New potential for touch screens found at your fingertips

Our sense of touch is clearly more acute than many realize. A new study by Swedish scientists demystifies the “unknown sense” with first-ever measurements of human tactile perception.

In a ground-breaking study, Swedish scientists have shown that people can detect nano-scale wrinkles while running their fingers upon a seemingly smooth surface. The findings could lead such advances as touch screensfor the visually impaired and other products, says one of the researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

The study marks the first time that scientists have quantified how people feel, in terms of a physical property. One of the authors, Mark Rutland, Professor of Surface Chemistry, says that the human finger can discriminate between surfaces patterned with ridges as small as 13 nanometres in amplitude and non-patterned surfaces.

“This means that, if your finger was the size of the Earth, you could feel the difference between houses from cars,” Rutland says. “That is one of the most enjoyable aspects of this research. We discovered that a human being can feel a bump corresponding to the size of a very large molecule.”

The research team consisted of Rutland and KTH PhD student Lisa Skedung, and psychologist Birgitta Berglund and PhD student Martin Arvidsson from Stockholm Universiy. Their paper, “Feeling Small: Exploring the Tactile Perception Limits,” was published on September 12 in Scientific Reports. The research was financed by a grant from Vinnova and the Knowledge Foundation to the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden. Rutland says that the project will pursue applications of the research together with SP.

The study highlights the importance of surface friction and wrinkle wavelength, or wrinkle width – in the tactile perception of fine textures.

When a finger is drawn over a surface, vibrations occur in the finger. People feel these vibrations differently on different structures. The friction properties of the surface control how hard we press on the surface as we explore it. A high friction surface requires us to press less to achieve the optimum friction force.

“This is the breakthrough that allows us to design how things feel and are perceived,” he says. “It allows, for example, for a certain portion of a touch screen on a smartphone to be designed to feel differently by vibration.”

The research could inform the development of the sense of touch in robotics and virtual reality. A plastic touch screen surface could be made to feel like another material, such as fabric or wood, for example. The findings also enable differentiation in product packaging, or in the products themselves. A shampoo, for example, can be designed to change the feel of one’s hair.

With the collaboration of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) material science labs, Rutland and his colleagues produced 16 chemically-identical surfaces with wrinkle wavelengths (or wrinkle widths) ranging from 300 nanometres to 90 micrometres, and amplitudes (or wrinkle heights) of between seven nanometres and 4.5 micrometres, as well as two non-patterned surfaces. The participants were presented with random pairs of surfaces and asked to run their dominant index finger across each one in a designated direction, which was perpendicular to the groove, before rating the similarity of the two surfaces.

The smallest pattern that could be distinguished from the non-patterned surface had grooves with a wavelength of 760 nanometres and an amplitude of only 13 nanometres.

Rutland says that by bringing together professors and PhD students from two different disciplines – surface chemistry and psychology – the team succeeded in creating “a truly psycho-physical study.”

“The important thing is that touch was previously the unknown sense,” Rutland says. “To make the analogy with vision, it is as if we have just revealed how we perceive colour.

“Now we can start using this knowledge for tactile aesthetics in the same way that colours and intensity can be combined for visual aesthetics.”

From:NJYTOUCH

Apple Granted 36 Patents Today Covering key Touchscreen & GUI Technologies

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 36 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover several new design patents covering the iPhone with the iOS GUI and an all-new icon related to the iPad and more. Additionally, we cover a patent relating to a new speakerphone, mobile clubbing and two key original touchscreen related patents. One of them lists the Late Steve Jobs as an inventor.

Apple Granted Patent for Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and GUI for Interpreting a Finger Gesture on a Touch Screen Display

Apple has been granted two original touchscreen patents that were designed for the 2007 iPhone and future iDevices. The pair of patents could one day be used in litigation. The graphic below which specifically relates to patent 8,519,963, depicts an exemplary user interface for unlocking an iPhone or iDevice.

