Sharp intros 'world's first optical sensor LCD pad' netbook
Sharp has unveiled a netbook that, it claims, features the world’s first LCD touchpad, allowing for both pen and multi-touch finger operation - and providing visual feedback. Video courtesy of Akihabaranews Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com Named Mebius, the PC has a 4in, 854 × 480 input device that – …
This topic is closed for new posts.
nintendo DS????
First is such an over used word these days.
Nothing new...
Several high-end Toshiba laptops from early 2004 featured (monochrome) displays built-in to their touchpads/
Finally!
Someone is breaking out of the mold! Pity the machines have bloated to 10in but hey, at least someone is trying something new...
Not Exactly New
Toshiba had a simple LCD touchpad that was used in a similar fashion on an Satellite laptop. I think it was a 7200, or something like that. Similar, only it was only B&W and didn't support multitouch
Resolution
So, the there are almost as many pixels on the trackpad as there are on the screen - in what world does _that_ make sense?
awsome...
but i just spent £700 on a netbook for work and a laptop for gaming.....
:(
hopefully sharp will licence this new tech to other manufacturers soon, it looks like the next big thing for laptops.
nice
hmmmm trackpad as context sensitive display mmmmmmm
where's the linux version <sigh>?
Sharp: sell the trackpad to other OEMs ... <dreams>
Mmm mebbe
Mebius? Which marketing guru was paid a ridiculous some to come up with that lemon of a name?
Pixel density
The touchpad apparently has a much higher pixel density than the screen -- at more than half the number of pixels at a much smaller area.
The touchpad is probably designed as the main screen for a PDA and just reused for a netbook.
But why, oh why, does nobody make netbooks with better screen resolution? HP did, briefly, before going down to the boring 1024x600 that everyone else uses.
Very clever. Sort of
So its a laptop with a biggish screen and a much smaller screen, which is touch and pen sensitive. And its got quite a good colour range. And you can write stuff on it.
What was not shown was how this integrates with what's on the main screen. My eyes can track a cursor on a main screen quite well enough without needing a little repeater screen. How does this improve your user interface to allow you to do things in ways which are impossible with a more conventional pad?And in the 21st century how does a laptop go into production with a 3 hour life expectancy?
BTW on the video. Kill the sound. There is no commentary and the music is pants.
This topic is closed for new posts.
