We’ve all played on them. Well, I say played, but the fun that can be had with a touch screen is rather limited. You don’t have a keyboard - everything is inputted through pressing the correct part of the screen and the computer reads this input. The touch screen technology is about a decade old, and relies on good old electronic circuit principles to work (metallic layers are pressed together upon touching the screen, which closes a circuit at a pressure point, telling the computer exactly where the screen was touched; very clever but simple).
Well, now there is a new toy under development.
Hands up who has seen Minority Report?
Me too. It’s ok. Nice idea if a bit far fetched, whimsical, and in violation - I am positive - of several human rights laws. Anyway. The screens are the obvious link in this little post; in the film Tom Cruise is seen flicking windows and files and images around on the screen with his hands in some special gloves. Extremely neat, and given the fact touch screen technology has been around for a few years, it’s suprising the idea hasn’t caught on and been flaunted by Apple or some major hardware manufacturer.
Well, now it is becoming more of a reality! And from labs in the UK. And labs run by Microsoft! Bravo.
Here is a link to the film on YouTube which demonstrates it:
I have watched it, and it looks good. However, I have also watched a video of the iPhone….and I’m not taking sides, I’m really not…but it doesn’t look an awful lot different to this new technology. Obviously there are a few cool new aspects coming with the new microsoft screen, namely the sensors ability to ’see’ objects within ~ 1cm away; but in all honesty I don’t know if there’s something to be excited about here yet.
There is more on this at NewScientist.co.uk or, obviously, on YouTube, at the above link.
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