One of the recent developments in the world of smartphones that appears to be gaining traction in a couple of devices is the addition of a rear-mounted touch panel on the back of the handset to complement the main front-facing touchscreen.
First seen in the Synaptics Fuse concept (shown above) unveiled last December, the radical smartphone design included a wide range of additional sensors including those for force, grip, and proximity set around the sides and back of the casing. Unlike today's touchscreen devices, the full-size rear touch panel allows a user to navigate the screen without obscuring it. Another major benefit is it should allow you to navigate the screen using one hand rather than two.
A new video from Pocket-lint (below) better demonstrates the rear touch panel and some of the other new ideas incorporated into the Fuse and its GUI by The Astonishing Tribe (TAT), although in the clip the user uses two hands for demonstration purposes.
The video also shows an innovative solution to represent where you are touching when using the rear touch panel through a mix of 3D graphics and lighting that creates a "visual cursor" in place of the conventional arrow cursor.
As for rear touch panels appearing in actual devices, the first seems to be the upcoming Motorola Backflip, which includes an interpretation of the concept with a trackpad behind the screen revealed when you flip around the QWERTY keyboard. Simply called "back track" by the company, the laptop-style trackpad allows navigation, scrolling, and double-tap selection just like conventional trackpads. The video below gives a good overview of the device and the back track pad, but what it fails to show is an implementation of a cursor, which is really more to do with Android than the hardware.
Perhaps more significantly, it has been rumored that the next-generation Apple iPhone will also implement a touch-sensitive shell including the ability to use the back surface of the device as a touch pad much like the Fuse concept.
Personally, I think this is a good, thoughtful innovation that gives users more flexibility in using their devices, especially with regard to one-handed operation. What do you guys think of this feature and is it something you want to see in your next smartphone? Let the discussion begin in the comments!
The UI on the 1st Video is awesome. Nvidia Tegra should have enough power to run that UI but the Tegra phone is a vaporware.
Having the whole shell touch sensitive is an awesome concept thou. Just make sure to have accidental phone calls and app launches figured out.
I would have to disagree with this display of rear facing touch interface. Look at the video at about 24 seconds in. Does this look remotely comfortable as a way to navigate a user interface? There are two hands on the phone, which totally defeats the purpose of the back touchscreen.
I do agree that touch interfaces should be incorportated on the back / sides of the a device, but it should be where non load bearing fingers naturally rest while holding the device – on the surface of the back near the edge of the device, or on the side. Putting a touchpanel in the middle of the back of the device would mean you would have to hold it in such a manner that your fingers would be smack in the middle. For things that you hold in a landscape mode, that might work, but for anything that you hold with one hand, it’s uncomfortable.
Look at the way most people hold their phones in their hand. It isn’t conducive to using the middle of the device as a touch sensitive area. Let’s also consider the fact that on most phones, that area is occupied by the battery, and is for all intensive purposes without feature.
I like the idea, but it needs to be worked on to be comfortably usable.
There is a very easy solution for people like you that complains about it. Put a disable and enable switch. If You don’t want it, turn it off!
I love the idea of side touch panels, assuming they could be disabled so they weren’t accidentally triggered by simply holding the device, but I wouldn’t be disappointed if we never saw the back panels.
Hello
This is an awesome.I have also checked that video and its really good.This is something new and different concept.You have described about it very well.Thank you very much for giving such a good information.
With regards to the side touch panels; from what I understand, the side touch sensors are on the sides of the front of the device, rather than directly on the sides of the device where you would be gripping it. The side touch sensors are primarily for scrolling so keeping them closer to the screen makes more sense. On the load-bearing sides, there are actually pressure sensors so you can “squeeze” the device to return to the homescreen!
As for the back touch panel, although two hands are used to operate it in the video, that’s purely for demonstration purposes. If you imagine holding the device with one hand you should be able to use your index finger to do some basic navigation and scrolling on the back surface, or that’s the intention anyway. Time will tell whether it catches on and is successful. But I agree with jethro_static and Jenn that the option to disable side/back sensors should be included for when you don’t need/want them.