Tag Archives: input

Zorro Macsk review: instantly add touchscreen functionality to your 21.5-inch iMac

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DNP Zorro Macsk review instantly add touchscreen functionality to your 215inch iMac

Over the years we've come across a few signs that pointed to the possibility of touchscreen-enabled iMacs, but Steve Jobs had already dismissed this as a possibility for current Mac form factors. Quoting the man at the "Back to the Mac" keynote from two years ago: "It gives great demo, but after a while your arm feels like it's going to fall off. Touch surfaces want to be horizontal."

So perhaps our fantasy's still stuck in the "research project" phase.

Luckily, the more adventurous touchscreen lovers can look to third-party solutions. For MacBooks you have Axiotron's Modbook, except you lose the keyboard and you can't perform the modification yourself. As for iMacs and Cinema Displays, we've been following Troll Touch for its resistive touchscreen replacement panels, but they aren't exactly affordable and most of them have to be installed by the company. Even its user-installable SlipCover series starts from $899, anyway.

This leaves us with the Zorro Macsk, a cheekily named iMac accessory hailing from TMDtouch of Shenzhen, China. The 21.5-inch model is priced at just $199 on Amazon with no modifications required. Plus, it supports multitouch -- a glaring omission from Troll Touch's Mac lineup. So is this truly a bargain? Or is it just a case of "you get what you pay for?" Follow past the break to see how we got on with the Zorro Macsk.

Gallery: Zorro Macsk review

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Zorro Macsk review: instantly add touchscreen functionality to your 21.5-inch iMac originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple patent application details method for detecting and displaying hand position on screen

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Apple patent application details sensors for adjusting onscreen keys, backside controls

We've had a glimpse at Apple's conception of a sensor-based keyless layout, and the latest patent application from Cupertino shows the company looking to further refine the input experience -- this time using a camera and other sensors to detect hand position and overlay that hand position on a device's screen. The filing details three methods to this end. The first shows a user's hands on a traditional hardware keyboard projected in an on-screen representation (as background, Apple mentions the ergonomic strain of looking down to check your hand placement, so perhaps that's the thinking behind this one). A second scenario involves a laptop with unlabeled keys, where the marked keyboard is displayed on the screen, and the final, most intriguing, setup shows backside controls on a tablet a la the PS Vita, with a user's fingers projected as if the device was transparent. Of course, this is just a patent application at this point, so don't expect to see this tech make its debut September 12th.

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Apple patent application details method for detecting and displaying hand position on screen originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Focusrite launches iTrack Solo, a two channel interface for iOS and desktops (video)

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Focusrite launches iTrack Solo, a two channel interface for iOS and desktops

There's a stack of different plugs, cables and connectors aimed at piping sound into your iPad, but when studio-stalwart Focusrite makes one, we pay attention. The iTrack Solo is a two channel interface compatible with the iPad, as well as your Mac or PC, offering mobile recording all the way up to 24-bit / 96kHz. The onboard preamp is the same as used in the brand's flagship Liquid Saffire 56 interface, and there's phantom power for microphones. As well as the mic-in there's a quarter-inch input for guitars etc., as well as a chunky volume control for monitoring. Front "halo" indicators change from green to red if your recording levels go too high, and the aluminum casing should prevent it from getting damaged at the bottom of any gig bag. Once you've created a masterpiece in Garageband (or other recording app), you can use the line-level phono outputs to run it through your sound system of choice. Sound like something you can get down to? You'll be able to get your hands on the iTrack Solo starting next month, and it'll set you back $160 at your local dealer -- in the meantime, you can jam on the PR after the break.

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Focusrite launches iTrack Solo, a two channel interface for iOS and desktops (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Focusrite launches iTrack Solo, a two channel interface for iOS and desktops (video)

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Focusrite launches iTrack Solo, a two channel interface for iOS and desktops

There's a stack of different plugs, cables and connectors aimed at piping sound into your iPad, but when studio-stalwart Focusrite makes one, we pay attention. The iTrack Solo is a two channel interface compatible with the iPad, as well as your Mac or PC, offering mobile recording all the way up to 24-bit / 96kHz. The onboard preamp is the same as used in the brand's flagship Liquid Saffire 56 interface, and there's phantom power for microphones. As well as the mic-in there's a quarter-inch input for guitars etc., as well as a chunky volume control for monitoring. Front "halo" indicators change from green to red if your recording levels go too high, and the aluminum casing should prevent it from getting damaged at the bottom of any gig bag. Once you've created a masterpiece in Garageband (or other recording app), you can use the line-level phono outputs to run it through your sound system of choice. Sound like something you can get down to? You'll be able to get your hands on the iTrack Solo starting next month, and it'll set you back $160 at your local dealer -- in the meantime, you can jam on the PR after the break.

