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Microsoft's "Pseudo-Transparent" and Fold-Up PCs

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the feel-free-to-send-me-one dept.

waderoush writes "At the CHI 2009 conference, which wrapped up yesterday in Boston, Microsoft researchers showed off two radical prototypes that push the boundaries of user interfaces. One was a 'pseudo-transparent' iPhone-like device called nanoTouch, which has a trackpad on the back rather than a traditional touch screen and gives visual feedback in the form of a simulated image of the user's finger (the effect is like looking straight through the device). The other was a folding dual-screen device called Codex that can switch automatically between landscape, portrait, collaborative, or competitive modes depending on its 'posture' or orientation. If Microsoft doesn't build such devices itself, 'somebody else will, so it's really important to understand what the issues are,' said researcher Ken Hinckley."

3 of 94 comments (clear)

  1. Slight Error In Summary by elefantstn · · Score: 4, Funny

    One was a 'pseudo-transparent' iPhone-like device called nanoTouch, which has a trackpad on the back rather than a traditional touch screen and gives visual feedback in the form of a simulated image of the user's finger (the effect is like looking straight through the device). The other was a folding dual-screen device called Codex that can switch automatically between landscape, portrait, collaborative, or competitive modes depending on its 'posture' or orientation.

    The other was not called 'Codex,' but rather 'shuffleClassic.'

    --
    If it ain't broke, you need more software.
  2. Hmmmmmm by reidiq · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is Microsoft's version of a 'Reach around'

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    Sig? No thanks. I don't smoke.
  3. Re:Gorilla Arm for the 21st Century by Random+BedHead+Ed · · Score: 5, Funny

    Allow me to pose a question to you: If Apple is built entirely on hype rather than substance, then how did they manage to convert so many former Apple haters to their cause? Maybe, just maybe Apple has earned support from the market by making superior products.

    I don't know. I was watching a TV ad this week, and a pretty technically savvy guy named Giampaolo said Macs are just about aesthetics, not computing power.