Computer Table!: Ideum's MT55 Pro Multitouch Table

Computer Table!: Ideum's MT55 Pro Multitouch Table Incite gadget-envy with this touchscreen computer, which stands nearly three feet tall, balances its 4' wide 16:9 HD LED table display atop an aircraft-grade aluminum base/frame (avail in your choice of 100+ colors), comes with a built-in Bose stereo, and's blazing fast thanks to an Intel Quad-Core i7-870 processor, which is, like, inside of your computer, and apparently a really good processor. Order up one of these beasts at Ideum.com

Best Kitchen PC/TV - Smart-Leaf!

The all-in-one PC has a rugged build with fold-out, spill-proof keyboard, touchscreen and WiFi, together with options like a TV tuner. Plus, as you can see from this picture, just one touch makes ladies very happy.

The Smart-Leaf debuted at CES 2008 as a concept; it seems that Originatic have been doing some market research since then. Both home and business users are being targeted, with Originatic believing the former want an “out of the way” machine for kitchens while the latter desire “cost-effective, space efficient” alternatives to the usual information kiosks.

Has a great place in the HealthCare Model:

Health Care

Please see website for ordering and more info: http://www.smart-leaf.com/

The Touchscape Multi-Touch Coffee Table Makes Coffee Fun

By Nayla Khan

Advertisement

We all know that a lot can happen over coffee. But now it is time to change the phrase a little. A lot can now happen over the coffee table. In fact the table can give discussions a guide and get actively involved in conversations. No, the table is not going to do the talking but it can help you in a number of ways. Thanks to the brand new concept of the Multi-Touch Coffee Table from Touchscape.

The concept of the touch screen is pretty well-known now. This very technology has been incorporated into the coffee table. The Multi-Touch Coffee Table has a 47 inch high definition LCD screen incorporated onto its surface. You might have seen something like these being used in movies but it won’t be long before you could run your fingers on one such screen in your very own living room.



This patented MT technology bearing coffee table screen boasts of having an HD 1920 X 1080p resolution. It is capable of tracking as many touches as can be fit on the screen. It has been powered by a Quad Core Processor and the surface configuration can be a Windows 7 touch input device similar to the Microsoft Surface. It can also serve TUIO touch events to be used with SUSHI or multitouch SDK. The unique experience of this table enables you to enjoy applications with your fingertips. Moving around on screen or browsing through photographs was never so easy before.

The processor is ably supported by a 4 GB memory while there is scope for storing a whopping 180 GB. That would take many coffee mugs to discuss all that data. It efficiently supports Bluetooth, Wi Fi, USB and Ethernet. Keeping with the times it is well ready to take on the 3G era in communication.

The ambient light sensor is able to adjust display based on the background lighting conditions. The self monitoring system keeps a watch on the performance by regularly checking for updates which keeps the system moving.



Since it is a coffee table it should be capable enough to support coffee mugs and this it can do with all expertise. The LCD display has features like being scratch resistant, wipe-clean top, and in the worst case replaceable.

Once you have invited guests over for coffee on the Multi-Touch table you are sure to have them visiting again. And you are going to be a beaming host to all.

If you think this is great, you are yet to go through articles on iPhone 4 Table Design and Dining Pool Table.
Via: Born Rich

5 Tablet Offerings Explored, An Infographic

by Dave Altavilla

Ever since the iPad’s release, various manufacturers have been in a race to develop something as good as, or better than Apple’s current industry leading tablet. Frankly at the time of its launch, the iPad simply didn't have any real competitors with the same design elegance, polish and the total solution that Apple' s App Store brings to the table. That said, a mere six months later and manufacturers are starting to line up to give the iPad a run for its money. Here's a look at a few of the major tablet offerings we know of thus far, courtesy of our friends at Managed VPS. You can compare and contrast high-level features and functionality for yourself here. Do devices from Samsung and ViewSonic have what it takes to compete? Word is Dell has something larger on the horizon too. So many tablets, so little time. It's a good problem to have.

