Mango on HD2, Tactile Pixels, and iPhone Slingshots

Some awesome individuals have hacked the HTC HD2 phone so that it runs the beta of Mango, the next release of Windows Phone 7.  I have never used an HD2, but reviews online all say that it was a super-amazing, powerful phone.  They feel that the hardware has essentially been squandered with a less-than-amazing OS and a generally unsavory user experience.  This hack of the HD2 breathes new life into the underrated and under-appreciated phone.  And the best part about all of this?  Microsoft is just sitting back and watching without minding in the least.  They have given hackers their blessing to “tinker away with Mango and enjoy the juice”, so long as they “beware the fine print — unlocking phones may void [the] warranty.”  http://allthingsd.com/20110708/microsoft-smiles-shrugs-as-hackers-wangle-mango-onto-old-winmo-gear/

In other news, there has been increasing interest in developing tactile pixel (“tixel”)  technology.  Senseg, the company behind these tixels, is taking an innovating approach.  Sensory feedback from touchscreens isn’t a new idea.  For years, companies have been tinkering with vibrations in the touchscreens to create textures and sensations.  Senseg’s approach is instead to directly stimulate the finger using electric fields.  The implications of this technology are further-reaching than vibration-based tablet technology, because our sensation will not be subject to the limitations of a tablet touch screen (what sort of vibration it can make, how hard or soft you can press to feel the vibration correctly, etc).  This new technology would be a good way to, say, make braille available on touch screens, or to make tablet keyboards “feel” like a typical computer keyboard.

Also, I want to be this man.  He clearly looks happy with his life decisions.

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