The technology has been available for years, and the DSLR market has been veering toward the general public ever since that cursed D was appended to it, so it's almost surprising that it's taking this long for touchscreens to infiltrate. But not really: DSLRs are proudly retro, built around mirror box and lens designs that date back decades, and covered in buttons to the point that, to an amateur, they are totally unapproachable. That said, the standard Canon and Nikon button layouts do work pretty well, and there are a lot of parameters you've got to deal with, so, well, here we are, staring down a Canon patent application for a basic touchscreen interface, in 2009:

Here's how it works, as interpreted by the Photography Bay:

1. Sliding your finger across the panel in a vertical direction changes aperture values.

2. Sliding your finger across the panel in a horizontal direction changes shutter speed.

Other features contemplated by the patent that may be enabled by touch entry through the LCD include the following settings:

Focus detection area
Exposure correction value
Flash adjustment correction value
Photometry mode (i.e., metering mode)
Drive mode
ISO value
Auto focus mode
White balance mode
Exposure correction value

In other words, the touchscreen would do everything your current 1970s aviation panel of a DSLR backside would, without the buttons.

In practice, I think a DSLR touchscreen would need to be supplementary. Given that a lot of DSLR adjustment is done with the photographer's eye in the viewfinder, the tactile feedback provided by buttons will be hard to replace; while it might make settings menus a bit easier to navigate, having a touchscreen won't do much good when you're trying to adjust aperture on the fly, or pull down your exposure time after a light flickers on. However wonderfully or horrifically it's executed, though, a touchscreen DSLR from a major manufacturer will happen, and probably soon. [Photography Bay]

The bag you see above isn't actually the core component of interface device—that'd be the sensor tile at its base, which generates and monitors a magnetic field. Any disturbances in the field—that's where the bag, filled with some kind of magnetic substance, like iron filings, comes in—can be translated into movement, whether it be simple X/Y gestures around a flat plane, or more complex gestures that take into account prod pressure. Technically interesting, but I feel like this concept needs a little something extra:

[A researcher said] making a device that could switch between an input and output device would be challenging. While moving ball bearings using magnetic fields shouldn't be too hard, "[moving] ferrous fluid bladders would be trickier," he says.

WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT OUTPUT? Consider this, mouse jockies: a few years from now, your Intellipoint might be an actively pulsating pouch of magnetic fluid. John C Dvorak, 1984:

The nature of the personal computer is simply not fully understood by companies like Apple (or anyone else for that matter). Apple makes the arrogant assumption of thinking that it knows what you want and need. It, unfortunately, leaves the "why" out of the equation - as in "why would I want this?" The Macintosh uses an experimental pointing device called a ‘mouse'. There is no evidence that people want to use these things. I dont want one of these new fangled devices.

Just replace "mouse" with "undulating sack of ferrofluid" and then tell me I'm crazy. Anyone? [Technology Review]

The Mega is based on Windows Mobile 6.5 and looks somewhat average, especially when compared to the upcoming Omnia II and its AMOLED screen (also based on Win Mobile 6.5). As BGR notes, however, the Mega is only a mid-range phone, and the UI could see things kicked up a bit when applied to higher end models in the future.

The Sense UI is represented here as well. Just in case you missed it, Sense is the Android interface overhaul that HTC debuted on the Hero back in June. True to their word, the UI—sorry, "design philosophy"—is being deployed on each of its phones going forward. [ai.rs via BGR]

By now you've probably seen the major adjustments to WinMo's interface—the Titanium home screen, honeycomb-but-not-honeycomb start menu, enlarged contextual menus and improved scrolling. These were a help, to be sure, but they've generally been available by means of third-party shells like TouchWiz and TouchFlo 3D for years now. This build, on the other hand, fixes some core problems.