This particular patent generally relates to portable electronic devices, and more particularly, to portable devices that can uniquely determine operations associated with a finger gesture when the finger gesture occurs near multiple icons on a touch screen display. This patent is covered by 25 patent claims.

The second noted touch related patent is 8,519,964 which generally relates to portable electronic devices, and more particularly, to portable devices that support user navigations of graphical objects on a touch screen display. This patent is covered by 12 patent claims. The Late Steve Jobs is listed on this patent as one of the inventors.

Apple Granted Patent for Mobile Clubbing App

Apple has been granted a patent today for their invention that generally relates to mobile clubbing. Apple’s patent covers systems and methods for facilitating a music experience that could be shared amongst members of a group of people each in possession of an iDevice. More particularly, the music listened to by each member of the group could be specifically selected by an individual member using a music characteristic common to all members. See Patently Apple’s original 2011 patent application coverage for details.

Apple credits Sylvain Louboutin as the sole inventor of granted patent 8,521,316 which was originally filed in Q1 2010 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Apple Granted Patent for a Speaker with a Horizontal Former

Apple has been granted a patent today for their invention relating an iDevice speakerphone system. The key to this patent is a speaker having a horizontal former. For more details, see Patently Apple’s original coverage of this patent application under the title “Apple Reinvents Speakerphone System for iOS Devices,” in May 2012.

Apple credits Christopher Wilk as the sole inventor of granted patent 8,520,886 which was originally filed in Q1 2011 and published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Apple Granted 7 Design Patents Today

Apple was granted 7 new design patents today covering the iPhone 5 with iOS User Interface; a Store-within-a-Store retail display; a new iPad Icon; iPad retail packaging; an iBook related icon for Drag Book Here; a calculator icon (not shown) and a Maps UI (not shown).

The Remaining Patents that were granted to Apple Today

From:NJYTOUCH

Constant use of touch-screen devices poses serious risks to youth

Rambam Medical Center experts worry that mobile devices poses threats to welfare of young people, threatening to affect them physically, emotionally, cognitively and developmentally.

Rambam Medical Center experts worrythat the mobile devices pose serious threats Photo: Edward Kaprov

While people of all ages seem unable to live without a touchscreen device – smartphone, tablet or i-Pad and all the rest – Rambam Medical Center experts worry that the mobile devices pose serious threats, especially to young people.

Recent surveys have shown that as the use of the interactive devices spreads even to kindergarten children – with a third of those aged six to nine having their own cellphone – touchscreen devices threaten to affect them physically, emotionally, cognitively and developmentally.

Prof. Naim Shehadeh, director of the pediatrics A department at Rambam and the juvenile diabetes and obesity clinic, said this week that tablets can lead to serious overweight in children.

“A fat child is very likely to turn into a fat adult, with all the risks of diabetes, hypertension, high cardiac risk and more. The causes include the lack of physical activity.

I don’t exaggerate when I say that the most common physical activity in young people today is moving their fingers on the touch screen of a computerized device, which is why the current crop of young people is called ‘the Touch Generation.’ Even when they go out, they are usually busy with their touch screens. There is no doubt that the Touch Generation is a significant high-risk group for the development of overweight at a young age,” said Shehadeh.

Besides the fact that the brains of very young children, with thin skulls, could be affected by electromagnetic radiation from cellphones held close to their heads, there are many other risks not connected directly to physiological health, said Amisar.

Dr. Dana Amisar, an expert in child and adolescent psychiatry and head of children’s psychiatry at the Haifa hospital, said that there are also psychological implications.

Children are increasingly exposed to the world not by experiences but to a virtual world via the screen.

“Their attention used to be dependent on what happened directly in their environment at a certain time. But now, she said, their attention is captured by the screen. They have less direct connection with friends and more virtually, giving the impression that they are ‘connected’ and are in contact. But in fact, many children see their friends less and less, and whole relationships begin, carry on and end virtually.”

The averagetouch-screen user receives some 150 messages and SMSs per day while they are doing other things. At any given moment, the user must divide his attention among all these “events,” said Amisar, and each activity cuts off the previous one. This reduces the quality of their attention and reduces their freedom of choice.

