Here’s an awesome bit of news–remember when I was talking about those Funai projectors that could basically be operated like giant touchscreens?  Well, a new item just came out that suggests that these could actually be publicly available in 2010.

Now that’s really exciting–they may have only limited application for us in the home theater crowd (admittedly, it WOULD be the height of awesome and make any home theater a sweet home theater to have a wall-sized remote projected onto one wall.  Think about THAT–press the play button, which is located ON THE WALL), but it’d definitely put a spark into business presentations.

Even better, the resulting projectors may actually, according to representatives at Funai, offer a cost savings over conventional touchscreens.  That alone is reason to sit up and take notice, and when you combine all these factors together, Funai may well have a serious game-changer on its hands.

Now here’s a strange bit of news for you, folks–seems that the newest generation of Funai Projectors might be able to double as touchscreens.

How is such a thing possible, you wonder?  Here’s how it breaks down: the new line of portable projector from Funai is not only capable of projecting images but also of recognizing finger movements.  This means that finger movements can interact with projected images–zooming, rotating, and flicking through–thanks to a sensor that detects a finger’s position.

Right now this is still in the prototype stages, but it’s entirely possible that a projector might be interactive within the next five years, give or take.  This will, naturally, revolutionize the industry by meaning that a projector no longer needs an accompanying remote control, and if it can offer an increased level of control over a slide show, look for it to take the lead in business projection, if not in home theater as well.

Over on Chad Dyess’ blog, he’s posted a few pics of his home theatre setup, and I tell you straight out, it is indeed a sweet home theatre setup.

Not only did he construct it specifically to standards, he’s also tricked it out with a whole slew of awesome components.  He actually put up a list of them: a Mitsubishi WS-65869 1080i HDTV, DirecTV HR20-100 HD DVR, NMediaPC 288BA HTPC with Windows Vista Media Center, JVC RX-8000V Receiver, JBL surround speakers, Sony 120 watt subwoofer, Philips Pronto Pro TSU7000 touchscreen remote, and an X-10 for controlling the lights and ceiling fan.

Better yet, he’s got plans for expansion, including replacing the HDTV (replacing it!) with a projector and replacing the couches he’s currently using for home theatre seating with actual leather home theatre seats.

And that’s what’s so sweet about this particular setup–it’s sufficiently modular that portions of it can be removed and replaced as better parts become available. This allows for maximum utility as anything better becomes part of the new system.  Chad Dyess, you’ve got one sweet home theatre setup.

URC has come forward to unveil their MX-500 touch-screen touting universal remote.

The above pictured remote features a 2.7-inch touchscreen with haptic feedback that, when pressed, will provide a “very satisfying sensation”. In other words, you’ll know when you pressed a button. Furthermore, in the MX-5000 you’ll find WiFi, and narrowband RF and IR making for a wide range of compatibility.

There was no word on pricing or availability but EngadgetHD reports that URC has said the remote will be “less than $1,500″. What a bargain!

Eurotech has just announced three new Panel Computers which can be mounted immediately into a wall. These are the Vx-120F0N270, the Vx-150F-N270 and the Bx-400F-N270. They are all based on Intel’s Atom CPU and they offer features like an Atom N270 processor, a fanless design, two gigabit Ethernet jacks, a front USB port and touchscreen sizes from 12- to 15-inch. We have no idea about pricing details just yet but the new panels should be available sometime in September.

It’s not a Kindle but it very well could be sometime in the future. LG Display has come up with a flexible e-paper which, at 11.5-inch, could be quite useful in the near future. Future electronic books might be using this new LG panel soon but we don’t have any specific details yet. The e-paper prototype will be on display at SID 2009 so if you’re anywhere in the neighborhood you should definitely check it out for yourself.

via Korea Times

If you feel the need to have an absolute top of the line remote control, appropriately priced at $199, then you should check out Phillips’ Prestigo SRT9320 universal remote.

This thing has everything that you’d expect out of a universal remote but what sets it apart from the rest is that it has a color touchscreen.

You can head over to Amazon.com now and preorder this thing, unfortunately the release date is listed as “within 1 to 2 months”.

Mitsubishi has a new touchscreen display which can track the location of your finger and it’s also aware of the depth. The 3D display has a precision from 0.08mm to 20mm and everything is done without cameras or sensors. The panel can interpret the speed of the approaching finger which is quite an interesting feature. Are we going to be able to control our TVs by gestures only? It looks that way. And we’re probably going to have gesture-controlled panels of various sizes mounted in all sorts of devices in the near future.

via gizmodo

The Logitech Harmony 1100 touchscreen universal remote in the picture here was announced at CES in January and now it’s ready to ship from a retailer near you. Compared to its predecessor, the 1000, this remote brings you a new black anodized aluminum body and a customizable 3.5-inch touchscreen. The universal remote is available now for just $459, so if you need a new remote you might give this one a try. It will certainly rock your home cinema’s world.

via newegg

Did Apple launch its first touchscreen 24-inch LED Cinema Display? We’d love to announce that for you but Apple hasn’t officially launched any touchscreen displays yet.

Troll Touch however has a little slip ready to be mounted over the screen. Plug it into a USB port and there you have it: a touchscreen LED Cinema Display.

The whole ensemble will cost $2,299. Or you can just pay $1,399 to purchase the Troll Tech upgrade for your current Cinema Display.

It’s not only Samsung that came up with a touchscreen display. LG has displayed the LG M4212T-BN monitor which is touch friendly but it might not be ready for multitouch yet. And we happen to have some of the specs of this LG monitor:

• 1,366 x 768 resolution
• 500cd/m2 brightness
• 3,000:1 contrast ratio
• 9ms response time
• HDMI/DVI with HDCP
• Temperature and lamp fault sensor
• 178 degrees viewing angle

We’re still waiting for pricing details and arrival dates, which were not unveiled yet.

via ubergizmo

Have a new LCD that you’d want to transform into a touchscreen LCD? Well that might be just possible if you combine it with this little gadget, PenAndFree’s Duo. What you have to do is to install the receiving station on top of the display. The wireless digital pen mouse will perform mouse and pen functions on the LCD of your laptop or desktop. The Duo comes in two models, for laptops up to 15.4 inches and for monitors up to 22 inches. Do you think Santa has time for bringing one over?

via likecool