Wacom claims that their RRFC (Reversing Ramped Field Capacitive) display is the only surface capacitive touch technology in the world that works with "excellent accuracy, stability and sensitivity even when working on battery power." The features seem similar to N-Trig's DuoSense technology, except Wacom's product apparently also have their tablet's precision and sensitiveness specs, something that the DuoSense doesn't offer. They also say that their design is immune to noise, as well as having "highly durable and transparent glass sensors" which actually is tougher than glass.

We will have to wait to May 20, when it will be presented at the International Society for Information Display Exhibition, to see how it looks like.

Press Release:

Wacom Introduces Major Innovations In Capacitive Touchscreen Technology
New human interface solution to debut at the Society for Information Display exhibition

Tokyo, Japan and Vancouver, WA, USA April 22, 2008 Wacom announced today a major innovation in capacitive touchscreen technology, called Reversing Ramped Field Capacitive (RRFC ) touch, that will be publicly unveiled at the International Society for Information Display Exhibition, booth #1129, May 20 to 22, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. Wacom's patent-pending technology employs newly designed low-power circuitry and revolutionary reversing ramped electro-static fields to deliver pinpoint precision and drift-free performance to touchscreen users. The technology can be integrated into dual-input applications with Wacom's market-leading EMR pen-input technology for Tablet PC OEMs or work by itself on other platforms that require only a finger touch interface. With this newly developed technology, Wacom can provide true flexibility to OEM partners seeking best-in-class interface solutions.
"Wacom's latest capacitive touch innovation is truly another technology breakthrough for Wacom," said Masahiko Yamada, President and CEO of Wacom Company Ltd. "It demonstrates our calling and commitment to bringing human interface products to market that make computing more natural, easy and fun."

Intuitive Integration
Wacom's RRFC touch technology overcomes many limitations that are inherent in surface capacitive touchscreens available today. For starters, Wacom employs new static field engineering for increased stability and drift-free performance. With advanced ASIC design and high resolution signal processing, RRFC touch is effectively immune to noise. It is also the only surface capacitive touch technology that can demonstrate excellent accuracy, stability and sensitivity even when working on battery power. As an additional benefit, both Wacom's RRFC touch and EMR pen input technologies can work together off of a single ASIC and MCU pair, significantly reducing overall bill of materials and manufacturing costs. Furthermore, Wacom incorporates highly durable and transparent glass sensors with multiple coating and bonding options as well as intuitive driver software, creating a compelling portfolio of human interface solutions for OEM partners seeking cost-effective, state-of-the-art technology for system integration.

"Our new proprietary RRFC touch technology is exciting on a couple of fronts," said Shawn Gray, Wacom's Director of Touchscreen Operations. "New controller processing methods and system design provide extremely accurate pointing at much lower power consumption levels and without increased cost. These factors and others, such as ease of integration and stability, position Wacom RRFC touch as a natural alternative to resistive, surface acoustic wave and infrared touch technologies. Any OEM should seriously look at Wacom's solution when deciding to move beyond resistive touch solutions on portable devices or when seeking to find new and exciting capacitive touch performance in AC-powered applications."

Benefit of Wacom s RRFC Dual Touchscreens
Compared to touchscreens with resistive capacitive, an older touchscreen technology, Wacom's RRFC touch offers superior optical performance, while having increased sensitivity and durability. Wacom touchscreens have greater transmissivity of up to 95 percent, compared to transmissivity of only 80 to 85 percent in resistive capacitive touch screens. Wacom RRFC touch technology requires less pressure, that is, only a very light stroke to activate a signal, compared to the force required in a resistive touch screen. The hard surface in Wacom's RRFC touchscreen is also tougher than glass, which helps eliminate wear and scratching.

History of Innovation in Human Interface Technology
For the last 25 years Wacom has brought people and technology closer together through its natural and highly intuitive line of pen tablets and interactive pen displays. The company's electro-magnetic resonance (EMR ) technology, bolstered by its patented battery-free and cordless digital pen, dubbed Penabled , has played a significant role in the development and success of the mobile computing industry, culminating with the introduction of the first Tablet PC in 2001. As OEM and consumer demand for new and more natural input options increased, Wacom took the lead by offering electronic solutions for its pen together with 3rd party resistive touch input to manufacturers of Tablet PCs. To date, Wacom's pen and resistive touch systems can be found on some of the world s leading convertible notebook computers including, Lenovo, HP, Toshiba and Gateway. Wacom's introduction of its own RRFC touch technology continues the strong tradition of developing human interface solutions solely aimed at creating and delivering affordable, ergonomically sound, efficient and enjoyable computing experiences to both consumer and professional users.

Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Expertise
A global company with a wealth of experience producing large volumes of components for PC OEMs, as well as its own branded products, Wacom's engineering, manufacturing and supply chain management teams will work closely with OEMs looking to integrate Wacom's technology into their computing devices. Wacom's modern, high-capacity manufacturing facilities provide OEM system integrators with low-cost, high-quality products. Its extensive design and testing services allow integrators to find the right solution so that they may compete for larger, more profitable business.

Jesus Diaz: Are you working with other big brands on this? And I mean BIG (wink wink nudge nudge)...
Abigail Solomon: Yes, N-Trig is in discussions with other leading brands, but we are not in a position to discuss who.

JD: What kind of companies?
AS: Well, not only notebook makers. N-Trig's technology is not limited just to notebook PCs. Think gaming, handhelds, medical devices, TVs, computer screens... anything with a screen.

JD: How does this technology compare to Wacom's pressure sensitive displays, which seems like the current leader? I know theirs is not capacitive touch, but I thought their pen technology was unmatched.
AS: N-Trig's sensor materials are combined with sophisticated software algorithms which enable true digital touch and can be easily be integrated and supports any type of LCD or size.

JD: But does your pen require a battery?
AS: The pen is an electrostatic pen, so no, it doesn't require a battery. The stylus is light, ergonomic and customizable and requires no internal power source. It has an integral sensor that changes transmission frequency in accordance with tip pressure, which has a more natural, hassle-free and life-like pen experience. It also features right-click and eraser capabilities.

JD: How many pressure levels does it support?
AS: It currently supports 256 pressure levels, since it is the standard for mobile computing devices. For other types of devices we may enable more pressure levels, as it may be required by each device standard. [By comparison, Wacom display technology supports 1,024 levels, plus tilting and bearing, but no finger touch.]

JD: Does it support tilting and bearing like the Wacoms?
AS: No, the pen does not support tilting and bearing since it isn't required by the operating system. However, in terms of touch performance DuoSense introduces outstanding accuracy and full compatibility with Microsoft Vista requirements and features.

JD: How does the dual input work, having to cope with the hand touching the surface while using the pen?
AS: We have a feature called "intelligent digital palm rejection," which enables the user to switch seamlessly between the pen and the touch functionality. The DuoSense displays knows when you are using the pen or expecting it to react to your finger input.

As you can see, this technology is completely new and totally different from what current tablet manufacturers have in the market now. So new in fact that when we first talked with N-Trig back in October, they were still in the process of ramping up manufacturing and couldn't even discuss the technology in detail. The Israeli company, which has offices in Tel Aviv, Taiwan and Austin, had Dell lined up at the time, as well as other undisclosed OEMs.

The ability to have electrostastic, battery-free pen input with 256 levels of pressure and being able to seamlessly switch from pen to hand back to pen without a hitch is quite unique, to the point of justifying a price much higher than that of regular pen-based devices.

More importantly, it feels natural and simple. That simplicity is what got me thinking that, if the rumors and patents hold any water, a company like Apple would have to use DuoSense or something equivalent to it, if it exists. It's one of those things that Steve Jobs would set as a requirement for any portable with multitouch and ink (pen writing) capability, the latter already supported in Mac OS X.

Right now, the only game in town is Dell, and even then, the new Latitude XT doesn't have multitouch support—yet. There has been some speculation about why the Dell doesn't support multitouch at this point, with some people blaming Vista for the lack. While it's true that—thanks to system-wide programming interfaces—future multitouch support in Vista will make things easier for any program to support the capabilities of the DuoSense, we're told, "Vista is not the issue."

According to N-Trig, "All it takes is a firmware upgrade and it's ready to go," like the pressure levels. Why not throw it all in, then? At this point, N-Trig offered up the obligatory "This is all we are allowed to say at this time," which makes us speculate that it was a strategic decision due to the lack of multitouch-enabled apps. Surely all this secrecy must have a very good reason.

We will have to wait and see who's the next in adopting DuoSense. Until then, here's a great demo to drool over:[N-Trig]