They become dependent on the devices and can’t manage without, the psychiatrist continued.

The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), published by the American Psychiatric Association, lists “Internet addiction” as a new diagnosis and notes the need for more research.

Such addiction, said Amisar, can cause users to forgo social ties or daily tasks, reduce their ability to reach satisfaction, and lead to the inability to stop using computers and smartphones and using the Internet to try to improve their mood or escape from reality.

Researchers around the world who collect data say the phenomenon is quickly becoming a syndrome like other addictions.

From:NJYTOUCH

Haptix aims to be a “mouse killer

Haptix, a little camera device that promises to turn regular surfaces into 3-D multi-touch controllers, has exceeded its Kickstarter goal of $100,000 in just five days.

That’s enough for the five-person Haptix team to complete “tooling” of its device so it can be manufactured in China and sold for $70.

Haptix aims to be a “mouse killer,” so users can precisely manipulate what they see on the screen in front of them by using their fingers on any flat surface. Of course, they’ll have to set up Haptix so it can “view” that surface, but the gadget should work on a desk, or on top of a regular keyboard.

Haptix co-creator Darren Lim says the trick is his team’s software, which allows affordable 3-D sensing to work in poor conditions like close proximity to surfaces.

Sure, $100,000 is a particularly modest goal as far as Kickstarter hardware campaigns go, but now it’s out of the way. Today, Haptix is telling backers that if it can hit $150,000, it will also produce a pressure-sensitive stylus for artists.

Haptix fits into one of the more interesting current trends in technology — taking users away from the abstractions of standard computer interfaces and back into the environments around us. I like to think of it as “the disappearing interface.” It all started with the touchscreen — where you feel that you directly manipulate virtual objects — and now is extending into the air and onto regular surfaces.

After Microsoft’s Kinect, the best-known recent effort in this space is Leap Motion, a well-established startup with nearly $50 million in funding as well as a $25 million fund from its investors to support third-party application development. Leap famously and somewhat magically allows users to control their PCs by gesturing in the air. But it has suffered delays, and continues to be “challenging” and “tiring,” given that users must hold their hands in the air for extended periods of time.

In a way, Haptix seems less exciting than Leap Motion because it’s anchored to surfaces. It also seems like it might be less relevant in the coming years, as more laptops add touchscreens, and as tablets continue to rise in popularity.

Lim disagrees, because Haptix will allow users to comfortably rest their hands so they can use the controller all day without tiring, for all sorts of tasks other than typing on a keyboard. Also, Lim said, Haptix doesn’t rely on infrared, so it will work in all lighting conditions, where Leap doesn’t function as well in very bright light.

Haptix currently works on Windows and Ubuntu, with Android in progress. Lim says the most salient bit of feedback so far has been from backers who want a Mac version. If all goes as planned, the device will be shipped to Kickstarter backers in January, and applications won’t have to be modified to support Haptix input.

Haptix has been in development for a year, and Lim received support for the project as one of the young entrepreneurs selected to be a Thiel Fellow this year. He said the company is also now raising an angel round of funding.

from:NJYTOUCH

Touchscreen Breaker For Google’s Second-Gen Tablet?

An HD display and new Android operating system may not be enough to save the 2013 Nexus 7, as complaints from early adopters continue to roll in. Most recently, users reporttouchscreen issues, which could possibly be the deal breaker in the popularity of Google’s second-generation tablet.

The ultra-sensitive touchscreen on the 2013 Nexus 7 appears to be much more of a hindrance than an asset. Users report a number of mistyping issues including the wrong keys registering when typing, double taps and ghost taps registering when a user has not touched the screen. Nexus 7 2013 users also have an issue with the multi-touch gestures malfunctioning with phantom gestures.

These problems are reportedly only briefly remedied with a reboot; however, most report that rebooting, booting to safe mode or resetting their tablet solves nothing and that thetouch screen issues have worsened over time. Nexus 7 users have noted that they only appear to have trouble when their 2013 Nexus 7 is running on battery power. When plugged in for charging, the tablet supposedly works fine.

