Touchpad Archive

  • Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 netbook reviewed in all its weird trackpad glory

    Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 netbook reviewed in all its weird trackpad glory

    Posted on February 10, 2010 | No Comments
    Behold the Fujitsu LifeBook MH380 netbook. See that trackpad there? That crater is used for scrolling up and down web pages and documents with a circular swipe of your finger.

    Full Story

  • Everything you need to know about Apple’s new gesturing systems

    Everything you need to know about Apple’s new gesturing systems

    Posted on January 12, 2010 | No Comments
    With the official closure of FingerWorks, the multi-touch interface company Apple purchased five years ago, it is interesting to note just what FingerWorks had to offer and, more important, what Apple may be implementing into the upcoming tablet and, potentially, iPhone 4.0 software. Aside from the obvious click, drag, and pinch, FingerWorks has a large collection of odd gesture and swipe combinations aimed at making basic data entry easier.

    Full Story

  • Hands-on with Motorola Backflip

    Hands-on with Motorola Backflip

    Posted on January 6, 2010 | No Comments
    We spent a few minutes with the just-announce Backflip and, well, it’s a Moto Cliq with weird swivel keyboard. Really, everything about the device feels the same as the Cliq. Even the love-it-or-hate-it MotoBlur interface is still in place. But depending on the price and carrier, it could be a popular product. The [...]

    Full Story

  • Motorola Backflip / Enzo bringing Android contortions to AT&T

    Motorola Backflip / Enzo bringing Android contortions to AT&T

    Posted on December 16, 2009 | No Comments
    Just when we though this decade had run short on phone form factors, Motorola comes along to blow our minds with this new Backflip / Enzo / Motus device. Amazingly, the most interesting part of this device might not even be the reverse hinge design, which flips the keyboard back behind the screen and faces out when not in use, but the fact that there's a clear-as-day AT&T logo on it -- something we'd heard rumored, but dared not believe until we saw it with our own eyes. The rest of the leaked photos go on to corroborate earlier rumors: there's a touchpad on the back of the keyboard to aid in no-look scrolling, it's running Blur on top of Android 1.5 (with a few AT&T apps, Yahoo search and no Gmail), and it runs the same 528MHz processor as the CLIQ. Hard to believe this very same company builds the Droid.

    [Thanks, Jeff B.]

    Motorola Backflip / Enzo bringing Android contortions to AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • Synaptics Fuse concept handset puts a new squeeze on touchphone interaction

    Synaptics Fuse concept handset puts a new squeeze on touchphone interaction

    Posted on December 14, 2009 | No Comments
    In case you weren't aware, Synaptics dabbled in the touchscreen handset game way back in 2006 with the Onyx concept, before phones like the LG Prada and Apple's iPhone came along and proved the idea so convincingly. However, Synaptics thinks innovation has stagnated since, and has girded itself once again to attempt another trend-setting concept. This one's a bit more wild: the "Fuse" involves contributions from Alloy, TAT, Immersion and Texas Instruments, and includes squeeze, tilt and haptic interaction. The big idea is to approach single-handed and no-look operation on a touchscreen handset, no small feat to be sure. The result is a pure kitchen sink of sensors, including a touchpad on the back of the phone, touch and pressure sensitive strips along both sides of the phones, dual haptic feedback motors, a 3-axis accelerometer and of course a new-generation Synaptics touchscreen in front. The TI OMAP 3630 processor powers the TAT Cascades 3D UI Engine which attempts to contextualize UI interaction with perspective tilts and fancy motion, and the haptics feeds back to let you know where your finger is on the screen -- an attempt to emulate feeling out the correct nub for keypad orientation on a button phone. We'll have to play with it to find out if Synaptics is really on to something, but even if the Fuse isn't the next best thing, we could certainly see somebody using some of these sensors to improve existing handset interaction. Check out a quick video after the break.

    Continue reading Synaptics Fuse concept handset puts a new squeeze on touchphone interaction

    Synaptics Fuse concept handset puts a new squeeze on touchphone interaction originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • This could be the ultimate HTPC controller

    This could be the ultimate HTPC controller

    Posted on November 24, 2009 | No Comments
    This little controller is butt-ugly and crude, but I still want one really bad. Maybe Santa will bring me one.

    Full Story

  • Android-fueled Motorola Motus specs get spec’d

    Android-fueled Motorola Motus specs get spec’d

    Posted on November 19, 2009 | No Comments
    (Get it? Specs, spec’d, spectacles? Anyone? Come on – maybe it’s not funny, but at least it shows I know.. uh.. words.) I’m not too sure what to think of the Motorola Motus yet, but one thing is for sure: that form factor is crazy. The photo that leaked just a few hours ago already seemed [...]

    Full Story

  • Dell Adamo XPS looks like it could cut the air in half

    Dell Adamo XPS looks like it could cut the air in half

    Posted on November 5, 2009 | No Comments
    The industry is all a buzz with the latest entry in the "I'm the thinnest laptop" competition. The latest Dell Adamo is definitely a strong contender, at 9.99 mm at some points. Of course, that's just the official figure. I would have tested it myself but I forgot my calipers.

    Full Story

  • BlackBerry Curve 8520 now on Rogers

    BlackBerry Curve 8520 now on Rogers

    Posted on October 9, 2009 | 1 Comment

    Filed under: , , , ,

    You know what's screwed up? A CAD $99.99 (about $95) BlackBerry Curve 8520 -- you know, the cheap one -- being sold on the same carrier at the same time as CAD $79.99 (about $76) Dreams and Magics. Doesn't that seem a little out of whack? Not to mention the fact that Rogers is looking for three-year contracts all around here, and with all due respect to the 8520, the thought of committing to it for anything even close to the next 36 months sends shivers down our spines. The latest BlackBerry (and the first with a touchpad in place of a trackball) is yet to go live on Rogers' site, but apparently you can go ahead and pick one up this very second if you're so inclined -- just be sure to bring cash and your best contract signin' pen.

    BlackBerry Curve 8520 now on Rogers originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

    Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Full Story

  • Sony VAIO W netbook reviewed

    Sony VAIO W netbook reviewed

    Posted on August 26, 2009 | No Comments
    vaio Sony's first official netbook, the VAIO W, has been poked and prodded by Darren Gladstone over at PC World. You'll recall that the $499 machine features pretty standard netbook components, with the added bonus of the slightly-faster 1.66GHz Atom N280 CPU and a 10-inch 1366x768 resolution screen. Let's check out the highlights and lowlights, shall we?

    Full Story

  • Brando has a multi-touch+keypad for you Windows guys

    Brando has a multi-touch+keypad for you Windows guys

    Posted on August 20, 2009 | No Comments
    Well look at this, it's a combination Multi-touch touchpad and a plain ol' numeric keypad. (Years from now, when we're all using laptops, or, I guess, touchscreen interfaces, kids will ask, “What's a keypad?”) It's from Brando, if you had any doubts at all as to who makes it.

    Full Story

  • Crazy scratch UI to create cheap, unpowered touch surfaces

    Crazy scratch UI to create cheap, unpowered touch surfaces

    Posted on August 10, 2009 | No Comments
    The same guys who brought you the bubble input have created a crazy scratch UI that allows you to scratch and tap almost any surface. By sensing the sound and the finding the peaks and valleys in the waveform the system can tell if you’re scratching a shape or tapping on the surface. The UI can [...]

    Full Story