WebTaps HDTV and Touch-Screen Web Browser: Share a view of the web on your HDTV from your family couch!

Wasn't there a moment about ten years ago when we thought the next wave of the Internet would arrive on our televisions?  


A new wave is on the horizon, now that more homes have large flat-panel HDTVs!


With interactive TV programming and the buzz about anywhere, anytime TV on our mobile devices, it just seems right to have a chance to snuggle up with loved ones around the family room HDTV and experience some happy web-sharing moments, as depicted in the cozy picture below from the WebTaps website:








So how do you interact with the giant web?  According to information on the website, you can use your wireless mouse, your TV remote control, or choose from one of the following devices, available for purchase from the WebTaps Accessories Store:


There is too much to summarize, so here is a copy of the press release, from Steaming Media:

WebTaps Releases HDTV Web Browser

WebTaps announces the availability of the first HDTV web browser with integrated intelligent virtual keyboard and screen scaling technology


Rockville, Maryland (December 17, 2009) -

WebTaps, a developer of web browsing software for HDTVs and touch screen PCs, today announced the availability of the WebTaps HDTV Web Browser. The browser is designed to be used from across the room in a TV viewing environment to augment or replace the content otherwise available on the HDTV. WebTaps offers the only HDTV web browser that automatically scales web content to the full size of the HDTV screen and includes a truly intelligent virtual keyboard. The patent-pending intelligent virtual keyboard knows when and where to appear on-screen so that text can be easily entered while watching from across the room.

"WebTaps has finally brought the full internet, including access to every website, to the biggest and best screen in the home - the HDTV," said Scott Lincke, CEO of WebTaps. "WebTaps enables people to sit back and comfortably access great sites like Hulu.com, Facebook, YouTube, and Google. They can easily find content and sit back to watch together with their friends and family instead of staring at a laptop screen. WebTaps really transforms how people can use their HDTV by bringing an infinite supply of content, unlimited by their cable company or over-the-air TV signal."


To get started, users of PC-connected HDTVs download the free software installer from www.WebTaps.com. No user signup is required. The user simply selects their country and language and the software is ready to use. A localized content guide is presented, showing great content sites. Alternately, users can enter any web address or search any of the leading search engines.

WebTaps plans to distribute its products through retailers and PC OEMs in 2010. "We are pleased by the reaction to our products," said Scott Lincke. "Web browsing on HDTVs saves people money spent on premium services and they tell us that it gives them even more functionality than their DVR since they don't have to think ahead about what they want to record. Suddenly anything available on the web can be watched on their big screen TV."


WebTaps HDTV Web Browser product evaluation kits are available for qualified press personnel. In addition, WebTaps will have representatives available to answer further questions at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, 2010. Please contact WebTaps at pr@WebTaps.com for more information.

###

About WebTaps Inc.


WebTaps Inc. develops technology and products that enable web browsing on HDTVs and touch-screen PCs. The company offers its solutions for sale directly to consumers and for licensing to PC OEMs and service providers. WebTaps standard version is available as a free download. Additionally a premium version is available with or without a WebTaps wireless remote control. Further information about WebTaps and the WebTaps HDTV Web Browser can be found at www.WebTaps.com.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.




WEBTAPS INC.
Editorial Contact:
Scott Lincke
(202) 713-5620
pr@WebTaps.com

For a smile: "Musical Heads" - Watch the "Neurosonics Audiomedical" video (via Chris O'Shea)

Chris O'Shea's Pixelsumo blogs is one of my favorites. His recent post,  "Musical Heads" featured three different takes on the theme.  The one I liked best was Neurosonics Audiomedical, created by Chris Cairns.


I didn't see the video when it was set loose on the Internet about four months ago. The musical heads in the video include Shlomo,  Foreign Beggars, and The Scratch Perverts.


I usually don't search on the internet for disembodied musical beat boxing heads!

Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc. from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.

Neurosonics Audiomedical Website  (More about the video)



RELATED
Who is Chris Cairns? Johnathan Wells, Flux 9/15/09
(Interview- includes some information about how the video was made.)
Partizan Website
Chris O'Shea's Pixelsumo Blog

(Link will take you to O'Shea's visual blog index.)


Thanks, Chris O'Shea, for your blog, full of interesting, creative, and sometimes very unusual things.
Thanks, Chris Cairns & musicians, for sharing your creativity with the world.

Missed this one: Microsoft Surface in the Mix Lounge on Holland America Cruise Ships

They didn't have this on the Veendam when I was on the cruise! This video doesn't show anything new or exciting if you are familiar with tabletop/multi-touch/gesture based computing. I'm sure it will be eye opening to the average cruise ship passenger.



Microsoft Surface is New Coolness on Veendam Holland America Blog (5/4/09)


Press Release:
Seattle, Wash., December 7, 2009 —
"As part of its ongoing Signature of Excellence enhancements, Holland America Line will install five Microsoft® Surface® units in Mix, its newest lounge venue with three specialty bars — Martinis, Champagne, and Spirits & Ales. Already in full operation on ms Veendam, Mix and Surface units will be completed on ms Rotterdam by mid-December, followed by three additional ships."


"An exciting new entertainment space, Mix is a destination lounge where guests can meet and mingle throughout the day and night. Mix is an open and inviting space anchored by a pianist providing entertainment for the three distinctly themed specialty bars."


More:  Holland America Line Features Microsoft Surface in New Mix Lounge on Several Ships

Mary Lou Jepsen, Inventor of Pixel Qi Technology, Discusses Screen Technologies & Multi-touch Tablets

I've been meaning to devote a few more posts about the new screen technologies as multi-purpose netbooks become available.  In my opinion, this technology will change the way we access all sorts of interactive media, including news and entertainment.

