News
Synaptics unveils innovative touch-screen technology
Synaptics, which supplies scroll-touch technology for full-size iPods, has announced a mobile phone concept device featuring an innovative new touch-screen technology that could possibly be used on future iPods.
“ClearPad is a thin, high resolution capacitive touch screen that can be placed over any viewable surface for finger input. ClearPad enables a dynamic and adaptive user interface that eliminates the need for mechanical buttons on handheld devices,” Synaptics explains. “This allows mobile designers to increase LCD size to support the content and functionality available for todays handheld devices. Because ClearPad is solid state, it can be curved and mounted beneath plastics, offering mobile designers an opportunity to create sleek and stylized industrial designs.” Synaptics said ClearPad will offer “unique capabilities such as two finger input, proximity sensing, text entry and high resolution finger input that can dramatically improve and enhance the user experience with a touch screen.”
Synaptics said the ClearPad technology is under development and that it is expected to be available in bulk to OEMs by the end of the year.
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1
Sounds like Synaptics is on the ball by knowing wxactly what Apple wants for its future iPods and delivering. Not to mention what this will do for future mobile phones. I like the idea that the Clearpad can be curved and agree that this should help designers create some pretty slick devices. Time to buy some stock in Synaptics maybe.
Posted by CD on August 22, 2006 at 3:12 PM (PDT)
2
Is it just me or this just scream “TRUE VIDEO IPOD”?
Posted by joemamma3 on August 22, 2006 at 6:41 PM (PDT)
3
am i right in assuming that proximity sensing equates to that none-touch nonsense that was floating around? ie. not actually having to touch the screen, as that would leave some messy fingerprints :(
Posted by bananaman on August 22, 2006 at 7:54 PM (PDT)
4
there’s the proof!
Posted by mike H on August 22, 2006 at 8:13 PM (PDT)
5
didn’t Apple just patent something like this?
Posted by mark on August 22, 2006 at 8:41 PM (PDT)
6
This is it guys…. Everything we wanted alll integrated in one simple device. Music/Video/Photo/Cell… imagine the possibilities!
Posted by chocoladebeen on August 23, 2006 at 1:12 AM (PDT)
7
I want one of those…wish thats iPod X or something
Posted by aer0sense on August 23, 2006 at 4:43 PM (PDT)
8
didn’t Apple just patent something like this?
I believe they filed for a concept akin to this, but it sounds like Synaptics had already developed this idea well beyond the conceptual stage that appeared to be in the copy of the patent application I saw online.
Posted by flatline response on August 23, 2006 at 7:51 PM (PDT)