Displax, a Portuguese company, has recently introduced a new touch screen technology. It has created a polymer film with embedded wires which it is calling multi touch skin as many people can use it at the same time. With this product, a 50 inch screen can register more than 15 touches at the same time and inform the computer of the operations to be carried out in response.
The multi touch skin does not have to be embedded in any device to convert it into a touch screen device. It can simply be affixed on to any flat LCD surface of a device to make the surface start functioning as a touch screen.
The film can be used on surfaces in a wide range of sizes from as large as 3 meters to as small as 16 centimetres. Users can now convert their traditional phone, computer, or any other LCD device into a touch screen. The film can register many touch spots at one time making it an ideal tool for multi user interfacing like in a shop window display.
Touch screen has become a very popular trend these days with many people preferring this mode of operation to using keyboards. Given this, Displax’s multi touch skin is likely to soon become a must-have for those want touch screen but do not want it embedded in their device or for those who want to convert their old devices into touch screen devices.
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Industry majors have made yet another appeal to increase the intensity of regulatory provisions pertaining to internet piracy and illegal file-sharing. A call has been made to the authorities to bring in stringent measures to curb such illegal activities at the European Union (EU) level.
A coalition of film, music and television industries representatives, calling themselves the ‘European Audiovisual Social Dialogue Committee’ has come together to formulate a statement asking for serious measures in the EU’s legal fabric which will effectively curtail illegal file sharing and piracy. These activities are responsible for the loss of millions to artistes in the entertainment industry.
The newly formed Committee has used as a starting point, the provisions of the Digital Economy Bill of the UK, for putting in place the regulations which were made public last year. The committee has asked for even stronger measures to be made part of the legal systems across the EU so that they can be enforced by all member-nations.
Further, the committee has appealed to the European Commission and other EU institutions to ensure that all members have in place an effective infrastructure to control the actions of ISPs so that wrongdoers can be punished for engaging in illegal file-sharing and piracy. The Digital Economy Bill which was outlined last year had many provisions for curtailing this activity. These included sending warning letters to suspected offenders and following these up with suspension of internet services in case the illegal activity did not stop. According to Lord Mandelson, the provisions of this bill could result in curbing of all piracy in UK up to 70%.
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Software and telecom consulting firm, Ovum, has cautioned BT that its new broadband bundle may end up being a loss making venture for the company. The bundle is being marketed as the cheapest of its kind in the UK.
The deal that is causing concern to Ovum is offering BT customers up to 8Mbps fixed line broadband access at home along with 1Gb usage on BT mobile broadband and free access to WiFi hotspots. All this comes at £15.65 a month, which means that over the full life of the contract, this deal turns out to be cheaper by about £125 than other competing packages from providers like Virgin and Orange.
Steven Hartley, an analyst with Ovum, says that BT will lose money with this offer. He points out that BT does not have its own mobile broadband network and hence has to piggyback on Vodafone’s network, which incurs a hefty fee. So even though BT is a big player when it comes to the fixed line broadband market, it can not leverage that advantage in this offer. The company still has to bear the highest cost per Mb for providing mobile broadband services when compared to other UK providers, Hartley said.
Ovum has informed BT of its analysis but the company is determined to forge ahead with the offer despite the warning. It has asserted that the deal is not only financially viable but will also rake in significant profits.