Click image for higher res.

Microsoft’s 'Manual Deskterity' Enhances User Touchscreen Experience (w/ Video)

by John Messina
from http://www.physorg.com/

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Microsoft’s “Manual Deskterity” adds power and a more natural user experience to the tablet PC.

(PhysOrg.com) -- Microsoft's "Manual Deskterity" combines touch and pen for a more natural user experience working with Microsoft Surface (tabletop touchscreen) and newer versions of Windows 7 tablet.

Microsoft’s aims are to combine pen and multi-touch input into a more natural user experience. For example, moving papers around on your desk and jotting notes on them, and then dropping them into folders for filing. The pen input is great for certain tasks, but not others; the same holds true for touch.

Microsoft’s new user interface exhibits many interesting features when combining the pen and touch interaction on the touchscreen. Take for instance, if a user wanted to copy an object, they can do so by holding it down with one hand and dragging the pen across the image to peel off a new one and place it anywhere on the desk.

The above video demonstrates many user interface techniques that would have to be learned to fully utilize all the features incorporated into “Manual Deskterity”. Microsoft believes that the natural user interface will ease the learning process and prevent users from trying to remember a sequence of commands or menu operations.

Microsoft’s Bill Buxton explains what the Natural User Interface is all about, in the above video.

Microsoft’s researchers have arrived at the following perspective: the pen writes, touch manipulates, and the combination of both yields new tools.

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Pen writes, touch manipulates.

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Pen plus touch equals new set of tools.

By combining the two, Microsoft researchers are working on a whole new variety of tools for interacting with your computer. There are also plans to adapt this user interface to work on mobile devices.

© 2010 PhysOrg.com

What's Better Than a Tablet? A Computer That Doesn't Need a Screen

Posted by Alex_Pasternack

From: http://www.motherboard.tv/

Now that our future has been revolutionized, at least for today, with a Moses-like tablet that will change how we publish, read, think and watch NSFW videos in public spaces, it’s easy to forget about the real future of computers — the one that involves no physical screen, and no real gadget, at all.

It’s been the stuff of the future in science fiction before, most recently as the gear used in the Syfy’s Battlestar prequel Caprica. But dudes, we’re living in the future. Using laser-based projection technology, one of those “phase modulating spatial light modulators” and other tech tucked into a tiny box, this computer by a UK company called Light Blue Optics projects a touch screen on any surface with relatively low power. The company’s co-founder, Dr. Adrian Cable, visited gadget geek Robert Scoble yesterday at his house, leading to a homemade, touch-heavy video with a gently voiced cameraman that might be best be called softcore amateur future gadget porn.

To see the thing in action,

Want an excuse to write something on some of your old monogramed stationary? You could type it. Ordering another enchilada right on your table cloth? Check. Want to mix your afternoon Bloody Mary on top of your Google Docs page? Does your e-reader or your fat belly need more music videos on it? It’s coming. Googling on your steering wheel? You so crazy. Wanna take multitasking to the next dimension? Project this hologram screen on top of your iPad. Yup, straight on top of it.

Alright, maybe we’re not ready for that just yet. And while the prototype is already being manufactured by Foxconn, the big company that makes Apple’s products, and the company has heard lots of interest since it made a splash at CES, we’re probably not going to start using any surface as our computers for another couple of years.

But I can’t wait for a future when we don’t have to lug around screens everywhere (and, for that matter, don’t tweet-drool over things like over-hyped oversized iPhones.)

The interactive projector that turns any surface into a Minority Report-style touch screen

By Claire Bates

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Fed up of lugging a heavy laptop around? Soon you could be typing documents and browsing the web on any nearby surface with the aid of a pioneering pocket-sized projector.

An innovative British company called Light Blue Optics has created the Light Touch, which transforms any surface into a 10.1in touch screen, reminiscent of the film Minority Report.