In addition, Nexus 7 users report other varying conditions that accompany problems. One 2013 Nexus 7 owner reported touchscreen issues with his tablet only when it was lying on a flat surface but not while holding it, while another user reported having issues regardless of whether the 2013 Nexus 7 was being held or lying flat. A number of fed up users have said the issues occur often enough for them to have considered returning their 2013 Nexus 7.

It remains uncertain whether the issues are a hardware or software problem; however, the closet connection appears to be the over-the-air JSS15J software update that was delivered to 2013 Nexus 7 units shortly after its release. So far, Google has acknowledged the problem and says it is investigating the cause.

Another major issue 2013 Nexus 7 users are experiencing is a GPS bug, in which the device’s GPS won’t work at all or will quickly drop within minutes of connecting or while switching in between apps. A malfunctioning GPS is an especially frustrating issue for those who use their tablets often while out and about. A number of systems and apps on such devices are connected to and powered by GPS. Google has similarly stated that it is investigating the issue.

The 2013 Nexus 7 released in the U.S. in late July and has yet to hit most international markets. However, it has seen some popularity in its early release, having sold out at such retailers as Staples.

In addition to issues with the 2013 Nexus 7 tablet itself, many users have also had issues with the new Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system, including slow performance speed, device freezing and Bluetooth incompatibility, among many other bugs.

Do you think the touchscreen and GPS issues will be a deal breaker for the 2013 Nexus 7? Let us know in the comments below.

from:NJYTOUCH

Apple first sued Motorola Mobility

Now-ubiquitous touch screen for Apple iPhones and iPads are worthy of patent protection, the Federal Circuit ruled, reversing the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Apple first sued Motorola Mobility – now owned by Google – in 2010 for a number of patent infringements related to its iPhone and iPad. Motorola countersued over claims that Apple infringed on its wireless technology, and the two companies have been locked in a multi-pronged worldwide war ever since.

Though an administrative law judge found that Apple violated Motorola’s 3G wireless patents, the ITC recently reversed that decision. Despite the finding, Motorola continued to enforce a German ban on Apple products and drew the ire of the European Commission, which opened antitrust proceedings earlier this year.

Back in the U.S., Apple had been appealing an ITC decision that invalidated one of its touch screen patents for obviousness and anticipation, and a finding that Motorola did not infringe a second related patent. The first, patent ’607, covers the way the screen handles finger swipes and touches. Patent ’828 meanwhile discloses how the touch screen is made transparent.

A three-judge panel of the Federal Circuit panel found Wednesday that the first seven claims of Apple’s ’607 patent had been anticipated by a prior patent. The court rejected Apple’s argument that its speed improvements and the enabling of multiple touches at once make it sufficiently different than the prior patent.

“Apple fails to provide any reason why the faster or optimal approaches would be too slow or inaccurate to detect multiple touches or why the disclosure of Perski ’455 fails to enable multiple touches,” Judge Kimberly Moore wrote for the panel. “To the contrary, as Motorola points out, the scanning algorithm disclosed in the ’607 patent is very similar to the ‘faster approach’ disclosed in Perski ’455. The ’607 patent discloses a sensing circuit that detects changes in capacitance at each node along n columns in the matrix by cycling through one row at a time for the m rows. Moreover, the claims of the ’607 patent do not expressly contain a speed or accuracy limitation. Thus, we conclude that substantial evidence supports the ITC’s finding that Perski ’455 anticipates claims 1-7 of the ’607 patent.”

The panel nevertheless took the ITC to task for its finding that claim 10 of the ’607 patent should be dismissed for obviousness. The ITC agreed with its administrative law judge that the Apple technology at issue stemmed from a previous innovation called SmartSkin without even examining Apple’s evidence, according to the ruling.

