Today, nearly three years after filing, the United States Patent & Trademark Office has awarded Apple patents for the iPhone’s popping character keyboard and slide-to-unlock functions. Yep, patents are pretty silly. [GoRumors]
Tiny MP3 players are great, but the tiny means of navigation they often employ can be a big pain in the arse. The Minput project explores the possibility of using optical sensors to let those devices double as mice. More »
Not entirely dissimilar to the 2008 patent which showed an iPhone being controlled by camera-based input, is this German student’s app, which controls the Maps app being controlled by the camera tracking hand movements through the app. More »
Apple patents come a dime a dozen, but these two seem both practical and implementable. The first outlines a solar powered iPod and the second details more specific gesture-based input methods, including scoops, nudges and tilts. More »
The Lenovo T400 series, aside from its occasional tussles with heavy machinery, doesn’t immediately stand out in the mid-size, high-end laptop crowd. That is, until you try to type on one. More »
An immersive multitouch, multi-user “Touchwall” has been revealed… for trade conference attendees. More »
newVideoPlayer("/unmouse.flv", 506, 304,""); The UnMouse Pad is like the MacBook Air/Pro’s multitouch trackpad on steroids. On display at the Microsoft Research Summit (which also housed the Microsoft Sphere), this Joint project between Microsoft and NYU utilises Force-Sensing Resistors to create one giant, mouse pad-sized circuit. In the last part of the video, you can see the insane amount of input points the UnMouse Pad can track and the rising bars indicate the amount of pressure applied at each point (especially when I press my whole hand on the pad). And according to creator Ken Perlin, the technology used in the UnMouse Pad is apparently dirt cheap as well, which could make it friendly for consumer markets. [Microsoft Research]
While modders are busily adapting the Eee PC for touchscreen capability, it seems that Asus has been working on an official handwriting recognition add-on. Demoed at last weeks Computex show, the Asus pad accepts English and Chinese (traditional and simplified) characters and simply plugs into the Eee’s USB port. It measures 10.9 x 11.2 x 1.8 cms, with the touch pad being a little over 5cms across. If you’re an eager hand-writing fan, you’ll have to wait though, as there’s no launch date or price info. [Aving via Pocket Lint]
