Just because they can
doesn't mean it is practical. In fact, it looks like a very clumsy way to operate a phone...
Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo and computing giant Fujitsu gave smartphone fans a glimpse into the future of mobile computing at this year’s Wireless Japan show, demoing a prototype Android device with a transparent, double-sided touchscreen interface. The as-yet-unnamed device features a petite 2.4in, 320x240 QVGA …
I don't agree. One of my main gripes with touchscreens is that my finger is obscuring the general area that I am trying to touch, and without any tacile feedback, the accuracy of my "clicks" decreases substantially. If I could see my own finger BEHIND the screen instead of in front of it, this would not be an issue. It's like one of those behind-the-screen trackpads, only more usable.
Agreed and yes, it does look a little clumsy when compared to a vanilla touch screen phone
My first thought is how well that screen will display under direct sunlight on a sunny day..
Bear in mind this is a prototype and who knows, maybe it will take off? But I certainly won't be queuing for one
I'm quite good at predicting where my finger will end up in the 0.2 seconds that it is obscuring the icon/... before the actual touch.
But most of the time my finger is as big or bigger than the area I want to tap, so accuracy is bad anyway. Which is why I hold on to my n900 with resistive touchscreen, so I can use stylus/fingernail,... when accuracy is needed.
Yes. To give credit where it is due, this could have been done some time ago and wasn't, so it has novelty and non-obviousness in its favour. It has, as I see it, two ergonomic advantages.
Firstly, by distinguishing between front and back dragging, it provides a natural way to express a desire to "rotate" the UI object. It probably does this rather better than a conventional touch-screen gesture.
Secondly, fat-fingered users will appreciate not having to see through their own hands. This, however, will be much less of an advantage once they scale up the display.
Time will tell if it is all worthwhile, but it is certainly interesting. At least someone appears to believe that innovation involves coming up with new ideas rather than simply copying what everyone else has been doing for hundreds of years. (Rounded corners, indeed!)
Their photocopiers are whirring away busily innovating, and the lawyers too on their rewriting history work so they can sue a few years after they launch it. Well, when you're plumb out of ideas but have a bank overflowing with the spoils of your iSheep fleecing what else can they do?
No need, they've already been investigating something along these lines well over four years ago (this article is dated March 2008) But I'm sure Apple haters like you will still claim Apple is copying NTT if they actually did introduce something like this...
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/apple-transparent-displays-patent#!/photos/16125/1
On the one hand, you'll get people complaining that it looks stupid, is unnecessary and will never catch on.
But then the same people will proclaim that they want those transparent, 2-sided touch screens like on Minority Report, Avatar and Avengers. Why won't people hurry up and invent them, god damn it?
Can't watch the video as I'm in the office, so can't see how good or bad it is.
You'd need the right colour background to see whats on the screen as your black text wont show up well if you are in a room with dark walls.
You can also fake your transparent screen with this bit of software:
www.littletinbox.co.uk