14 DAY TRIAL // We actually saw the idea of a screen capable of changing the texture of its surface many months ago, but CES 2013 was the site where the first practical application of the concept appeared.
It wasn't even owed to some high-profile company. Instead, an IT player from California, rather fittingly called Tactus, has revealed a tablet that gets “lumpy” when the on-screen keyboard is launched.
The goal is to make the screen feel rather like a real keyboard.
Tablets have been criticized for lack of tactile feedback, which is why most of them sell with keyboard cases and/or docks.
Tactus' technology is called “Tactus Morphing Tactile.” The company hopes Sony, Motorola, Samsung and other tablet makers will adopt it.
Needless to say, the feature can be useful and convenient, but there are some questions that still need to be answered.
The most important is how durable the Tactus screens are. Growing lumps every time the OSK is initialized can't be done without some wear.
Sure enough, no one has gone into any details on this.