3M's 32-inch display with 10-finger multitouch steps out at CeBIT (video)

3M Introduces Touch Pen for Consumers and Users of Touchscreen Devices
– New 3M Smart Pen provides precision accuracy for users of popular capacitive touch phones, tablets, monitors and all-in-one computers –

CeBIT 2011
HANOVER, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--3M Touch Systems Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of 3M, announced today at CeBIT 2011 the U.S. availability of its 3M Smart Pen, a uniquely designed input device finely tuned for use with popular capacitive touchscreen devices, including the Apple® iPhone®, iPad™ and iPod touch®. Its compatibility with multiple products and its ergonomic and stylish design make the 3M Smart Pen a valuable companion for active users of touchscreen devices currently in the market.

"3M Touch Systems' expertise in touchscreen technology gives us the knowledge and ability to create relevant accessories that further maximize the value of this technology"
The 3M Smart Pen has two designs to accommodate a variety of usage scenarios. The MHP-1000 comes in black, grey, pink and titanium silver with a clip attached for a traditional pen look-and-feel. The MJP-3000 is available in black, navy blue, pink and titanium silver, with a detachable lid that allows the pen to attach to the speaker jack of a portable device.

Both pens have an ergonomic industrial design, giving it a natural, comfortable fit for both small and large hands. Activating with only a light touch, the pen's unique anti-stiction properties let the pen glide smoothly across surfaces with greater precision than a finger and reduces fingerprints on the screen by not using your fingers. The 3M Smart Pen is ideal for users who must wear gloves in their work environment – from cold climates to industrial/manufacturing to healthcare and sterile environments.

"3M Touch Systems' expertise in touchscreen technology gives us the knowledge and ability to create relevant accessories that further maximize the value of this technology," said Chris Tsourides, business manager, 3M Touch Systems. "The 3M Smart Pen is one of the most accurate and high quality capacitive touch pens on the market and we are excited to see how users will enable new and unique ways to use this technology on their touchscreen devices."

The MHP-1000 and MJP-3000 are now available in the U.S. market through Amazon.com for $15.99 and $18.99, respectively. For more information on the 3M Smart Pen and other touchscreen solutions, visit www.3M.com/touch01.

3M Touch Systems provides innovative touchscreen technology products to customers worldwide under the "3M" and "MicroTouch" brands. Popular single-touch and multi-touch applications include: casino gaming, foodservice, hospitality, industrial, interactive digital signage, healthcare, retail point-of-sale and self-service. For an overview of popular touch technologies and terminology, visit www.touchtopics.com. The 3M Smart Pen and other 3M Touch Systems touchscreen displays and systems will be on display at CeBIT 2011 in Hanover, Germany, March 1-5, 2011 in Hall 16, Stand E32.

iPad 2 first hands-on!

Well there you have it folks -- the absurdly thin new iPad 2. We just got our hands all over the next greatest tablet from Apple and it's... very much the same, save for that new body. There's no question that the industrial design is top notch, and we did notice some speedier behavior when jumping around -- but the core OS remains unchanged, so this won't be a major shock. We're spending more time with the device and getting impressions, but for now, feast your eyes on the galleries below.

Update: Okay, we've had a chance to play around the with iPad 2 some more, and here are our big takeaways from the experience. This thing is insanely fast. We're not joking -- it's blazingly fast. Everything the iPad 2 does feels like it's on turbo. We're uploading a video of the some evidence of this, you'll be appropriately stunned.The design feels great in your hands. Sleek, super thin -- much nicer to hold than the previous version. Definitely has more of a magazine than book feel. Everything is tight and solid. It is pretty amazing how thin they've gotten the device.Even software made for the first generation device feels better here. Safari is definitely sped up. Games looked great on-screen, though obviously there are no updates to the resolution of screen technology here.This is an evolutionary step, but we definitely don't feel like it's lacking for features. People are going to gobble these up when they see the new apps.

{kate}

Tobii and Lenovo show off prototype eye-controlled laptop

Tobii unveils the world's first eye-controlled laptop
 

Stockholm, Sweden, Hannover, Germany-March 1, 2011-Tobii Technology today unveiled the world's first laptop with integrated eye control. The prototype laptop has been developed in collaboration with computer manufacturer Lenovo and will be shown publicly for the first time at CeBIT in Hannover, March 1-5.

Lenovo, the world's fourth largest manufacturer of personal computers, has built the world's first eye-controlled laptop, using eye tracking technology from Tobii. The laptop is a fully functional conceptual prototype and an important breakthrough for Tobii in its mission to bring its eye tracking technology to serial production and consumer products.

