pinch

New tech lets users 'Pinch' their way to multiscreen bliss

A new display technology being tested in Japan could eventually allow mobile users to stack up smartphones and tablets to create one, big display.

Dubbed "Pinch," the software is being developed at the Tokyo University of Technology. According to Diginfo, which was first to report on the news, users can place smartphones or tablets next to each other in any way they wish, and by using a simple "pinch" motion, link the two displays to create one larger screen.

The pinch motion is achieved by placing one finger on one display and another finger on the … Read more

How to disable the pinch-zoom gesture on Windows laptops

I may have saved my mother's sanity with this tip. She was enjoying her new Dell laptop except for the fact that it would suddenly zoom in and out when she was browsing the Web or using Outlook, sometimes deleting a half-penned e-mail in the process. (Not helping matters was the fact that my dad was not experiencing such mousing behaviors.) During my last visit, I discovered the problem: pinch zoom.

One of the many multitouch gestures on today's laptops is the ability to pinch two fingers to zoom in and out in a window. When viewing images … Read more

Icon resizing controls in Lion

In OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, Apple introduced an option to control icon sizes by simply using the pinch-zoom gesture on Macs with multi-touch trackpads. If you pulled your fingers together then the icon sizes in the current window would get smaller, and if you spread your fingers then the icons would get larger.

This feature has been removed in OS X Lion, which has frustrated a number of people who have come to rely on its convenience. While the Finder's preferences file may have an option called "EnableZoomPinch" for some users, this option is likely … Read more

Grip with a pinch

Oven mitts make me feel clumsy: they may protect my hands, but I have a hard time feeling what I'm trying to hold on through the thick fabric. The Silicone Pinch Grips provide a safe hold on hot pans, pots, lids, oven racks, and anything else I need to move around in my kitchen without burning my hands. While the grips are smaller than a traditional pot holder, each one has ridges on the inner surface that will let you hold on to even the most slippery items. While the outside of the grips don't have quite as … Read more

Apple developers mark a year of iPhone apps

Apple's success with iPhone applications wasn't preordained, but the company had a huge leg up on the competition with a hit device, a mature software platform, and the one of the biggest online stores on the planet.

"They had all three sitting there, and that's very difficult to create in this industry," said Travis Boatman, vice president of worldwide studios for EA Mobile, creator of iPhone games such as Spore and Sim City.

But for all the work Apple has done to make the iPhone a success over the past year, its future lies in … Read more

Most iPhone applications gathering dust

iPhone users have very short attention spans.

Just 30 percent of people who buy an iPhone application actually use it the day after it was purchased, according to Pinch Media, which analyzed over 30 million downloads from Apple's App Store. And the numbers plunge from there: after 20 days, less than 5 percent of those who downloaded an application are actively using it. The drop-off is worse for free applications.

Those are amazing numbers. It's not a new pattern--GigaOm and TechCrunch noticed this last August--but back then, with the App Store just a month old, it was … Read more

Interesting insights from MobileBeat 2008

On Thursday, I attended MobileBeat 2008, a new conference here in Silicon Valley focused primarily on cell phones broad enough to encompass closely related gizmos like Apple's iPod Touch and--at least in theory--mobile Internet devices.

The event was hosted by VentureBeat, where a great many blog posts can be found that go through all the sessions and significant announcements from the conference. (My thanks to VentureBeat writer Dean Takahashi, who invited me to the conference.)

… Read more

Gadgettes 81: The I Love You Episode

Our listeners are so supercool. They do things like create Web sites based on things we talk about on Gadgettes. They make us laugh. And for that reason alone, this episode is for you, you awesome-heads. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 81

Dedicated to Dave from Denver http://jackmythingie.com/

Pandigital debuts kitchen TV with extra perks http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9893490-1.html

A digital culinary recipe for the futuristic cookware http://www.gizmodiva.com/home_improvement/ a_digital_culinary_recipe_for_the_futuristic_cookware.php

Lego-touch for iPhone and iPod Touch http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/ legotouch_for_iphone_and_ipod_touch_9199.asp

Monster felted handbag http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/12/ monster-felted-handb.html… Read more