Sharp recently made some headlines with the demonstration of a prototype LCD that doubled as a scanner.
The 3.5" LCD screen integrated an optical scanner that could be used to scan business cards, but also be used as a method for multi-touch input.
The screen, on show at the Ceatec exhibition, features an optical scanner for each LCD pixel, and could also be used to recognise fingers or other objects.
The prototype is expected to see commercialization in the first half of 2008.
While not directly linked to Apple, the technology is very similar to an old patent application from Apple which described an "Integrated Sensing Display". Apple's patent described possible uses in video conferencing and photos, but could have also been used for a multi-touch display. Of course, Apple has since come out with the iPhone which offers a multi-touch display. The iPhone, however, uses a capacitance-based touch screen, rather than one based on image capture.
Apple continues to research and develop various touch-based technologies. Their most recent patent applications include pressure sensitive input technology on existing touch screens.
Apple recently announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down as CEO later this year, after 15 years of leading the company.
Effective September 1, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO, while Cook will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. In his new role, Apple said Cook will assist with "certain aspects" of the company,...
Instagram will remove end-to-end encryption for direct messages between users from May 8, 2026. When the date comes around, Meta will potentially be able to see the contents of all messages between users on the social media platform.
Encrypting messages has been an optional feature in Instagram since 2023, but in March of this year the social media platform quietly updated a help page to say ...
Apple is considering dropping the cheapest MacBook Neo configuration as one possible response to the rising cost of building the popular laptop, according to Taiwan-based tech columnist and former Bloomberg reporter Tim Culpan.
The Neo currently starts at $599 for a 256GB model, with a 512GB version at $699.
Writing in his latest Culpium newsletter, Culpan says cutting the entry-level...
