Next gen iPod has touch surface on back
Apple is going for lots and lots of different patents, and one of their latest applications is directly connected to a next generation iPod. I really like the idea – you control things on the front by touching the back:
When you touch the backside, however, transparent “ghost” controls appear on the front. You’d then use your finger on the backside of the device to navigate your way through the transparent controls up front. The key to the equation is force sensitivity. As you run your finger along the backside, the cursor hovers, but when you press harder, you can click on things.
I’ll hope we will see this functionality already this year when the iPod widescreens goes public.
Next Gen iPod Patent Has “Touch Surface” On Back [gizmodo.com]
via [digg]
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May 10th, 2007 22:42
[...] Via: Fosfor [...]
May 11th, 2007 22:20
It’s not a new concept:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=_lYmAAAAEBAJ&dq=touch+pad+on+device+to+control+UI+on+display+on+front
Synaptics patent # 5543588, filed over 12 years earlier.
(I also saw a device about 5 years ago made by a Qualcomm-affiliated mobile display company that had a force-sensitive touch pad on the back for controlling the UI on the display on the front.)
May 14th, 2007 11:43
[...] – Próximo Ipod já tem patente requerida, data de lançamento inderteminada e controles novos. [...]
May 16th, 2007 00:28
[...] – Próximo Ipod já tem patente requerida, data de lançamento inderteminada e controles novos. [...]
January 19th, 2010 03:38
Took me ages to find this post, this time I’ll bookmark it.