1/22/10

NOTE:
This will be my new virtual home. Why?

1. For those familiar with technology and blogging, you have been shaking your head at me for far too long -- and I don't blame you.
   You know that (in addition to numerous other reasons), using something like WordPress to set up and run a blog is much more time efficient than running a website such as this one. With more things continually trying to make their way onto my job/time plate, I need -- no scratch that -- I have to do this.
   
   
2. RSS feeds are not supported on Calvin's personal websites. I have appreciated your patience in continually having to return/check-in here on this site, but it's time to move on to a better way of doing things.
   
   

I will keep this site up for reference sake -- as I've worked hard to obtain the information on the various topics located herein. Thankfully, some of this site has been helpful to other people.

Archives of my postings related to multi-touch technologies are listed below.
For up-to-date postings, see you over at my new "Learning Ecosystems" blog!

1/10/10

True Multitouch with Adobe Flash -- by Jim Spadaccini

Snowflake Suite on 100″ multi-touch wall -- from multitouch.nl

12/31/09

Windows Touch – The World Is At Your Fingertips -- from Touch User Interface

12/28/09

A few things from LM3Labs -- from Lynn Marentette
I just noticed an interactive section of Lm3labs' website that demonstrates a range of interesting pictures that provide a nice overview of the company's work within the retail sector.  Lm3labs has offices in France and Japan.

12/16/09

12/11/09

12/7/09

12/3/09

Portable Recorder for Musicians

21minutes: a live interactive sketching experience. -- from On the Table Top blog

11/25/09

From Selker, T. (2008). Touching the future. Communications of the ACM. Volume 51(12). 14-16.

Microsoft Surface uses five cameras and projector mounted beneath a table display surface, aided by a Windows Vista PC, to produce up to 52 points of touch on its 30-inch diagonal tabletop screen. As well as recognizing gestural input, Surface recognizes objects with RFID tags placed on them, allowing a user to transfer music files between an MP3 player and a smartphone by placing each device on the computer’s tabletop surface. Surface uses the presence of the object and the RFID to identify the type of device and its capabilities. The music files appear on the tabletop surface near each device, enabling a user to drag material from one device to the other.

Also see:
Education: Under the hood with Finguistics

 

Get Educated -- from MSDN.com
We've highlighted education and Microsoft Surface a few times before. I had inquiries on Twitter and I thought it would be good to post a compilation on Surface in education. Here are some applications by Microsoft, our Microsoft Surface partners and others.

• Churchend Primary School shows how teachers and students react to Surface in the classroom. There's also a great behind the scenes for developers.
• I had a few visits with Dr. Neil (1 2 3) talking about his firms edu apps for primary and secondary school kids.
• A paint application called Paint Touch that shows how even pre-schoolers can be engaged with Microsoft Surface.
• Wales Education Suite is a set of applications for primary schools
• Play together, learn together mixes fun with education
• Surface Math shows primary school kids engaged with Surface
• Magnification Ring has applications in education and museums
• The Local Impact Map used by Microsoft to educate representatives of governments and NGOs on corporate social responsibility
• History at your Fingertips is an adult focused application used at the national conventions last fall during the US presidential race
• The Pits is used at trade shows for sales, but has great educational applicability.
• Calculation Game by Ohio State's Computer Science & Engineering students and Geography faculty
• This clip from Microsoft Research UK show's how magical Microsoft Surface is for primary school students. It's fun to see the kids reactions.
• This video by Max is a music creation application, but imagine the possibilities with the objects to create educational applications linked with the physical world.
• Neuro-rehab is focused on healthcare, but can easily be applied to education as well.

We've had a number of higher education institutions buying Microsoft Surface as well, so if you're at college you may see curricula including Surface in markets where it's available. Education developers - don't forget that MSDN-AA has the Microsoft Surface SDK Workstation Edition for subscribers to get you started. Let me know if I've missed anything in my list above. I'll make future posts on healthcare, financial services, etc.

11/24/09

Readings in Touch Screen, Multi Touch, and Touch User Interface -- by Touch User Interface

11/18/09

Touch Screen, Multi Touch, and Touch User Interface Resources -- from Touch User Interface
...massive list of touch screen, multi touch, and touch UI stuff.

10/28/09

List of Multi-Touch Devices -- from Touch User Interface
Here are two lists of commercial multi touch devices I found on the web.

1. Wikipedia page of "List of Multi-Touch Computers and Monitors" via Multitouch + NUI
2. List of Multi Touch Devices by Larry Larsen

10/27/09

Multi-touch – Is it the Future of Human Computer Interaction? -- by Abhijit Kadle

10/20/09

New "Magic Mouse" from Apple

10/19/09

Multi Point and Multi Mouse Interaction -- from Touch User Interface

 

10/18/09

From DSC: For a great look at what goes into interface and interaction design (in a point/counter-point sort of way), check out:

10/GUI – re-thinking the multi-touch desktop -- from -- Engage by Dave Malouf, pointing to the incredible video "10/GUI" on Vimeo by Clayton Miller:

9/30/09

Touching: All Rumors Point To The End Of Keys/Buttons -- by MG Siegler

From DSC:
I think it may be a loooong while before keys and buttons "exit stage left". However, I post it here because multi-touch interfaces could be very popular even in face-to-face settings...perhaps making various technologies much easier to use (I would recommend coupling this with voice recognition by the way).

