‘Pseudotransparency’ on ‘Nano Touch’ Devices

Posted on 10 April 2009, Last updated on 12 November 2019 by

This is really worth a read.

If the touch-sensitive surface on a mobile device were on the back instead, gestures like pointing, tapping, and selecting wouldn’t get in the way of the screen. At least, that’s the idea. But that creates a new challenge—seeing where your finger is going. So Baudisch’s team has been experimenting with a variety of approaches, including using transparent screens (which, unfortunately, don’t leave room for the electronic guts of most devices) and attaching a boom with a camera to a device’s backside (which is predictably clunky). Baudisch’s newest prototype, and the one he described yesterday, is called nanoTouch. It’s a squarish little gadget resembling an iPod nano, with a 2.4-inch screen that dominates the front and a capacative trackpad similar to the mousepad on a laptop computer attached to the back.

This rear-touch interface is incredibly interesting and very significant for portable devices but there’s more. Wade Roush, the author of the article,  goes on to highlight dual-screen interfaces too. He highlights two OQO devices hooked up into a dual-screen scenario with additional accelerometers that control screen orientation. It’s right up there with the roll-out screen as a distruptive technology. Don’t expect this to appear too soon though.

“The technology isn’t quite there to put dual-screen devices into production. Indeed, the second-generation OLPC device, while sexy, has all the signs of being vaporware. But Microsoft and other companies have poured too much money into tablet- and pen-based computing to let the technology’s development stop now. As Hinckley put it to me after his talk, “This is eventually going to happen. If Microsoft doesn’t do it, somebody else will. So it’s really important to understand what the issues are. inch

The video below (from New Scientist) show the rear-touch interface.

Take a look at the full article: At CHI Meeting, Microsoft Turns Computing Interfaces on Their Head, and Side, and Back | Xconomy.

Credit to Patrick Baudisch, Ken Hinckley and Meredith Ringel Morris of Microsoft Research.

6 Comments For This Post

  1. Steve 'Chippy' Paine says:

    New article: ‘Pseudotransparency’ on ‘Nano Touch’ Devices http://cli.gs/eHQuge

  2. Maii says:

    April 11

    What about lg gc900 phone. Slightly different system with sliding transparent touch keyboard that can do the same touch manipulation as main screen?

  3. Vakeros says:

    One of those obvious ideas, once you had thought about it.
    Don’t know if I like it though.

  4. Maii says:

    lg gc900 also called viewty 2 has sliding transparent touch keypad and not keyboard. Nothing on lg site that gives us a clue. Or is it a hoax?

  5. Maii says:

    Sorry and forget about my comments on LG phone. Technology is somewhat different from pseudotransparency.

    It is interesting though and Phone Reviews site has a video of LG phone called GD 900. This technology could possibly soon be used on some MIDs and would prevent smudging on actual screens and keypad would be easier to clean.

  6. turn.self.off says:

    sounds similar to the keyboard solution on this:
    http://www.umpcportal.com/products/E-Lead/Noahpad

    when it was folded fully over into “tablet”…

Search UMPCPortal

Find ultra mobile PCs, Ultrabooks, Netbooks and handhelds PCs quickly using the following links:

Acer Aspire Switch 10
10.1" Intel Atom Z3745
Acer C740
11.6" Intel Celeron 3205U
VIA Nanobook
7.0" VIA C7-M
Lenovo Ideapad Flex 10
10.1" Intel Celeron N2806
Acer Aspire E11 ES1
11.6" Intel Celeron N2840
Dell Chromebook 11
11.6" Intel Celeron 2955U
Dell Latitude E7440
14.0" Intel Core i5-4200U
Acer TravelMate B113
11.6" Intel Core i3
HP Elitebook 820 G2
12.5" Intel Core i5 5300U
Acer Chromebook 11 CB3-131
11.6" Intel Celeron N2807