“This is not adequate under our law,” Moore wrote. “The ultimate conclusion of obviousness is a legal conclusion to be reached after weighing all the evidence on both sides. The ITC analyzed only the disclosure of the prior art references and based solely on that evidence determined the claims would have been obvious.”The ITC’s prejudicial failure to take into account industry accolades for the iPhone, sales figures and evidence of industrywide copying undermined its obviousness finding, according to the 37-page opinion.“Apple presented evidence showing a nexus between the undisputed commercial success of the iPhone and the patented multitouch functionality, namely evidence that Apple’s competitors copied its  touch screen and that those in the industry praised the iPhone’s multitouch functionality,” Moore wrote. “The ITC did not address any of this evidence.”

She continued: “To be clear, we conclude that the ITC fact findings regarding the scope and content of the prior art (what the reference discloses) are supported by substantial evidence. We remand so the ITC can consider that evidence in conjunction with the evidence of secondary considerations and determine in the first instance whether claim 10 would have been obvious to one of skill in the art at the time of the invention.” (Parentheses in opinion.)The panel completely threw out the ITC’s finding that Motorola did not infringe Apple’s ’828 patent. It agreed with Apple that the ITC improperly limited terms in the patent’s specifications to find noninfringement.In his partial dissent, Judge Jimmie Reyna said he would have gone further and reinstated the first seven claims of the ’607 patent.

Reyna applauded Apple’s innovation and said the majority made a mistake in invalidating the claims as secondary art.“Based on the extensive record in this case, I believe Apple overcame significant complexities to produce a touchscreen with desirable optical properties that accurately detected multiple simultaneous touches,” Reyna wrote. “Ultimately, it was Apple – not the prior art inventors – who identified the problem, disclosed the steps explaining how the problem was solved, and then created a marketplace for its contribution. By incorporating the invention in the patented products of the iPhone and iPad, Apple’s efforts endowed users around the world with better access to information, more efficient communication, and unparalleled convenience to organize life on the mobile.”

from:NJYTOUCH

Touchscreen controls coming to Chrome

The latest developer ‘Canary’ version of Google’s desktop Internet browser can support swipes, pinches and other hands-on operations.

Touch screens are already the standard for mobile devices — even BlackBerry’s latest flagship keypad phone the Q10 also offers a high-definition touch screen in support of its QWERTY keyboard. Likewise, without the leaps and bounds made in multi-touch and finger-tracking technology, the tablet would still be something a doctor prescribes to treat illnesses and not something that schools are starting to prescribe as a means of boosting children’s educational attainment.

Indeed, so big are touch screens that according to Lux Research, the market for haptics — the technology that provides a tactile response to a touch command — will experience a 16-fold increase over the next 12 years as touch and gestures become the norm for everything from smartwatches to control pads on running machines.

“An emerging wave of haptics offers the potential for a more intuitive and information-rich touch experience than today’s simple whole-device vibration,” said Anthony Vicari, Lux Research Associate, of the company’s research, published yesterday.

However, while there’s little doubt that the touch screen is going to play a greater and greater role in how we as consumers interact with and make sense of modern technology, the jury is still well and truly out as to whether it has a role — haptic or non-haptic — to play in navigating and interacting with the traditional notebook or desktop PC.

Apple believes that touch screens are not only unnecessary but actually counterproductive on computers. Its research into the subject showed that forcing users to take their hands off the keyboard and mouse, change their seating position, lean forward and touch the screen in order to achieve a task or launch an application that could have been done in microseconds via a mouse click, keyboard shortcut or voice command, destroys productivity.

However, Microsoft has ‘bet the farm’ on touch as the future of the same computer interface, which many commentators claim is the reason why consumers have been less than willing to upgrade to Windows 8. Intel has also come out on Microsoft’s side and announced that any manufacturer who wishes to describe their product as an ultrabook will, from 2014, have to include a touch screen in order to do so.

And now Google is also playing around with the same interface, albeit limited to its web browser. As well as supporting pinch to zoom and left and right swipes to load cached pages, it also offers support for Microsoft’s virtual keyboard that appears on the screen when a webpage field requires information — say for example a social media login page. Just like Apple, Google is a serious innovator in the consumer electronics sphere, even if, until recently, its efforts have been focused on software and services, rather than hardware.

