screens

Touch screens you don't need to touch

Another week, another cool touch screen video that everyone's e-mailing around the office.

The latest most-forwarded is the CeBIT demo video below, which is a collaborative effort between TouchKo, White Electronics Designs, and Groupe 3D. A cross between a monitor and a Wii controller (without the actual controller), the "touchless touch screen" responds to hand movements directly in front of it; you don't even have to come into contact with the screen.

Looks pretty neat, but also kind of exhausting. Although we haven't seen one available in stores yet, the concept of a "touchless … Read more

A mouse that can write in Chinese

When we hear complaints about the lack of meaningful desktop innovation, the first thing we think of is the mouse. A lot of R&D seems to be wasted on this basic device, which doesn't really need fixing, as far as we can tell.

But a Chinese company called Hanwang is the exception. Its mouse doesn't just fold up or point lasers like so many others we've seen; instead, it has a built-in touch screen that can be used to write Chinese characters with a stylus stored inside. Then, according to Everything USB, the characters can … Read more

Keep snoops from watching your iPod

As this item comes from our cousins across the pond, we're tempted to make a snide remark about prim-and-proper Brits--but then they'd retaliate, and we'd lose. So we'll just note blandly that Crave UK has found an privacy screen (pronounced with a short "i") from iStyles for the iPod, which shields the display against prying eyes while riding the tube or in other congested venues.

Japanese subway riders have had a similar product for awhile now, but it makes sense that the idea would arise in their country first. After all, no one knows … Read more

Light rock!

Toshio Iwai, the designer of beloved Nintendo DS music game Electroplankton, has been showing a prototype of his jaw-dropping Tenori-On instrument since 2005. Last week, Yamaha announced plans to turn this Star Trek-worthy digital sound toy into an actual shipping product, retailing with an estimated price tag of around $1,000. For most consumers, that is an insane price for a beautiful sound toy, but electronic musicians and artists are falling all over themselves for this thing. The Tenori-On is a touch screen grid of white LEDs that allows you to compose music by activating little squares that trigger built-in … Read more

Blue screen of death--c'mon, it's funny!

Most of us have, at one point or another, been confronted with the ominous blue screen of death, that dreaded block of text that lets you know your Windows PC has encountered a serious system error and--to put it scientifically--you're probably massively screwed. According to the rules of computing, the BSOD generally appears when you're composing some life-altering document--on deadline.

Instead of tossing your computer out the window or crumbling in a heap of despair, why not enjoy a good chuckle over your ill fortune? In the spirit of laughing in the face of life's travails, PersonalizationMall.… Read more

iPod fitness machines: one less excuse

We almost couldn't bear to write this item because we're so sick of the image in the photo. We've spent more time staring down at the control panel of cardio machines like this than we can remember.

But Life Fitness, whose products we've become intimately familiar with, is taking a step that might lessen the agony at least slightly: It's adding touch screens that let you control your iPod without handling the device itself, according to I4U News. This may not sound like much but, if you're a regular at the gym, it could … Read more

Touch and go - Motorola A1200

My general interest in the ever growing area of touch screen technology along with my odd obsession with cell phones recently led me to the Motorola A1200. While touch screens are the norm for smart phones, the Motorola A1200 stands out in two respects. First is that it is one of a very few phones to run on the open source platform Linux, and second is that it weighs an infinitesimal 3.3 ounces.

Dual-screen laptop sees double

Earlier this month we mentioned a prototype dual touch-screen laptop but didn't think we'd be seeing anything like it off the drawing boards anytime soon. Shows you how much we know.

Pennsylvania-based Estari started out as a software company but somehow ended up developing a patented dual-screen computer originally for the U.S. military and is now selling its wares to the public. The specs of its "2-VU" model aren't all that noteworthy--a 1.83GHx Intel Dual Core processor, 1GB of memory, a 60GB hard drive and no conventional keyboard or mouse, according to I4U … Read more

Newspaper laptop? Maybe some day

Even in the digital age, some people just can't shake their habit of reading the morning newspaper in pulp. This won't solve the paper fix for those die-hards, but it could at least simulate the broadsheet experience.

The "Dual Touch Screen Laptop" from Italian design house V12 may be only a concept at this stage but is becoming far more feasible as computer makers increasingly experiment with multiple LCDs in a single device. This model, according to BornRich, envisions a touch screen and electronic pen as well--more vestiges of the pre-Internet days. But we wouldn't … Read more

The posture police

Given our circuitous posture, we sometimes wonder if we're even descended from the homo erectus species. If it were up to us, we'd spend every waking moment in the supine state that we find most natural.

But society doesn't look kindly upon those of us who assume this position in public places, so we're forced to address the dreaded posture issue. Brando may make this slightly easier, according to Uber-Review, with its "USB posture reminder," an LED sensor that sits atop the monitor and flashes irritatingly if you get too close to the screen.… Read more