touch

Asus takes user interface to the next level

Forget multi-touch technology and face recognition. At its Computex booth in Taiwan, Asus displayed concept designs that take the user interface to new frontiers.

Termed "Reality-to-Virtual," what looks like a clamshell laptop with dual LCDs is actually a showcase of how motion sensing can be combined with context-based displays. With a sweep of your hand, for example, the Webcam will detect the motion and switch the upper LCD to the requested application. The lower portion is really a touch-sensitive LCD that can be used as a keyboard, media control, and photo-editing panel. As this is only a concept … Read more

HTC Touch Pro gets its proper name

Today HTC swept away the rumors that its new smartphone was going to be called the HTC Raphael or HTC TyTN III by giving its latest Qwerty keypad mobile the moniker of HTC Touch Pro. A bit boring, we know, but at least it didn't name it after a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Dull nomenclature aside, this bad boy is stuffed with more features than Ray Mears' travelling pouch. HSDPA (7.2Mbps), Wi-Fi and GPS keep you connected on the road, while a slide-out, five-row keypad lets you tap out long e-mails with ease.

Other desirable features include a … Read more

Stand helps iPhone do a Mac impersonation

As we've witnessed more than a few times, some Cupertino loyalists just don't feel right unless they're comforted by a Mac at their side at all times. So for those times when it's not practical to lug around a desktop monitor, there's a stand for the iPhone and iPod Touch that can help them cope.

The strangely named "iClooly" from RockRidgeSound will turn either handheld device into a mini-lookalike of the iMac, especially when turned on its side for video viewing. It apparently has no speakers, however, so we're not sure how … Read more

BenQ camera sports iPhone-like touch screen

The Taiwanese manufacturer has just introduced what it claims is the world's thinnest 8-megapixel digital camera, the BenQ T850. Measuring a compact 14.9 millimeters thick, it has a stainless steel casing, a large 3-inch LCD display, 3x optical zoom, and high ISO 1,600 setting.

But while its imaging features are nothing to brag about, the T850's iPhone-like touchscreen capabilities stand out from the competition. According to the press release, users can access almost all the camera functions with three simple finger movements: tap, circle, and swipe. The swipe gesture (left to right across the screen), … Read more

Fring's iPhone and iPod chat app nets two for the price of one

Good things happen to software publishers that listen to their users.

Fring, an aggressively growing company that builds a chat and cheap calling application for Symbian, iPhone, and Windows Mobile platforms, heeded a swell of feedback from iPod Touch users who had been using the pre-release iPhone version for jailbroken iPhones on the voiceless iPod Touch (review). On Friday, Fring announced a new pre-release version for the iPhone that also fixes a bug found when using the application on the iPod Touch.

Both sides were pleased that the initial experiment had worked, Fring reports, but not quite satisfied with the … Read more

HTC Touch Diamond gets a keyboard

The Touch Diamond hasn't even gone on sale in most countries and already, another new version has been announced. T-Mobile Germany launched three new MDA phones (its name for the HTC devices) and one of them is the MDA Vario IV, which is the rumored HTC Raphael. The other two are variants of the Diamond and Advantage.

This PDA-phone is largely similar to the HTC Touch Diamond but comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard like the TyTN II. According to Netherlands-based site Mobile Phone Helpdesk, the Vario IV has all the features of the Diamond but comes with 256MB … Read more

Dialed In 33: HTC Touch Dual, Samsung Instinct hit stores

Two of the spring's most anticipated cell phones are arriving in stores. We also catch you up on the latest news and cell phone reviews, including a Sony Ericsson handset with gesture control. What's that, you ask? Just listen and find out. Listen now: Download today's podcast

1. NewsHTC Touch Dual in Best Buy storeshttp://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9951399-1.html Palm CEO comments on next-gen OShttp://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-9953533-37.html Pantech Breeze should be a breeze to usehttp://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9952289-1.html Samsung 'Tocco' wants to be touchedhttp://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9951230-1.html … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 733: Flying Poop Factory

That is, sadly, the new name for the International Space Station, where astronauts have a real problem to contend with, unlike the New Mexico folks trying to ban public Wi-Fi. In other news, Warner Music is backing a hilariously insane plan to get you to rent a song, one time, for 10 cents a pop, and it turns out that all those furious, ranty e-mails about Dell's terrible tech support were true! Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 733

$20 Million Dollar Experiment to See if You’ll Rent a Song for 10 Cents http://michaelrobertson.com/archive.php?minute_id=265… Read more

Samsung 'Tocco' wants to be touched

"Tocco" isn't a taco gone wrong: It's the Italian word for touch, and Samsung has seen fit to use it as the name of its latest touch-screen phone. Bene! Previously known as the Samsung F480, we saw this bella down at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year and thoroughly approved.

The Samsung Tocco is smaller than other touch-screen phones and thin too, but it feels very solid because of its metal casing. Its screen is responsive and vibrating feedback ensures you know when you've clicked something.

Samsung has introduced a new interface that lets … Read more

HTC Touch Dual in Best Buy stores this weekend

While you're out buying goods for your Memorial Day barbecue, why not swing by Best Buy and pick up a HTC Touch Dual? Yes, the Touch Dual will be available in stores and online starting this weekend for a nice chunk of change--$549 to be exact. First announced at CTIA 2008, the Touch Dual alleviates some of the text entry pains of the original HTC Touch by providing a slide-out SureType-like keypad. It will also be the first Windows Mobile 6.1 device available in the United States, and also features support for U.S. 3G bands (HSDPA … Read more