Touchscreens with physical tactile buttons demo by Tactus Technology (videos inside)

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Lounge' started by arta, Jan 14, 2013.

  1. arta

    arta Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    Supposed to be in certain mobile devices by the end of 2013, though who exactly is getting it is secret for now.

    http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/13/this-is-the-future/


     
  2. JBRUU

    JBRUU Well-Known Member

    May 9, 2012
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    WOW. The times we live in...
     
  3. MasterChief3624

    MasterChief3624 Well-Known Member

    Oct 11, 2009
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    This is a breakthrough in touchscreen technology :cool:

    I can't wait to see if the implementation can truly be limitless, though. I noticed in the TechCrunch video, you could see the boxes that would fill up with fluid, so this leads me to believe it's not something that can be done randomly.

    I don't know though. Still awesome, however! Can't wait for its consumer arrival! :D
     
  4. tygamr

    tygamr Well-Known Member

    Aug 7, 2010
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    This has been around for a while now. Read about it on Gizmodo over 6 months ago.
     
  5. ninjackid

    ninjackid Well-Known Member

    May 27, 2010
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    What.... Crazy!!!
     
  6. tygamr

    tygamr Well-Known Member

    Aug 7, 2010
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    It is supposed to be able to do almost any shape anywhere you want on the screen. It isn't completely random, in the sense that the shape, size, and location of the buttons need to be coded, but it is supposed to be capable of forming anywhere on the screen. The technology will be pointless if app developers don't utilize it.
     
  7. coconutbowling

    coconutbowling Well-Known Member

    Dec 8, 2008
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  8. MasterChief3624

    MasterChief3624 Well-Known Member

    Oct 11, 2009
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    That was an awesome video, but I'm curious what it has to do with this thread? :p
     
  9. Teknikal

    Teknikal Well-Known Member

    Oct 26, 2010
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    My guess it's just a hint that you wouldn't be able to use gorilla glass or really any type of glass at all with this screen. So it's unlikely to ever be more than a gimmick until Samsung's flexible displays at least.
     
  10. coconutbowling

    coconutbowling Well-Known Member

    Dec 8, 2008
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    Similar with regards to advancement in technology.
     
  11. tygamr

    tygamr Well-Known Member

    Aug 7, 2010
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    This is true. The touchscreen shown in Tactus's demonstrations is exactly the same as other touchscreens except for the outermost layer (known as the protector, cover, window, etc.), which is what Gorilla Glass is. It's likely made out of a strong, durable, and flexible plastic/rubber, or the screen would probably wear out quicly. An advantage to non-glass touchscreens is that they don't shatter nearly as easily, but a possible disadvantage is they may scratch more easily.
     
  12. MidianGTX

    MidianGTX Well-Known Member

    Jun 16, 2009
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    I think I'd rather stick with glass for now. Still not convinced this stuff is durable enough... I foresee plenty of problems and complaints during its first few iterations. Not to mention... I actually like typing on a flat surface, I think it's novel and cool.
     
  13. nightc1

    nightc1 Well-Known Member

    Oct 19, 2012
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    The last video, yeah, you can see the buttons before they inflate. So I think over time that outer layer has got to wear out from the constant stretching and make the surface where the buttons are feel bumpy. It's a novel idea, but I 3 star'd every level in Mikey Shorts & Mikey Shorts Halloween ... so I don't really think it's necessary at all. Maybe it could improve some aspects of gameplay, but I think the surface has to be pre-designed to inflate those specific pockets... so I don't think this would be useful for gaming since every dev could want different control options.
     
  14. lord-sam

    lord-sam Well-Known Member

    Feb 25, 2009
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    If nothing else, it will be an awesome advance for Braille enabled devices for blind people.
     

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