Slap Widgets - Physical Feedback on Surface

While Surface style interfaces are increasingly popular, the truth remains that the "touch" experience alone isn't enough for some people and some applications.

For instance, no matter how good you may be using a virtual keyboard on a multitouch surface, the absence of tactile feedback is awkard for many users. That's where Slap's physical widgets come in.

While they aren't really new (we've already seen some physical interaction demos on Surface touchtables) these Slap can be quite effective in bringing these multitouch surfaces into areas requiring physical feedback - whether it's because you can't look at the screen constantly, or simply because you actually depend on that feedback for interaction.

Nothing like a video to show you what I'm talkin about.

iPhone Haptic Keyboard

So, you love your iPhone but wished the virtual keyboard on its touchscreen would be a little less "virtual"?

Well, it might be easier than you think:

According to a project from the Computing Science Department of the University of Glasgow, the iPhone built-in vibrotactile actuator can be used to provide tactile feedback on the "keys" and buttons on the screen.

Different buttons can have different force feedback envelopes, meaning you'll be able to tell the difference between a keyboard button, a tab, or any other pressable item.

What is Apple waiting for?

via [iPhone-Haptics]