Multitouch

Microsoft snaps up Perceptive Pixel, maker of badass multitouch displays

Microsoft's boss Steve Ballmer just announced during his keynote talk at the Worldwide Partner Conference that Redmond has acquired touchscreen technology company Perceptive Pixel for an undisclosed sum. The company already makes a monstrous 82-inch multitouch surface that runs Windows 8.

We also know Steve Ballmer has an 80-inch Windows 8 tablet of sorts hung on the wall of his office. This acquisition of a hardware vendor that makes Gargantuan multitouch displays is another indication that Microsoft is now becoming a hardware vendor. But there's more to this acquisition than meets the eye...

Apple Awarded Core Multitouch Patent, Android Partners Beware

Apple had a hunch that its iPhone would be popular enough with consumers to "inspire" the competition. That's why the company was so adamant about protecting its technology in the handset, filing for over 200+ patents. But it didn't help.

Apple's legal team has seen mixed results in its ongoing patent war with Android manufacturers over the above-mentioned intellectual property. But the company was just awarded a core multi-touch patent that could turn the tide in its favor...

Apple Wins Two High-Profile Multi-Touch Patents

According to PatentlyApple, Apple was awarded another 14 patents yesterday from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Out of the 14 recognized inventions, two of them really stood out.

The two patents are related to multi-touch technology, and could come in handy in the ongoing patent war between Apple and Android partners. In fact, one of the filings relates to the touch-screen tech found in the original iPhone...

iOS 5 Will Remove Multi-Touch Gestures From Your Original iPad

We're afraid it's not all good news today. With the entire iPhone, iPad and iPod touch-owning public eagerly awaiting the public release of iOS 5, all is not rosy on the iOS front, especially if you happen to be a proud owner of the first-generation iPad.

If you've grown comfortable with the multi-touch gestures Apple added earlier this year to the iPad, you're going to be in for a shock when your iPad restarts after installing iOS 5, for those same gestures will be gone. Lost forever...

Apple Refused ‘Multi-Touch’ Trademark

Way back on January 9th, 2007, Apple brought the original iPhone into existence, and the rest as they say, is history. On that very same day, the Cupertino company also filed for a trademark for Multi-Touch. And now, 4 years later, the United States Patent and Trademarks Office has made its decision on the application.

In what is a rare knock-back for Apple, the USPTO has decided that Apple was not the rightful owner of the Multi-Touch trademark and, unsurprisingly, the iPhone-making giant decided to appeal. That appeal has now been heard, and Tim Cook and co. are still out of luck...

MultiWall: Showcase Your iPhone’s Photo Library From the Comforts of Your SpringBoard

Yesterday, Redmond Pie ran a story on an upcoming jailbreak tweak entitled MultiWall. Its premise is a simple, yet promising one: It allows you to showcase and swipe between the pictures in your Photos app directly from your SpringBoard.

Because it uses two-finger mutitouch gestures, the swiping doesn't initiate page swipes, but instead changes between photos — either left or right — depending on the direction of your two-finger gesture.

According the YouTube video, MultiWall is still in beta stages at the moment. Check inside for a video sneak peak of MultiWall in motion...

Amazon’s Future Tablet Will Support 8 Less Fingers Than the iPad

We recently told you about Amazon's upcoming consumer tablet that's set to release later this year. The rumored device is expected to be a revolutionary upgrade to the current Kindle, and it will most likely be marketed to compete directly with Apple's iPad.

Amazon has its own music, movies, books, and online retail infrastructure to go head-to-head with Apple, but what it apparently won't have is similar multi-touch support. While the iPad's touchscreen display supports 10-finger gestures, Amazon's tablet will only support 2-finger gestures...

New Multitouch Gestures Indicate No Buttons on Future iPads

Apple has recently seeded to its developers iOS 4.3 and there is plenty to read in between the lines with this latest version. The biggest change is the additional gestures for users to enjoy.

You will soon be able to pinch-out with four or five fingers in order to get back to the home screen. In addition, you will be able to swipe up with four or five fingers to display the fast-switching app bar, no matter what app you are in. A simple swipe down with just as many fingers will hide the app switcher.

Also, to perform multitasking fast app switching, you can swipe to the left or right, again with four or five fingers, to quickly switch from other apps running in the background. This addition alone is going to be the most beneficial.

I for one have had so much trouble double-clicking that home button to bring up the fast-switching app bar. Sometimes I click too slow and it just takes me to the home screen. Or sometimes I click too fast and the device only registers one click, thus taking me again to the home screen.

I also really like the actual multitasking gesture of swiping through all the open apps. This is as if all the apps are running side by side and your iPad is merely a window into one of them. Such a cool concept!

Check out the video above for a demonstration of these new gestures.