touch-screen

"Gorilla Glass" could one day become a household phrase, but Corning has even larger ideas.

"A Day Made of Glass 2" is a montage of "how highly engineered glass, with companion technologies, will help shape our world," according to Corning. It is mind-blowing to imagine everyday objects suddenly having rich, interactive displays and multiple functionalities.

After watching the video, I began to think about how intelligent glass, installed on a broad scale, could change the world. There are two key integrations: in the education and medical fields.

In the video, kids sit in rows … Read more

Say hello to the white Sony Walkman Z.

Chances are slim we will see this device stateside, but the faithful Sony enthusiasts in Japan get a special 64GB platinum white version (NW-Z1070/W) on February 17. Japan already has access to the regular purple and red 64GB Walkman Z versions as well. A description of the color on Sony's Web site says this special Walkman shines like a pearl and is easier to wipe clean. It also carries a hefty 45,800 yen price tag (about $533).

The Android-equipped Sony Walkman Z arrives in the U.S. around March, but Sony is only playing a conservative lineup with capacities ranging up to just 32GB.

Does Sony have what it takes to pull off an Android media consumption device and audio powerhouse? CNET Senior Editor Donald Bell answers these questions and more in his full review of the Sony Walkman Z. … Read more

iTunes U lets people download college courses with all the included materials, and study a subject on their iOS device.

As a recently released product there are currently not many courses to take at iTunes U (about 30 at the time of release), but it's pretty easy to predict the app will probably gain more traction as we approach the fall when classes resume for a new year. Of the courses offered, many big-name schools have contributed their coursework including Yale, MIT, Harvard, and several others.

The interface for the iTunes U app shares the look and layout of … Read more

One of the quickest ways to make me nostalgic is to talk about the pre-iPhone days--the days when MP3 players still mattered.

While today's biggest forum battles all seem to revolve around Android versus iOS, there was a time when the mere mention of iPod earbuds would send us all into frothy fits of anger. Everyone, it seemed, cared deeply about the audio quality of a preferred MP3 player and would evangelize the merits of the latest iPod-killers from Sony, Cowon, Creative, and SanDisk.

Those were fun days. As a self-described audio geek, I took comfort in the thought that so many people cared so passionately about their music experience.

But then, like two alien mother ships dropping from the sky, the arrival of the iPhone and the iPad dwarfed these audio quarrels and offered dissenting and opinionated geeks a far more worthy subject to rally around. Amid this frenzy of iClouds, Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Kindle Fires, concerns over music playback and audio quality often feel as antiquated as discussions of the VCR.

But for those music lovers who have felt lost in this era of OS-fixation, Sony's Walkman Z ($249) is an Android-based portable media player that elevates the audio experience above all other concerns.… Read more

Fresh from CES 2012, Eric, Donald, and Bonnie wrap up all the best CES tech they missed during their week in Vegas. On deck is a touch-screen window, an R2-worthy 3D projector, Kinect-controlled skateboards, toilet tech, zombie tech, and of course, Geek News.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

LAS VEGAS--A considerable line of CES attendees who must have just imbibed their morning coffee is forming at the Toddy Gear booth. They're clutching what look to be colorful washcloths and feverishly wiping their various touch screens.

The Consumer Electronics Show is only halfway through, but in the right light these screens have obviously been stuck in some sort of fingerprint purgatory, perhaps not thoroughly scrubbed since long before being used voraciously in Vegas for directions, schedules, gossip, and who knows what else.

The fuss is over a product almost laughably simple, the 5x7-inch antimicrobial Toddy Smart Cloth, one … Read more

Gorilla Glass, which I wish covered my cracked Samsung Galaxy Nexus screen, is heading to market in a stronger 2.0 version.

Corning introduced the new material at CES yesterday, saying that newfound strength lets screens be made 20 percent thinner. That, in turn, can improve brightness, touch response, and of course device thickness.

I also hope the thinner glass will effectively bring text and graphics closer to the surface of smartphones, something I find makes them much easier to use since my eye isn't as distracted by multiple layers of visual information.

"Product qualification and design implementation … Read more

Those who dwell in cold climates know how it feels to be helpless when a phone call arrives and they're wearing gloves.

It just doesn't work.

Because smartphones don a capacitive touch screen--meaning, it responds to the static electricity in your fingertips--gloves block this "signal" and disable you from using your phone.

To fix this issue, some simply remove their gloves, while others cut off a couple fingertips, or even resort to flip-top mittens.

Luckily, there's an even better solution that allows you to transform almost any pair of gloves into touch-screen-compatible accessories so your … Read more

Bonnie's back, just in time to witness a barrage of futuristic concept videos.

We get Samsung's take on the transparent tablet of the future. Also, Toyota's vision of a self-driving psychedelic car from a frightening nightmarescape where the middle-aged are given the "Logan's Run" treatment. We revisit the fashion predictions of 1939 and watch as flying robots construct foam towers. In Geek News, Eric recounts his obsession with MST3K and the latest RiffTrax RiffPlayer, makes amends with Dr. Who fans, and shows us the creepier side of Batman.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more