Windows 7 catching developers' eyes

While we've heard a lot about Windows 7, we haven't heard too much about the software and hardware that will take advantage of the new operating system.

That's starting to change.

This week, touch-screen maker N-trig is showing off a variety of third-party software programs that take advantage of the multitouch features of Windows 7. Meanwhile, Microsoft's hardware unit said it is also building support for Windows 7's new taskbar and thumbnail previews into its line of keyboards and mice.

Microsoft said beta versions of the drivers for its products are available now, with final versions set for release at the end of next month.

On the software front, N-trig is showing off a number of multitouch Windows 7 applications at a display conference in San Antonio, Texas, this week. Microsoft has also announced its own package of free touch programs for Windows 7, including three casual games and three programs ported over from Microsoft's Surface tabletop computer.

"There's lots of stuff going on," N-trig Vice President Lenny Engelhardt said in a telephone interview. Among the applications N-trig is showing is a photo browser from FingerTapps and a multitouch 3D design program from SpaceClaim. Corel also said it will have multitouch-enabled programs later this year, but didn't give specifics.

"Windows 7 and Windows Touch are giving Corel's software designers an incredible opportunity to enhance how consumers experience creative software," executive vice president Joe Roberts said in a statement.

Getting compelling software is key to transforming multitouch from a curiosity into something that consumers are willing to pay for. A touch screen adds on the order of $100 or more to the cost of a system, depending on screen size.

"In this current economic climate, to get people to buy new hardware is going to take some real nice, compelling applications," Engelhardt said.

HP and Dell have started shipping multitouch machines ahead of Windows 7, but Engelhardt said he expects all the major hardware and software makers to support touch at some level once the new operating system hits the market in October.

"None of these guys wants to be left out," Engelhardt said.

Although touch will remain a small part of the total PC market, Engelhardt said he sees it expanding from where it is today, with a few desktop models as well as a handful of convertible tablet laptops.

"A lot of those notebooks are going to be larger than what you have seen," he said. "There will be computers with 14- and 17-inch screens."

Multitouch will also reach the Netbook sector, though that market is harder to predict, he said.

Engelhardt said that multitouch has the opportunity to do the same thing for Windows PCs that the iPhone did for mobile phones--take a task that everyone was already doing and make it fun.

A video from N-trig shows some other possibilities for where touch can go in Windows 7. In the video (embedded below), N-trig shows a number of gaming scenarios, including the ability to play Guitar Hero using several fingers touching the screen. Although the makers of Guitar Hero haven't announced such plans, Engelhardt said the option is entirely technically feasible, with his engineering team having created a working demo.

Thus far, Engelhardt said, the consumer area appears to be ahead of the enterprise software market, but over time he expects more touch-enabled business applications as well.

For its part, Microsoft said it is happy with the level of touch support it is seeing from developers.

"We are pleased to see how quickly our partners are developing multitouch applications on Windows 7," principal group program manager Ian LeGrow said in a statement.

[ckurowic]

Touch is a ridiculous proposition for most uses.

[Chapmaniac]

Touch is actually the near future. The slightly more distant future is "gestures."

[mediocrates--2008]

They used to say the same thing about speakers and VGA graphics ... and mice, if you go back far enough.

[Seaspray0]

@ckurowic. We'll find out what "most users" think once it hits the shelves and actually gets used. Until then, all you can do is predict what will happen, not state it as fact.

[Random_Walk]

Just one problem: mice, speakers, VGA graphics... these actually provided tangible and actual improvements to usability. (one with input, the other two with output).

There's a huge diff between waving your hands and going all 'Minority Report' on a screen to get a task done, and simply moving a mouse 2 centimeters with a short slide of your wrist.

Of the two actions, guess which does not require nearly as much effort to accomplish the same task, and which one doesn't leave fingerprints all over the very screen that you're trying to see through at the same time...?

there comes a point where 'gee-whiz' tech becomes not much more than a gimmick, you know?

Gestures are fine for games and entertainment, but lousy for getting actual work accomplished.

[keano12]

The reason why they say that touch screen will become the technology of the future is because were already accustomed to doing a lot of things using only our hands, they hope this experience from everyday living will make the experience of using Touch technology way easier as we make it easier for ourselves. Automatically of course and mostly unconsciously.

[Inconnux]

Not really, Just look at the gaming market. The Wii is 50% of the market and the DS sales are 2-3 time that of the psp. Touch is definitely the future

[msjonker]

Touch is cool, but at its core its a novelty. Its less precise and more time consuming than a keyboard and mouse, so it will never truly compete.

