Yes, we bet most of the world tuned in to watch The 2013 Golden Globes yesterday, with “Oh no! Not that series again!” and “I cannot believe she wore that dress!” sighs heard all over the place. Yet, the more tech savvy crowd were probably tuning in to the 2013 CES.
We must say we’re pretty excited to have found probably the coolest gadget at this year’s CES. Yes, hold your breath for you will surely be taken aback by Tactus’ new touchscreen technology.
No one can deny the love we hold for our touchscreen devices, but when it comes to typing anything longer than an instant message or web address, we always tend to find ourselves aching for the solid responsiveness of an authentic button or key. We’re pretty confident that we are not alone, and thus Tactus brings us its new keyboard.
So how exactly does thie new technology work you ask? Well, the top layer – that is usually hardened glass or plastic- is replaced with a sheet; it can be a smooth and flat touchscreen surface as well as a lumpy, physical keyboard. There is always a price to pay; to enjoy such a convenience we’ll have to live with the loss of the toughness of Gorilla Glass.
The company has been enchanting the crowd at the show with its unprecedented 7-inch tablet that is fully integrated with “Tactus Morphing Tactile” display. Once you open the keyboard on the tablet, a string of raised buttons turn up on the screen, as though out of nowhere. The whole point of it is to offer a more responsive experience when typing, especially when you are typing something lengthy such as an email or so.
Once done typing, the buttons will go back into never land, as if they were never there and nothing had happened, allowing the tablet to be used as a full touchscreen device yet again.
The company is looking forward to integrating this technology into smartphones as well.
Here is the demo video of the Tactus Morphing Tactile display: