Holographic Keyboards

While typing on a full-sized keyboard is nice, no one wants to carry one around with their handheld. What if your keyboard could be completely virtual?
HoloTouch, Inc. has developed a holographic keyboard, a 3D image of a keyboard that can float in the air in front of the user. An infrared detector scans the plane of the holographic image to detect which number or symbol is being "touched."

This isn't a theoretical project. InfoPerks has licensed HoloTouch's hologram technology to use in touch-less information kiosks to be located in public spaces and on sidewalks in New York. However, the hardware necessary to do this is currently much larger than will fit into a handheld.

The advantage for handhelds is obvious. The image of the keyboard can be any size, entirely independent of the size of the hardware. Of course, it will probably be years before the equipment is reduced to a size that can be integrated into a handheld.

RotoView
Some ideas are so simple, when you first hear of them you think, "Now why didn't I think of that?"

RotoView is one such invention.
Even the largest handheld screens are tiny compared with the ones on laptops and desktops. Handhelds get around this by allowing the user to scroll around on a larger virtual screen. But doing so is cumbersome. It is much easier with RotoView; you can just tilt the unit left-right or up-down to scroll around on the virtual screen..

Obviously you don't want this to happen every time you tilt your handheld. The device can be put in Navigation Mode to activate tilt scrolling, or put in Fixed Mode to stop it.

RotoView is the brainchild of Innoventions Inc., which says the technology is available for licensing. Obviously the handheld or smartphone needs a sensor to detect when it is being tilted, so more than software is required. However, the company is working to get the necessary hardware built into future handhelds.

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