TactaPad Hopes to Become an Apple Computer Peripheral

While Apple puts the finishing touch on its multi-touch framework for Mac OS X Snow Leopard, why don't you feast your eyes with Tactiva's TactaPad. The device, roughly worth $1,000, is currently not for sale, but the developers are looking for an (Apple) company to license the technology and bring the product to the market.

In the two demo videos provided by the developer (available below), it is obvious how the TactaPad works. In the simplest words possible, the peripheral tracks the user's hand movements even when the hands only hover above the touch-sensitive area. When the user actually touches the TactaPad, the software immediately recognizes the position and places the mouse cursor exactly where the user intends to click.

For two-handed operations, the TactaPad is most comfortably used when centered in front of the user. The company notes that it will most likely use a split keyboard configuration, with one half to the left, and one half to the right. This particular layout will shorten the distance your hands must travel when switching between pointing and typing. The surface of the TactaPad is and feels flat at all times, and it is neither sculpted nor textured.

I was anxiously waiting to stumble upon the part that says something about "force feedback" knowing that such a device simply must have it built-in. It does. The company notes that "the force feedback provided by the TactaPad can allow the user to feel for objects," also providing a couple of examples: "a light buzzing sensation can be generated when the finger is over a control. Or a transitory "pop" sensation can let a user know that they've dropped an item into a folder."

See the two demo movies of Tactiva's TactaPad in action on Mac OS X below:

Introduction to the TactaPad - 1:24 (a silent screen capture of a user interacting briefly with a few applications on Mac OS X. It demonstrates how the TactaPad is fully compatible with existing software).

Advanced Interactions in TactaDraw - 3:57 (different interaction techniques that use both hands, either working together on one task or in parallel on two related tasks).

You will need QuickTime to watch these two demonstration videos.

As noted above, the TactaPad is not available for sale. Tactiva is currently looking for a company to license the technology and bring it to the market, while its price will vary depending on the final feature set and dimensions. A rough estimate, Tactiva reckons, would be a retail price of about $1000.