This has to be one of the coolest things we’ve seen at CES 2013. We love those moments when you see a piece of tech and you’re genuinely taken aback, and Tactus’ new touchscreen technology has brought us one of those moments.
We love our touchscreen devices, but when it comes to typing anything longer than an instant message or web address we find ourselves yearning for the tactile responsiveness of an actual button or key. We’re sure many others out there feel the same, and that’s why the Tactus keyboard is so exciting.
The tech works by replacing the top layer of a device’s screen – usually hardened glass or plastic – with a sheet that can both be a smooth and flat touchscreen surface and a lumpy, physical keyboard. Of course, by doing this with some devices you’d lose the toughness of a Gorilla Glass panel for example, but that’s the price you have to pay for such awesomeness.
At the show the company has been wowing the crowds with its first 7-inch tablet with a fully integrated ‘Tactus Morphing Tactile’ display. When you open a keyboard on the tablet, a series of raised buttons rise up from the screen, seemingly out of nowhere. The idea is to give you something responsive when typing, making it easier and more comfortable to type out a long email, for example.
When you’re finished typing, the buttons will disappear again back in to the screen, as if they were never there, allowing the tablet to be used as a full touchscreen device again. It’s not just tablets that can use this tech – the company hopes to add it to any touchscreen device, including smartphones.
Check out their demo video of the Tactus Morphing Tactile display and let us know what you think!
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