Take the iPhone-esque text-selection, which isn't just better than WinMo 6.1's—it's better than Android's. And the expandable tray, while far from revolutionary, cements up another little pocket of stylus dependency, and quite possibly one of the last. Interestingly, these minor improvements could amount to a pretty big deal: While its aging guts are still very apparent, shipping 6.5 as a totally finger-friendly OS could be enough to classify it as something more than a stopgap exercise in shit-polishing. [XDA via Slashgear]

A free version is available for us to play around with, while the Pro version is $30. But both are lush, and the 3D desktop environments are eye-popping. One thing that the early demos may not have gotten across, though, is that BumpTop doesn't actually change that much about your computing experience. It's not an OS by any means, nor is it even a full shell conversion. No, it's really just a new desktop with some widget-like functionality. You can throw around your icons, which is fun, but beyond that you're limited to whatever extensions BumpTop supports: For example, flicking photos into a Facebook icon will upload them to the site, but this kind of behavior isn't systemwide—it's just the function of a specific widget.

CNET says the app is well suited to touchscreens, but I suspect it'll really come into its own when a multitouch version is released later this year to coincide with Windows 7. For now, though, it's a fun toy. [The Download Blog]

Instead of building out from the user interfaces found in their larger PMPs, Cowon seems to have gone for something fresh. And by "fresh", I mean "variously lifted from popular PMP interfaces, including that one that you don't want to lift from, because everyone will call you on it immediately." This is the second day of not-so-great news for teetery player, as yesterday its US release was pushed back to a murky "early 2009."

A few pictures don't tell the whole story though—despite the lack of a browser, the Curve still has the potential to give most available PMPs—iPod Touch included—a run for their money. Furthermore, prospective Curve owners should count themselves lucky; early Cowon players didn't have GUIs. [Digihunter]

The patent, filed in January of this year, shows that Nokia has been cooking up something gesture related for quite some time. The patent calls for an ultrasonic-based system for divining where your fingers were pointing at the screen, and to also detect basic gestures like opening and closing your hand to control a web browser (similar to gesture based interfaces in PCs). While this seems like an incredibly roundabout way to go about something that seems far more natural via touch, especially on a mobile device, I guess I'll reserve final judgment for when I'm surfing the web via jazz hands on a new N-series piece, should that day ever come. [Patent Application]

But the demo video on their site so far mostly shows off stuff we've seen touch/surface computers do before: move stuff around in really slick ways.

That said, the fact that you don't actually have to put your fingers on anything is a slight twist, and if done correctly, could be more intuitive than having to leave actual smudge marks on glass. Or it might just come down to whether or not you're a hands- on type of person.

beMerlin [Atracsys]

Sony is now using the XMB (cross media bar) interface developed for the PSP and the PS3 in its Sony Electronics products, such as the Mylo, a new receiver or two, and most new televisions, starting with the 37-in. Bravia KDF-37H1000 rear-projection LCD. See the XMB interface:

Now see the Bravia's XMB interface superimposed over the PS3's XMB interface (just for fun):

When I was checking out the new Mitsubishi LCDs, I had a look at their NetCommand system for assigning remote control commands. While the system itself has been around a while, the colorful higher-res visuals make the whole thing easier to figure out.

I asked David Katzmaier, TV reviewer at CNet, whether he thought I was onto something, and he replied speedily with more examples to the affirmative.

On a new HP:

This has a "simple menu" option that limits the number of controls available in the OSD. In simple mode, you can't adjust any of the picture parameters directly, just shuffle through modes.

Like many new TVs, all Samsungs and Sonys have text explanations of various menu items. When you select "Size" in the Samsung's menu, for example, the explanation reads "Selects the picture format according to source. The P SIZE button on the remote accomplishes the same function." This is a great substitute for reading the user manual. And of course, Samsungs play their little chime to let you know the TV is turning off and on. While annoying, it's also good feedback especially for sets that take awhile to warm up (DLPs for example). Sony, for its part, has a highly nested menu system where simpler options appear first. It's both easier for novices to navigate and more annoying for experts to find the item they want.

Now, am I wrong, or are TV's getting friendlier? I'll let you have the last word on the subject. – Wilson Rothman

All Things TV Related [Gizmodo]