And, although the features in the latest Chrome build will not be filtering through to the latest consumer version within the next few weeks, the fact that the company is considering them at all highlights the fact that although traditional PC sales are falling, it is still a market well and truly dominated by Microsoft. Focusing touch input around a specific computer function also makes a lot of sense.

If the swipes and pinches are specifically for browsing, then there is no chance of disrupting productivity. It also means that as Windows 8 tablets become more popular that their owners will be able to use Chrome instead of Internet Explorer and still have the same features and commands, literally at their fingertips.

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New Panasonic Plasma TV Range

Like Panasonic’s 2013 LCD TVs, the plasma range offers access to the firm’s Viera Connect Smart TV platform for apps, catch-up TV, VOD services and more. There’s also a handy built-in media player for access to content via USB or DLNA (local network). One thing that’s different about Panasonic’s plasma range, though, is that unlike the firm’s LCD TVs, the plasmas use active-shutter 3D technology. That means you can enjoy 3D viewing in full resolution (Full HD: 1920 x 1080 pixels). However, active 3D glasses rely on built-in electronics, making them heavier and more expensive than passive models.

ZT60 Series

Panasonic’s new flagship plasma TV for 2013 is the ZT60. It features a brand new plasma screen, called the Studio Master Panel, as well as boosted screen brightness and contrast. The anti-glare finish also promises to be more effective than in 2012 models, and this year’s TVs are made with no lead or mercury.

This TV comes with all the usual high-end features, including a “3000 Hz” motion compensation mode (although there’s no mention of the actual screen refresh rate), a dual-core processor, voice controls and a second remote with a touchpad (Viera Touch Pad Controller) for quick and easy navigation in the TV’s menus. Plus, there’s a built-in webcam for video chat with Skype.

A fun new Touch Pen function has landed in Panasonic’s high-end plasmas too, which lets you draw pictures on the TV using a compatible stylus. That should keep the kids quiet for a while!

The ZT60 will only be available in one size: 60″ (152 cm) TX-P60ZT60.

VT60 Series

The VT has all the same functions as the ZT60, except that it doesn’t get the all-new screen panel. It uses the same Infinite Black Ultra panel as the VT50.

This TV will be available in three sizes: 50″ (127 cm) TX-P50VT60, 60″ (152 cm) TX-P60ST60 and 65″ (165 cm) TX-P65VT60.

ST60 Series

The ST60 uses an Infinite Black Pro panel and comes with a motion compensation mode announced at 2500 Hz. Unlike the two higher-end models, there’s no dual-core processor, second remote, voice controls or Touch Pen functionality. This is clearly a more basic TV, but picture quality should still be pretty good, as this plasma inherits most of its tech specs from the ST50.

This TV will be available in four sizes: 50″ (127 cm) TX-P50ST60, 55″ (140 cm) TX-P55ST60, 60″ (152 cm) TX-P60ST60 and 65″ (165 cm) TX-P65ST60.

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Taiwan's Top-Three Touch-panel Makers Expand Capacity

Driven by growing sales of smartphones and tablet PCs, along with increasing demand for Win8 touch NBs, the largest two suppliers of touch panels in Taiwan Wintek Corp. and TPK Holding Co Ltd. are both expanding capacity and personnel. Chimei Innolux Corp. (CMI), one of the largest panel makers in Taiwan, is setting up a complete production line of touch panels in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP). 

Besides controlling capital expenditure strictly, CMI is also aggressively expanding capacity of touch panels, targeting active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) and indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), which call for high-end manufacturing process. 

In response to high demand for Win8 tablet PCs and NBs, CMI is not only establishing a full supply chain of touch panels in STSP, but also has added production capacity of 500,000 pieces of windows integration system (WIS) monthly. 

TPK saw consolidated revenues in the first 11 months up 20.28% from 2011 to NT$151.36 billion (US$5.05 billion). 

