Time to go Tactile

It's no secret that I've often lamented the loss of tactile interaction caused by the use and continuing popularity of Touch Screens.  Touch screens have of course proven useful and particularly versatile as they have the ability to modify your interaction technique depending on what's displayed. But this versatility came with the trade-off that you had no way to physically provide a response to the user that a button had been pressed or a knob was turned common occurences when we interact with the day-to-day environment of our world.

This challenge has long been a "dream goal" of many hardware and software developers and generally speaking, the domain of Science Fiction. But not anymore, the ability to actively permeate a surface has arrived and no longer just in development (it's been actively under development from many fronts since some of the first touch screens became commercially used).

Tactus Technology has now introduced its new Phorm cover for the iPad mini. Granted, it's not the end product or even an integrated solution but it's a very promising start. No longer will you need to fumble around and actively seek keys with your vision (a common issue with most current touch screen interfaces that often require a "Search and peck" approach to typing).