We’re going to be seeing a lot more touchscreen computers. One of the features of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system is that it supports a multitouch user-interface (much like on the iPhone or a Tablet PC). To further the adoption of such touchscreen technology, Microsoft led a $24 million round in Israeli startup N-trig. Other investors included Aurum Ventures, Challenger Ltd., Canaan Partners, and Evergreen Venture Partners. In just the past two years, the company has raised $52 million.
Does every computer now have to come with a touchscreen? N-trig’s computer screens are already used in the HP TouchSmart and Dell Lattitude XT. For tablet PCs, a touchscreen is a must. But for desktop PCs, or even conventional laptops, it can be a bit awkward. For one thing, the vertical screen forces your arm to hang in the air instead of rest on top of it.
Touchscreens are becoming popular on mobile phones because they offer the best computing experience in such a limited space. And as people become more comfortable with them, they could give rise to a whole host of new computing devices, including Web tablets. But simply putting touchscreens on conventional computers without altering their design is not going to fly—even if they run Windows 7.
oh please, not on desktop.who are the end users? Other than music, I dont see how touch screen can help other typical uses of pc – emails, word, excel…
they must be doing research to replace the keyboard.. like handwriting recognition/voice recognition.. in that case, touch screens would become very handy..
I don’t see it being decent enough to replace the good old mouse for a good long while.
http://www.yout...h?v=2Y_Jp6PxsSQ
Microsoft is an OEM business. People do build stuff with Windows other than traditional desktop machines.
Businesses who use Point of Sales are a market too.
Horizontal and vertical touch screens have their own advantages and disadvantages.. Horizontal touch screens can be a delight for a digital artist.. It will be very ergonomic for him to draw portraits.. on the other hand, rightly pointed out by erick, for normal users like us, its gonna strain our hand..
I guess, microsoft has invested this huge sum for the technology.. its up to them to use it horizontally, or vertically.. They can design the screens in a manner which can be placed both vertically, or horizontally, just like in a tablet pc..
Your conclusion sounds very much like someone saying “who would like an IBM PC at home” in 1982….
Thank you.
I was gonna say “You have a very limited imagination, Erick”.
Does that mean I would have to have an Hardware upgrade for Windows 7, Is microsoft going to force customers to buy a specific Monitor? …is it going to be something like below.
Window 7 Ultimate : Multi touch , Aero interface
Window 7 Home : Includes Multitouch , Media centre.
Windows 7 Home Basic : Single Touch, [like Vista]
Praveen
http://spraveen...ro.blogspot.com
Don’t be an idiot.
Multitouch will only work after you install Service Pack 5 for Windows 7
This isn’t about just about conventional users accessing their PCs and laptops in an unconventional way – this also opens up computing to a wider universe of people that may have had limited or no access due to mobility or “fear of technology” issues. It will streaamline use for the mainstream and for digital designers, but will also break open access for elderly, mobility impaired, etc
Although I am all for touch-screen based computers, i do not believe that keyboards will be replaced any time soon. Voice recognition has been around. For a while. I remember the old software where you had to say just about every word in the dictionary twice before it would work properly. But now it is good, but still not many people want to use it for all purposes. Would you want to sit at work and talk away to your pc? Or go on porn sites while your family is in the next room, saying vulgar words out loud? No way. Not gonna happen.
Keyboards will remain. For a very long time.
I see the use in a much wider scenario than just the conventional desktop or laptop environment. For example, computers can be embedded in kitchens or other family area’s in the house, supply a media and environment control post as well as easy access to anyone who isn’t inclined to using a computer at that moment but just needs something casual. For example, using the web to look for a recipe while working in the kitchen or watching a web video on the breakfast counter.
I’m a huge fan of tactile interfaces. I exclusively use tablets as my HID of choice, and I spent one summer as an admin over at NUIGroup, where I learned to build a surface computer from scratch.
The HP TouchSmarts are terrible. I’ve played with a few at Costco/Best Buy. It’s sensitive enough to pick up your hand when you are hovering over the screen, but registers this as a click/drag. It’s very counterintuitive, while the entire concept is to make the computer more intuitive.
I have the iphone and the touch screen is great because it makes sense and it’s easy but on desktops and laptops it would make no sense and make things harder..agree maybe for music or something it would work.
It depends on the applications that are built around the tech. I can think of nothing compelling right now that gets me excited, but if W7 adds serious uses and new apps are developed to make this interesting, then we all need to stop bitching.
for a compnay with THAT much money its a great investment..
do i REALLY see it going anywhere?
probably not.. but why RISK it?!..