The Light Touch works well with social networking sites and can be used to update your Twitter account

The system uses holographic laser projection and infrared sensors to create a screen that supports multi-touch gestures, like many smart phones.

The device was unveiled by the Cambridge based company at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Dr Edward Buckley was on hand to show off its impressive features, including games, photo galleries and a video player with the brightness of 15 lumens.

'With the photo application you can drag your pictures around into an order you like, view one by touching on it and also scroll through them. It's much like on an iPhone,' he told reporters.

Dr Buckley from Light Blue Optics said the projectors could be useful in restaurants, shops and hotels

Dr Buckley was even able to connect to his Twitter account online using the Light Touch's Wi Fi connection.
Technology pundits at the show were surprised at how accurate the gadget was.

Thomas Ricker from engadget.com said: 'Despite our skepticism, we came away suitably surprised - impressed even.

'The touch sensitivity was far more accurate than we expected - so good that we were quickly typing out phrases on the QWERTY with few mistakes.'

How the holographic projector works

Holographic refers to the novel method of projection used by the Light Touch.
A distorted version of the desired image is placed on a  microdisplay using diffraction patterns (the effective bending of light waves.)

When this is illuminated with a laser it projects the correct image outwards, remaining in focus at all distances.
It also works on curved surfaces.

This makes it far more flexible than Microsoft Surface that needs large touchscreen panels attached to surfaces.

Fiction to reality: Surface computers were imagined in the film Minority Report

It currently has 2Gb of storage with SD card expansion. Dr Buckley said the technology also had the capability of connecting to other devices such as MP3 players and phones.
'We are developing technology but we want to work with other companies to bring it to market,' Dr Buckley said.
He said the device could be useful in restaurants, hotels and retail outlets to name a few.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1241608/CES-2010-The-interactive-projector-turns-surface-Minority-Report-style-touch-screen.html#ixzz0cKEzjMRh

The Touch-Screen Top 10

http://www.pcmag.com/

With Windows 7 right around the corner, there's lots of talk of touch-screen tech in PCs, but plenty of devices have mastered the touch-screen interface. Here are ten of our favorites.

by Wendy Sheehan Donnell

Buzz up!on Yahoo!

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes touch screens so cool. Maybe it's that swiping your finger across a display is just a lot more fun than hitting an actual button to get where you're going. Or it could be that the constantly shifting image on an LCD can display any type of button, and that it can change from screen to screen, creating limitless possibilities in a cleanly designed product with few, if any, physical controls.

Whatever it is, touch-screen technology has finally hit the mainstream. These days, in the PCMag Labs, we see scores of cell phones, portable media players, digital cameras, and other devices that eschew traditional buttons and replace them with on-screen controls. Many of them do so successfully, but that's not to say that we don't still see the occasional clunker. Some interfaces just aren't finger-friendly and include icons that are way too small to maneuver with your average fingertip. And there are those touch-screen UIs that are just unresponsive, leaving you pressing over and over, wishing for the instant gratification of an actual button. The best touch screens make you forget that physical buttons ever existed.

Now, if you don't mind all the greasy fingerprints, behold, the top touch-screen devices we've tested:

Desktops and Laptops:
HP TouchSmart 600-0155 PC

$1,599 list
This top-of-the-line, all-in-one Windows 7 PC from HP will appeal to both the touch aficionado and the average home user, and it just shows how touch-screen interfaces are finally hitting the mainstream.

Lenovo ThinkPad T400s (Multitouch)

$2,395 direct
A big-screen version of the ThinkPad X300, the T400S commands the same kind of awe, and it features the best implementation of a multitouch panel on a laptop.

Smartphones:
Apple iPhone 3GS

$199 (16GB), $299 (32GB) with AT&T contract
With its latest iPhone iteration, Apple has further perfected the touch-screen user interface that spawned an army of imitators.

HTC Imagio

$199 with Verizon contract
The first truly top-notch touch-screen Windows Mobile device we've seen (and there have been a lot of them), the HTC Imagio could signal a comeback for Microsoft smartphones given its refreshed OS, beautiful TouchFLO 3D interface, and genuine broadcast mobile television.

