Microsoft's "Pseudo-Transparent" and Fold-Up PCs 94
waderoush writes "At the CHI 2009 conference, which wrapped up yesterday in Boston, Microsoft researchers showed off two radical prototypes that push the boundaries of user interfaces. One was a 'pseudo-transparent' iPhone-like device called nanoTouch, which has a trackpad on the back rather than a traditional touch screen and gives visual feedback in the form of a simulated image of the user's finger (the effect is like looking straight through the device). The other was a folding dual-screen device called Codex that can switch automatically between landscape, portrait, collaborative, or competitive modes depending on its 'posture' or orientation. If Microsoft doesn't build such devices itself, 'somebody else will, so it's really important to understand what the issues are,' said researcher Ken Hinckley."
Re:Link to vid (Score:5, Informative)
Looks like Microsoft is actually starting to get serious about research...
"Starting to"? MSR is one of the biggest single contributors to CS research out there, and has been for a long time.
(Note that MSR is almost entirely distinct from what I typically call MS Corporate, which would include things like product research. Sometimes there will be something that moves from MSR to Corporate, like the SLAM work moving into the Static Driver Verifier, but MSR is still quite autonomous.)
Re:Gorilla Arm for the 21st Century (Score:3, Informative)
I'm not sure what point you were trying to making linking the the Wikipedia article on thumbs. This technology allows for a PDA that can be used without a stylus and without your thumb getting in the way of the screen. I think this is great, as I often miss the button I intended to hit when using my thumb rather than the stylus on my smartphone. I am somewhat disinclined to believe that an index finger is dextrous enough to cover the whole screen of a typical modern PDA, though.
As for Codex, it's not a DS with an accelerometer. It's a DS with a position sensor in the hinge, and (apparently) the ability to turn both screens to the outside. Tablet PC on table - hinge at 105 degrees, screens to the inside; book on table - hinge at 180 degrees; battleship mode - hinge at 0 degrees, screens to the outside. I'm not sure how you think that even a simple program would have trouble distinguishing between these.
Backfacing Touchpad prior art (Score:1, Informative)
13 years ago Ratio Design Labs built a Motorola M.A.X. tech demo that used a back-facing touchpad for a pager interface. The only thing MS added is a finger instead of the pointer indicator.
Re:Geez, at least pick a different name (Score:1, Informative)
If apple insists on using basic words like nano and Touch in their product names can we let it go when they come up in other company product names? iPod is distinct enough but Touch? That's a verb. Let's face it the company is named after a fruit. You can't Trademark the name of a fruit. I'm just tired of everytime anything that comes out that looks vaguely similar to an apple product or has a similar name everyone always claims they are copying Apple. not everything revolves around them even if they would like to believ that.
Nokia already patented... (Score:1, Informative)
...interface where user points "behind" the display.
http://www.google.com/patents?id=ELsKAAAAEBAJ&dq=behind+nokia+user [google.com]