Touch-screens are cool, no doubt about it. They have been with us for quite some time now, and are definitely here to stay. Ever since they were first introduced they seemed very future-oriented, not ready for implementation in an environment near you. This is also what the Hollywood blockbusters showed us; all those wacky touch-screen based interfaces just looked way too spacey.

But over the years things have changed. Touch-screens are now more openly accessible for companies of all sizes, paving the way for interface-coherent innovations. This in combination with a killer software application, and you got the next big interface innovation on your hands.

Click the link below to read more on touch-screens, the technology, the people working with it and the latest and greatest which is out there now…

Touch-screens are not hard to build or buy. The main problem lies with the software controlling your input. Up till a couple of years ago tactile input was limited to only one action at a time. This is good for simple applications, such as where only buttons need to be pushed, but not for rich interactive experiences. This is also the main reason why it took more than 25 years for touch-screens to flourish, the technology just wasn’t flexible enough.

Today’s computers assume you are Napoleon, with your left hand tucked into your suit. But a lot of things are better performed with two hands. Multi-touch-screens bridge the gap between the physical and virtual world. So for touch-screens to take off and form the next big interface they needed to be feasible with multi-touch input. A person should be able to manipulate his content with both hands and all 10 fingers. Not only that, other people should be able to cooperate with him on the same content at the same time.

Enter Jefferson Han, a consulting research scientist based at the New York University’s Department of Computer Science. He was one of the first to create a fully working multi-touch display. Not only does it work with both hands, it is also designed to identify movement and pressure, which makes it all the more interesting. His first appearance was at the TED, the annual Technology, Entertainment and Design conference. He got a standing ovation, and was in business.

His new company, Perceptive Pixel, builds large touch-based displays for big organizations that require management of large sums of data, such as the military, news-stations and even Pixar. Most of his work shows the ease of use and simplicity of navigating content and performing tasks. His business is one of the most promising companies in the field of touch-screens and similar interfaces. The video showing his latest work is a must see!

An interesting side note here is his research on making touch interfaces with LED’s, since they can be used as photodiodes. This field opens up interesting possibilities for multi-touch interfaces without the need for expensive displays. Some information and a demo video on this topic are online now.

The main focus with touch-screens these days is centered around building an intuitive interface for everyone to understand. In the world of new product design we strive to build products that need little to no manuals, products that explain themselves. This is also the case with touch-screens. Since these contraptions might not only end up inside your pocket or home, they will also see a wide adoption in public areas. And who wants to read a 15-page manual before they figured out how to operate that which is going to guide them through whatever journey they will be taking?

Another touch-screen adopter is a company already known for its ease-of-use products. The all-familiar fruit-company: Apple Inc. The first, of most likely many, touch-based products is their iPhone. This wonderful product uses multi-touch capabilities, together with a large array of software features, intuitive user interface and good looks. It will be available in the U.S. starting June the 29th and Europe is expected to have the iPhone in 2008. Check out Apple’s latest ads on the incredibly easy-to-use iPhone.

It might be expected that Apple will not stop here. It is rumored they will not only create more products based on touch, such as new iPhone’s and iPod’s, but maybe also displays to co-exist with their upcoming operating system, Leopard. Apple is scheduled to elaborate on all its Leopard features, including the top secret ones, at its World Wide Developers Conference with a keynote on Monday the 11th of June. Who knows what they will stun the world with this time.

So touch-screens eliminate the use of a keyboard and mouse, who have never been much of an intuitive set of input devices. If you had to learn an input-method, touch is most likely the way to go. Directly interacting with your fingers and manipulating the content is simple, effective and downright cool.

But why stop at your fingers? Why not also interact with other devices? This is where the latest innovation of Microsoft comes in; dubbed Surface. Surface is an interactive table-mounted touch-screen which is able to interact with anything that is placed upon its surface.

This fancy coffee table has the ability to take the pictures from your wireless digital camera and provide you with the abilities to send it to other devices, such as your mobile phone, or simply view and manipulate them, and all in an intuitive way. It affords for multi-touch, multiple users and object recognition. PopularMechanics, has a great demo video showcasing most of its interesting features, which is also a must see!

At the moment Surface is a pricey installation of 10.000$ not yet aimed at consumers. Nonetheless, Microsoft expects the prize to drop in the next 3 to 5 years. Hopefully making it accessible in a place near you. Expect to hear much more of this product in the coming days.

So there you have it, a rundown on the latest news concerning one of the hottest new technologies around. Whichever direction this promising technology takes, we will be there to embrace it, and eventually play with. We’ll keep you updated on touch-screen technology now, and in the future, because it’s simply fascinating. We can’t wait on what’s to come!

If you have any questions regarding this article feel free to drop a comment below.

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 4th, 2007 at 11:50 and is filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.