Portable Media Players:
Apple iPod touch (3rd Generation)

$199 (8GB), $299 (32GB), $399 (64GB) direct
This time around, the best iPod around gets a speed boost, a capacity increase, a lower price tag, and some modest Genius feature improvements. One thing remains the same: It's the best touch-screen PMP available.

Microsoft Zune HD

$219.99 (16GB), $289.99 (32GB) direct
With a fantastic OLED touch screen, a top-notch Web browser, and a wireless music store, the Zune HD is tops—that is, if you live outside the iTunes universe.

Digital Cameras:
Canon PowerShot SD980 IS

$329.99 list
Canon's first touch-enabled point-and-shoot camera, the PowerShot SD980 IS masters the touch-screen shooting experience with an intuitive, easy-to-follow UI, but some wide-angle image-quality issues hold it back from true greatness.

Samsung DualView TL225

$349.99 list
Sure the front-facing, self-portrait LCD on Samsung's DualView TL225 is cool, but the beautiful, ultra-high-resolution 3.5-inch touch screen, with its well-executed interface make this camera a true winner.

Media Extender:
Sonos Bundle 250

$999 direct
Hmmm. This one might seem a bit puzzling, but it's the remote control that's bundled with this multi-room music system that's the star of the show. Its very responsive 640-by-480, 3.5-inch touch screen is a pleasure to use, letting you zip around the system's well-designed UI quickly and easily.

Remote Control:
Logitech Harmony 1100

$399.99 direct
If you're willing to peel your eyes from your HDTV to look down at the Harmony 1100 to find its on-screen buttons, this slick-looking, tablet-style universal remote provides a very solid touch-screen experience. Plus, it's a snap to set up, and a recent $100 drop makes it still-expensive price a bit more palatable.

Click here for each individual review Next >

London Restaurant Uses Touchpads for Orders, Projectors for Mood Alteration

By Jose Fermoso

The Inamo restaurant in London's fashionable SoHo district isn't known for its splendid food or outstandingly accommodating waitresses.

Instead, the new Asian fusion eatery is getting raves for its use of a touch pad-projection system that allows diners to send food orders directly to the chefs and makes the dining experience fully interactive.

Every table at Inamo has its own image projector above (see pic at right), meaning every person essentially gets to eat off a giant computer screen. This allows the restaurant to offer several interesting experiences, like selecting the mood of the table by choosing between different 'place mat' images and videos. According to a recent diner, the rig is based on a flash/actionscript system.

When you're waiting for your meal to arrive, you can click on a kitchen camera that let's you see your food being prepared, play different types of computer board games (like Battleship), and when you're done, you can separate bills and boot up a map to figure out your next move around town.

But for me, the best part seems to be that when you're choosing through potential dining options, a picture of the food appears on the plate where you'll be eating it. I'm not sure if the size of the picture approximates the size of the actual meal, but I think this is better than just the syrupy, dramatized meal explanation one usually gets.

As for the circular touch pad, it seems pretty basic, though I do worry about whether the restaurant changes its surface once in awhile to clean it. Otherwise, you have to rely on other people's hand-washing abilities or dip your hand in a tub of Purella before taking a bite.

Even though your ordering experience is pretty much automated, every table does have a waiter that brings over the meal and answers questions about the system.

Check out a few more pictures of the Inamo restaurant after the jump.

The projectors at a standstill before the diners come in. Dan.Pan.*/flickr

You can check out the Kitchen cam from your own table. Phillie Casablanca/Flickr

This is how you choose the different color moods. Phil Hawksworth/flickr

Finding out the subway routes on the table. Phil Hawksworth/flickr

Playing Battleship and drinking now go together. Phillie Casablanca/Flickr

Actual food, looks too much like tapas' 'small plate' dining for my taste. Dan.Pan.*/flickr

Insert Photo: lauronsky/Flickr

See also: