In what seems like a sensible business strategy, the New York Times just reported that Amazon has acquired Touch, a New York-based startup University who specializes in touchscreen technology. Amazon is said to combine technology touch and the staff at Kindle division, based in Cupertino, CA (Silicon Valley thinks guess Amazon does not have much to offer in the way of touch technology at the time).

Touchco interpolation uses a technology called force-sensitive resistance, which calls into shows that can be completely transparent and can cost as little as $ 10 per square foot. The capacitive touch screens used in the iPhone and iPad is considerably more expensive. Unlike the screens, the screens can also detect Touchco an unlimited number of contact points simultaneously.

Touchco technology uses resistors which are sensitive to different levels of pressure. It has been said that his screen can distinguish between the touch of a finger and the pressure of a pen or similar pointing device. The company had designed its technology to work well with full-color LCD screens, similar to those used in the iPad and Hewlett-Packard Tablet PC comes online. The technology could allow Amazon to introduce a full color touch screen Kindle, raising the question whether the current display device, which are made by a company called E Ink have a role in the next round of reading devices.

We have detected that Touchco website has been laid bare, leaving only a note saying “Thanks for your interest in Touchco. In January 2010, the company is no longer doing business.” Looks like Amazon finally realize that we are not alone in making a touchscreen e-reader device.

Clearly it is the day for wireless e-book readers, with Bebook announcing it is taking preorders for its new eReader Bebook Neo. Package 6-inch E Ink panel with a Wacom touch screen, the Neo does not have integrated 3G as some rivals we’ve seen, but becomes WiFi to access a wide range of third party eBook stores.

In fact punch in your location and the user interface automatically Bebook will show you what ebook retailers are offering their products. There is also access to Wikipedia and Google, along with a sketch pad application (albeit monochrome), and Neo display EPUB, PDF (DRM / non-DRM), TXT and different image formats.

The battery is tipped to last up to 7,000 page turns and tell their Bebook Freescale processor makes the Neo eReaders 2.5x as fast as rivals. There are 512 MB of storage, an SD slot (happy with cards up to 16GB) and USB connectivity, along with a 3.5 mm jack for headphones. Preorders are being taken now for £ 279.99 ($ 453), with general availability expected in February 2010.

Press Release:
Bebook, Neo is the first WiFi touchpad eReader world with access to the eBook stores worldwide

Ideas and more ideas, eReader technology specialists, today launches its exciting new electronic book reader Bebook Neo. Following the success of the Bebook One and Mini, Neo includes Wi-Fi technology to enable users to find the eBook retailers wherever they are in the world to download an eBook and browse Google and Wikipedia while on the move .

The Neo is available for pre order and will be available for purchase in the second half of February.
Neo provides users with a unique and extremely easy way to locate and acquire an electronic book. EBook portal offers a map of the world and users click on your country of choice for a clear vision of third-eBook retailers. As the Neo supports all popular file formats, including EPUB, PDF, JPEG, you can be sure they are the best deals in their eBooks.

There are several interesting new features available with the Neo, for example, has a powerful battery, which supports up to 7,000 page turns. The processor Freescale currently makes the fastest eReader on the market, offering up to 2.5 times faster navigation and operating speeds. The Neo also features the latest technology from WACOM touch panel that allows users to draw, tag and text analysis.

The open architecture allows the Neo Bebook expand its capabilities. Keep an eye on www.mybebook.com for firmware updates.

Popular File Formats
Like previous models, the most popular file formats can be read, including ePub ‘and’ PDF ‘(with and without Adobe DRM), TXT and even popular file formats, image, JPG, are included.

Additional Information
The Neo Bebook is available for pre order and will be available the second half of February.
More information can be found on the new website www.mybebook.com

I’m sure you’ve heard about those retro-futuristic looking laser keyboards. Here’s the next logical step: Light Blue Optic’s Light Touch – one of the honorees at the ongoing CES – is a projector that not only displays video but also turns any flat surface into a touchscreen. As one YouTube commenter said, it’s like having portable version of Microsoft’s Surface computer.

Well the Light Touch is probably 5 times weaker than Microsoft’s computer – it’s running Adobe’s Flash Lite app on top of Windows CE – but still! Touchscreen anywhere! Light Blue Optics calls the technomagic behind the Light Touch “Holographic Laser Projection”: “Using holographic algorithms, we transform the image we want to project into sets of diffraction patterns, which are shown on a tiny microdisplay. When laser light illuminates the microdisplay, the projected image is formed by diffraction.”

The Light Touch can project a 10.1″ display at 35 lumens for “typical symbology content” (static images?) and outputs 15 lumens of brightness for video content. It has an IR optical sensor that supports multitouch, a standard 3.5 mm audio out (and you’ll want to use this because the built-in speaker is mono), composite video in,  WiFi (802.11 b/g only), micro USB out, 2 GB of internal memory with support for up to 32 GB micro SD, and a rechargeable battery.

