Input
”Asus Working on Handwriting-Pad Add-on for Eee PC
While modders are busily adapting the Eee PC for touchscreen capability, it seems that Asus has been working on an official handwriting recognition add-on. Demoed at last weeks Computex show, the Asus pad accepts English and Chinese (traditional and simplified) characters and simply plugs into the Eee's USB port. It measures 4.3 x 4.4 x 0.7 inches, with the touch pad being a little over 2-inches across. If you're an eager hand-writing fan, you'll have to wait though, as there's no launch date or price info. [Aving via Pocket Lint]Wireless Bluetooth Pen Puts Your Mid-Air Penmanship to the Test
Bluetooth enabled pens are nothing new, but they generally require something like special dotted paper to function properly. SMK Corp claims that their new "Wireless Input Pen" is the first device of its kind to transmit characters written in mid air. Combined with Bluetooth, the pen utilizes a a built-in triaxial acceleration sensor to detect the position of the pen when characters are formed, then transmits that information to a PC. More »Microsoft: Touchscreens Old and Busted; Force Sensitivity Is New Hotness
Craving a bit deeper, more meaningful interaction action with your touchscreen gadget, like maybe stretching or squeezing it? Microsoft thought so. Researchers have come up with a prototype of their force-sensing tech that'll let you apply different kinds of force to a device, like twisting or bending, to do stuff like flip through document pages or swing through applications.
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Elliptic Touchless UI Puts the Input Interface in Thin Air
Touchscreen interfaces are great, but all that touching, like foreplay, can be a little bit of a drag. Enter the wonder kids from Elliptic Labs, who are hard at work on implementing a touchless interface. The input method is, well, in thin air. The technology detects motion in 3D and requires no special worn-sensors for operation. By simply pointing at the screen, users can manipulate the object being displayed in all three dimensions. Details are light on how this actually functions, but what we do know is this:
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Use a Wiimote to Make Whiteboards Out of Anything
Johnny Lee's description of "Low-Cost Multi-point Interactive Whiteboards Using the Wiimote" may sound boring, but it's actually a very cool and very innovative use of the Wiimote. Since you can hook the controller up to your computer and accept inputs using the Wiimote library interface, you can use its infrared sensors to detect and track infrared light on any kind of surface. With Johnny's app, you can in turn use a cheap DIY IR pen as an input device and make your own whiteboard/input tablet. You should watch the video to see more, but this thing looks really exciting. [CMU - Thanks Adam!]Xbox 360 Input Machine Has Gamer Playing Halo 2 With Wiimote
It's impossible to ignore the unique brand of fun the Wii brings to the table with its motion-sensitive controller, but if you aren't into minigame fests, you don't have a lot of options for taking advantage of it. That's why one dedicated gamer decided to meld the power of the Wiimote with the game library of the Xbox 360, producing what he calls the Xbox 360 Input Machine (XIM). As you can see in the video above, Master Chief is running around the Halo 2 world, jumping and firing via instructions from the Wiimote (including motion-sensing swings). But can you realistically expect to be plugging your Wii into your 360 any time soon?
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two-in-one
EzKEY Keypad Mouse, for Number Crunchers on the Go
This EzKEY combo mouse and keypad might be just what you're looking for if you're on the road, suddenly need to add a long list of numbers, and your laptop doesn't have a keypad. Just flip up the top as you would open your car's trunk, and there you have a keypad to do some quick number crunching. Flip it down, and it works and feels just like any other mouse. More »
wireless tech
Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000 Uses 2.4GHz Tech
Take the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, cut the cable, throw in a Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 and then add 2.4GHz wireless connectivity to both, and you have the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Desktop 7000. If you like that gullwing design of the keyboard, this might just be a perfect fit for you. More »
input device
Salient Wireless Pen Mouse Doubles as Dildo
For those artists whose desire of a fat pen is accompanied by the need for a two-button scrolling mouse, Salient Tech swoops in with the VM-203, a wireless pen mouse with 1000dpi resolution. It's designed to be easy to use, with its rubberized grip and rounded ergonomic shape, but to us it just looks like it's too big. Couldn't they have slimmed it down a bit? Maybe it's actually not fat enough for its obvious secondary use. Wonder if it vibrates. More »
next-gen input
MagicMouse Puts 3D Control on Your Finger
Put this MagicMouse on your finger, and make your PC's cursor move around as if by some miraculous force. It works with five carefully positioned ultrasonic microphones, picking up signals from the ring and judging its position in 3D space. Move your hand closer or farther away from the screen and you zoom in, or move your hand back and forth and the cursor follows it. More »
the future
Microsoft Shift Makes Cellphone Finger Input Easier (But Not Booger Free)
The shift project from Microsoft research has a goal that may not seem lofty at first, but could possibly help shape cellphone touchscreen technology in a big way. Traditionally, with Windows Mobile phones and other touchscreen phones, you have to use a stylus because your finger is too fat and unwieldy. Even Apple's iPhone, with its crazy gropeability, doesn't solve the problem of your finger being in the way of what you're trying to click. More »
waiting for lebedev
Optimus Maximus Keyboard Pre-Order Countdown Begins (Get Yours Saturday)
As tired as we're getting of this on-again, off-again story, we might as well give you an update on that ambitious Optimus Maximus keyboard, the $1564 piece of vaporware that aims to have an OLED display underneath every key. More »
peripherals
uPlusPen is like a Tablet, Minus the Tablet
uPlusPen is the latest input device straight out of Korea. It is similar to a Wacom-style tablet, but there is no actual tablet. The pen can write on any surface and be transferred to the computer. This could be perfect for those on-the-go graphic designers who don't want to lug a tablet everywhere, or for someone who doesn't have the office-space for a giant tablet. No word on availability or pricing. Image via Aving More »
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