Wintek cooperates with Quanta Computer to fill orders for Win8 products from brand vendors including HP, Dell, and Lenovo. Along with growing design projects with Nokia, Google, and Asus, Wintek's monthly shipments of one glass solution (OGS) panels exceeded five million pieces as a new historical high. 

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VIZIO Unveils Holiday PC Lineup, Including 24" and 27" All-in-One Touch PCs with 1080p Full HD Touchscreen Displays, designed for Windows 8

Irvine, CA - October 11, 2012 - VIZIO, Inc., announced today its holiday line-up of Windows 8-based PCs, highlighted by a 24" and 27" All-in-One Touch PC with 10-finger capacitive touchscreen displays. Equipped with stunning full HD 1080p displays and an impressive 2.1 audio system with subwoofer, the VIZIO All-in-One Touch PC brings entertainment directly to the user's fingertips for a fast and fluid Windows 8 experience.

Along with the introduction of the stunning 24" and 27" All-in-One Touch PCs, VIZIO's PC lineup includes two Ultrabooks™ and a Notebook - the VIZIO14" and 15.6" Thin + Light and 15.6" Notebook. These new models arrive in time for the holidays with key enhancements that make them the ideal choice for users looking for optimal performance in a beautifully designed, premium PC. Both the Thin + Light and Notebook models feature an enhanced multi-gesture touchpad that allows users the ability to navigate Windows 8's touch-centric features using the same swipe, tap and pinch gestures as they would on the screen of the All-in-One PC. Elegantly combining exceptional performance, premium entertainment and touch functionality, the entire VIZIO PC line-up for Windows 8 places the power to create unique experiences at the fingertips of each user.

Featuring the beautiful, fast and fluid capabilities of Windows 8, the new line of VIZIO PCs delivers a rich experience that is all about the user. Combining powerful features like the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors and the latest touchscreen display and touchpad technologies, VIZIO's line-up for Windows 8 delivers performance for every task and a whole new way for consumers to interact with their device.

"The new All-in-One Touch PCs with Windows 8 are extremely user friendly, bringing both entertainment and power to the user's fingertips," said Matt McRae, VIZIO Chief Technology Officer. "We focused on delivering an enhanced touchscreen and touchpad experience so users can utilize multi-gesture touch options however they're most comfortable. Not only can customers tap, swipe or pinch directly on the All-in-One's screen, but they can also utilize the same gestures on the integrated touchpads of the Thin + Light and Notebook PCs."

Leveraging its HDTV background, VIZIO developed these PCs with brilliant picture quality, high contrast and wider viewing angles at the forefront. The custom-tuned SRS Premium Sound HD™ audio system serves as an ideal complement to the stunning video performance of these PCs, delivering rich, resonant sound. In addition, select models feature NVIDIA® Kepler™-Class GeForce® GPU graphics for those who need the added performance boost of discrete graphics processing.

To ensure a premium consumer experience, VIZIO teamed up with Microsoft Corp. to deliver the category's only PC line-up equipped with Microsoft® Signature for Windows.
"We are excited to be working with VIZIO as it brings Windows 8 to its line-up of holiday PCs," said John Case, vice president, Worldwide OEM Marketing, Microsoft. "It's impressive to see VIZIO bringing its expertise in consumer entertainment devices to PCs with HD quality display and premium audio that will provide a rich experience for customers."

The PC line-up uses the third generation Intel® Core™ processors, with the Thin + Light starting at $849 and the All-in-One Touch PCs starting at $998. The 15.6" Notebook is also available, offering maximum performance along with the Full HD display, starting at $1,129.

Consumers can find the VIZIO All-in-One Touch PCs with Windows 8 on VIZIO.com as well as at key retailers such as Walmart, Walmart.com, Sam's Club, Amazon.com and MicrosoftStore.com this holiday, with pre-order for VIZIO Thin + Lights starting tomorrow on Amazon.com. For VIZIO PC users operating Windows 7 looking to upgrade to Windows 8, please visit www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/en-US . 

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