While it’s possible to navigate modern PC operating systems using nothing but a keyboard, there are a lot of things that are easier to do if you have a mouse or touchpad. But those can take up valuable space and require moving your hand away from the keyboard. Lenovo offers another approach by putting its […]
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Give a MacBook a touchscreen with just $1 of hardware (and some clever software)
PC makers have been shipping laptops with touchscreen displays for years, but Apple has yet to follow suit, basically arguing that touch panels are for phones and tablets, not laptops. That may change if and when Apple eventually brings support for iOS apps to its Mac lineup. But for now the best you can do […]
Google buys company that turns displays into speakers
A UK startup called Redux had developed technology that allows displays or other flat panels to emit sound without the user of a traditional speaker. Among other things, the technology could be used to build smartphones that don’t need speakers, freeing up space for bigger batteries, antennas, or other components. But it looks like Redux […]
ZRRO is an Android box with a touchpad controller (crowdfunding)
There are plenty of boxes designed to let you run Android apps on your TV. The problem is that many Android apps aren’t designed for television screens, which means they can be tough to navigate using a remote control, gamepad, or even a mouse and keyboard. The ZRRO Box is a TV box that aims to tackle this […]
CSR shows off wireless keyboard that’s just 0.5mm thick
It’s hard to make a keyboard that provides both tactile feedback and which is super thin… so some folks don’t even try. The Microsoft Surface Touch Cover, for instance, is a keyboard without moving keys. You just touch the surface to type. That makes it thinner than a typical keyboard cover for a tablet. But […]
Google adds preview touchscreen controls to Chrome web browser
Google’s Chrome web browser runs on a range of platforms including PCs, Chromebooks, and Android and iOS devices. Some features are only available on some platforms, but Google seems to be slowly erasing those lines. For instance, Google Translate is built into the latest versions of Chrome for Android. And now Chrome for desktop computers […]
Microsoft expects smaller Windows touchscreen devices “in the coming months”
Windows 8 is designed at least as much for tablets as it is for desktop and laptop computers, and Microsoft has been playing up the touch-friendly features of the operating system. But so far you haven’t been able to get a Windows 8 or Windows RT touchscreen device with a display smaller than 10 inches. […]
Chromebook Pixel: Will next-gen Chromebooks have higher-def, touchscreen displays?
Acer, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung are all offering Chromebooks, with screen sizes ranging from 11.6 to 14 inches. Some have hard drives while others have solid state disks. And some have x86 processors while others have ARM-based chips. So what’s next for laptops running Chrome OS? According to a concept video (and hints from developer François […]
Ubuntu is getting touchy feely (or at least touchscreen-friendly)
Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth has made no secret of his plans to make the popular Ubuntu Linux operating system more touchscreen-friendly. The company recently released a tool that makes it easy to install the operating system on the Google Nexus 7 tablet. And last year the company teased software that would let you run Ubuntu […]
Asus VivoBook S400 14″ Windows 8 touchscreen notebook up for pre-order
The Asus VivoBook S400 is a notebook with a 14.1 inch touchscreen display, an Intel Ivy Bridge processor, and Windows 8 operating system. It won’t be released until October 26th, but the VivoBook S400 is up for pre-order from Amazon for $699. Asus has also started taking pre-orders for the VivoBook X202, a smaller model […]