Eye control – a truly natural interface

Most computer manufacturers today endeavor to enhance their products by adding more and more natural interfaces. Using our eyes to point, select and scroll is completely intuitive and complements traditional control interfaces, such as the mouse and keyboard, in a very natural way.

"More than anything else, the Tobii laptop prototype is proof that our eye tracking technology is mature enough to be used in standard computer interfaces. To reach a state where the technology is part of the average computer, we need to make it smaller and cheaper. We believe that this can be realized in a couple of years by partnering with the right manufacturer," comments Henrik Eskilsson, CEO of Tobii Technology.

The Tobii-Lenovo collaboration

The first batch of eye-controlled laptops consists of 20 units split evenly between Tobii Technology and Lenovo for development and demo purposes.

"On the one hand, we have Lenovo, a great partner, representing industry-leading expertise in computer manufacturing and hardware development. Tobii, on the other hand, has the world's leading eye tracking technology and unique expertise in eye tracking and eye control interfaces. We are very happy with the outcome of this collaboration," Henrik Eskilsson concluded.

Envision eye control in PC's

For users, eye control is thrilling and makes the computer interaction more effective. It is as if the computer understands you; just glance at an icon or gadget and more information will be presented; You can zoom pictures or maps and automatically center on the area you are looking at; The computer can auto-dim and brighten the screen when it recognizes your eyes to increase battery time. Eye control can also speed things up by enabling new and intuitive ways to switch between open windows, and browse your emails and documents.

"We anticipate that people will be extremely excited to be able to control their computer with their eyes," said Barbara Barclay, general manager of Tobii North America. "But what we find most exciting are the opportunities that eye control as part of natural user interfaces offer consumer electronics manufacturers in a range of product categories. We look forward to working with our partners to find many exciting ways to share and integrate this technology to advance their work."

MSI's Radeon HD 6990-based graphics card looks the part (video)

If you've got a desktop case with a view, we can't think of a better thing to put on prominent display than a giant, red-trimmed graphics card -- and that's exactly what MSI's new Radeon HD 6990-based unit provides. The dual-GPU card is lined up to be AMD's 2011 flagship, and MSI proudly proclaims that it's "the most powerful" unit around on the accompanying placard. Interestingly, this is just about the only card MSI's got at its booth that isn't available to handle outside of a case -- we're guessing these prototypes are still pretty rare, and really, they look prettier when they're running at full clip on a motherboard with a ridiculous cooling unit anyhow. Follow the break for a quick video panorama.

Beep-It optical theremin for the masses makes sci-fi sound anybody's game (video)

 

We've seen theremin mod after theremin mod, but those seeking that distinct sci-fi sound without the physical labor or hefty price tag haven't had much of an outlet until now. Meet Beep-It, a $35 analog optical theremin that sports a simple on / off switch, volume control, one quarter-inch jack, and light sensitive resistor to make you the master of that otherworldly sound. According to its creator, Michael Una, the little sonic music maker started off as yet another mod -- a "single-oscillator square wave theremin" in a petri dish -- back in 2008, and underwent a number of incarnations before getting the wood grain treatment you see here. Beep-It is now available at select retailers or direct from the company's website -- then again, we suppose you could hire Bobby McFerrin to do the same thing. Trippy demo after the jump.

AT&T opens up video archives, shares the history inside

Where can you find Orson Welles, Marconi's daughter, Alexander Graham Bell's grandaughter, and inventors of the transistor and television? You might try To Communicate is the Beginning, a 1976 educational publication tracing the history of electronic communication, which AT&T recently decided to exhume from its archives of Bell Labs material. The 30-minute video's just the first in a series, too, as AT&T's website is already playing host to films about the origins of the laser and integrated circuit too, with more on the way. Find them all at our source link -- you do want to know how your favorite technologies evolved, right?

Smithsonian Museum will have a video game gallery next year, wants you to vote on what is in it

Nobody tell Roger Ebert, but the Smithsonian Museum has announced plans for a new exhibition, called The Art of Video Games, which will run between March and September next year. Charting the 40-year (now there's a number that will make you feel old in a hurry) evolution of gaming from paddle-based pixel exchanges to sophisticated online multiplayer extravaganzas, this collection of memoirs will focus on the most visually striking and technologically innovative titles. Perhaps knowing how heated debates about video games can get, the Museum has sagely decided to co-opt its audience into the curatorial process -- the second source link below will take you to a voting page where you can select your top 80 games from a shortlist of 240... and of course express your rage at the omission of some obscure title you totally loved late one night in 1995. 

Source - Technews