9/8/09

Related item concerning interfaces
Where's my Jet Pack? Apple Tablet and Future Interfaces -- from ReadWriteWeb.com by Dana Oshiro; resource from Steve Knode

8/18/09

Networked Multitouch Desks: Teacher/Student Features -- from ICT in my classroom by T. Barrett
I was delighted to recieve a video this week from Andrew Hatch from Durham University and the SynergyNet Project. In it he explains and demonstrates some further features of networked multiotuch desks that the team have been developing.

 

Innovative use of technology -- from TechTicker.com
This clip of Kseniya Simonova from “Ukraine’s Got Talent” is absolutely phenomenal. Simonova ultimately won the competition, and in my view it’s clear why she did. The description on the embedded YouTube clip indicates she “uses a giant light box, dramatic music, imagination and “sand painting” skills to interpret Germany’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII.”

 

5/28/09

The Future of Multi-touch -- by Jason Sosa (back from Feb 20th of this year)

2/16/09

A directory and aggregator of multi-touch news sites, blogs, & podcasts

1/24/09

NUI Suite Snowflake compatible with HP TouchSmart multi-touch -- from Harry van der Veen's (founder NUI Group / CEO Natural User Interface) multi-touch blog

NUI developed the compatibility of NUI Suite Snowflake for HP’s TouchSmart multi-touch computing system, running on a NextWindow integrated touchscreen overlay, operating under Windows Vista.

NUI Suite Snowflake also operates on any kind of NextWindow overlay, that can be placed on top of LCD’s and Plasma to make them multi-touch compatible, running both on Windows XP as well as Windows Vista.

To enquire about OEM Opportunities to run NUI Suite Snowflake on HP TouchSmarts or any NextWindow overlay, you can fill out the form on the NUI website located at: http://www.natural-ui.com/contact/index.php

 

1/12/09

Usability, Accessibility, and User Experience in a Win7 Environment -- from Interactive Multimedia Technology
Microsoft's newest operating system, Win7 (beta), allows for multi-touch interaction and application development. From what I can tell from the news from the Consumer Electronic Show (CES 2009), touch and gesture interaction holds quite a bit of interest among consumers and application developers alike. Here are a few links from the Microsoft website that I think are worth reading:

• Touch Interaction Guidelines
  
• How to Design a Great User Experience
• Designing with Windows Presentation Foundation
• Accessibility
  

According to the research from Microsoft, ”more than half of all computer users experience difficulties or impairments related to accessibility, and are likely to benefit from the use of accessible technology. Moreover, approaching software design with the flexibility and inclusiveness that are the hallmarks of accessibility often results in overall improved usability and customer satisfaction.”

12/8/08

Demo of Duke University's multi-touch wall at RENCI, running the Cobalt Metaverse Browser -- from Interactive Multimedia Technology
This video shows the "pre-alpha" version of the Cobalt Metaverse Browser:

11/1/08

Surface Finally Above Water -- from Technology Trends by Phillip D. Long
Orlando - Educause 08: The Microsoft Surface has finally become available to the general public. It has an acrylic top, a DLP projector shooting up to it and Windows Vista PC running the system. The Surface has a 30 in. touch sensitive display, currently with a very small number of apps that accompany it but a number of commercial apps available for purchase.

 

10/27/08

Grafiti - a multi-touch, table-top, surface computing application, from a member of the NUI group -- from Interactive Multimedia Technology blog

10/23/08

A new kind of SmartBoard: Multi-User Multi-Touch SMART Table for Education -- from Interactive Multimedia Technology

10/22/08

Microsoft aims to get more touchy-feely -- from CNET.com

10/21/08

The atracTable Multi-Touch System from Atracsys -- from Interactive Multimedia Technology
The atracTable is a multi-touch presentation system developed by the Swiss engineering and development group, Atracsys. It is similar to Microsoft's Surface. Interaction on the table can be triggered by laying objects on the table.

ShadowReaching: New Perspective on Wall Display Interaction -- from Interactive Multimedia Technology

10/10/08

NUI project demonstrated at Cityscape Dubai 2008 -- from Harry van der Veen's (co-founder NUI Group / CEO Natural User Interface) multi-touch blog.

Also see http://www.natural-ui.com/

• Presentation on Multi-touch technology -- from Harry van der Veen's blog
  "I blogged a while ago, about the fact that I was speaking at a conference in Malmo, Sweden, regarding new interaction techniques, focussed on multitouch technology.The presentation and the video are now online and can be found at: http://www.businesstobuttons.tv/webtv/89.html."
  
  
  
• Jeff Han's presentation on TED Talks

From http://www.multitouch.nl/?p=209

From http://www.primidi.com/2008/09/17.html