Neonode zForce Pad Multitouch Platform Eyes 5-13 Inch MIDs/Tablets
Neonode may not have made the splash they hoped for with their cellphone range, but they seem to be on something of a roll with their touchscreen platform. Only a few weeks after the launch of their zBook budget ebook touchscreen range, the company have announced the zForce Pad platform, a range of low-cost widescreen touchscreen panels spanning 5- to 13-inches and intended for MID, tablet and other ultraportable devices.
While they're obviously not the only company pushing a touchscreen system, Neonode reckon zForce Pad has a few key advantages over rival resistive and capacitive panels. For a start, zForce Pad has no overlay and so doesn't occlude whatever display panel is being used; it's also thinner and apparently cheaper to implement. There's an integrated ambient light sensor and of course multitouch gesture support.
The company claim several Asian manufacturers are already developing products based on the zForce Pad system, though unsurprisingly they're not mentioning any names. There's also no timescale for their release.
Press Release:
Neonode Launches zForce Pad – A Touchscreen Platform for Mobile Internet and Computer DevicesSTOCKHOLM–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Neonode, Inc. (OTCBB:NEON), the Swedish Optical Touchscreen Technology Company, today announced the launch of zForce Pad, a new low cost 5 to 13 inch widescreen touch screen reference design for mobile internet and computer devices. zForce Pad is the latest in a series of new innovative products based on the Neonode's patented touchscreen technology, zForce. The new platform joins the Company's powerful line-up of reference designs that provide fast and economical integration of the Neonode touch screen technology into e-book readers, digital picture frames, mobile internet devices and mobile phones.
Neonode's latest reference design, zForce Pad, is aimed squarely at companies who develop and sell touch screen based mobile internet and computer devices such as tablet-PCs and iPad-like products. zForce Pad offers a number of advantages compared to existing technologies: 100% transparency (no overlay needed like in resistive or capacitive), low cost for complete touch screen solution, ultrathin design, outstanding finger touch experiences (multi-touch support for gesture like pinch to zoom), integrated ambient light sensor for self adjusting backlight levels and lower power consumption and much more. Products based on the zForce Pad touch screen reference design are already being developed by Asian companies.
"The market for this type of product is booming and the touch screen solution is destined to be a vital part of the success of this market. We developed the zForce Pad platform together with companies in the mobile internet and tablet PC device industry and we are confident that it will play an important role in the development of the market. The feed-back from the companies we presented zForce Pad to at the recently completed 3GSM World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain, was very encouraging," said Thomas Eriksson, CEO of Neonode Technologies AB.
Neonode offers touch solutions that are many times more cost effective than any other high performance touch solutions in the market today. zForce incorporates all functionality and performance features from traditional touch solutions like resistive and capacitive. zForce supports high resolution pen input, multi-finger touch, gestures like zooming combined with superior picture quality. zForce is currently being integrated into products such as mobile phones, mobile internet devices, e-books, digital picture frames and tablet PC's.