Nintento took a HUGE risk on the Wii but it paid off in BIG!!
who says Microsoft cna’t do the same?
Get your facts straight. The HP touchsmart (desktop, the one pictuered above not the latest Tablet PC) doesn’t use n-Trig capacitive screens. It isn’t even a capacitive screen. It uses an array of IR LEDs to detect you fingers.
I wonder why Windex isn’t leading the charge here, since it its they who stand to benefit the most from all PCs have a touch screen.
I agree that touch screen technology will make computers more pervasive and they’ll start showing up in all kinds of new places. Just a few years ago, ATM and subway kiosks became touch screens. The other day, I refilled my metro card using a touch screen and then withdrew money from my account using a touch screen and then made a phone call in my iPhone. When I finally got to the office, I was disappointed when the attachment in the e-mail I got didn’t open when I touched it…
“I wonder why Windex isn’t leading the charge here, since it its they who stand to benefit the most from all PCs have a touch screen.”
LOL
I think it is a great idea. There are numerous different ways this technology can be used and it is about time someone is bringing it to the market. Even your average grandma will be able to make use of it when she can touch the screen to move her cards in solitaire instead of using that “awkward pointing device”
Touch screen systems have been used in many business and point of sale systems for years – why not be able to bring it home.
This opens up a new market for computer furniture and monitor specifications as well. After all, if you are going to have a touchscreen monitor, you will need a more ergonomic design – maybe a place to rest your elbow and a slightly tilted monitor. Maybe we will see monitor built into the desks now, where you hover over it, kind of like the old Atari machines (Galaga and Space Invaders both had sit and hover models).
Imagine sitting down at your desk, having your keyboard and monitor built horizontally into the desk where you can look down into them, and then maybe having a slider drawer where you could just slide over the monitor to use as a writing surface when you need it without accidentally opening files on the computer – like that last video clip that you probably should not have been watching at work anyways….
Someone want to take my ideas on furniture and run with them? I would, but I am too busy. Just pay me royalties and we are all good
All in all I think it is a good idea and am quite surprised that it took this long to come out. Now maybe I can beat “21″ on pogo a little quicker
A great product – I like it.
I think touch makes sense if new monitors are not designed to be vertical but at maybe a 45 degree angle. Then it would be much easier to use.
Are you related to Praveen? Monitors designed to be viewed at a 45 degree angle? Asking if this will require a hardware upgrade?
OMG… For the sake of humanity….
Another move by microsoft towards the next generation great but it does not have any effect on office is it
pretty cool demo’s on their website, i can see potential in this DuoSense Technology.
go microsoft! if you can’t beat em, buy em.
I personally cant wait for this technology, just the capability for programming music alone is gonna make certain tasks so much easier and more enjoyable…woo!!!!!
I already use the closest thing to an advanced high resolution touch screen out there… 21″ Wacom Cintiq. Yes I have to use a pen right now but my grubby paws are all over it all the time. I havn’t had to use a cleaner on my screen except for the back of my sleeve this year.
Market for touch screens? Yes… I do a lot of graphic work on mine but the thing that surprised me most was the HUGE speed gains in Excel, Word and other traditional programs. I still use a keyboard with my screen but have long abandoned the mouse.
My 2 cents… A huge win coming for whoever gets to market first and with the adequate quality to really make it work.
Chris
@erick.
I deeply agree with you. I live in brazil and here those touchable interfaces are like magic to most of people. I tried that hp touchable computer and the experience still sucks, but for now maybe the hype is too high for us to notice that.
I wonder a bit if the touchable hardware and interfaces are not been overestimated. I’m sure it is a hell of cool to see tom cruise manipulating interface air elements, but in a manner of energy spend on a task accomplishment I challenge to say that its way diferent from using touch on small devices.
Even on small devices, I’ve never seen anyone using its itouch or iphone on a vertical state. Microsoft showed us about how multitouch should me made (horizontal, table like hardware).
I feel it is so unnatural to use just our finger to touch digital elements, I’m sure the touchable interfaces will bring us new opportunities of different interaction moments in a ubiquitous compuing world, there is where I see the real use of it.
I can barely stand one fingerprint on my screen let alone the whole thing covered in them. Gross.
imagine this technology as an enabler to use of softwares in different fields such as:
design – you can touch screen to moves different designs around, bring them together, insert objects, remove objects, go to different views (construction industry, auto, software, website, network dev, …. )
making/editing movies, music, presentations, etc
kids teaching software…
think of all the new application this could lead to and not trying to impose this tech on things that we have at the moment
n-trig is amazing new technology but problem for the love of god or no god depending on what u believe in add adobe support so users could get pen pressure working