Synaptics, in partnership with industrial design studio Pilotfish, collaborated in the design of the next-generation phone concept, Onyx. Enabled through Synaptics clear, capacitive sensing technology, Onyx illustrates the future of mobile communications by combining an intelligent and adaptive user interface with sleek industrial design and next-generation user interaction design.
The Onyx concept is enabled through Synaptics ClearPad technology, a new capability under development within Synaptics. ClearPad is a thin, high resolution capacitive touch screen that can be placed over any viewable surface for finger input. ClearPad enables a dynamic and adaptive user interface that eliminates the need for mechanical buttons on handheld devices. This allows mobile designers to increase LCD size to support the content and functionality available for today’s handheld devices. Additionally, because ClearPad is solid state, it can be curved and mounted beneath plastics, offering mobile designers an opportunity to create sleek and stylized industrial designs.
ClearPad is based on Synaptics’ proprietary sensing technology, and will offer unique capabilities such as two finger input, proximity sensing, text entry and high resolution finger input that can dramatically improve and enhance the user experience with a touch screen.
Pretty trick. A manufacturer can apply Synaptics’ clear sensing film to existing screen technology — and with appropriate hardware and software hooks — have a built-in touch screen.
Terrific concept from Pilotfish.
So — is this going to be the iPhone? Synaptics did the TouchWheel for the iPod and the TouchPad for Mac notebook computers.
Cute.
However, I am __STILL__ waiting for a cell phone that can reliably make and receive telephone calls. We’re soon going to have phones that can do just about everything known to civilization EXCEPT make and receive telephone calls reliably.
Pfffft.
It looks a lot like the control pads from Star Trek: The Next Generation. A black screen touchpad is a blatant rip-off of TNG’s ‘technology’. I’m thinking Paramount should be more copyrighting their ideas than the actual entertainment they produce via Star Trek shows.
No picture here (at least on my browser) but there is one on Pilotfish’s site.
This looks like a remote control in form factor and even without an indication of size, really doesn’t appear to be very ergonomic in design.
As the phone industry attempts to reach various niche modes, this one would be for the person seeking the MP3/phone combo, but it’s definitely not for the Palm/PocketPC/phone person or someone who just wants (God forbid! A Luddite!) just a basic cell phone, if such a beast has escaped extinction.
Though my latest cell phone has a color screen (how many has it been?), I don’t need it for anything other than looking up numbers in its phone book.
No camera.
Wonder if this will (might?) have one?
I can easily see this being a hot item — bigger than a niche — for someone who has a cell phone + iPod + PDA. For the moment, I have the PDA and cell phone separate.
Very cool. Where do I send my cash?