Completely awesome. Get it to market NOW

[Link: m.digg.com]

I get blank screen when clicking on the link

[Link: socialmedia.alltrendingtopics.com]

This technology has been around for a while. I used to talk to guys walking the show floor at CEDIA looking to push it on touchscreen manufacturers. This was like 2006-ish.

My first entry into the smartphone market was with a pure touchscreen (no buttons) solution, so I've never been one to miss hard keys because I've never had them. This technology would be nothing more than a cool factor for me.

I know plenty of people (mostly Blackberry users) who come from hard buttons and the thing that scares them the most about changing platforms is the lack of buttons. Something like this would be great for them.

Haptic feedback.. it's been around a while now.

CJ

Its more than just the fly by night haptic. It has two levels of "effort" feel.

First is like scanning the buttons without pushing them in. The second press is like activating the button press.

This is an improvement on a cool technology.

After I programmed A BUNCH of Prontos and Marantz remotes, I discovered that if you can't lightly hold your finger ON a button and then push it exactly when you want to, you can't, say, fast forward through an ad, or pause a DVR in the dark... you always have to look away from a TV to do anything with a touchscreen; if you rest your finger on the PLAY button, it will send a PLAY command.

The approach shown is indeed not new, and it doesn't let you hover over a button while being in contact enough to be sure you're in the right place. Give me buttons, not touchscreen, every day. Now, if you only use the remote once a month, so you have to look anyway, give me a touchscreen. That goes for conference rooms in particular, where you can put a lot of custom info on the screen for the person who only occasionally uses the remote.

it is a mobile link.  if you are on a computer, delete the "m" at the beginning of the address and replace with "www"

I couldn't agree more when it comes to remotes. DirecTV's iPad app is pretty cool, but I never use it because who wants to wait the second or two it takes to connect through the network, plus, like you said, you have to look every time you want to hit a button. That will never work in my world.

I still could care less about hard buttons on a phone though. I don't use it for anything that would make that helpful.

I've played around with Haptic feedback on various prototype units through the years. It is slightly helpful, but I don't see this as a replacement for hard buttons.

I have had several touch screen remotes, and unless they have buttons for channel numbers, transport controls, and the normal menu items, I've found them to be a resounding failure. I need to be able to find the FF by feel, and then press it, and be able to find PLAY by feel, and be able to press it at exactly the moment I need to. Haptic feedback is not going to be able to give the ability to determine If I'm at the right place on the display.

It may be nicer for text entry on a touch screen device, but a keyboard will just continue to be better. Hard buttons allow for so much more, they can be different shapes for different functions (allows you to determine you are on the correct key by feel), and give a distint ability to feel you are on the button, and when it is depressed. The haptic feedback cannot allow me to determine if I'm on the right button, so even if it allows me to feel a button, and when it is depressed, it still falls short.

Hard button remotes are sought after because you never have to look at them once you remember the button pattern. You learn where the channel up and down buttons are (for example) and then you learn where everything else is in relationship to them and you never have to look down again. This will never be possible with a touchscreen remote because once you accidentally swipe left or hit the home button your buttons are gone. I really don't know why they are wasting their time with this technology. The haptic blackberry was total garbage.

As far as hard button vs touchscreen. I think the hard button remote has a shelf life because i think more and more people are going to want to browse the guide & other features on the touchpanel. It really sucks when you are watching TV and you have the control freak browsing for a new show to watch before the first one is done.

The "control freak" (father in-law) needs a simple remote that has:




One button that sends a macro of ON, Volume to 80%, Channel up every 60 seconds.


Nothing else is needed since the TV is never really turned off (on command is just for the rare times when the power goes out and the madness needs to be started all over again), the volume is always about as loud as it can go, and the channel is NEVER static for more than 1 minute.

Are the haptic buttons still "touch" or can you "press" to activate?

If its press then IMHO that negates the "rest" the finger on a hard button and button location memory argument

How complex of a shape can be raised?

I'm not sure what you mean by "raised". Are you saying that Kyocera has figured out some way to alter the flat-touch screen so that shapes we can feel appear?

If so... Wow.

If not... Making it click or vibrate when pressed means it's just a touchscreen and you have to look at it to use it.

LOL!