In this post, I feature Mary Lou Jepsen, an engineer who is the inventor of Pixel Qi technology. During the first quarter of 2010, there is a possibility that a few Pixel Qi screens will become available to the DIY community.  The first units will be multi-touch. Pixel Qi will be at the January CES in Las Vegas.

Mary Lou has worked on the screen technology found in One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project, and her work has resulted in affordable net-books and laptops.  According to information from the Pixel Qi website, "Mary Lou founded Pixel Qi Corporation in 2008 and is its CEO.  Previously, Mary Lou has founded 4 companies, served as a professor at RMIT (Australia) & MIT,  and in executive management at Intel Corporation.  Mary Lou holds a Ph.D. in Optical Sciences, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a B.A. in Art (req.) all from Brown University as well as a Master of Science (in Holography) from the MIT Media Lab.".

Mary Lou Jepsen, an engineer,  tests out "e-paper" content in the sunlight and in the shade on three screens. In the following video, the E-ink Amazon Kindle, an Acer Pixel Qi 3Qi LCD netbook, and a Toshiba transflexive R600 laptop are compared.  At 4:20, Jepsen discusses touch and remarks that there are new touch technologies that might work. (The content on the resistive touch screen that was on hand during the video was difficult to see.)


Mary Lou Jepson demonstrates the Pixel Qi screen in her home lab/laundry room on the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child). Jepson is focused on making screens that everyone can use.


Mary Lou Jepsen Answers User Questions



Comparison Chart (from the Pixel Qi website)



Pixel Qi is working on a design of a sub-10 watt HDTV that can run on a minimal power supply, including a battery that can be charged with a crank or solar pane.

Two Interesting Posts: Colin Mulvany - Will the touch tablet save professional journalism? & Michael Arrington -The End of Hand Crafted Content

Technology is changing our world, and in some fields, more so than others.  For professional newspaper journalists, things are pretty bleak, as web-based news content is stamping out much of what has been held dear to the heart in traditional press rooms. Newspaper companies are folding and great journalists have lost their jobs.

Is there hope for the future?

Journalists who have digital media skills are voicing their views about this phenomenon as the profession moves to reinvent itself.  There is much to discuss, since the number of folks with Smartphones and access to web-based news content on-the-go increases each day.

The first post I'm sharing was written by Colin Mulvany, who works as a multimedia producer at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington.  He began his career is a still photographer, but changed gears and transitioned to his present role creating content for his paper's on-line website.  

Colin Mulvany is the author of the Mastering Multimedia blog.  His blog post, Will the touch tablet save professional journalism?, provides an overview of changes in journalism and links to related on-line articles about the topic. What I liked about Mulvany's post is his vision of how the transition from newspaper to the digital world might play out in the near future. 

It all centers around the touch-tablet that is paired with the newspaper.  So how will this make money?   Mulvany has a few ideas.  One of his suggestions involves improving the navigation of newspaper websites, and providing content and layout that the reader can customize for interaction with the tablet.


The second article, The End of Hand Crafted Content,  written by Michael Arrington at Tech Crunch, points out how on-line news content is like "fast food", generated by blogs and aggregators.   Arrington discusses how the same content is written and refashioned and written, and the true creators of the content (real journalists!) are not often noted...or noticed.

Arrington provides good links on his post.  If you have time on your hands, take time to read it, and also browse through the numerous comments posted by readers. Although I rarely am inspired to comment on an on-line post, in this instance, I did so.  My comment is buried in there somewhere!


RELATED
Minority Report Scenes: 
3D ads at the mall, subway scene with USA-Today e-paper (updated with video in "real time")

http://www.youtube.com/user/mrcavalcanti

The holographic ads in the Minority Report mall scene begin at 0:28.  The subway scene with the USA Today 3-paper begins at 1:27.  (Mulvany has a similar video on his post.)


Holographic Ad at a Canadian Mall: "Living Poster"

http://www.youtube.com/user/smtire

Maybe the holograph guy in the mall could deliver the news or a weather report, along with a few Minority Report-like mall ads!

Multi-touch and Tangible Computing & the Lumino Project

Professor Patrick Baudisch and his student researchers at the Haaso Plattner Institute in Germany have focused on Human-Interaction for a quite a while.  One look at the research project page of Dr. Baudisch says it all.  Over the past few years, the human-computer interaction (HCI) teams at Hasso Plattner have explored multi-touch and tangible computing, with very interesting results.  

Take a look at the following video from Design Boom's YouTube Channel, and follow the related links for more information!


Tangible Tabletop Computing with Lumino

(The Lumino project was developed using Microsoft Surface.)


RELATED
Lumino Project Website


Lumino Team:
Professer Patrick Baudisch, Torsten Becker, Frederik Rudeck
Human Computer Interaction, Hasso Plattner Institute
"The Human Computer Interaction group headed by Prof. Dr. Patrick Baudisch is concerned with the design, implementation, and evaluation of interaction techniques, devices, and systems. More specifically, we create new ways to interact with small devices, such as mobile phones and very large display devices, such as tables and walls."


Articles/Posts
Lumino (Design Boom, no author or date)
Smart 'Lego" blocks take touch screens into 3D   Colin Barras, New Scientist (10/6/09)
"Fat Fingers" can become dainty for touch Screens   Colin Barris, New Scientist (11/24/09)


Microsoft Surface and Objects (Features Lumino "Tangible Blocks" at the 1:02 marker)