[msjonker]

I should say "touch in the 2nd dimension." It could be very useful in the 3rd dimension.

[Super2online]

I don't think most people can wrap their heads around what touch can do because we have yet to see what companies will come up with. I don't think touch will compete, I think it will compliment, voice, keboard, mouse, and gesture, each having ideal scenarios for use.

Star Trek and other futuristic films always depict a voice operated computer yet instruments, tablets, consoles are all operated by touch as it is more efficient. Each of these input devices has an appropriate role to play in the whole.

[iBuzz]

Touch only seems to make sense for a handheld device or something that your hands are already resting on. If you're already holding something in your hands, then touch is a natural interface. Touch isn't that great on something that you constantly have to be reaching for. Who wants to be waving their ams around all day and reaching for something that is away from the body? Touch screens on ATMs work because you only spend a very short time with the interaction. Imagine if you had to use that touch screen ATM for 8 hours a day. Not good.

[Seaspray0]

And if man had meant to fly, God would have given him wings. The next time you go to a restaraunt, take a look at the stations used by the wait-staff. Alot of them already use touch screens. If it didn't make sense on a full size screen, they wouldn't be using it. No, it's not going to be ideal for every use, but it will be used.

[tm_anon]

@Seaspray0

I've worked with those touch screens you're talking about, they slowed me down. I've worked in a gas station using a touch screen on Lottery machines and I've worked in a restaurant where the interface to input orders was a touch screen, they're poorly implemented and the tech more often than not has enough bugs in it to begin with that my productivity was slowed tremendously. It also tended more towards giving headaches than helping to relieve them with "ease of use".

iBuzz is right, the touch screen is fine if all you use it for is going to the ATM or inputting your info for a Debit Card in a store, otherwise it's a pain.

[Seaspray0]

Ina, have you seen anything yet that can be purchased and placed over an existing monitor that will provide multi-touch support?

[Kikarok]

PQ Labs sells the Multi-Touch G^2
It's available in various sizes, lays over any screen, like you want, and is powered through its USB connection.

Here's their website: http://multi-touch-screen.net/

[kojacked]

It's my opinion that touch is going to take off. Naysayers will be left behind like those that poo-poo'ed Windows 95. It's got mometum. Those ISVs that embrace it will come out on top in the coming years. The iPhone is proof of what people want in an interface. What needs to change is the devices and I think manufacturers are starting to get creative. Wouldn't it be great if Microsoft or some other outfit could enable touch through motion controls like the Natal project is using?

Those that can't see beyond the mouse, keyboard, and screen are going to be left behind just like character based apps (DOS, mainframe, etc.).

[goodspeed8701]

Can you guys think of woorking with vectors on photoshop using the touch functionality. I think this will shine

[Random_Walk]

...I can do that right now with a Wacom. Meh.

Now a pen-like device and a touch screen? That would be somewhat useful.

[ddesy]

Here come more fingerprints on all the monitors!

[shycelticwitch]

: )

[MagiMamoru]

Bye, Bye touch pad on the laptop, or even an external mouse.

[Random_Walk]

...and hello Windex!

[BogusBasin]

Ballmer - Developers, developers, developers, developers! (Insert profuse sweating and wild-eyed monkey face here)

Amen

[sharmajunior]

This sounds a bit funny. All these companies are talking about touch technology like Microsoft came out with it for the first time or was the first ever. The technology was there before, these companies just didn't care about it then.

[DrtyDogg]

you missed a major point, it wasn't as easy to develop for.

[Random_Walk]

"...it wasn't as easy to develop for."

Apple's Apps Store says that it's been fairly easy to develop for for at least over a year now... where's Microsoft been? ;)

[shellcodes_coder]

Windows 7 will RULE!!

[jsjohnson]

What will happen with current gen resistive touchscreens relative to Win7? I recently purchased an HP tablet PC but not sure what, if any benefits touch features from 7 will have for this machine. Obviously my machine doesn't support multi touch natively so does that mean I can't use any touch features at all???

[Kikarok]

That depends on which HP tablet PC you have. Some of the newer ones have capacitive screens, like the touchsmart tx2 laptop, for example. If it's a capacitive screen, it will support multi-touch; with that requirement, multi-touch is completely software-based. If it's a resistive screen, then yes, you're out of luck, as resistive screen technology is incapable of multiple touch detection.