necessarily wrong with them. It seems Fujifilm just wanted to retool the models with some new features.

For example, the Z800EXR has a new version of the company's 12-megapixel Super CCD EXR sensor that has a high-speed hybrid autofocus system. Using both Contrast AF and Phase Detection AF, the camera is able to measure the amount of light or contrast in the scene and pick the AF system that will focus the fastest. Also added is improved image stabilization so there's less need to use higher ISOs when using the 5x zoom lens or in low-light conditions. Now it can take panorama shots at 180, 240, or 360 degrees with a sweep of the camera. It retains the prior versions full-metal body and 460K-pixel, 3.5-inch touch screen, too. The FinePix Z800EXR will be available in late August 2010 at a retail price of $229.95, which is really cheap.… Read more

New Apple Bluetooth device gets FCC approval, could be rumored Magic Trackpad

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted approval for a yet-unnamed Apple Bluetooth device. Many are speculating this could be the rumored Magic Trackpad device, originally thought to debut with Apple's Magic Mouse last October.… Read more

Toshiba celebrates 25 years of laptops with new Portege, Libretto models

The very first laptops started turning up about a quarter of a century ago, so it's natural that we'd start seeing some nostalgic looks back (we've seen some vintage models recently from the Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba archives). Toshiba is taking it one step further by releasing a pair of 25th-anniversary laptops.

The first is the Portege R700, a follow-up to one of our favorite laptops, the Portege R500. While that 2007 model had a 12-inch display and was one of the last vestiges of the $2,000-plus ultraportable category (before Netbooks came in and provided a less … Read more

Get a Gateway all-in-one desktop for $530

I've always been a sucker for all-in-one PCs. There's something uniquely appealing about a desktop that consists of a big screen, a keyboard, and nothing in between. (I know, I'm weird.)

While supplies last, TigerDirect has a refurbished Gateway ZX4800-02 all-in-one desktop for $529.97. Shipping will run you about $15 more.

Though fine for, say, a home office, this strikes me as a nearly perfect kitchen PC. It sports a 20-inch LCD--not too big, not too small--and it's a touch screen, meaning you can navigate Windows (in this case Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit) multi-touch-style, … Read more