TouchSmarter: Touch Screen Gadgets

Microsoft’s surface technology might be a distant dream for the consumers as of yet but the latest innovation from the guy called Seth Sandler an undergraduate at UC san Diego has at least brought the touch screen computer into his dorm. Using a cardboard with a webcam, portable multi-touchpad, a piece of glass paper and Philips SPC900NC he has built a touch screen that can handle his computer with the command from his fingers. The camera recognizes the shadow of the fingers as they are placed in the pad’s surface. Tracking software then transfers the motions to the computer screen for further processing.

Inspired somewhat from the Microsoft’s Surface Technology which was announced last year this cardboard touch screen box can recognize the finger touch with the help of webcam fixed in it. Though it might not be as useful as the original variants which will cost you some good amount dollars but it shows how an innovative mind with knowledge of technology can bring things from nowhere. Check Out the Video Below:

Trendhunter Magazine has compiled a list of the top interactive touch surfaces.

For those of you new to the world of multi-touch, a list like this gives you a pretty good recap of where this new technology is taking us.

One of our more popular multi-touch videos is of course Jeff Han’s demo.

Well, thanks to the good people at Autodesk, a high resolution DVD image is now available. It is fairly large (119MB), but if you wanted to show off the multi-touch goodness in a presentation or meeting, now you can.

Download the ISO here.

Wow, has it really been 100 days since Apple turned the world upside down with their iPhone? Here is a nice recap of what the device is like after these 100 days.

First up, the video:

This is but one of several videos showing what the NUI-box can do. The NUI Group should be commended for their work on this project. It is great to see a device that is actually allowing multiple people to do multiple different things. The future looks bright.

This seems like yet another take on the multi touch table concept. This is one very un-compact looking compact table, but we will let it go…this time.

Guttervomit.com (?) has a really well done write up on the iPod Touch. In the end, it is similar to all the rest, the device is great, with some minor quirks.

This is just a strange bit of information. Neiman Marcus has a listing for the Interactive Media Wall from Perceptive Pixel. Not much information is given, only that the starting price is $100,000. It is part of their Christmas Book collection (appropriately part of the Fantasy section) and if you are interested, and have a few million spare pennies, buy it here.

The folks over at Gizmondo discuss and comment on the details surrounding a multi-touch enabled MacBook. It is their opinion that the oft rumored forthcoming PDA from Apple is not going to happen, as the entire PDA industry is shrinking daily as smartphones take over. Instead, it is suggested that there is a strong chance a new, thin and touchable MacBook will be Apple’s next big thing.

If this product takes the form of a convertible tablet, Microsoft’s Tablet PC product line will surely take a beating. We are in agreement with Gizmondo that a PDA seems questionable, especially with both the iPhone and iPod Touch containing many PDA abilities as it is.

Bringing word that Finnish company Satama Interactive has been chosen to be a member of Microsoft’s Surface Partner Advisory Council.

There seems to be an abundance of international talent in the realm of multi touch and natural user interface design. Hopefully, this Advisory Council plays a strong role in developing Microsoft Surface into a intuitive and extendible platform.