Mirabyte FrontFace is a custom user interface designed to make tablets running Windows XP or Windows 7 a bit more touch-friendly. It includes a custom program launcher and icons allowing you to flip between running applications without pulling up a keyboard and pressing Alt+Tab. The latest version also includes a widget engine and a few other features aimed at users who don’t feel that Windows is touch-friendly enough out of the box.
The company has been offering free community preview releases for a few months, but eventually the folks at Mirabyte hope to actually make some money off of the software, and I can’t say that I blame them.
The full version of FrontFace will go on sale later this month for $39.95, but the company is offering a pre-order special allowing you to pick it up for $29.95. Or you could just opt for a tablet like the ExoPC which has touch-friendly software preloaded.
40 bucks for putting a bunch of icons on the desktop? i could switch programs using something called the taskbar. pass. i don’t need another application running to make my atom device slower than it already is.
Idea is for making Windows more touch friendly, which by default it is not. Primarily this will be for tablet users, who are limited to just touch interface.
That is absolutely true! Its not just for a bunch of buttons / icons the system includes a few other beautiful features.
It is targeted mostly for Tablet PC users.
FrontFace is more than just Icons! It makes Windows more touch-friendly, it offers more screen size for applications on small displays (like tablets or netbooks), it is easier to use for beginners. It will have own touch-friendly apps and widgets. Other developers can create apps and widgets with our SDK, too. There will be an App Store, where you can get those apps and widgets and also normal Windows Applications which are designed for your device (tablet or netbook). So 20-30 EUR or 30-40 USD is more than fair.
There is a good one out there you can pick up for free – think intel/classmate