While Microsoft has been offering versions of Windows with optimizations for touchscreen displays ever since Windows XP Tablet edition, the truth is that the whole start menu, taskbar, and itty bitty close/minimize/maximize buttons in Windows weren’t really designed for touch input. But there are a number of companies coming up with software designed to run on top of Windows which makes the experience of using the operating system a little more… iPad-like.

One of the latest is Mirabyte, which is developing a UI called FrontFace for Windows tablets. FrontFace for netbooks and tablets isn’t available for download yet, but a preview version should be available within the next few weeks.

While some Windows overlays simply offer a finger-friendly program launcher, FrontFace seems to go a bit further by giving you large icons to close an application or perform other actions. The software also includes a number of original apps designed for touch input including a media player, YouTubeapp, and some games. There are also start page widgets for items including news, weather, and calendar appointments.

You can find out more at the FrontFace developer site.

via Netbook News.de

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2 replies on “Mirabyte FrontFace: Touch-friendly user interface for Windows tablets”

  1. of course the native touch friendly UI would have been the best, but overlay is definitely nice too. Speaking of original Windows 7 UI, many people complain that it is very touch unfriendly, but I constantly think to myself – wouldn’t raising DPI to 125-150% levels solve all those issues?

  2. You should write an article on Thinix Touch — seems to be the only available touch shell replacement for windows. Totally customizable and pretty powerful, they’re planning to integrate a battery app and wifi app in the coming weeks.
    https://thinixtouch.com

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