Windows 7 Multi Touch Phenomena
Although the technology of single touch input was already implemented during Vista’s time, this is now once again put into limelight with the current release of Windows 7. Microsoft had now joined Apple in the bandwagon of the touch revolution with its integration of the touch interface technology. Microsoft’s own version and implementation of this multi touch screen technology is a pay-off for many years of investing in researches on better ways to interact directly with computing devices. Nowadays, touch-enabled surfaces are almost everywhere from laptop touch pads, cell l phones, remote controls, GPS devices, and many more. And with more displays becoming both good and quite affordable, the transition from mouse and keyboard input might not be a far-fetched idea anymore.
Let us explore how this touch experience works…
Basic Touch Gestures
Gestures are one or two finger touch inputs that translate into predefined action (gesture) that the user performs. Once this is detected, Windows 7 will then send a gesture message to your application which contains the information needed for decoding and make it work.
Single Tap –Single Click
Double Tap – Double Click
Tap and Hold – Left Click
Single Finger Rotate – Touch the corner of an object and drag it in a clockwise or counter clockwise motion to rotate the object.
Swipe Left – Page Forward
Swipe Right – Page Back
Swipe Up – Scroll Down
Swipe Down – Scroll Up
Two Finger Pinch Inwards – Zoom In
Two Finger Pinch Outwards – Zoom Out
Double Tap – Reset Zoom
Double Press and Drag – Pan
Two Finger Spin – Rotate
Single Tap and Hold Followed by a Second Finger Tap – Right Click
On-Screen Keyboard
- Using the keyboard will light up the keys and a clicking sound will indicated a pressed key.
- The keyboard can be resized to fit your fingers.
- Keystrokes can be saved using the intelligent text prediction engine which stores words you frequently type and will display this list once you start typing.
Microsoft had ushered in a new breed of UI with the following major elements: multi touch, physics and gestures. By integrating the multi touch support into its operating system, Microsoft had elevated itself several notches higher by allowing developers to open a new avenue in software development that will use multi touch on their applications. Likewise, the hardware aspect is advancing up ahead even though applications are still relatively limited. After several decades of working on user interface functionality, Microsoft had finally hit home on what could be one of the best user interfaces after all.
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