I think Light Blue Optics is trying to market the Light Touch for commercial or industrial use, as shown in the picture above. But I think a consumer version is inevitable; I just hope that it’s reasonably priced and that it’s easily customizable, and barring that, easily hackable/modifiable. WANT!

Kodak pretty much started the point and shoot camera market, but they’ve been behind for a while as far as innovation goes. In fact, this is pretty much an attempt to catch up with Nikon, Canon, and the other manufacturers who are using a touchscreen interface.

The cutely named Slice is a seemingly typical P&S camera, albeit with a 14MP sensor and the previously mentioned touchscreen interface. It’ll shoot 720p 30 FPS video, features image stabilization and a lithium ion battery, just like the other cameras in this market segment. Kodak really isn’t doing anything new with the Slice, however I will have to admit I do like the look of the little guy. The price may be a bit of a problem though, it’s going to MSRP for $350 which might be a bit steep for the casual purchaser. Expect to see the Kodak Slice at your favorite electronics retailer sometime in April 2010.

From the press release:

KODAK SLICE Touchscreen Camera Lets You Share and Relive Moments Instantly

New Digital Camera Boasts Sleek Exterior with Thousands of KODAK Moments Inside

Rochester, NY, January 7, 2010 – Eastman Kodak Company today announced the latest addition to its consumer digital product portfolio, designed to make it easier than ever for people to share pictures with family and friends anytime, anywhere. The KODAK SLICE Touchscreen Camera lets consumers carry a personal photo album worth sharing and reliving at all times. With a sleek and intuitive 3.5-inch touchscreen, and the KODAK SLICE Search Feature, consumers can find the pictures they want from up to 5,000 that can be stored on internal memory. Then, they can easily share those pictures right from the back of the camera.

“Kodak knows that consumers want the ability to share life’s memories at a moment’s notice, whether it’s pictures that evoke a tear or just the funny everyday moments,” said John Blake, General Manager, Digital Capture and Devices and Vice President, Kodak. “The power of sharing and reliving life’s moments drove the development of our new SLICE Camera. It provides instant access to all of your KODAK Moments, and it’s right at your fingertips.”

Store, Sort and Share with the SLICE Camera
With the ability to store up to 5,000 pictures in HD resolution, the SLICE Camera’s onboard KODAK SLICE Search Feature and Face Recognition allow consumers to sort through thousands of pictures by person, place, date, or occasion in order to locate and share a collection of treasured moments.

The touchscreen and Share Button allow consumers to tag pictures directly on the camera for effortless uploading to popular sharing sites including Facebook, KODAK Gallery, Flickr, and YouTube. Pictures can also be tagged to email or to send directly to the new KODAK PULSE Digital Frame.

KODAK SLICE Touchscreen Camera features include:

• Intuitive 3.5-inch, 16:9 LCD touchscreen with anti-reflective coating
• KODAK SLICE Search Feature and Face Recognition to easily sort, locate and share pictures
• Share Button for easy upload to Facebook, KODAK Gallery, Flickr, YouTube sites and e-mail
• Store up to 5,000 pictures in HD resolution
• Stunning image quality with a 14MP CCD sensor and 5X SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH Lens
• Built-in optical image stabilization
• 720p/30fps HD video capture
• Kodak’s exclusive Smart Capture feature, which analyzes scenes and automatically adjusts camera settings to deliver beautiful pictures more often
• Compatible with PC or APPLE iLife Software
• Li-Ion rechargeable battery included
• The KODAK SLICE Touchscreen Camera will be available in black, nickel and radish for US $349.95 MSRP beginning in April 2010. Best Buy will initially be the exclusive retailer for in-store sales. The KODAK SLICE Touchscreen Camera will also be sold online at Amazon.com and Kodak.com.
• Kodak is also introducing a case for the SLICE Camera, which was designed in a competition among accessories students at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City. The final case design was chosen by celebrated designer Steve Madden and FIT faculty.
• Colors and availability may vary by region

Acer AS5738PG-6306 15.6-Inch Touchscreen Blue Laptop comes with these specs: Intel Core2 Duo Processor T6600, Windows 7 Home Premium, 15.6-Inch HD Widescreen CineCrystal LED-backlit Display, Intel PM45 Express Chipset, 4096MB DDR2 667MHz Dual Channel Memory, ATI Radeon HD 4570 Graphics with up to 1792MB Shared system memory, 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive, 8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive, Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader.

Acer AS5738PG-6306 is built-in Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi CERTIFIED, High Definiftion Audio Support, Integrated Acer Crystal Eye Webcam, 4 – USB 2.0 Ports, 1 – HDMI Port, Convenience Buttons- Multi-gesture Touchpad, Acer Backup Manager, Touchpad-lock, 6-Cell Lithium-Ion (4400 mAh), 6.16 lbs. | 2.8 kg. (system unit only), AC Power Adapter, AC Power Cord, Wireless Setup Card, Registration/ Limited Warranty Card, McAfee Internet Security Suite Trial (60-day trial).