Mice and touch screens have not given up their position as the most important methods for selecting and manipulating content on a computer. Gesture recognition is seeking its own place on the desktop, but there is also the possibility of combining functions, such as integrating a trackpad or a pointer control in the style of an IBM ThinkPad into a keyboard. Today we are talking about Synaptics, which has presented its new SmartBar system to turn the space bar into a touchpad.
We are entering the second half of the COMPUTEX 2015 convention, and we have already seen news from there such as the brand-new SanDisk products or the announcement of Thunderbolt 3 by Intel. Needless to say, COMPUTEX is not limited to specific components or interfaces, but also includes other technological developments that could change the way we work and play. The latest from COMPUTEX takes us to Synaptics territory, a company we know very well for its wide presence in the touchpads market. Each new generation of its products has found a way to incorporate more functions, but this time, Synaptics is not looking to reinvent the touchpad, but to move it to another place, more precisely, the space bar.
What Is SmartBar?
The official name is SmartBar, a technology that will allow OEMs to turn the space bars of all their keyboards and computers into touch surfaces with gesture recognition. Without lifting fingers from the keyboard, the user can select text, scroll web pages vertically or horizontally, do the classic “pinch-to-zoom”, or select a menu at the bottom of the screen. From a technical point of view, SmartBar consists of a thin PET film just 0.2 millimeters thick that can be configured in five different points compatible with macro generation, ideal for very repetitive tasks, or for getting that last-moment advantage in a demanding game.
The First Adopter: Thermaltake
The first company that will adopt Synaptics' SmartBar technology is Thermaltake, through its Tt eSPORTS division with mice and mechanical keyboards aimed at the gaming community. We have no idea how much of a “premium” each user will have to pay to access SmartBar, but before the price, we must ask ourselves how practical it is to turn the space bar into a touchpad. It certainly carries the potential to reduce our reliance on the mouse, although it will also be necessary to explore other aspects, such as precision and sensitivity.
Official announcement: Synaptics SmartBar press release.
