LucidTouch

[patrickl]

Just saw a new gadget from the Microsoft Research guys.

It acts like a see through screen where you can use your fingers both on the "back" as well as on the front of the screen. I have to say it looks a bit impractical when you see the whole thing with the camera on a stick behind the screen.

Looks a bit like Microsoft Surface that we saw a while ago in the microsoft surface thread

[lanman31337]

That's been out for a month or two - it's nice to see some competition.

[patrickl]

That's been out for a month or two

What do you mean "out for a month or two"? You saw it before somewhere else?

it's nice to see some competition.

Competition with what?

[patrickl]

Ah OK, Apple has patented something similar

Either way, this MS version looks completely unusable to me.

[boykster]

in this current prototype stage it's just that...a technology prototype.  I can't think of a single application where picking up that monstrousity would be more convenient that doing it some other way.

Now if they can make the sensor hardware smaller and easier to use, then sure.  I have a nokia 770 web tablet



that is fun to use, but if I could hold it in my hands and use my fingers from behind to scroll and click links, that would be neato.  Having a 12" boom off the back with a camera? not so much 

[lanman31337]

If they use something that's pressure sensitive I think that would be fantastic.  they could have a solid layer in between each, sorta like a touchpad on a laptop.