Continue reading Focusrite launches iTrack Solo, a two channel interface for iOS and desktops (video)

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Focusrite launches iTrack Solo, a two channel interface for iOS and desktops (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google grabs glove-based input patent, could spell out gesture control

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Google grabs glovebased input patent, could spell out gesture control

Google might have already patented some nifty eye-tracking controls, but that doesn't mean it isn't considering other sensory input. A recently granted patent hints at a potential glove-based controller, with references to a pair of detectors that record "images" of an environment, and then determine gestures based on the calculated movement between them. The illustrations go on to show a hand drawing out the letter J, indicating it could be used for text input, while another suggests recognition of pinch-to-zoom style gestures. There's no mention of its fancy glasses in the patent, but we're thinking a glove to control the Nexus 7 might be a bit overkill.

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Google grabs glove-based input patent, could spell out gesture control originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 06:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Raspberry Pi teases finished Gertboard I/O extender, revs creative engines (Update: pre-orders open now, video)

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Raspberry Pi teases finished Gertboard IO extender, revs creative engines

The Raspberry Pi faithful have been looking forward to the Gertboard almost as much as the main device itself: Gert van Loo's I/O extender promises to flash lights, spin motors and otherwise take on the tasks that the Raspberry Pi doesn't directly manage on its own. While we've seen work on the project since late 2011, the expansion now looks to be closer to reality following a fresh teaser. The refined design's biggest tweak is replacing its original PIC controller with an Arduino-powered chip -- an element no doubt familiar to the crowd that would already be looking at a very hackable, miniature Linux computer. Most everything else is a refinement, although Gert has brought in three physical buttons and two-channel analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. We'll learn the full story later this week, and until then we'll be dreaming of all the off-kilter Arduino projects that might be made better with a little Raspberry Pi companionship.

Update: The wait turned out to be short, and interested parties ready to do some soldering of their own can pre-order the Gertboard for £30 at element14 now. Check the Raspberry Pi blog (2) for more info, or check out a video interview with Mr. van Loo himself embedded after the break.

Continue reading Raspberry Pi teases finished Gertboard I/O extender, revs creative engines (Update: pre-orders open now, video)

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Raspberry Pi teases finished Gertboard I/O extender, revs creative engines (Update: pre-orders open now, video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple secures multitouch-related patent dating back to 1995 from inventor

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Apple secures multitouchrelated patent dating back to 1995 from inventor

Apple has come into possession of a number of patents owned by Canadian inventor Timothy R. Pryor in recent years (see the More Coverage link below for a few examples), and it's just today been granted another that's particularly interesting. Described rather broadly as a "method for providing human input to a computer," the patent (filed in July of 2009) is a continuation of one dating all the way back to 1995, and appears to cover some fairly basic multitouch-related functions. As detailed in the patent's claims, that includes controlling a virtual object on a screen with two simultaneous touch inputs, as well as virtual controllers displayed on the screen that can also respond to touch input. The patent also describes responses to touch input, including both visual and force feedback cues, and it offers a whole range of possible applications beyond the independent claims, including an aircraft cockpit or vehicle display. Those independent claims are clearly focused on general computer interfaces, though, not specific implementations. Naturally, all of this has simply been revealed by the USPTO -- we wouldn't expect to hear anything from Apple or Mr. Pryor on the terms of the deal.

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Apple secures multitouch-related patent dating back to 1995 from inventor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte launches Aivia Xenon dual-mode touchpad mouse

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Gigabyte launches Aivia Xenon dual mode touchpad mouse

When our eyes first landed upon the device from Gigabyte you see above, it took them a few seconds to work out exactly what they were looking at. There's a reason for that, though, as the Aivia Xenon -- as it is known -- lives a double life. By day, it's an ordinary PC mouse, with support for multi-touch gestures. By night (well, and day too, if you choose) it's a portable touchpad. The hybrid device offers 1000DPI resolution, can be used up to 10 meters away (for presentations etc.) and comes with software that lets you create custom gestures. If you have two birds, but only space for one stone, head down to the source link for more info.

Gigabyte launches Aivia Xenon dual-mode touchpad mouse originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers suggest haptics and audio for discreet password input

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Researchers suggest haptics and audio for discreet password input
You can use as complex as a password as you like, but that won't do you much good if someone's able to watch or record you entering it. Researchers Andrea Bianchi, Ian Oakley and Dong-Soo Kwon have some ideas for overcoming that little problem though, and recently put together a video demonstrating a few of the possibilities they've come up with. All of those rely on haptic input systems -- either on their own or in conjunction with some audio output (through headphones for privacy). That includes things like a dedicated haptic keypad or haptic wheel, and different methods that could take advantage of a haptic display on a smartphone. As you can see in the video after the break, some of those options could be a bit more time consuming than an easy-to-remember password, but there's certainly plenty of potential applications where security would trump convenience.

[Thanks, An]

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Researchers suggest haptics and audio for discreet password input originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 02:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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